Leg fatigue/recovery.

RandG

For a number of years I have suffered from leg fatigue but I've pretty much always thought it was due to a combination of lack of fitness and my job (cabbie) So when I decided to get in to cycling I thought it could/would/should cure both issues (fitness/fatigue) however, this doesn't seem to be working in regards my legs.

They never seem to be fresh, no matter how long I rest them or how little I rest them, and there seems to be very little strength in that and always feel I'm struggling.

Now I guess most will say it's your lack of fitness is the issue, but I can assure you this fatigue is more than just a fitness issue.


Sooooo, the question I'm asking is, has anyone any idea why I am struggling so much with fatigue/lack of recovery of my legs ??

tony620

could well be diet. diet plays a big part in recovery.

englander

I've been out and about a lot more than usual and I find that my legs feel very fatigued in the way you describe - unless I up up my eating to match the added exertion. This often means an extra man size portion of pasta as a second dinner and then I feel much better the next day.

Lycra-Byka

Purely just because your a cabbie my advice would be ...
MTFU!!





Do you eat enough protein to repair muscle fibre? As your job is not active maybe incorporate some stretching.

Mikey23

Might be worth a medical check just to be on the safe side

d4evr

I tend to go into protein overload after a hard ride. A protein shake with skimmed milk as soon as I get in, peanut butter and banana sandwich for lunch, and salmon or chicken for dinner, oh and loads of water for the rest of the day. How much good this is doing I have no idea but it SEEMS to work for me.

RandG

Since I got in to cycling I've been very conscious of my diet, but by that I mean I've cut out the biscuits and cakes and trying to eat properly.

As for protein, I'm not even sure what foods are full of protein, though I do try and eat bananas, and chicken etc but my legs always feel like they are struggling and it's bloodymindedness that gets me thru rides more than anything.

JoeCycle02

Most of it will be your diet. After a hard days cycling you will need to eat some qaulity foods, high in protein that assist your body in recovering.

Dont think that resting 1-2 days is enough, sometimes your body needs longer than that to fully recover.

ShutUpLegs

Has anyone suggested doing squats?

t.m.h.n.e.t

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Has anyone suggested doing squats?

Bad troll is bad

RandG

ShutUpLegs wrote:

Has anyone suggested doing squats?

<snigger snigger>

Calpol

A few pointers based on my own experience as a relative newbie.

1. Post ride I have a protein drink. Impact Whey from Myprotein.com
2. Build up your distance gradually but keep well hydrated
3. Sports massage can be great for releasing tension that builds up. I have just had 2 sessions and whilst its blooming painful I do feel the benefit. 3rd one tonight
4. Recovery - dont try and do too much too soon.
5. Keep riding.

smidsy

and do not get hung up on average speeds, strava segments and general comparingness (it's a word - honest) :P

d4evr

I commute to work (16 mile round trip) and used to hammer it each and every journey. That is until I realised I was becoming constantly knackered. I now generally use it as a gentle spIn/recovery type ride most days. What I'm getting at is don't go balls out all the time, and if you feel you need a decent rest then take it. It is meant to be fun afterall.

steve6690

I'm a newbie too - started about a month ago. I also work a 24/7 shift pattern. I started off by riding hard every session and quickly found I was feeling wiped out the whole time. My legs were sore, and my sleep was disrupted. I also noticed my resting heart rate was constantly higher than my normal 53.
I have sorted it now though. Because of my shift pattern I ride 8 days then have 2 days off. Plus, I wear a heart rate monitor and when I hit 85% of my max (actual max, not calculated) I ease off. I'm focusing on building steady mileage - currently only 12 miles a day with a 20 miler every week.
I sweat a lot so I use Nuun electrolyte tablets which I've found are brilliant for avoiding cramp attacks after my rides. I drink lots of water and eat carbs and protein at regular intervals throughout the day.
Now I'm sleeping better than I have for years and feel so much better.

RandG

I use an hrm as well and try not to go above 80% and when I do I slow down and relax, but obviously there are times when climbing that's not possible, but I don't believe any of this has anything to do with my legs, then genuinely feel weak ALL the time. :?

marz

Another vote here for extra protein in your diet to help with recovery.

I've defiantly noticed when I've not eaten enough protein as my legs take a lot longer to recover after a hard ride.

Milk, eggs, chicken, lentils, the odd steak, are all good sources of protein.

For an active person I've read you need 1.2 to 1.4 grams of protein per kg of body mass per day.

andyeb

I've had exactly the same problem and sought the advice of a cycling coach, whose advice was absolutely invaluable.

In essence I was going too hard too often, continuously trying to get achievements on Strava and boost my average speed. The coach advised to take a whole month of recovery riding at 60-75% MHR.

Not only has this solved the fatigue problem, but has dramatically improved my base fitness, so perceived effort in upper heart rate zones is now lower.

Now I'm not saying this is a magic formula that will fix everyone's fatigue problems, but might be worth a shot?

RandG

andyeb wrote:

I've had exactly the same problem and sought the advice of a cycling coach, whose advice was absolutely invaluable.

In essence I was going too hard too often, continuously trying to get achievements on Strava and boost my average speed. The coach advised to take a whole month of recovery riding at 60-75% MHR.

Not only has this solved the fatigue problem, but has dramatically improved my base fitness, so perceived effort in upper heart rate zones is now lower.

Now I'm not saying this is a magic formula that will fix everyone's fatigue problems, but might be worth a shot?

Hmmm...I think you might be on to something there, although, I have to say I'm not riding that often. once at the weekend and once during the week, but will give this a try for a month also and see how things go, but at the moment, I haven't had a good nights sleep for a fortnight due to my legs.

kentphil

How about sitting in a cold bath after the ride. Doesn't this send the blood to the inner leg, helping muscle recovery? I think some people sit in an ice bath if you can stand it.

