Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

Pouring water on quads...good, bad, or indifferent?

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

Pouring water on quads...good, bad, or indifferent?

Old 09-19-09, 05:30 AM
  #1  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 202
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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.
turbo2L is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 05:34 AM
  #2  
Riding behind enemy lines
 
iluvfreebeer's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2005
Location: Occupied Texas
Posts: 408

Bikes: Orbea, Trek, Cadex, Colnago, Schwinn, Specialized, Poghliaghi, Kellog, KHS, Kellog, Litespeed

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
If it feels good, do it.
If it feels real good, do it a lot.

I read that in a Playmates profile once.
__________________
------------------------------------

Armstrong never got caught cheating.
That probably makes him as good a cheater as a cyclist.

-- Some guy at the Dallas Crits
iluvfreebeer is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 05:49 AM
  #3  
In Real Life
 
Machka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152

Bikes: Lots

Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 329 Posts
Just try to avoid getting your shorts wet.
Machka is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 06:16 AM
  #4  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 202
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Machka
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.
turbo2L is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 06:31 AM
  #5  
In Real Life
 
Machka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152

Bikes: Lots

Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 329 Posts
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.
Machka is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 12:24 PM
  #6  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 1,442
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
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.
Bikewer is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 01:13 PM
  #7  
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,217

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
Try this next time:

__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 06:53 PM
  #8  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 202
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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: https://www.x-bionic.com/
turbo2L is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 07:09 PM
  #9  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 4,243
Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 343 Post(s)
Liked 15 Times in 9 Posts
Originally Posted by JanMM
Try this next time:

Waaay too sticky to pour on your quads.
jdon is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 07:51 PM
  #10  
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,217

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
Originally Posted by jdon
Waaay too sticky to pour on your quads.
But the Gatorade Frost feels SO GOOD on hot legs!!!
__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 08:50 PM
  #11  
In Real Life
 
Machka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152

Bikes: Lots

Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 329 Posts
Originally Posted by turbo2L
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.
Machka is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 09:12 PM
  #12  
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 202
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Originally Posted by Machka
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.
turbo2L is offline  
Old 09-19-09, 09:15 PM
  #13  
In Real Life
 
Machka's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: Down under down under
Posts: 52,152

Bikes: Lots

Mentioned: 141 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3203 Post(s)
Liked 595 Times in 329 Posts
Originally Posted by turbo2L
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.
Machka is offline  
Old 09-21-09, 12:08 AM
  #14  
Faster than yesterday
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Evanston, IL
Posts: 1,510
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
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).
tadawdy is offline  
Old 09-21-09, 06:02 AM
  #15  
Older than dirt
 
CCrew's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Winchester, VA
Posts: 5,342

Bikes: Too darn many.. latest count is 11

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
Originally Posted by turbo2L
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.
CCrew is offline  
Old 09-21-09, 06:26 AM
  #16  
Senior Member
 
BlazingPedals's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: Middle of da Mitten
Posts: 12,474

Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed

Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1511 Post(s)
Liked 733 Times in 454 Posts
Train more and put the water inside you.
BlazingPedals is offline  
Old 09-22-09, 08:49 AM
  #17  
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Sep 2007
Posts: 369
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 0 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 0 Times in 0 Posts
Pouring water on guads is waste of water. This thread is waste of internet.
dizzy101 is offline  
Old 09-22-09, 04:47 PM
  #18  
rebmeM roineS
 
JanMM's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2006
Location: Metro Indy, IN
Posts: 16,217

Bikes: Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer

Mentioned: 15 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 653 Post(s)
Liked 345 Times in 225 Posts
Originally Posted by dizzy101
Pouring water on guads is waste of water. This thread is waste of internet.
Self-Appointed Bandwidth Steward.
__________________
Bacchetta Giro A20, RANS V-Rex, RANS Screamer
JanMM is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.