mustachiod

I started commuting by bike a little over a month ago, 23 miles total each day. My quads are sore, even on Monday mornings after resting sat/sun.

I know i should be eating more food to recover. but how much? I've just been having an extra serving at each meal which makes me feel more energetic, but the soreness is still there.

I bought a Gatorade3 drink today, but at $4 each that's going to be an expensive habit.

veloGeezer

ok, it isn't just about eating, its what you eat when. Basically, you need to rehydrate, replenish glycogen stores, rest, and rebuild.

When you get done riding, for the next 30 minutes, your body wil replenish glycogen stores at 4 times the normal rate. Take advantage of this window by having a recovery meal that has no fat, a hi glycemic index, and a 4 to 1 carbs to protien ratio. I would take Gatorade mix, maltodextrin (from any homebrewing supply house) and whey protien and mix it with water and drink that right away

that's rehydrate and replenish glycogen sorted

then you need to rest. If you are a government employee, clearly you can rest at work, but when you are on the return trip and you get home, have your recovery drink, a shower, a banana smoothie and then take a short nap

basically, you need to make real sure to take advantage of that first 30 minutes after you get off the bike, especially on the home leg when you can take a nap. Be sure to eat dinner within 2 hours of returning home, too. After 2 hours your gylcogen replenishment rate drops off alot. So recovery drink, sshower, smoothie, nap, then dinner

as you can see, you will put in at least as much effort to your recovery os you do your riding, but that is why if you do the effort, you get the rewards

mustachiod

thanks. I'll try to rehydrate immediately. currently I shower, check email. talk about last night's 'Lost' then fill my water bottle and eat. I will change it to drink/eat first.

i can definitely rest my legs while sitting at my desk. but after work is chasing three kids, making dinner and fixing whatever was broken while I was at work. naps, that's just funny.

Carbonfiberboy 

Sore legs day after day is usually protein. I had an employee who started bike commuting 16 miles each way, with hills, and he had a similar problem. The fix was to drink a recovery drink after arrival at work, and another immediately upon reaching home. He used about 15g whey or soy protein and about 100 cal. carbs. You can just buy whey protein and mix it up yourself with some sugar or maltodextrin or whatever you fancy. Take the morning drink with you and leave the evening drink in the fridge. Fixed my guy right up.

mustachiod

there is a GNC in the building, that's where i bought my G3 drink today and he said it would help with my soreness. I drank half so i could save the other half after tonight's ride. It has 30g of milk protein + carbs and other magical gatorade additives

I'll go back and see if the obnoxiously large bucket of protein powder would be more cost effective than the G3.

gregf83 

Optimizing when you eat is great advice for someone riding 3-4 hrs every day burning 2500-3000 cals/day on the bike.

It's completely unnecessary for a couple of 45 min rides in one day. You're likely burning between 800-1000 calories on the bike. If you aren't trying to lose weight then you need to eat that much extra on the days you're riding. If you're trying to drop a few pounds you don't need to change your eating habits. In any case replacing glycogen will not help sore muscles. Forget about expensive sports drinks. If you really want a recovery drink have a glass of chocolate milk. Cheap, tastes good and proven to work just as well as commercial recovery drinks.

Try massaging your quads each night with a roller. A rolling pin works or you can buy a number of rollers made for this purpose.

As you ride more and get fitter the soreness will go away. You could also try a few extra days off until the soreness goes away. How hard are you riding? You could also try going at a slower pace for a while until you get used to the miles.

LAE

If all that doesn't work/isn't enough try compression wear clothing. I don't know peoples views here on compression clothing but i damn sure love mine. I know a few brands that offer recovery versions of their product however i would just go for the sport specific items and see if it works for you.

They usually offer UV protection, and have wick-away properties not to mention some other advantages that i cant remember off the top of my head (help with preventing/slowing lactic acid build up or removal but i cant remember which). I wear mine all the time to be honest, it sounds weird but they keep me cool when I'm getting hot and warm when it gets cold. When wearing them I tend to feel a bit more compact and it feels like my energy is put more into my cycling rather than wasted but i don't know how much of that is in my mind etc etc

Anyway, velogeezer's advice looks good if not a tad excessive, i'd probably drift more towards a simpler version like CFB's advice. Protein shake maybe mixed into a smoothie or complex carbs (WG oats etc) mixed in with it and take it with you. No one seems to have mentioned stretching yet. I'd probably give that a go, a nice cool down with some light stretching would probably go down well.

If the soreness is really bad maybe take a day off mid week to give you legs a break.

black_box 

Did you ride much before you started commuting? Doing 23 miles per day, 5 times a week might have been a bit much to start out. is the route very hilly? how long does it take? you might want to take a couple extra days off (sat/sun/monday/tuesday) to really give yourself time to recover. Also, any idea what your cadence is? faster spinning with an easier gear might take some stress off the legs.

mustachiod

yeah, probably a bit much as I did zero cycling before this, so at first I thought the soreness was from using new muscles. there are no hills, unless you count a few highway overpasses and 1 drawbridge.

i do go slower on days when I'm feeling tired and/or sore. But usually try to go at a quick enough pace to keep my heartrate up. The 11.5 ride is usually 45 min. if i can time the lights right.

i just googled that compression clothing. pricey! will my old running tights work? ha!

