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Commuter Legs Getting Smoked!

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Commuter Legs Getting Smoked!

Old 04-25-13, 08:22 AM
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Click down a gear or two and pedal faster. This endurance how is made.
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Old 04-25-13, 08:41 AM
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Dont put 23s on, thats a typical n00b upgrade but totally pointless IMO
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Old 04-25-13, 09:16 AM
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Getting massages like the pros do would be nice..
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Old 04-25-13, 10:21 AM
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Commuter Legs Getting Smoked!

Hot shower before riding to work helps me.
Damn I wish I had a bathtub for a hot soak when I got home!
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Old 04-25-13, 10:47 AM
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I normally do 100 mile weeks between commuting and sport rides, and I find that the thursday/friday commutes can really blow out my legs if I push too hard. I know the back half of my return commute is all lights and city traffic, so I normally push for the first 6 miles, then loaf along for the last 4, it gives me a chance to recover and relax a bit, pushing door to door is fun, but I still have to walk upstairs when I get there.
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Old 04-25-13, 11:02 AM
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Boy, am I glad you posed these questions, OP! [furiously taking notes...]
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Old 04-25-13, 11:08 AM
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When your legs are sore, a hot bath with Epsom salts really helps, see this article.

My wife's massage therapist always recommends a hot bath with Epsom salts after a session.
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Old 04-25-13, 11:18 AM
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People on this forum are going to hate me, but since I started running in the mornings, riding my bike to work feels more like a nice stretching session and cooldown. Running works different muscles, so it won't help with power on the bike, but it will help you get in shape faster, and that will make the commute more enjoyable, especially if you're not racing the clock.
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Old 04-25-13, 04:21 PM
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Stretching is good, yoga might help especially if you can find an instructor who is used to working with cyclists. And yeah, massage! Check to see if your health insurance covers massage therapy (many do, might require a referral from your regular doc but that's usually easy to get).
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Old 04-25-13, 07:55 PM
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Originally Posted by fietsbob
Getting massages like the pros do would be nice..
Thank you Bob, for a post I understand and 100% agree with.
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Old 04-25-13, 08:02 PM
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This is a good thread. Some great advice.

My input: I usually drink a hot glass of milk before I sleep. I understand it helps relax the muscles.

Some stretching before sleeping can help also.

Also an ever so slight raise of the legs (on a pillow for example) while sleeping will help get the blood in and out of there more easily, speeding up recovery.
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Old 04-25-13, 08:33 PM
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I guess this is blasphemy in this forum. But if your legs are tired, you can always take a day off. I'm sure you either have a car or you can take the bus for a day. It won't kill you.
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Old 04-25-13, 10:51 PM
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Some creatine could hasten your improvement but I wouldn't use it for too long.
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Old 04-26-13, 01:43 AM
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My approach would be a little different. I suggest going at a slower, comfortable pace so that you enjoy the commute and your endurance will naturally build up. You get stronger without realizing it and just naturally go faster as you become more capable. I speak as a both a long distance runner and a cyclist. I know that for running fast I run slow! That's right slow, occasionally very slow. It is called an aero run and it causes your body to create more/new capillaries, the tiny blood vessels that carry oxygen to the muscles. By just going at a comfortable, aerobic pace, some days you will feel stronger and feel like pushing yourself. On those days do it. Also, if you start the ride/commute out at a slow pace - slower than you would want to go and try to hold yourself back for a few minutes, you will find your body just naturally speeds up to a good aerobic pace that will feel like you could go on forever. Don't make things harder than they need to be. As for spinning faster in in lower gears, well, all I can say is that when I do that my legs are trashed immediately. Ever watched the folks in a spinning class? For the distance you are riding, I would say forget it. A long distance runner does not run fast every time. Generally, only rarely when training and on race days when they are going for a personal best or a specific time. Commuting is not racing. Enjoy the commute at a pace that is comfortable and allows you to get in better shape without even realizing it. I got back into cycling years ago because I remembered that I rode a bike all over the place as a kid and was in great shape as a result of getting exercise without realizing it; while having fun. That is how I get all my exercise - doing things that are fun; not working out! Few people stick with a miserable workout routine. Most quit after a short period of time, because it isn't fun.

