General Cycling Discussion - Feeling tired?!?

Hi gang,

I commuted to work yesterday after giving it a rest for a few weeks...and boy did I feel punished by the time I got home.

I was surprised by how quickly my bike fitness had decreased, so will make sure to up my commute sessions to two or three times a week.

Does anyone else seem to get this problem, or is it just me?

Cheers and hope it's sunny where you are! :beer:

Rich

Originally posted by Rich
Does anyone else seem to get this problem, or is it just me?


The last time I had any real time off the bike I had the same problem. Give it a few commutes and you'll be back to somewhere near your former level.

At the moment I'm down from 4 - 5 times a week to 1 -2, but I did have nearly a fortnight off and noticed I felt "heavy" getting back on the bike. I thibk part of it is a low grade cold.

I believe it is normal. It's unfortunate, but it seems the body only retains its strength through constant useage. Stopping, even for a few days, or weeks, allows the muscles to start deteriorating back to their normal state. Fortunately, they will regenerate with useage.
Keep riding. You'll be fine.

Yes, your experience is normal and the other respondents are spot-on. My upper body strength and bulk diminish rapidly when I take a break from my 3-times-per-week weightlifting regimen.

Just a couple of days affects me. If I've been riding over the weekend Monday's commute is fine otherwise it's about 5-10 minutes slower than on a Tuesday.

Richard

Cheers guys! :)

Maybe I should start up a support group for burnt out riders :p

Ride hard!

Rich

This IS a support group for burnt-out riders, Rich... ;)

Re: tired after layoff; it takes a long layoff to cause me to feel any difference, but seeing as how my fellow Forumites sense degradation after only a few days, I suppose it must be because my fitness is so minimal, there's nothing to lose. :(

Originally posted by JonR
This IS a support group for burnt-out riders, Rich... ;)

Re: tired after layoff; it takes a long layoff to cause me to feel any difference, but seeing as how my fellow Forumites sense degradation after only a few days, I suppose it must be because my fitness is so minimal, there's nothing to lose. :(

And I thought it was because I'd developed so little fitness that I really felt the damage after a couple of days :)

Richard

Originally posted by Chris L


The last time I had any real time off the bike I had the same problem. Give it a few commutes and you'll be back to somewhere near your former level.
I took six weeks off once. I felt heavy getting back on, too.
But I bounced back after about a week.

You can also push yourself too hard, though. Then you will have to rest longer than you want to.

Stay balanced. Work hard, rest or do light work, work hard, rest,
etc.

I believe, the fitter one is, the more noticable any decline in fitness becomes.

This would agree with all the posts above.

Analogy: A razor sharp knife dulls easily.

Originally posted by Louis
I believe, the fitter one is, the more noticable any decline in fitness becomes.

Analogy: A razor sharp knife dulls easily.
This explains a lot, for example, why the average, everyday modern American (or, plug in your nationality here) who drives every single gosh-darn day does not notice how pitiful their fitness is.

The way to defeat America in a war is to simply take away our cars. We couldn't crawl to the edge of our respective neighborhoods.

Or just give us more cars, and sit back and watch us crumble.

Originally posted by Louis
Or just give us more cars, and sit back and watch us crumble.
:eek:

(What does a heart attack feel like?)

:confused:

Originally posted by LittleBigMan

(What does a heart attack feel like?)


From all I've heard, not too good. Let's hope you never find out! :)

Amen to that brother!

Rich