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Sore Calves????

Old 05-05-15, 06:27 PM
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Sore Calves????

My calves are sore. It feels like a short sharp pain off and on when I stretch too much or over do it. Anyone else had this? Any stretches or other treatments? I'm a bigger girl sure, but I'm very active at work and a bike commuter.. and I ride for fun. This is really annoying, to say the least.

Only meds I take are aspirin for my back/headache, benadryl and sometimes melatonin (night shift work and I really do feel better with it!)

I do have off and on issues with sciatica nerves and lower back. But this feels different.
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Old 05-05-15, 07:30 PM
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I'd guess the seat is too high causing excessive leg extension on your rides. try to lower it a bit. How I rough fit my saddle height, at the bottom of the stroke, I can still fully extend my heel all the way down while clipped in.

try to drop it 1/4" and go from there.
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Old 05-05-15, 08:25 PM
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As a runner and cyclist I am compelled to tell you to be careful. It's possible your tight calfs are going to put a lot of strain of your Achilles tendons, and that's not an injury you want to PT. Give those pups a good and regular stretch, and do some eccentric heel drop stretches to protect your ATs. Youtube is your friend.

As far as riding contributing to calf problems, watch your foot position at the bottom of your stroke. Conventional wisdom is flat, not toe pointed down. Toe pointed down is said to cause calf problems, though I am not speaking as any expert on the subject.

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Old 05-05-15, 08:35 PM
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I find that when I grind too high a gear, or try to force too much torque through the pedals, my calf can get sore. Try spinning an easier gear or going for a smooth, rather than powerful, pedal stroke.

Some good advice above - check your seat position.
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Old 05-06-15, 12:12 AM
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For me it comes from:

Bad fit. Calves are probably stretching which means seat too high. That's the opposite of what most people do though. So it may be worth asking someone to take a look before fiddling too much.

High gear. Either I'm just grinding a high gear for speed (finally got my cadence meter placed right so it registers!) or I'm climbing and not downshifting enough. Either way riding on too high of a gear gives me calf spasms that can last for days. And since I have tendonitis on my left achilles I need to avoid that like the plague already.

Too much too fast. Similar to high gear. You're just pushing your body hard. Maybe not adequately fueling for long/hard rides. Are you drinking enough? Getting enough electrolytes (especially potassium)? Enough sugar during the right to prevent crashing and eating properly before and after? Are you drastically increasing your max distance? Stringing together numerous long rides without enough rest? Normally I try and only add 5-10% to my max distance in one go (going to ignore that this weekend since riding group is doing a ride that looks like fun that I want to tag along with).

Not helping my body heal. Most days I have oatmeal and coffee for breakfast. On long ride days I add in some eggs and sometimes a strip or two of bacon. After the ride, lots of chicken and a bit of rice. If I don't eat right before/during/after a long ride I recover far slower. Also I bring homemade energy gels and sometimes coconut water with me for long (or hot since summer is coming which means 110-120 degree days are on the way). I try and stretch often after long rides (using stretches similar to ones I used to help me tendonitis in the past). I also get my wife to use a roller on my calves, quads, and sometimes arms and lower back. Some days I make myself go for a 1-5 mile ride the day after a long ride just to help with the recovery. Other than that, I rest until the pain is gone.

When I first started pushing mileage I'd be in pain for days after the fact. The worst was a muscle cramp on a charity ride going uphill. I was so tired that I walked my bike up the last bit of hill and the leg locked up. I had to lean on my bike just to keep walking. Thankfully I was able to coast downhill after that and was able to use my pedal and hand to massage the calf and barely finished. But I was limping for 3-4 days after that. Nowadays when I feel pain (not fatigue but actual pain) it is less sharp and goes away way faster. Part of that is just reducing the chance of hurting myself. Part I assume is that my muscles can just take more abuse nowadays.
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Old 05-06-15, 01:58 AM
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Sad thing is..I'm not much of a distance rider. I'm more a rides to work type. :/ I ride one of two bikes, one is dutch style upright the other is more a roadster (if the graphic I saw the other day is right!) set up. Not really aggro bikes, LOL! I just am on the go a lot it seems!

I will lower both seats a 1/4 inch. Right now they are set up so that my leg is flatfooted at the bottom of the stroke, knee just barely bent.

I will also start those drops. Look easy enough and I do not want to cripple myself!

As for gears, I ride on the second gear on a three speed and generally the 4th gear on my 8 speed. I can try an easier one but it really doesn't feel like I'm mashing it. I try to maintain a slow 'jogging' rhythm with the peddling. If I speed up I shift to keep it the same, slow down..shift to keep it the same.

As for diet *looks at giant bowl of corn for dinner*..erm.. I have been slacking on the proteins lately. Just haven't been feeling them. All I seem to want is salad or veggies. I'll boil a few eggs and eat them too, I guess. Mmm.. protien!
I do take a multivitamin. I thought it had everything but it doesn't. Just checked. I normally buy those 'One Source' multis but they were out so I just grabbed the hair and nails version instead. While my skin looks great and my nails are growing...it is a basic vitamin with lots of biotin. Bah. I do eat lots of bananas though.

And thanks all for your suggestions. This has been bothering me and I don't want it getting worse.
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Old 05-06-15, 08:22 AM
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Originally Posted by katsrevenge
Sad thing is..I'm not much of a distance rider. I'm more a rides to work type. :/ I ride one of two bikes, one is dutch style upright the other is more a roadster (if the graphic I saw the other day is right!) set up. Not really aggro bikes, LOL! I just am on the go a lot it seems!

