Sore thigh muscles

Simmo72

Help. What causes sore thigh muscles after riding (ie next day). It’s at the front (I assume the quads) .
It feels like a typical soreness that you would get after a heavy session but its occurring on what I would consider light rides. Because of this I’m looking at the cause being position related rather than fitness.

My assumption is its saddle position related and I’m putting too much bias on my quads and not using my hamstrings enough. That’s the feeling I have anyway.

Any ideas if there is a general theory for this - saddle too high/low, or too far forward/back. Any advice would be welcome.

islandman

I'm far from an expert but maybe your cleat position is worth checking.

SBezza

You have damaged the muscles by using them, either by going very hard, or even at lower efforts for a very long duration. It might be nothing to do with saddle position.

Without knowing your full training and riding history all people will be able to do it fire answers at you. Perhaps give a breakdown as to what you have been doing, has it always been like it, have you changed saddle position, or cleat position recently etc. Without a full history it is pretty pointless to guess.

Simmo72

islandman wrote:

I'm far from an expert but maybe your cleat position is worth checking.

I did think about that but I'm pretty sure my cleat position is good, I've had it checked and its about the only thing about my position that is spot on!

Simmo72

it might not be anything to do with saddle position but my body is telling me it is. I know I can ride 25, 30, 40, 50 miles and not feel like I have dead legs the next day, i'm 40 but I'm not ready to be put down yet. Whilst my fitness is not where I want it I am being realistic when I know I should be capable of riding a certain distance at a certain speed without suffering too much the next day. Also, it is just 1 particular area, no problems in arms, shoulder, lower leg, no cramps, no problem riding, just stiffness the next day. it would suggest one area is getting more load and its not something I used to get. maybe my position is changing as I get older.

Ruling out injury, age and intensity, I just would like to get a feel for what is generally best for engaging the hamstring, or reducing the use of the quads. i can try it and if it works then great, if it doesn't I move back to how it was.

joey54321

how far forward is your saddle? I have heard moving your saddle backwards puts more strain on the hamstrings/glutes.

SBezza

I regularly have stiffness and soreness the day after riding, it comes with the territory of training to be honest. There are days when I train hard and feel fine the next day and others where I feel like walking down the stairs is hard work, saddle and cleat position hasn't changed between rides, but what has changed is fatigue, how hard the training was, how well I recovered after the training, how much sleep I have got etc. There is far too many things to influence how your body reacts to put it down to one thing.

It could be saddle or cleat positions, but I would have thought you would feel these when riding as well as the day after to be honest. If it is after EVERY ride you do, no matter how hard or long, then that would suggest fit issues, other wise it could really be anything. Proper stretching AFTER riding will help with any inbalances you might have. To be honest you are not going to be using your hamstrings more whilst cycling, the power comes from your quads and not the hamstrings in cycling, hence why these hurt sometimes. You can activate the glutes more admittedly but this might take more than just saddle position.

PS your age has nothing to do it with it IMO, 40 isn't old by any means, how regular you ride and how you ride are the things to think about.

jonomc4

Well I was having problems with aching thighs and they were taking days to recover - just discovered I have hypothyroidism (thyroid not producing enough hormones) some of the symptoms are - muscle ache, lethargy, memory loss, joint aches, depression and weight increase (I have managed to drop 5 KG's in the last year though - so all those moaners saying their weight increase is medical are basically lying - eat less exercise more and weight still goes, it is just harder).

Anyway - go on the tablets on Friday and hopefully the symptoms will pass- should make improving my cycling a lot easier

Looking forward to having less aches in my muscles now and more energy. But in answer to the OP - sometimes there maybe an underlying cause.

Simmo72

Thanks SBezza, useful information. I'll try more stretching post ride and maybe a bit more protein, maybe that will help.

Best wishes Jonomc4, hope the tablets help.