Training & Nutrition - Sore upper arms and shoulders while riding

On the latter part of my regular rides (Miles 30 to 50) my shoulders and upper arms start to get fairly sore. I'm pretty sure I may be putting too much weight onto my arms. Which I think needs to be fixed by adjusting my bike rather than my position on the bike, as I'm fairly certain I'm keeping good form (relaxed shoulders, bent arms, etc.). However, I'm not positive about this, and don't particularly feel like going through the process of trial and erroring it, without atleast the opinions of people who know more about this than I do. So any help from you guys would be appreciated.


Thanks.

Could be one of two things or a combination: poor position on the bike (arms too far in front of the body, not being properly supported by the skeletal structure) or loss of conditioning in the affected muscles.

1.) Go to a LBS that does bike fitting and get their expert opinion on your bike setup and body positioning.

2.) Supplement your riding with some upper body weight training, targeting the muscles that tend to get sore with a variety of muscular endurance exercises (that is, 15-20 reps per set).

3.) Maybe give your body some rest, you may be over-reaching and not recovering adequately between rides.

You could be riding ALUMINUM. (sorry, couldn't help it)

Corsaire ;)

You want some weight on the bars, and on the front wheel.
If you lower your saddle, it will take some weight off your arms, and put it on the saddle.

This will probably make some thing else hurt. If you are just getting tired, and sore, attempt 100 push ups a day. Do sets of 10, and take a minute rest, and then ten more.

Don't tamper with your saddle's postion. Can you change you grip's location on the bars a few times a ride ?

It is normal to get tired, and sore.

You could be riding ALUMINUM. (sorry, couldn't help it)

Corsaire ;)

I've ridden aluminum for 5 years (Specialized Allez) and still don't understand why it has the distinction of being a "harsh ride". I really enjoy my long rides and don't find them to be harsh at all. But then again, maybe I need to ride carbon to see what all the fuss is about?

My shoulders sometimes get sore too. I think it's because I tend to roll my shoulders forward, if that makes sense.

If I make an effort to roll my shoulders backward and do neck and shoulder exercises while on the bike I do fine. But sometimes I forget to do that.

i recently upgraded from an entry-level alum frame to a steel frame and i have way less neck and shoulder fatigue now - so it's not out of the question.

the first full week i had my steel bike i did 150 miles in three rides without really planning to. i was just that much beat up after my rides and ready to go longer sooner.