Cycling Tiredness

[Heltor Chasca]

Good work on the new distances.

I don’t sleep well even after 200+km long Audax rides. That’s far for me. It takes a lot of concentration just to ride and navigate and my brain is buzzing. My body is also fairly wrecked and I eat late.

All this and I don’t sleep much the night before through excitement and of course you are up very early in the morning to get to the start. One wonders whether we would just be happier laid up on the sofa

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Keep a diary of exercise, diet, sleep. See if there is a pattern and make adjustments as required.

 

[steveindenmark]

Here is something you will probably never read on a cycling forum.

I used to run marathons and often suffered from aching muscles. My physio introduced me to a Tens machine. Its an electronic device with pads which help to move lactic acid in your muscles and relax them. It works a treat.

Mine is about the size of a cigarette packet and has 4 pads. You can buy them off Amazon and are good to use on all of your muscles.

I have been using mine for years and can guarantee that it works.

 

[LeetleGreyCells]

• Eat within 30 minutes of your ride ending to replace nutrients in muscles (include at least one banana as it contains potassium (I believe) which helps reduce muscle cramp)
• Do stretches before and after your ride
• Drink plenty of water during and after your ride (I put one of those electrolyte tablets into my water bottle and that helps me feel much better)
• Make sure you have rest days
• Build up distances gradually - do the same distance 2-3 times before extending further

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Here is something you will probably never read on a cycling forum.

I used to run marathons and often suffered from aching muscles. My physio introduced me to a Tens machine. Its an electronic device with pads which help to move lactic acid in your muscles and relax them. It works a treat.

Mine is about the size of a cigarette packet and has 4 pads. You can buy them off Amazon and are good to use on all of your muscles.

I have been using mine for years and can guarantee that it works.

This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.

 

[Fab Foodie]

This and an ice cold bath. Contracting muscles squeeze out the lactic acid. I haven’t the courage to do this yet, but I am gradually turning the temperature down on the shower. Trouble is, after a long, wet, cold ride all you want is a hot shower. No pain, no gain.

...point of order, lactic acid is not squeezed-out anywhere, it needs to be oxygenated in situ in the muscle cells. This will happen fairly quite soon after your high intensity work, most likey when your breathing and heart rate is down to normal. The rest of the pain will be down to mild muscle damage and a lack of glycogen stored in the muscle (requiring more fat usage for movement).

However.... getting some food down when you finish - milk is particularly good stretching and the cold bath seems to really help too.
Ultimately your body adjusts to the extra effort.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

...point of order, lactic acid is not squeezed-out anywhere, it needs to be oxygenated in situ in the muscle cells. This will happen fairly quite soon after your high intensity work, most likey when your breathing and heart rate is down to normal. The rest of the pain will be down to mild muscle damage and a lack of glycogen stored in the muscle (requiring more fat usage for movement).

However.... getting some food down when you finish - milk is particularly good stretching and the cold bath seems to really help too.
Ultimately your body adjusts to the extra effort.

That’s fascinating. Thanks @Fab Foodie . So is this why when you forcibly exhale, some of that ‘burn’ seems to dissipate? Or is it phycological? (Sorry to go off topic slightly)

 

[Mattk50]

A bath is definitely helping. Whilst the aches still there at night I am sleeping through now if I soak in the bath for 15 mins in the evening.

 

[Fab Foodie]

That’s fascinating. Thanks @Fab Foodie . So is this why when you forcibly exhale, some of that ‘burn’ seems to dissipate? Or is it phycological? (Sorry to go off topic slightly)

Your body will work to use oxygen to deplete the lactic acid ASAP, so yes in general getting more air in and out is beneficial.... whether forcibly exhaling helps I couldn’t say.

 

[Racing roadkill]

Don’t do the cold bath / shower thing. It will not be any help. The cold / ice bath thing is for recovering from sports / activities in which you get knocked and bumped ( football / rugby / running ( to an extent )etc.). There have been studies that show ice baths help in these situations, by reducing swelling / bruising, which you really don’t get ( usually) with a relatively low impact activity like cycling.

 

[MarkF]

Happens to me on the first couple of days on a tour and also on my first decent ride of the year. I'd not ridden since November, did 65 miles on my first day in Alicante a couple of weeks ago, couldn't sleep....................legs aching.

 

[gbb]

One thing thats revisited me as i get back into cycling....heart rate recovery.
At my fittest, i'd go out and hammer myself for 50 miles, home, clean up and carry on the day like nothing happened...and sleep well. My heart rate would recover really quite quickly.
As i had 2 to 3 years out i now find if i push myself, my heart rate goes up (of course)...but i'm spending hours and sometimes a restless nights sleep, with my heart rate still high.

Pushing too hard too soon then perhaps Matt. Is your heart rate still high / hammering hours after you've ridden ?

 

[kingrollo]

Couple of things:-
-You might still be high on Adrenalin - I call it buzzing - I sometimes get it if I excercise to close to bed time.

-If you come in take a nap - you can throw you're body clock out of whack - try and rise and sleep at the same time.

_Use energy drinks ? - the caffeine might still be kicking around.

 

[Marazzi Mick]

I don’t have a problem getting to sleep but find I wake in the night with a thirst. This never happens if I have not been on the bike the previous day. Thinking about it I know I’m not drinking enough, I never take a drink with me and rarely take fluids on board when I get home. Ok I’m only doing between 20 and 25 miles but it must be connected.

I could eat a horse for the next 12 hours after a ride though....

 

[buzzy-beans]

For me at the moment it is absolutely ZERO cycling, the reason being is that I am recovering from bronchial pneumonia and only yesterday the quack told me that it could be as long as 9 months before I am able to do any physical exercise let alone pushing myself into that beautiful grey mist of pain !!