General Cycling Discussion - Pouring water on quads...good, bad, or indifferent?

So I was pushing on my ride today and my quads started to get fatigued, so I poured some water over them both. It *felt* like it made a difference and helped them get some energy back. Any opinions/experiences with this? Sorry if this has been covered before.

If it feels good, do it.
If it feels real good, do it a lot.

I read that in a Playmates profile once.

Just try to avoid getting your shorts wet.

Just try to avoid getting your shorts wet.

That's exactly what I did since my quads reside underneath my shorts when riding. Actually I wear cut-off sweats over my bike shorts. What is the down side to getting your shorts wet?

And in saying that, I just realized I may have been solving a problem of my own creation (too many layers contributing to overheating?), although the cotton helped keep the cooling effect going instead of wicking all the water away.

I have noticed that in switching from all-cotton gear to proper cycling gear, I no longer get the annoying, soaking-wet feeling after I take a break, but it also feels a bit hotter during the actual ride.

If you're on a short ride, getting your shorts wet probably doesn't matter. But if you're out there for a while with wet shorts, you greatly increase the chances of chafing and saddle sores.

Your "quads" are getting fatigued because of internal chemistry; lactic acid is building up and is not being flushed away rapidly enough. The very minor cooling effect of a bit of water will not affect this in any way... Save perhaps psychologically.

Spinning in a lower gear will likely do more to restore balance to your aerobic activity.

Try this next time:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z284/JanMM/gatorade.jpg

Weird! I happened to record something on FSN where they do sports experiments last night, and watched it today. There is a clothing line called "X-Bionic" that claims their clothing turns sweat into energy. It's pretty crazy. The host ran on the treadmill without, then with the X-Bionic shirt on. During the first run he bonked, and on the second he was fine. There were heat lamps on during the test, making the ambient temp 125 degress!

The way the clothing works is difficult to explain, but basically instead of wicking sweat away, it uses it to fill its internal plumbing, kinda like a radiator. It also keeps you warm when the temp drops and you are cooling off. So that way your body can use its energy to power muscles instead of trying to regulate your core temperature. I think my "pouring water on my quads" idea might have been a simplistic execution of their complex idea, that I just happened to stumble upon. Or maybe it was all in my head.

Here is their website: http://www.x-bionic.com/

Try this next time:

http://i189.photobucket.com/albums/z284/JanMM/gatorade.jpg

Waaay too sticky to pour on your quads.

Waaay too sticky to pour on your quads.

But the Gatorade Frost feels SO GOOD on hot legs!!!

The host ran on the treadmill without, then with the X-Bionic shirt on. During the first run he bonked, and on the second he was fine.

You only bonk because of low blood sugar brought on by not eating enough.


You can also suffer symptoms that may somewhat resemble a bonk when you suffer from heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hypothermia ... but they aren't bonks.

You only bonk because of low blood sugar brought on by not eating enough.


You can also suffer symptoms that may somewhat resemble a bonk when you suffer from heat exhaustion, dehydration, and hypothermia ... but they aren't bonks.

OK sorry, I didn't know the strict clinical defiinition of bonking. He fell off the treadmill and his core temp was really high.

OK sorry, I didn't know the strict clinical defiinition of bonking. He fell off the treadmill and his core temp was really high.

That sounds more like heat exhaustion ... and clothing is a part of warding off heat exhaustion, as is making sure to drink enough and consume electrolytes.

In the long run, you'd be better off with that water in you rather than on you.

when you sweat, you lose blood volume. also, during exercise, fluid leaves the capillaries into the working tissues. this is what causes a lowered stroke volume, which leads to a higher hr to compensate (cardiac drift).

So I was pushing on my ride today and my quads started to get fatigued, so I poured some water over them both. It *felt* like it made a difference and helped them get some energy back. Any opinions/experiences with this? Sorry if this has been covered before.

Probably more mental than anything. The change in sensation tricked your brain.

Train more and put the water inside you.

Pouring water on guads is waste of water. This thread is waste of internet.

Pouring water on guads is waste of water. This thread is waste of internet.

Self-Appointed Bandwidth Steward.