Recovery after a hard ride

[TheLemming]

Trying to work out how to actually recover and still be functional on a Sunday.

My routine seems to have settled into ride, eat, sleep.

There's a bit of time between them, I try and stretch the feed out till about 5 and have a post-ride recovery shake and a snack. However after eating sleep becomes non-optional.

This always seems to have been my routine, as I've become stronger I've gone further and harder and seem to have the same result - I've gone from a 13mph average 50k to currently a 19mph ish average 100k now but it leads to a non-functional Sunday afternoon.

[okgo]

You should look to have the food with protein/carb mix within 40 mins or so of the ride, this is apparently when your body is at its most needy and when it makes the most of what you give it to repair the damage.

Quite easy to do, choc milk, sandwich, recovery protein bar, etc etc.

I also use a foam roller most evenings and do stretches before bed too

[madzo14]

As okgo said above the first half hour/45mins after are important. Nesquik powder and milk or For Goodness Shakes are a good start to your recovery.

Maybe you are just pushing yourself too hard. Are you eating and drinking while out cycling as well?

[anonymous-user]

Cholcolate milk or better still Torq recovery shake when you get back. Everything then says some quality food within a few hours.

I like the Torq stuff and their shaker thing which makes it less of a faff. Agree with the foam roller, it makes a good bit of difference.

[Usget]

I had much the same question a while back, and there were some good suggestions on that thread which have helped me... I'll try and dig out the link

Edit: Here you go:

http://www.pistonheads.com/gassing/topic.asp?h=0&a...

Not entirely the same issue as you, but the suggestions should hold true. I've almost completely cured my issues by eating better and drinking A LOT more, both during and after the ride.

[BMWBen]

Eat Eat and Eat some more! if you're doing 100k at 19/20mph you'll have burnt ~ 3000 calories. That's a lot to catch up with.

[TheLemming]

BMWBen said:

Eat Eat and Eat some more! if you're doing 100k at 19/20mph you'll have burnt ~ 3000 calories. That's a lot to catch up with.

19-20 I wish for that distance, more like 18.5 lol

I normally eat flapjack before I go out (quarter to half a tray of tesco flapjack so 5-700 calories.
Drink at least a litre of water with rehydration tabs (often more)
Cake and a coffee after 60k ish (or more flapjack on the go) and a recovery shake when I get back.

This is not quite 100% effort but definitely in the 80-90% category.

Strava seems to think I'll do 2500 calories, the garmin normally around 3500 for 100k with a 1k metres of climbing (pretty typical) however it's a bit easier in the pack of a group ride than solo!

[Dixie]

If it's achy legs your suffering with then blasting\submerging them in cold water really helps. Or at least I found it did.

Try to keep them under for 5 - 10 mins then warm them back up. I was amazed how fresh my legs felt immediately after i'd warmed back up. (Warning: Penis size will be affected!)

[RGambo]

You are putting in a good effort. As you have said 80-90 % doesn't matter what your average speed is, if you are putting that much effort in, you will feel it. You are taking on nutrition , fluids so that's good, you are refuelling post ride, all good stuff, but you have to accept that 3-4 hours of sustained effort will tire you.
Try riding at a little lower effort level and building your base fitness to enable you to cope with the higher intensities.
Do you ride with a HR ? That would enable you to figure out you intensity zones, you can gauge you relative effort levels.
Ive been riding and training for a few years now (10 years), I'm no Okgo, but I'd consider myself to be pretty fit. I can do 100k at endurance level and get off and go and dig the garden, run round with the kids etc, but 100k at high tempo 80-90% and I'm pretty tired after! I'll have recovered by the morning! no problem! but that afternoon! I might not want to do much.
What I'm trying to say, probably badly is, it's more to do with you effort and time at that effort, not distance or speed.

[SoliD]

Dixie said:

If it's achy legs your suffering with then blasting\submerging them in cold water really helps. Or at least I found it did.

Try to keep them under for 5 - 10 mins then warm them back up. I was amazed how fresh my legs felt immediately after i'd warmed back up. (Warning: Penis size will be affected!)

This, an ice or cold water bath definitely helps if you're feeling achey.

I used to be like you, but generally struggle for an afternoon kip nowadays, usually have a recovery drink, so some sort of frijj/mars type, or banana, some other fruit (strawberries/blueberries), whey protein (15g @ 80%) and about 250ml of milk, pretty much as soon as I get in, then eat a more substantial meal about 1.5 hours after finishing, so usually 1.30 after a club run, of say tuna/chicken, bit of salad and some carbs, sometimes bread, but pasta or rice if there is any on the go.

