Tired Quads
daneastwood
Posts: 2
Hi there,
Fairly vague question for you guys. Gotten back into MTB the last year after being ruled out of various sports with a torn ACL. I'm fairly confident in my ability & I've entered a few Enduro's around Ireland, also bought a cheap road bike to rack up some more miles / get fitter for the races.
Problem is my quads seem to feel tired even if I give them a few days off. I would probably do 40/50km a week, 20/30 of that is full tilt up & down a mountain, the rest on fairly flat roads & that's all split into about 3 rides a week.
If I take say 2 days off, almost the second i start pedalling again I can feel a tiredness in my quads as if I'd just done 30km flat out. It doesn't slow me down that much (I don't think) but it's fairly disheartening / frustrating.
I'm 23, diet isn't too bad, have a multivit each day & the odd protein shake after workouts.
I had put it down to not stretching enough as my hamstrings are fairly stiff so I've just started a proper 20mins everyday but was wandering if anyone had other ideas. I ride flats on the MTB & clipless on the roadie if that changes anything.
Current thoughts are that I'm not warming up properly on the 10/15km cycles and basically just couple mins stretch & then flat out 15km isn't smart. But that may just be another factor since the other leg muscles seem to recover just fine.
Any input would be great & apologies for the essay!
Fairly vague question for you guys. Gotten back into MTB the last year after being ruled out of various sports with a torn ACL. I'm fairly confident in my ability & I've entered a few Enduro's around Ireland, also bought a cheap road bike to rack up some more miles / get fitter for the races.
Problem is my quads seem to feel tired even if I give them a few days off. I would probably do 40/50km a week, 20/30 of that is full tilt up & down a mountain, the rest on fairly flat roads & that's all split into about 3 rides a week.
If I take say 2 days off, almost the second i start pedalling again I can feel a tiredness in my quads as if I'd just done 30km flat out. It doesn't slow me down that much (I don't think) but it's fairly disheartening / frustrating.
I'm 23, diet isn't too bad, have a multivit each day & the odd protein shake after workouts.
I had put it down to not stretching enough as my hamstrings are fairly stiff so I've just started a proper 20mins everyday but was wandering if anyone had other ideas. I ride flats on the MTB & clipless on the roadie if that changes anything.
Current thoughts are that I'm not warming up properly on the 10/15km cycles and basically just couple mins stretch & then flat out 15km isn't smart. But that may just be another factor since the other leg muscles seem to recover just fine.
Any input would be great & apologies for the essay!
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Comments
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gentle 30-45min spin ride on the day after a heavy ride to ease out fatigue may help?0
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I'm having similar problems to you, i'm 17 and race MTB but recently my legs have been fatiguing very easily0
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Do they actually fatigue as in start to wobble and fail. Since you are only training 3 times a week maybe add some body weight exercises to improve your leg strength. Squats, lunges, mountain climbers etc. couple of 20 min session might help - though they will make it worse before they get better.
For me its always my calves that go first. Never my quads.0 -
have a cold or hot bath after strenuous exercise. good for aching muscles and recovery0
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I'd have a look at your riding position, particularly on the road bike. Could be your cleat or saddle position are putting too much strain on you quads rather than sharing the work with the other muscles in your legs.0
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Oh, and the current thinking on stretching is that it should be done after exercise whilst the muscles are warm, rather than before. Stretching a warming up are not the same.0
