Self Massage - How hard and how often?
 

I've been a bike commuter for about 3 years (100 miles per week) along with a few charity centuries thrown in during late summer. I rode approx 5000 miles last year. For the past couple of months my quads have just been exhausted. Even today, the last day of a week long vacation with NO bike, my quads are tired. They just don't seem to be recovering. I'm 41 and in no way a racer.

A couple of days ago I purchased a roller massager (http://www.pro-tecathletics.com/5703...-Massager.html) to hopefully aid recovering (healing?) but the instruction booklet really contains no practical use info. Who uses this (or The Stick or similar)?

How often should I use this and how much pressure should I apply during use?

stretch, up your water intake, lots of protein, and other supplements as maybe need, my usual week consist of mma 5 days a week, heavy weights 3 days some running and when i can lately (take a bit of a hiatus off the bike) a short trip on the bike. if my protein intake drops i feel like crap, proteins not going to make you bulk up but if your legs are getting a workout it will help them recover a lot

if you start to go blind...stop

Same thing if you start growing hair on your palms.

giggity...

Seriously though, anyone here use a massage roller?

Take a week off or a hot bath before you stretch. Hot yoga is also good.

just do a youtube search for "foam roller" or "massage roller".

This one seems pretty good:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KE5na...eature=related

use the roller. it will feel like death when you first use it, but over time the pain reduces to a sever torture type of pain, but it does help.

Homedics make a great one. Been using this for a few years now and it really works.

Also, not painful.

Foam rolling the quads is terribly painful, but the benefits are well worth it. Same goes for the ITB's and stretching out the back.

This thread has serious potential.

Yea 2 out of 10 replies addressed the question.

I have something like this at home:

https://www.thestick.com/cgi-bin/com...on&key=SG-2000

I'm just not able to put enough pressure on it, not sure why, so I enlist the aid of my kids.

I'm married, so I self massage quite often.

Well, uh, normally that's my girlfriend's job. But I prefer often...and quite a lot of pressure.

use Pedros bike lust....

Um, well .... I get my wife to do that :)

Very

its good to know that your girlfriend's job is relieving painful loads and giving massages. however, i think OP is seeking primary accounts, not secondary.

FWIW, I use the big black one; it's thicker, longer and much more dense. The small white one doesn't always fit my needs.

i heard if you massage yourself with your non-dominant hand it feels better.

Some people like to sit on their off hand first and let it fall asleep. Sometimes truth is STRANGER than fiction.

I like exposed nipples. I don't even true my own wheels; I just like the way they look.

the stick works pretty good. never used a foam roller.

stretching should be done lightly and briefly pre-ride, and more extensively post-ride. but the key is never overstretch. if stretching hurts, you're doing it wrong.

Also if a foam roller doesn't hurt. You're doing it wrong.