[anonymous-user]

RGambo said:

Try riding at a little lower effort level and building your base fitness to enable you to cope with the higher intensities.

I'd say exactly the same thing. At the beginning of the year I started with a coach, he told me to ride z1 for 3-4 hrs at the weekends along with intervals etc. I thought it'd be easy, it wasn't, I suffered because my legs weren't used to it. It was actually quite soul destroying but it got easier. All the riding previously was geared towards 40-90mins, flat out everywhere until I broke. Yesterday at 140km I felt reasonably fresh and looking at the other riders data they suffered way more on the ride. I was genuinely surprised, it felt good taking the wind on the front.

I was told that my ability to recover and generate power goes up every 10 points. Looking at the chart and comparing my fitness to last July it's night and day. I am aiming to get my fitness well over 100 after Tenerife which should see some pretty substantial gains. I did find that 7-8hrs every weekend was killing my speed which is why this month I have been careful to keep fitness up but not get so fatigued.




I always go for porridge/banana/honey pre ride and then top up with more banana's and gels when needed. Yesterday I only took a single gel and two bananas which was enough but I wouldn't have made it another 40km at a decent pace. To be fair I was told it was an 'easy' ride for 3hrs so I didn't take much with me, always take a gel+1.

Recovery shake, rollers, cold baths all good suggestions but do work on the base miles, you'll see gains pretty quickly.

[Grandfondo]

The ice baths are a bit of a myth.

[Rich_W]

(foto: Henri Cartier-Bresson)

Recovery shake.
Sit, feet up higher than hips. (Like this guy, from the Paris Velodrome circa 1920)
Watch the F1 or MotoGP
Have a proper meal

Don't make it more complicated than it needs to be


How do people change it, if they are doing double sessions?

[Dixie]

Grandfondo said:

The ice baths are a bit of a myth.

Have you ever tried it? I'd have probably thought the same (probably not voice it as fact like I know more than an entire internet forum). However, whilst doing the coast to coast this year I tried it at the end of day one (the hilly day). I was genuinely surprised by the result.

[Lotus Notes]

I do a lot of trail running and protein with 30 mins after a run helps - I eat chicken or a mixture of beans.
I stretch for at least 20 minutes afterwards (proper stretching that really pulls...) and then keep my legs raised when lounging around afterwards.

Instead of an ice bath, just alternate hot and cold on the legs in the shower, end with cold water. This makes a big difference.

[Grandfondo]

Dixie said:

Grandfondo said:

The ice baths are a bit of a myth.

Have you ever tried it? I'd have probably thought the same (probably not voice it as fact like I know more than an entire internet forum). However, whilst doing the coast to coast this year I tried it at the end of day one (the hilly day). I was genuinely surprised by the result.

Yes I have and thought it helped but Science says that a proper cool down is more effective and immersion in ice old water could have negative health implications!

[okgo]

Ice would presumably minimise swelling, and the act of swelling is the first step in the repair process I thought? Hence when recovering from muscle injures after initial pain, physics don't recommend you keep taking ibuprofen to reduce swellings etc as hinders repair...

[Dixie]

okgo said:

Ice would presumably minimise swelling, and the act of swelling is the first step in the repair process I thought? Hence when recovering from muscle injures after initial pain, physics don't recommend you keep taking ibuprofen to reduce swellings etc as hinders repair...

We're talking very short duration though. Things will still swell once the temperature returns to normal I'd have though.

I had it explained to me as the extreme cold causes your circulatory system to increase the blood flow to the cold area. This in turn flushes out any lactic acid that is loitering about, the same way I guess that stretching does. I might be totally wrong. But I certainly noticed a benefit. It's not much fun mind!

[fausTVR]

Way back when I was racing, I found quite by accident that after a weekend race or long training ride, washing the car soon after made a noticeable improvement in my recovery rate. Obviously getting nutrition on board in your 1 hour window post ride is a must, but then out came the sponge and bucket and that wiped-out feeling would evaporate.

Sounds like a joke but try it.

[944fan]

I use My Protein Recovery XS after big rides.

You should also make sure to fuel on the ride, this aids recovery according to Joel Friel.

I've also been using the Under Armour Recharge Recovery Suit. Use it after big swims and big rides. Michael Phelps used to wear one between workouts. Legs do fell less achey and heavy the next day. Works well for swimming as it allows me to do hard sessions two days in a row.