JMallez

The same techniques used for "intense" workouts should probably work for "light" workouts as well...so you need calories to fuel your ride and then you need stuff to recover/repair, if you're biking in the morning make sure you have a healthy breakfast (oatmeal & coffee at the least) and if you sweat be sure to get some liquids.

To recover take velogeezer's advice and eat something with carbs & protein afterward, seems like with recovery you're repairing muscle (protein/calories), reducing inflammation (ice baths, ibuprofen, food), and cleaning your blood of lactic acid/free radicals (compression clothes, ice baths, vegetables and things with antioxidants). So for nutrition look for foods with antioxidants, flavonoids, and anti-inflammatory properties and avoid foods that cause inflammation. You can also use the R.I.C.E. method.

ericm979

Protein (and carbs) after a ride will help you recover but it doesn't prevent overuse.

Your muscles are just plain tired because you ramped up the riding faster than you can handle. Nothing wrong with that, we all do it sometimes. But the fix is to take some rest periodically. How much you need depends on your fitness. As you get fitter you'll need less.

black_box 

That seems like a solid pace for just starting to ride, the mileage is just high for the week (sounds like over-use issues). I'd vote for taking days off so the muscles can fully recover.

mustachiod

thanks for all the info everyone. I had a nice tall glass of choc. milk with peanut butter and cheese on wholewheat pita bread as soon as got home last night. It was the closest i had in the house that matched some of the above recommendations.

I found a pair of old running shorts that stop just above the knee, and they hugged my legs pretty tightly. Felt good on my legs but am glad to have them off now, a few more pounds to lose

I also had breakfast before my ride this morning.

veloGeezer

hey, if you put some effort into your recovery, you get in shape faster

what's "excessive" when it comes to that? either you give your body its best chance to recover or you are cutting corners.

But I do recognize that people who are trying to cram 26 hours into a 24 hour day won't like hearing that you need to pay attention to what and when you are eating and that you need to get enough sleep.

my life is built around my bike, so I don't mind


YMMV

veloGeezer

eeks

peanut butter is long burning and slow to digest. It is better eaten BEFORE taining, not after. All you did was make sure that your stomach did not empty until after the 30 minute window expired. It is not when the food goes in your yap, but when the food hits your blood that matters there. That si why we use hi glycemic index foods after, and low glycemic index foods before riding

also, stay clear of cheese immediately after for the same reason: you are only slowing down the absorption

whole wheat pita bread is a good choice, except that it has a lower glycemic index than regular pita bread, so you would be better off going with regular pita bread, ironically

but what you ate would make a good pre-ride meal

for instance, I bake whole grain breads and I had a creame cheese sandwhich and a glass of milk an hour or so before I rode last night, but it was bananas, maltodextrin and whey protien after

the low GI and fats before, high GI and no fat with some protien after

mustachiod

thanks for the info veloGeezer. I feel like i need a science degree to figure this stuff out. I have never heard of glycemic index, maltodextrin, etc. before. I can build a computer out of a box of spare parts, but I can't figure out how to feed myself

I'm reading/learning more about it now and will hopefully be able to find the right foods for me

veloGeezer

check out "Optimum Muscle Recovery" by Ed Burke. I also like Monique Ryan's book on nutrition for endurance athletes.

they both have books over on Amazon.com

and "the right foods for me" is the right way to look at it. We are all different, so find what suits you and what works

Carbonfiberboy 

But chocolate milk is a great recovery drink, just by itself. At least a pint.

serra

I always try to drink chocolate milk after long or hard rides, that stuff is amazing. I refuse to do the whole protein drink thing, I prefer eating and drinking real food. Well, chocolate milk is mostly real, but you know what I mean. Probably.

mustachiod

i would prefer to eat real food. i made it through high school sports with Wheaties, milk, steak and potatoes

Richard Cranium

Try riding more slowly. Your soreness is an indication of strain. "recovery" is this case requires real rest, and reduced intensity of activity.

JMallez

from what i've read casein/milk protein absorbs slower and might fall outside of the "window of recovery" as a post workout drink, whey absorbing more quickly, oppositely milk makes a better daily protein since it absorbs slowly

...me personally, milk in general creeps me out, i only do organic and even that just doesn't seem right to a certain degree...there are better proteins and foods out there, but as long as you're not drinking a coke or eating a mcdonald's burger for protein then milk is a pretty good start!

Garthr

Yep .... real food. There's nothing like it. All these sports drinks and such are man made junk food in fancy packaging, promoted by bogus studies that no human being understands. There's no substitute for real food, it tastes better, looks better, digests better, and promotes a healthier person.

RA913

I always have 32 oz of Gatorade mixed with 30 Grams of Whey protein after my morning and evining commute. I ride 22 miles each way and I ride pretty hard.

What do you recommend eating after that? I only work 8hrs, but I work outside, and I am always moving, and burning even more calories. In the evining, I get home about 6pm, and have about 3 to 4 hrs get the food I need to recover.

chasm54

A month isn't a long time, you're just getting used to it. Take some of the advice being offered her, and keep at it. In another couple of weeks you'll have forgotten you were ever sore.