I will lower both seats a 1/4 inch. Right now they are set up so that my leg is flatfooted at the bottom of the stroke, knee just barely bent.

I will also start those drops. Look easy enough and I do not want to cripple myself!

As for gears, I ride on the second gear on a three speed and generally the 4th gear on my 8 speed. I can try an easier one but it really doesn't feel like I'm mashing it. I try to maintain a slow 'jogging' rhythm with the peddling. If I speed up I shift to keep it the same, slow down..shift to keep it the same.

As for diet *looks at giant bowl of corn for dinner*..erm.. I have been slacking on the proteins lately. Just haven't been feeling them. All I seem to want is salad or veggies. I'll boil a few eggs and eat them too, I guess. Mmm.. protien!
I do take a multivitamin. I thought it had everything but it doesn't. Just checked. I normally buy those 'One Source' multis but they were out so I just grabbed the hair and nails version instead. While my skin looks great and my nails are growing...it is a basic vitamin with lots of biotin. Bah. I do eat lots of bananas though.

And thanks all for your suggestions. This has been bothering me and I don't want it getting worse.
What part of the foot is on the pedal? And the rule of thumbs for seat height are all just starting points.

Also, if you don't want to eat meat to get your proteins, most vegetarians eat a lot of beans/legumes to get their protein. Milk is also a good source of protein (as well as the eggs that you mentioned).

GH

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Old 05-06-15, 08:34 AM
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Try a foam roller on your calves after exercise. Also use it on your thighs...sometimes the part that's hurting is hurting because something else is too tight.
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Old 05-06-15, 01:13 PM
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I sometimes have issues with sore calves from pushing too hard. I started wearing calf compression sleeves during and after hard rides and they are a huge help.

Now I just need to get a bike with lower gearing so I can take it easier on the hills and not strain my calves so much.
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Old 05-06-15, 04:26 PM
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A cadence meter may help to find out if you are riding on too high of a gear. They are little magnets that attach to the chainstay and pedal and communicate to something that you can read... maybe a cycling computer or maybe your phone. I finally got mine working and found out that even after actively trying to spin a bit more, I still was riding at about 70-80 and have been trying to increase that by 10 more.

I understand the protein issue. After a long, hard ride I am ravenous for half an hour. But after that I don't feel like eating for hours. I find that if I can get something into my system in that first half hour (even just a couple of hard boiled eggs) I recover better. Sometimes simply cooking later in the day can "wake my stomach up". The smell of cooking a meal sometimes makes me feel hungry again so I find myself cooking even when I'm not hungry. Oh and sneaking protein and a bit of fats into salads. Not too much but adding some cheese, boiled eggs, a bit of meat, nuts/seeds, etc seems to help. And use MyFitnessPal to make sure I'm not adding too much. I plan to do this a lot in the summer. Because the last thing I want on a 115 degree day is a hot meal. But adding some grilled chicken to a salad should really help keep things balanced and energy level/recovery time stable.
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Old 05-07-15, 01:40 AM
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I'll have to get a foam roller! Interesting idea.

Originally Posted by ColaJacket
What part of the foot is on the pedal? And the rule of thumbs for seat height are all just starting points.

Also, if you don't want to eat meat to get your proteins, most vegetarians eat a lot of beans/legumes to get their protein. Milk is also a good source of protein (as well as the eggs that you mentioned).

GH
I ussually have the fore part, I guess it's the ball, on the pedal. My arches dislike too much pedaling.

I know. I should eat more of them but by the time I get home all I seem to want is some cold salad or whatever.

Originally Posted by ChrisZog
A cadence meter may help to find out if you are riding on too high of a gear. They are little magnets that attach to the chainstay and pedal and communicate to something that you can read... maybe a cycling computer or maybe your phone. I finally got mine working and found out that even after actively trying to spin a bit more, I still was riding at about 70-80 and have been trying to increase that by 10 more.

I understand the protein issue. After a long, hard ride I am ravenous for half an hour. But after that I don't feel like eating for hours. I find that if I can get something into my system in that first half hour (even just a couple of hard boiled eggs) I recover better. Sometimes simply cooking later in the day can "wake my stomach up". The smell of cooking a meal sometimes makes me feel hungry again so I find myself cooking even when I'm not hungry. Oh and sneaking protein and a bit of fats into salads. Not too much but adding some cheese, boiled eggs, a bit of meat, nuts/seeds, etc seems to help. And use MyFitnessPal to make sure I'm not adding too much. I plan to do this a lot in the summer. Because the last thing I want on a 115 degree day is a hot meal. But adding some grilled chicken to a salad should really help keep things balanced and energy level/recovery time stable.
Most of the time my salads include some sliced meat, cheese or egg and a few veggies. I just have to remember to prepare these things ahead of time! And I don't always..then I just make some corn/peas or a sandwich or something simple. It's more that it is late and I am tired, I think.

I'd need a cycling comp or a smart phone. Mine's pretty dumb still, lol. Interesting idea though!
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Old 05-07-15, 08:08 AM
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Originally Posted by katsrevenge
I ussually have the fore part, I guess it's the ball, on the pedal. My arches dislike too much pedaling.

I know. I should eat more of them but by the time I get home all I seem to want is some cold salad or whatever.
My wife likes 3 bean salad that she gets from Whole Foods in the can. I think Organic 365 (which is their store brand) is the brand. I'm sure you can get something similar from a non-organic grocery store.

GH
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