Other may have different opinions, but this is just what I suggest.
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Old 04-26-13, 03:55 AM
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Originally Posted by Ciufalon
My approach would be a little different. I suggest going at a slower, comfortable pace so that you enjoy the commute and your endurance will naturally build up. You get stronger without realizing it and just naturally go faster as you become more capable. I speak as a both a long distance runner and a cyclist. I know that for running fast I run slow! That's right slow, occasionally very slow. It is called an aero run and it causes your body to create more/new capillaries, the tiny blood vessels that carry oxygen to the muscles. By just going at a comfortable, aerobic pace, some days you will feel stronger and feel like pushing yourself. On those days do it. Also, if you start the ride/commute out at a slow pace - slower than you would want to go and try to hold yourself back for a few minutes, you will find your body just naturally speeds up to a good aerobic pace that will feel like you could go on forever. Don't make things harder than they need to be. As for spinning faster in in lower gears, well, all I can say is that when I do that my legs are trashed immediately. Ever watched the folks in a spinning class? For the distance you are riding, I would say forget it. A long distance runner does not run fast every time. Generally, only rarely when training and on race days when they are going for a personal best or a specific time. Commuting is not racing. Enjoy the commute at a pace that is comfortable and allows you to get in better shape without even realizing it. I got back into cycling years ago because I remembered that I rode a bike all over the place as a kid and was in great shape as a result of getting exercise without realizing it; while having fun. That is how I get all my exercise - doing things that are fun; not working out! Few people stick with a miserable workout routine. Most quit after a short period of time, because it isn't fun.

Other may have different opinions, but this is just what I suggest.
A big +1 to this
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Old 04-26-13, 04:39 AM
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I can vouch for the going slow will speed you up. It happens without you realizing it. You cruise into work one morning, taking it kinda easy, and notice you just almost set a record time. Without even trying. A day or two of rest, if your sore or overly tired, is not a bad thing.
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Old 04-26-13, 07:09 AM
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I had the same thing happen to me when I started. I took two weeks off (it was tough not to ride), and my legs came back better than ever.

Remember to eat lots of protein to help build the muscles.
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Old 04-29-13, 08:13 AM
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Wow, thanks for all the info guys! I can see a clear pattern with only a few conflicting ideas. I am going to try most of them this week. I unwillingly took a break last Friday and my legs are feeling stronger today than they have in weeks.

However, I'm going to slow down, up my cadence, start stretching, and try to slowly push my miles up past my commuting distance. Water and nutrition are a big focus but I can improve there too. Thanks to everyone who took the time to help!
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Old 04-29-13, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by HardyWeinberg
You want your leg at full extension when the crank arm is parallel w/ the seat tube, which is to say when the pedal is at 6 o'clock you should have a bend in your knee.
Another rule of thumb, if you can't decide if the bend in your knee is too much bend or too little bend or just right bend, if you put your heel on the pedal at bottom of stroke, you should just be able to reach the pedal with a fully-locked straight leg. Then when you actually pedal with the ball of your foot, you will have a good amount of knee bend at the bottom of the stroke.

Another rule of thumb goes I think something like this: pain the front of the knee, your saddle is too low; pain in the back of the knee, your saddle is too high. I think that's how it goes, maybe I got it backwards. Hopefully somebody else can confirm.

