transplant

just wondering what i can do to help my body recover as quickly as possible. after a few days of training the mind is willing but my legs feel sluggish/fatigued... i try to get 8hours of sleep, take a vitamin and am working on eating enough fuel. (=

any suggestions further suggestions/tricks?

i want to try and get into a regular training routine and invest in a HRM/cycle computer.

Guest

Maybe you're training too hard too much, and by the time you recover, you're too tired to fully recover?

Try to vary your hard training days with blocks of easier days. The name of the game should be "quality" not "quantity" when you're riding. You sound like you're getting enough sleep, so I don't think that's the problem.

Be sure you're getting sufficient amounts of carbs and proteins in your diet- 50- 55% carbs, 20- 25% protein, and 10- 15% fat (unsaturated fats!). Diet could also be a huge component of recovery.

Koffee

Bobby Lex

Immediately after a workout: massage, recovery drink/meal

During 24 hours after a workout: stretching

24 hours after a workout: active recovery ride (very easy spinning)

You can do all of this without a hrm.

Bob

transplant

thanks for the responses:

- koffee : how many easy days between hard days? i'm track racing once a week now too so that complicates it a little?
- bobby : i've just started taking a hot bath after longer days and massaging the legs. definitely helps!

WarrenG

"Transplant" asks some simple questions but the answers can range from simple and general, to complicated and specific.

After training you'll want to get plenty of fluids along with carbs and protein. A ratio of 4:1 is commonly recommended but some research has shown that this ratio can be 4:1 up to around 8:1. The optimal ratio is mostly related to the amount of protein needed. Best to avoid fats during this time since the insulin surge you're encouraging (to help drive carbs and protein into cells) will also want to store fats along with the carbs and protein.

How long to allow for recovery between various types of training varies alot from one individual to another and certain types of training take longer than others for recovery and "supercompensation" (google on that term). For some types of training, one easy day afterwards is not enough, and for other types there is no need to go easy the following day.

For example, "tempo" is something most fit people and racers can do almost every day for 20-60 minutes each day because there is relatively low CNS stress, low muscular stress, and frequent tempo training helps develop some aspects of aerobic fitness better than virtually all other types of training (among those types that you can do for hours per week). If you were only going to do one type of training to improve your general fitness tempo would be it. Every other day or so, and sometimes 2-3 days in a row. Sometimes it can be 2-3 reps of 5' each, or 4 reps of 10' each, or something else.

When you're doing training with high CNS stress and high muscular stress like uphill efforts and sprints you generally need to allow 4-7 days for good recovery, and supercompensation may take up to 7-10 days depending on the individual, and their aerobic fitness. Aspects of your aerobic fitness help you recover faster from anaerobic training like sprints and short'ish uphill intervals, so the better your aerobic development the quicker you'll generally recover from anaerobic training.

Some people like alternating hard/easy days but personally, my own training tends towards hard for 2-3 days in a row, then an easy ride to enhance recovery, then a medium day to get going again, or an easy or off day, then really hard for 1-2 days (usually races). To handle this protocol it helps to be very fit, but even people that aren't really fit may like the longer recovery period you get with this protocol and the allowance to go hard 2-3 days in a row, like when they have more time and energy on a weekend.

Best if you try to focus on different types of training (except for tempo, which could be done both days) when you're doing hard days 2-3 days in a row. So, maybe uphill intervals or sprints on Saturday along with some tempo, and then on Sunday you do some tempo as part of a longer ride for endurance. Monday could be off or very easy, then get going again with a medium day on Tuesday and a hard ride on Wednesday.

I like to do active recovery rides the day after hard days to enhance recovery and get out some stiffness and the bad stuff stuck in the muscles, and the day before hard rides I do a prep ride to help prepare for the hard day to follow.

If I'm feeling sluggish on a day I'd expect to feel good I'll try a 20 minute warmup and then a sprint or two for 10 seconds each in a small gear. If that doesn't get me to feel better then the ride becomes an active recovery ride and hard training will wait for the next day.

Better to over-rest than to over-train.

Some good stuff here...
https://www.stadion.com/column_stretch17.html

Guest

Ummm... what Warren said.

Koffee