How do i.......stop my legs aching

[cockney]

Been cycling for about a yr nothing major 3-5 miles a day but when the going gets a bit tough i get like an aching in legs thought they'd be use to it by now ......am i just unfit?

 

[Blue]

Assuming that you don't have any health issues, it could just be that you keep doing the same thing so keep getting the same results. If you go out for 5-10 miles on the week-end, or something like that, you may find that the 3-5 mile rides stop hurting.

 

[ushills]

Been cycling for about a yr nothing major 3-5 miles a day but when the going gets a bit tough i get like an aching in legs thought they'd be use to it by now ......am i just unfit?

Try upping your cadence, burning legs=too low cadence, burning lungs=too high a cadence. