Laminarman

I am a relative newbie, getting in better shape. Due to my hills I can't ride more than 12-15 miles yet. I can do hobby farm heavy labor, I lift weights and am in OK shape. Good God, at 44 now, I'm almost always sore after a hard day of outdoor labor or riding/working out (forget running, my knees kill me and I get shin splints). I rode a quick 13 miles and climbed as hard as I could yesterday in an effort to make each workout harder, and I have very significant hip pain today. I almost lost my footing at work due to it and it's somewhat better now. I had physical recently, all was OK. Anyone else have "creaks and groans" at 44? Damn, I think I'm still young, I haven't felt stronger in a long time.

johnny99

Hip pain is unusual for cyclists. Maybe your bike doesn't fit properly. Or you are pedaling to slowly.

Yes, 44 is young for a cyclist. Did you see that other thread about John Kerry (age 65) going on a training ride with a pro cycling team?

Also, Jeannie Longo (who turns 50 this year) placed 4th in the Olympics last month.

Most serious cyclists don't peak until they are past 30.

PeddlingPilgrim

enjoy the pain while you still can. i'm 38, and looking forward to 40.

rcummings1

I hurt every day. I wish I had listened to my dad when he said "You'll pay for that later". He was right, I am. Currently 49 and racing towards 50.

lbear

I am 54 and it shouldn't hurt. It does sounds like a fit problem, as johnny99 said. Your seat maybe to high. You may need to spin faster (less stress).

daoswald

Don't pound out the hills at the highest speed you can muster. And don't push to hard of a gear over the hills. You want to try to maintain a fairly quick cadence. Shoot for somewhere around 80 or so. Lighter gears, faster cadence; that will minimize joint and muscle stress, while getting you into good biking shape.

For the first few months, you just want to add miles. Rather than trying to get a whole lot faster, try to ride a whole lot farther. Your speed will improve as your base miles climb. You'll feel a lot different when you get your first 1000 behind you. The 2nd 1000 will come in half the weeks. Keep increasing miles. If you're experiencing pain though, you should be seen by a doctor, and have a professional bike fitting done too. I've got some knee pain that has been hard to get rid of; it doesn't fall into the standard "your seat is too high/low" categories, and is probably more related to float. I've had my doctor refer me to a sports medicine doctor. We'll see how it goes. But my pain is fairly minor. I'm just trying to nip it in the bud.

Get yourself checked out, and don't be discouraged.

AnthonyG

There are many things that could cause this but there is one factor that I have an interest in that could be a serious factor.

Magnesium deficiency. Magnesium is used by your muscles to relax and it works together with calcium which your muscles use to contract. A hard days work or long ride will use up your available magnesium leaving your muscles unable to relax afterwards.

See, https://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/magnesium.asp

https://www.fgb.com.au/Natural%20Rem%...Deficiency.htm

https://curezone.com/art/read.asp?ID=33&db=8&C0=16 and plenty more information out there.

Regards, Anthony

jonestr

I am not even 30 and I am sore everyday....f'ing skateboards

patentcad

I have more titanium in my body from ortho and back surgeries than Litespeed has in its whole friggin factory.

anytwosuited

I'm new the forums but I think my experience might be helpful to you. This might be a bit long winded but I think a bit of background is necessary. First off, you should give us your height and weight, especially your in good shape, back in the day weight. I'm 45 myself, 6ft and 180 now. I've ridden my whole life except for a decade from 28-38. I was 165 back when I was fast at 22. I slowly put weight on due to good living (excess) after I turned 30. I got on the scale one morning when I was 37 and I weighed 227 flipping pounds. I quit my failing dot com job, deciding my health was more important and bought a shiny new LeMond. I lived In San Francisco, nice hills everywhere. I couldn't make it up the maybe 150m (steep) climb past the Cliff House the first two weeks. Remember, I used to ride and ride hard most of my life. It was embarassing but it made me mad. I did not change my diet, at first, I just started doing very long, low intensity grinds until the weight started coming off. My rides started changing what I wanted to eat. It's a long haul, listen to your body don't beat on it. I rode down to 172 that year. I've been off my road bike for a bit over two months now due to an accident and the freakish heat here in my new location (Ahwatukee, in Phoenix, AZ) but I'm still at 180. Make no mistake, I suffered during those long rides but I didn't beat myself up. You can and will come back, the bike is wonderful and 44 is young my friend.

- Paul

Hask12

Slow down, Rome wasn't guilt in a day. It sounds like you may be trying to do too much too quickly. Although 40 is not old, it sure isn't 20. And since you're new at this you need to build up endurance, although hip pain is not muscle aches. You might want to get that checked.

making

I try to work out enough for my muscles to be "tired" but not sore. After a couple of weeks you should not hurt anymore. Pain really aint normal.

txvintage

+1. This one area I can honestly give you a run at on the Schwag-o-Meter.

OP, don't try and start too fast and do too much. The worst thing to do is mash hard before you have some base miles in. Until you have built up to it, just work on spinning in a moderate gear and building miles. Spin your way up hills early on, don't attack.

patentcad

Is this some new Jewish Mother spin on a famous old saying?

roadwarrior

Get your setup/fit checked. If the frame fit is accurate, then you need a setup for your riding style, not have you ride around the bike setup. That's when injuries occur from repetitive motion.

Find a good fitter at a bike shop...if you are riding in a club or know someone that does, check with them for someone with a good reputation, and see them. Not only can they eliminate the potential injury issues, but they can also probably add 10% or more power to your riding by setting the bike up properly.

Have fun...

cyclezealot

Work on bike fit and fitness.. Use those muscles, that will keep you young and aches will be less noticeable as your fitness improves.

Campag4life

Basic common sense. You are 44 and not 24....a relative newb and you climbed like a madman and you are sore. Surprised? You shouldn't be.
Likely your fit nor pedal mechanics aren't spot and and you are overexerting yourself with too low a cadence. Sounds typical of a newb really. Understanding bicycle fit and pedal mechanics takes time and you want to gradually build your riding strength. Your body is just stating the obvious.

emj2390

go to a specialty runing store and get fitted for the shoes. iif you do not have one PM me and I will help discuss your pains and shoe shoe issues. running should not cause shin splints.

Grumpy McTrumpy

Age doesn't matter

Grumpy is old, but in better shape than I was when I was in my 20s.

If you focus on "can't", then you will have a whole bag of "can't"s to carry around.

If you focus on "can", then the only question left is how far can you go.

Don't listen to "can't" people.

chipcom 

I turn 49 in a few days...I've had creaks and groans since I was a a kid. Even if you have some problem that can be corrected, after it is corrected it'll still creak and groan, so ya just learn to live with it and ignore it unless it hurts more than normal. I'm hoping that by the time I am as ancient as Pcad that bionics will be reality and I can become the 6 million dollar (6 billion in today's dollars) man. nee nee nee nee

lung

Work core, adductors and abductors in the gym with light to moderate weight. Also engage in a daily flexibility routine and use a foam roller. I'm 40 and had some hip issues due to heavy squats when I was a young meathead. The above routine helped DRAMATICALLY! Also, when climbing... stay in the saddle... this will build hip strength. Lastly... weekly massage by a qualified therapist.

I've been a personal trainer for 16 years and work with alot of cyclists and triathletes. This stuff works.

bigtea

Maybe I'm just a cynic, but I doubt that the pro team would have dropped John Kerry like they would have any other 65 year old wannabe. I suppose it is a testament to John Kerry's longevity in cycling and his public image, but it's hardly proof that 65 yearolds can keep up with twenty something pros.

I'm 58 and I will testify that from about 40 and on your recovery times will lengthen and your peak performance will drop year by year. If it weren't true, we'd see AARP sponsoring a team in Le Tour.

chipcom 

If Le Tour had a better buffet, AARP would be there.

big john

After you ride for years you have what we call a "base", or "miles in the bank". You may be strong and fit, but if you haven't been cycling you have to give your body time to adapt to the demands of cycling. Not just the muscles, the joints have to adapt, too.
Some riders can mash big gears and stomp up the hills, but a 44 year old newbie should work on learning a smooth spin.
I'm 54 and over 200 pounds and I can ride in the mountains for 8 hours without knee or hip pain. I'm not fast, but I think spinning and not mashing has helped me over the years.

monk

I don't have pain, but I do have middle age.