Training & Nutrition - How long does it take you to recover?

I am pretty much an intermediate rider. If find that after completing a hard ride, say 40-60 miles at 20-22 mph, it takes a couple of days for my legs to recover. Because I run my company I can only manage around 100-120 miles a week. Anyone else "agravated" by a long recovery time between rides?

If you train hard enough to get a lot of improvement, you damage your muscles. They will not be 100% recovered for two days. There are a million examples of why you don't have to wait two days. I'm just saying that's for 100% recovery, which is usually not needed. If you ride hard enough that's what you need. Also if you are off the bike for close to two weeks you lose most of your training and have to almost start over.

You can run your own company and get in 120 miles a week? Good job!

The more years of consistent exercise you've got, the shorter the recovery time ... up to a point.

I used to really struggle with recovery, but I recover fairly quickly now.

Also if you are off the bike for close to two weeks you lose most of your training and have to almost start over.


As a blanket statement, that's not true.

If you're in the first few years of cycling, it IS true. If you're off for a couple weeks, it will feel like starting over, but if you've got 10+ years of consistent cycling/exercise behind you, you can take a couple weeks off and not lose much.

Also it depends on what type of cycling you do. If you're a racer and your focus is speed and strength, you might lose a fair amount of your fitness, but if you are a long distance cyclist, you won't lose much at all by taking a couple weeks off.

A trick I learned was to keep a high-carb snack with you and eat it immediately after you finish up and cool down. The extra carbs help jump start your recovery. It works for a lot of people, so you might try that next time.

Symptoms of overtraining are probably the best indication of not allowing adequate recovery.


if you are a long distance cyclist, you won't lose much at all by taking a couple weeks off.
What I have read and my experience support this. Endurance doesn't seem to "decay" nearly as quickly as top end speed, and with any reasonable maintenance work through the off season accumulate nicely from year to year.

I was wondering why I do better with a week off in the winter now than I did 10 years ago. It feels like a week off does not affect me that much any more, but it's so hard to be objective when it's yourself. I never heard anyone say that before, but it sure feels like it's correct. I guess the body adapts in many ways.

Does this actually mean I can say I'm better than I was 10 years ago?

Please ? :)

What I have read and my experience support this. Endurance doesn't seem to "decay" nearly as quickly as top end speed, and with any reasonable maintenance work through the off season accumulate nicely from year to year.

Exactly!

Three years ago (after cycling steadily for 12 years), I was off for 3 months because of an injury. During those 3 months, I didn't do ANY maintenance work at all. I couldn't move.

When I got back on the bicycle again, I was afraid I might have lost it all and be right back where I was when I started 12 years earlier. To my surprise, it didn't take me long to get into the swing of things again, and within 3 months I did my first 200K brevet of the season, and 6 months I had completed my first 1200K randonnee.

I had lost some muscle tone (I hadn't seen my legs looking so flabby and undefined in a LONG time) but the general fitness and endurance was still there, and my cardiovasular system hadn't lost much.

I was wondering why I do better with a week off in the winter now than I did 10 years ago. It feels like a week off does not affect me that much any more, but it's so hard to be objective when it's yourself. I never heard anyone say that before, but it sure feels like it's correct. I guess the body adapts in many ways.

Does this actually mean I can say I'm better than I was 10 years ago?

Please ? :)


Yes, you're better than you were 10 years ago. :D

Yes, you're better than you were 10 years ago. :D

:love: Thank you. I will have to save this.


But seriously, Two years ago I was training for a September century. I was doing a century every single week. Then the week before a horse stepped on my toe and broke my big toe. I was in a cast for a long time. I can't remember exactly, at least 8 weeks. Then I started out slow, but by last March I could do two centuries in a week and kept doing it for a few weeks. I was really off for a long time. I never could have done that five years ago. The more I try to think about recovery the more it seems to fit. I also read that you have more endurance (slow twitch) and less fast twitch muscles as you age too? My long ride endurance has gone up a lot.

I have been into distance riding for about a year now, the distances being 40 to 60 miles or so. Most of the events are 100km (63 miles). Anyway, I have found that if I try to do rides on Tuesday and Thursday nights for my medium mid-week rides I can still feel the effects from the last workout ride during my training schedule. My weekend rides tend to be the longer and harder rides, and I usually take Monday off. If I have done a really tough ride I try to give myself two days, but normally one day will do. This is a direct carryover from my high school weight lifting coaching I was given by the football coach.

I have also found that aerobic conditioning is a fleeting thing at best. You will lose it if you don't try to get in at least one ride per week, but you need at least two rides to make any real improvements. Obviously the intensity of the rides will be a big factor here. The muscle strength and endurance is a much more lasting effect, as Machka has pointed out. For most people, maintaining a given level of endurance is easier than getting there in the first place, even if you take some time off. On my 'off season' I just try to get 2, maybe 3 rides in each month so I don't loose everything I have gained and that seems to work well.

Right now I'm training for another 100km ride (www.100kflyer.co.nz) so it's all full speed ahead as this will be my last event before winter settles in. Others I talk to here have found similar results so I thought I would add my 2 cents.

Andy

I am pretty much an intermediate rider. If find that after completing a hard ride, say 40-60 miles at 20-22 mph, it takes a couple of days for my legs to recover. Because I run my company I can only manage around 100-120 miles a week. Anyone else "agravated" by a long recovery time between rides?It takes me a while to recover. I don't have the speed you do but I try to get in around 100 miles a week, give or take. I'm going to turn 45 in a couple months and I've noticed that it just takes longer for me to charge up my batteries than it did when I was a young strappin' lad.

I don't have a "scheduled" recovery week or half week as some programs prescribe. I just know when I'm feeling a little sluggish and my legs feel like lead that I need a few extra days off then I'll start back at an easier intensity and build back up. The 3 weeks hard 1 week easy strategy used by some coaches is too long for me. I usually do 2 weeks on and 4 days off followed by a few easier days.

From a hard hard race tempo ride it takes me about a day of easy recovery to be back to where I was. For something like a century it takes about the same amount of time. When it comes to intervals or a time trail (and or assume race) it takes we a few days to get back.

After I was hit by a car it tooks me about a week back on teh bike to get back to where I was before after being off the bike for a few weeks...