craigery

This isnt really cycling related but it is preventing me from cycling. I played two games of flag football on sunday on our church flag football league that just started. I thought I would do good as far as running because of cycling and my legs being in shape. Well, I didnt really think about it being a COMPLETELY different set of muscles. So now my legs are extremely sore. I played two games on sunday afternoon and the last one ended around 4pm. It is now tuesday at around noon and I am still very sore. What can I do to help speed up the recovery? I ate really well(healthy) yesterday and even made a good protien shake with fresh strawberrys and bananas and protien powder but it didnt really seem to help. I stretched quite a bit last night as I was watching the game on tv. Do you guys have any other suggestions? I walk all day at work so there isnt much time to give it rest. Thanks in advance.

John Wilke

Take some Ibuprofen and hang in there ... the soreness will go away in time but I don't think you can lessen that time. I'm recovering from a broken pelvis and just starting to walk after a month off ... talk about sore muscles!

Hang in there and keep at it.

jw
milwaukee

Cromulent

The most pain (from physical activity) I have ever experienced in my life was after a football game, and the second worst was after a few hours of fairly intense basketball. I was in shape enough from biking to go full out and have a lot of fun, but the next couple of days were ugly. I felt like someone had picked me up and broken me over a rock. Okay... it wasn't quite that bad, but I hurt.

Advil and Time.

SandySwimmer

lots of rest . . . advil and time works
also, try pineapple

pineapple has a natural enzyme that is a natural anti-inflammatory. It has to be fresh that you cut yourself (not deli or canned). 1/2 pineapple (or 1/2 papaya - the only other fruit with this) for 5 days in a row has done the trick for me for everything from sprained ankles to intense overall soreness. A doctor first told me about it. I pass this on to others whenever I can.

Sandy

craigery

Thats exactly how I feel. Well, just with my legs. The rest of my body is fine.

Sandy - thanks for the tip on pineapples. I will try it out tonight. I've never eatten pineapple that I've cut myself. It should be an interested experience.



edit - All of this so I can do the same thing next sunday. Hopefully the soreness will go down as the weeks go by. As soon as this soreness goes away, I think I'm going to start jogging if my knees can stand it.

russdaz

have you got a turbo trainer, if so a 10-15 min very low intesity spinning session, followed by the most important thing a very good stretch afterwards. works wonders for me.

MasterSezFaster

Go out and do some low intensity recovery rides, any where from 20min to 60min depending on your fitness level.

STRETCH!!! Be sure you stretch before and after each ride and game. Also stretch on days you do not work out.

Be sure you are hydrated.

As for the drugs for the pain, just suck it up.

JohnnyCool

Walking should actually help. The soreness is caused by a build up of lactic acid and probably some mild strains of tendons and ligaments and minor muscle tears. Stretching, walking, or other mild exercise stimulates increased blood flow to the area which helps to speed healing and remove the lactic acid.

rick1

When you cycle your muscles contract primarily concentrically as opposed to eccentrically. Eccentric contractions are the lowering phase of a weight training motion or the bracing of a muscle to stabilize and impact. Running is a heel strike activity and when you land (every time you land you apply 2-4 times your body weight to your joints, muscles) your muscles contract eccentrically, while you don't use as much muscle while running or recruit as many different fiber types the eccentric contractions are very dibilitating to the muscle. Cycling does not emphasize eccentic contractions nearly as much as running but puts more stock in concentric movements. That's where the soreness originates from.

rousseau

Hey, I think this is the info I've been looking for. I'm a 40 year-old 240-pound man back on a bicycle after 13 years off. In the last month since I bought my Fuji Crosstown (hybrid) I've been tearing up the country roads, and have pushed my daily distance up to 35 kms at 21 km/h. This is an improvement over the 17 km/h when I started out.

Monday I did a good hard, fast ride, came home, showered, hopped in the car for a 30 minute ride to the nearest city, and as soon as I got out of the car the underside of my left knee started to ache. Bad. I had to limp, I could barely walk. It stayed that way for the rest of the evening. Today I did two shorter, easier rides, but near the end the same spot started to get sore. It's not as bad today, but it's still quite sore.

I work at my computer at home all day, sometimes 10-12 hours per day. Aside from cycling I don't get around so much. Is there a chance that I'm getting a lactic acid build-up in that area as per Johnny Cool's instruction above? D'you figure I should have stretched before and after my ride, and not sat at the computer after the ride for long stretches without getting up and moving around?

craigery

Thanks for all of the advice. I am STILL sore but it is slowly going alway. I'm going to a short spinning ride after I get out of work. I really hope this helps. After the soreness goes away, I would like to start running(mixing jogging and sprinting).

Again, thanks for the advice.

rousseau

For the information purposes of this forum, I think I've figured out what my problem was--my seat was too high so that my leg was straightening out too much. I went out today for a ride and felt the beginnings of the same pain under the knee, so on a hunch I stopped and lowered my saddle. I then went on and did 30 kms and felt fine.

craigery

I went for an hour long recovery ride and tried to spin more than push myself(and that is REALLY hard not to push). I feel a lot better today. I stretched for 30 minutes before and after the ride and drank plenty of fluids. Thanks guys.

Patriot

Pain is weakness leaving the body.

Do you have a significant other? Have her give you a nice massage. Works wonders for me all the time.