Training & Nutrition - Next Day Recovery

Yesterday I got a computer hooked up to my bike and headed straight for a 30 mile ride. It was hilly, for this area anyway, and seeing the numbers in front of my face made me really push it (so much so that I had to walk up a hill I normally don't have trouble on! darn it...). I wanted to go on a ride this evening that is really fast, but I'm feeling a bit zapped. Not sore, but maybe just a little stiff. You know..that tired muscle feeling. Anyway I really want to go tonight because after this week, I'll be dancing my butt off and I don't know when I'll be able to ride! So...anyone got any post-ride miracle fixes? :D I had a pretty good amount of protein yesterday so am I in need of more carbs or something? Potassium?

Just after the ride (within an hour), try a little yogurt. It has carbs and protein at a 4:1 ratio. This helps muscle recovery. Stretch after your ride for at least 10-15 minutes, use long deep stretches. This will help with DOMS (soreness later). Drink lots of water afterwards.

Dan

Rest and relax as much as possible eat a small balanced meal every few hours that includes protein and complex carbs and some healty fats,take a multivitimin for supplemental V&M's(and perhaps some potassium or potassium rich foods) and take it fairly easy on the ride if you don't feel fully recovered.

Natophelia: Give your legs a massage and drink extra fluids.

Zack

Cool stuff...am sitting at my evil desk with my huge pink plastic glass full of water. I think for lunch I'll have some kind of fish and pasta..maybe a power bar. A few vitamins..and put some stinky muscle stuff on my legs :D I'd love to sit here and stretch but the other office monkies would think I'm being obscene. But that would relieve the boredom...hmmm....I think I should sit in the splits in a highly trafficed part of the room. In my skirt. "Don't mind me, boss! Step on over!"

Thanks guys :)

From your symptoms it sounds mainly like a carb/glycogen replenishment issue.
Endurox R4 is a commercial recovery drink that most people think works well. Drink w/in 30 minutes after completing a hard ride (the sooner the better). An alternative offered by Joe Friel, author of The Cyclist's Training Bible, is to add 5 tablespoons of sugar to 12 oz of skim milk, and drink w/in 1/2 hour of completing the ride. You get the 4:1 carb : protein thing, and your tired body will suck up the carbs.

I use the homebrew formula after almost all of my hard work-outs. I use Endurox after the really hard and/or long work-outs.

Well, I think I've decided that I'm going to skip it tonight. I feel like really I need to take it a bit easy, but I know me and I'll end up blasting it out anyway which would probably put a damper on my weekend rides. Ah well..the sugar/milk thing sounds almost good! I got some good info to use later anyway :) I might go by myself somewhere instead. I think the speedy folks do another one on Sunday... Thanks again :)

It's important to listen to your body. If you ride and try to go fast and your body says no then slow down and make it a recovery ride. An easy ride on the bike is better recovery than a day off of the bike, IMO.

Just curious, in your profile picture are you the one on the right or left?

Zack

On the right

I may not ride at all tonight (I'll flip flop like this until it's time to go). My body doesn't say no once I get moving. I've been so sore I couldn't walk up or down stairs, but did I miss class/rehearsal?? No way man!

Get really serious about hydration and eat snacks when you ride to keep your body fueled up. Also include a 5-15 min slow cool down ride after the serious stuff to alow your legs to push out some fatigue toxins.

Much of this has been covered already but it helps me a lot.

Part of the exhaustion is just depleating the body of its fuel stores without refueling.

Don't dance your butt off next week. It will be impossible to ride comfortably on your bike if you have no butt! ;)

Originally posted by SamDaBikinMan
Don't dance your butt off next week. It will be impossible to ride comfortably on your bike if you have no butt! ;)

:lol: I have no choice now :cry: I've sold my soul to a dance company until the end of October! You're all invited, and we can go on a midnight ride after!! This is why I'm really trying to squeeze in extra this week. :fun:
I'm all about the water man...I used to carry a water bottle around with me at work. When I'd fill it up at the water fountain I'd hold the top in my mouth. This stupid man walked by and said "Hey that looks like a pacifier." yeah yeah..hahah..point-out-the-obvious office chit chat (like "Are you going home?" at 5 on a Friday)..I smile and I'm on my way. Every time I saw him for months afterward he would say "We got our baby bottle today?" and laugh as if he'd just said something really clever. Then when I didn't have it, "Where our baby bottle at?" No big deal, but all day long for months...AGH! I finally ditched the water bottle, started using the big pink plastic cup instead, and ignored him a few times till he quit. Somewhat funny useless story :D

(you know..after all the preaching I do about stretching I didn't get to at all yesterday except for a few leg extensions before getting in the car :o I'm such a hypocrite :eek: )

Originally posted by roadbuzz
From your symptoms it sounds mainly like a carb/glycogen replenishment issue.
Endurox R4 is a commercial recovery drink that most people think works well. Drink w/in 30 minutes after completing a hard ride (the sooner the better). An alternative offered by Joe Friel, author of The Cyclist's Training Bible, is to add 5 tablespoons of sugar to 12 oz of skim milk, and drink w/in 1/2 hour of completing the ride. You get the 4:1 carb : protein thing, and your tired body will suck up the carbs.

I use the homebrew formula after almost all of my hard work-outs. I use Endurox after the really hard and/or long work-outs.

Thanks for the recipe on the drink. I just tried it today after a 11 mile ride. Hasn't been long enough for it to work, but it actually tastes pretty good :).

Roadbuzz,

Is that recipe above right?

5 *tablespoons* of sugar? or 5 *teaspoons* of sugar?

Thanks

Originally posted by foehn
Is that recipe above right?
I checked in the book and actually, no. It is 5 tablespoons, but should be 16 oz. skim milk (not 12). It comes out to about 16 gms protein to 60 grams carbs. (The milk actually adds another 22 grams of low glycemic carbs).

It also sounds like you might have gone anerobic for too long. Keep the heart rate down a little lower if you're going all out.
When it comes to the climbs, try not to flatten the hill out, a nice steady climb, again staying below 85%max.
Munch on some Gummie Bears or dried fruit.
Something else that wasn't mentioned. At the end of a ride like that do a 2 mile, low effort pedal. That will clean out the lactic acid from the leg muscles and help prevent muscle sorness the next day or two.
When on a hike I'll stop every hour and elevate my legs above my heart for 5 minutes while I munch on some trail mix/figs/dried fruit. It really helps during and post hike with muscle sorness.
Eat a high glycemix food at the end of the ride like a yogurt or baked potato.

Originally posted by roadbuzz
I checked in the book and actually, no. It is 5 tablespoons, but should be 16 oz. skim milk (not 12). It comes out to about 16 gms protein to 60 grams carbs. (The milk actually adds another 22 grams of low glycemic carbs).

lol, it did taste a little bit too sweet when I drank it, but all the same still tasted pretty good.

I did the milk and sugar thing yesterday. Once when I got back from my first ride, once before I left for the second (did 50 miles for the first time! whoohoo!). It was like drinking icing! I guess it did it's thing...I don't feel fatigued today at all. I bet if you put it in a blender with some ice and a drop or two of vanilla it would be a good replacement milkshake for those who are trying to lose weight-or anybody really (got the idea while talking to a lady on the ride who was dieting).

Hi,
a couple of quickies...
1)The glycemic window lasts for 20 minutes. You can certainly replenish after that; but at 1/3 the speed of absorbtion
2) I have a number of things I like to eat. SOmetimes I mix a few ounces of fresh blueberries into a fruit yogurt. Sometimes I make a fruit shake (orange juice/protein powder/orange yogurt -or- soy milk/protein powder/banana/forzen fruit -or- rasperry yogurt/fresh berries/rasberry ice cream) My favorite and most effective (and least tasty) cure is Phyto-tein in low sodium V8 with a multivitamin.
3) The day after a monster workout you need to flush the legs out. If you have the discipline, you can ride at a very slow pace. I just walk for a 1/2 our to a hour. Works for me.