Also this I know for sure (from experience): pain at the outside of your knees, your pedals are too close together, you normally walk with duck feet and you need pedal extenders so your legs are not artificially twisted straight.
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Old 04-29-13, 06:36 PM
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Diet, hydrate, and intervals. As others have said, slow it down a bit overall, but pick some spots after the halfway mark on your route where you really push it for a short run. Strava is great for this. The body responds quickest to variety and intensity.
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Old 04-29-13, 08:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Beezus
I am sure I could do better there. Eating bananas, yogurt, and oatmeal daily. Then it's up for grabs lunch and dinner. Pizza, pasta, sandwiches, etc.
Any fruits or vegetables? Especially dark green leafy vegetables? Could be you're sweating out a lot of minerals and electrolytes. Dark green leafy vegetables are full of calcium and magnesium. Avocados, whole baked potatoes and kiwi fruit have a lot of potassium. In addition, try a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses with breakfast and another with supper.
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Old 04-30-13, 05:46 AM
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Everything's been said already, but something I found is that even though I do plenty of sports during the week already, commuting by bike for a few days in a row does drastically increase the amount of food I need to take in. I find it nearly impossible to get enough calories from ordinary meals to make up the commuting deficit. I've resorted to buying big boxes of mixed nuts & raisins to snack on, and those do the trick nicely. Right now it is 1:44 PM and I'm feeling hungry again even though I ate plenty at noon. Stomach getting empty and my body is saying "it's not enough".

Even if you're overweight right now, it might pay off to eat more for a few weeks to train the muscles so you can get in shape faster afterwards.
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Old 04-30-13, 07:10 AM
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The OP's commute is harder and longer than mine. Mine is 32km, 1hr20min round trip and according to MapMyRide, I burn approximately 1,300 calories/day, which means that I can (and the OP can) eat more during the day to just keep up with the calorie output.

The other thing I wanted to say was that this past Sunday, I went on a 64km ride with a couple of significant hills and 1/2 the route was into a 25kmh headwind. My goal was to ride to finish, not ride to race, so if I had to slow down to 10kmh on some of the hills, I did so and I finished (3hr0min10sec riding time, ~21kmh avg) with some reserve in my legs (and a sunburn on my arms, LOL). I kept my cadence at its "normal" 80-90rpm whatever the speed and adjusted the gears to match. I never pushed hard, I paid attention to any pains in my body such as knee joints (I'm nearly 53 and I seem to have a bit of knee ligament issue, the side of the knees can get a bit sore), hip joints and calf muscles (they seem to be the ones that cramp most often). I also get off the bike and walk around for a couple of minutes every 20-25km which seems to help, especially after the first walk, it also gives me a chance to feed and drink. As I ride more and more and longer and longer, my strength will increase making it easier to ride longer, faster and harder and my aches and pains will diminish as the body adapts to the longer term stresses. I also remember what I read recently (was it Joey Bike?) about gearing down and standing on the pedals for a while to use different muscles, stretch out the legs, get the saddle-sore butt off the seat, all for a bit of relief.
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Old 04-30-13, 08:18 AM
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Originally Posted by B. Carfree
First of all, extreme leg fatigue can result from having a low cadence. You may well be straining your muscles (small injuries that get inflamed). Raise your cadence to about 90 rpm or higher. You'll be doing the same amount of work, but with more power strokes to do it and thus lower peak loads. The higher your cadence, the more you are forced to use a clean, efficient pedal technique. If you're bouncing on your saddle, you're doing it wrong.
This!
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Old 04-30-13, 08:27 AM
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Originally Posted by Beezus
What are your recommendations for seat height? I have noticed my knees getting a little sore here and there and have wondered if that may be the culprit. I was told your seat should be set so your leg is at full extension at the bottom of your pedal cycle. Is that correct?
Seat height has to be individualized. I like a little flex in my knee even at the farthest part of the stroke. If I drop my heel, my leg is straight, but otherwise there is still a little bend. However others might like it a little different. Regarding knee pain, an old and not completely reliable rule is that pain in the front of the knee = seat too low, pain in the back of the knee = seat too high. However pain in the front of the knee can also be due to "grinding" (high gear, slow pedalling) when you should be "spinning" (low gear, fast pedalling).

I wonder if you time your commutes. You might just be tired all the time because you keep going faster.

EDIT, I see I am repeating part of what RubeRad said.

Last edited by cooker; 04-30-13 at 09:33 AM.
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