Training & Nutrition - Aching Quads and stretching

Whenever I put in a fair ride, say 70 miles and up, on the returning trip, my quads starts to develop a deep down aching and quite painful, it has always done this the past several rides of this length.

So on the last ride, thought I'd try something. I stopped to stretch the quads a good 6-7 minutes each leg and I was amazed to find the aching went away completely for the rest of the ride.

What do you suppose the stretching did and what do you think caused the aching?

Thanks..knotty

Do you stretch beforehand?

No, I've been very lax in stretching but since the last ride incident, I've begun.

knotty

On any ride over 50 miles, I down a couple of Advils. It does wonders for aching quads.

Whenever I put in a fair ride, say 70 miles and up, on the returning trip, my quads starts to develop a deep down aching and quite painful, it has always done this the past several rides of this length.

So on the last ride, thought I'd try something. I stopped to stretch the quads a good 6-7 minutes each leg and I was amazed to find the aching went away completely for the rest of the ride.

What do you suppose the stretching did and what do you think caused the aching?

Thanks..knotty

Stretching helps stretch the fibers, which is good. The time off the bike may help you as well.

You might want to try a hydration drink with protein and perhaps use an easier gear.

Thanks all, and ericqu, I'll go investigate different drinks, I've been on Gatorade, perhaps thats not too good.

knotty

stretching after a ride improves my recovery time immensely. for 70+ mile rides, i do a few quick stretches (takes 1 minute) every 25-30 miles.

this book has sets of stretches for everything imaginable -
http://www.amazon.com/Whartons-Stretch-Book-Jim-Wharton/dp/0812926234

slynkie: thanks, I'll do just that, stop and stretch along the way. I'm excited to try it out on the next long ride.

Yes, previously, I just rode and rode without a let up, just a few minutes to eat something and off again.

knotty

good luck! report back ;)

If Gatorade's all you're drinking, you're definitely not getting enough glucose and electrolytes. Well, you can if you mix it at 2x concentration and drink 750ml of that per hour.

Part of the aching could be from cramping due to lack of electrolytes. Are you sore after the ride? If not, then it could be lack of electrolytes and maybe even dehydration.

If you are sore after the ride for a day or more, then it's overstraining the muscle. A 70-mile ride should be done at an endurance intensity. You shouldn't even be pushing the muscles hard enough to the point where they cramp or get fatigued (that's for interval workouts). So take it easy on the muscles by using easier gears. Be aware of the evenness of your pedal-strokes. Don't be pushing down at the bottom of the stroke, that just tries to stretch the crank. You really want to be pulling directly back when the crank's at the bottom Actually, you always want to be applying force at 90-degrees to the crank.

What happens with a lot of people is they 'rest' their upstroke leg on the pedals. This requires extra force from the opposite leg; not only does it have to apply force to move the bike and y ou forward, it has to apply ADDITIONAL force to push the other leg up. This ends up requiring more muscle-effort than necessary for the speed you're riding and can lead to quicker fatigue and cramping.

Hey Danno - any recommendations on drinks? The ones with significant electrolyte replacement are pretty pricey.

Also, I did my first weight workout tonight. Thanks for all the info you've posted previously. It's going to take me some weeks to get things sorted, but already I've identified leg extensions as an area where I really need work. I kept reducing weight until I could really get full extension, and I ended up at 30 lbs....

DannoXYZ
> Thanks for the tips, yes, Gatorate is all I've been drinking.
> Not sore after the ride at all, the aching goes away soon after the ride is over.
> I am totally guilty of pushing too hard. When starting off nice and fresh, I can't resist the urge to jam hills and keeping up with faster cyclists.
> Yes on the circular pedaling, I've been doing that for many years now.

Luckily stretching periodically during the ride seems to take care of the aching and I'll also change sports drinks.

knotty

OK, been experimenting and I've found the problem with the aching quads. I'm ashamed to say, not enough fluids was the main culprit. I upped the fluid to twice my usual intake to 16-20 oz. per hour and it made a world of difference. No aching whatsoever, fast recovery and just a overall, great fresh feeling even after 70 miles, simply amazing. And this was riding about twice my past intensity, jamming hills and flats along the way.

I didn't even eat much during the ride, perhaps 200-250 cals per hour and occasionally stretched.

My only complaint is the bitter after taste of Gatorade. I really have to change drinks.

I should have added, about 2-3 hours before the ride, I drank about 20+ oz. of water and peed that out.

Thanks all for great tips.

knotty

Yes, I can't stress proper hydration more. Drink more water during the day. In fact, I make it a point to drink 10-12 ounces of water within 20 seconds of rising out of bed in the morning. It makes a HUGE difference.

Thanks ZXiMan, yes, I've been drinking 2x-3x the water I used to and haven't had the aching quads since. I have to make a conscious effort to drink enough water though. Drinking water upon rising makes a noticeable difference during the ride so that's a rule now.

knotty

OK, been experimenting and I've found the problem with the aching quads. I'm ashamed to say, not enough fluids was the main culprit. I upped the fluid to twice my usual intake to 16-20 oz. per hour and it made a world of difference. No aching whatsoever, fast recovery and just a overall, great fresh feeling even after 70 miles, simply amazing. And this was riding about twice my past intensity, jamming hills and flats along the way.

I didn't even eat much during the ride, perhaps 200-250 cals per hour and occasionally stretched.

My only complaint is the bitter after taste of Gatorade. I really have to change drinks.

I should have added, about 2-3 hours before the ride, I drank about 20+ oz. of water and peed that out.

Thanks all for great tips.

knotty

Try Heed by Hammer Nutrition.