RandG

May I remind those who have posted of my initial posting, I have had leg fatigue for a good few years.

andyeb

RandG wrote:

andyeb wrote:

I've had exactly the same problem and sought the advice of a cycling coach, whose advice was absolutely invaluable.

In essence I was going too hard too often, continuously trying to get achievements on Strava and boost my average speed. The coach advised to take a whole month of recovery riding at 60-75% MHR.

Not only has this solved the fatigue problem, but has dramatically improved my base fitness, so perceived effort in upper heart rate zones is now lower.

Now I'm not saying this is a magic formula that will fix everyone's fatigue problems, but might be worth a shot?

Hmmm...I think you might be on to something there, although, I have to say I'm not riding that often. once at the weekend and once during the week, but will give this a try for a month also and see how things go, but at the moment, I haven't had a good nights sleep for a fortnight due to my legs.

OK, in my case, I was doing 2x 30 mile rides per day, two to three times a week, plus some riding at the weekend. I thought I was getting sufficiently recovered on the in-between days, but there was a cumulative effect of fatigue building up.

Maybe try staying in 60-65% MHR for a week or two and see if things head in the right direction? To start with I found it really hard to keep my heart rate below 65%, but with some practice I got the hang of it. Plus it also gets easier as you get better at riding efficiently at lower efforts.

One other thing to consider - do you have a cadence feature on your cycle computer? For best recovery effect, try to keep the cadence high (e.g. 90-100 RPM) - spinning an easy gear rather than pushing a harder one at lower RPM.

mouth

Anyone think of suggesting that you warm up (and just as importantly cool down) properly? I find that if I go out and try to win the sprint on the champs elysee within the first five minutes of riding I might as well turn round there and then.

As for your leg fatigue over the years you've got a sedentary job. That doesn't help. Try getting out of the car periodically and walking a few yards or do some stretching etc when you have a minute. I'm a bussie and find this stuff helps a bit.

top_bhoy

I've no idea your age but if your activity level coupled with a sedentary job has been pretty much zero for the last few years, as your legs have felt contantly fatigued for a while now, perhaps a quick medical check-up would be a good starting point just to be safe.

If you are trying to hammer it on your rides it maybe isn't surprising your legs are feeling it. You are effectively going from zero exercise to pushing hard. I'm not qualified to give advice from a medical or physical viewpoint only anecdotal from my own experience and that is when I get back on the bike after a relatively long absence, my aim is simply to start doing short rides at relatively easy pace. I find this gets the muscles and body used to sitting on the bike and pedalling once again, gradually increasing the ride time/length and severity as my physical well being improves. 8 weeks later I'm flying!!! :P

If there is nothing physically wrong with you, all you will need to feel better is a bit of patience, a decent diet and determination to maintain regular exercise. I'm talking from experience as I don't always get all 3 right all the time :oops:

Mikey23

perhaps the OP could let us know more about his riding pattern, the terrain he rides over, the intensity of his activity, how competitive he is, what recovery he has, what bike he rides, whether he pushes in big gears or woks with a higher cadence, whether his bike is set up ok. it might help in giving constructive advice

RandG

Ok here goes, almost 48, been reatively active all my life, having played football til i was 34crom ten year old. My fitness since then has t been great but about three years back got in to the gym a d got myself fairly fit but like all things, got bored and stopped going, not really been much in two years.
,
For the last couple of years i have being doing motorcycle trials which means standing on a bike for a couple hours, so its not like my legs arent used to getting used. Only really been cycling steady since july, mtb then road bike at start of august. Bike is a trek 3.1 and started with a couple of 15 milers, then up to 20ish, since then ive done 4 or 5 30 odd milers and a sportive of 47. In the main the terrain is pretty lumpy.

Hth.

styxd

Do you eat enough food? Not just protein, but everything. Your legs will feel weak if you're not eating enough.

RandG

Since taking up cycling that is something I have been conscious about, whether I'm eating enough or not is a matter of conjecture, but I have made an effort to eat more and of the right stuff.

Crouching Peeky

I've got a question based around the OP point. I've just started cycling. Currently doing a commute of 24km each way. The route is pretty flat so no hills to kill me. It's currently taking aroun 1hr 5-10 mins.
My question is regarding recovery shakes. As my legs ache a fair amount after a ride (as I'd expect having only just started) I was wondering whether there would be any tangiable benefit to having one of these shakes post ride or are they all a bit "emporor's new clothes" and only really of benefit to the elite riders?

grechzoo

protien shakes, carb shakes, vitamins etc. things that you know your diet is not quite getting as much of as the norm, will help anyone, even if you dont do hardly any excersize

so the answer is yes, they will help a lot in general, not just for cycling.

TouchingCloth

Not to frighten you at all BUT.
I started cycling this year after an operation to put stents in my illiac arteries.
The reason for these stents was fatigue in my legs. I was struggling to walk long distances and felt very heavy legged with real bad pain in my hip. It became so bad I got cramp like tightness in my Hips/butt muscles which virtually paralised me for a few mins till I had rested. All down to lack of oxygen getting to the muscles due to the blocked artery.
I had this problem for years, but thought it was a hip problem and so did my doctors, due to my past operations for knee joins etc and a life of limping haha. It got so bad I could not walk 20 metres without stopping to let the muscle recover. I think the condition is called claudication, I had the pain in my hip but most sufferers get it in the calves and thighs, hence my delayed diagnosis.
Definatly worth a check up at the docs, but the good news is I do regular 30-50 mile runs Sat and Sun, and a couple of 20s in the week weather/light permitting. I only started when I got my road bike in the last week of June so if it is somthing similar there is hope.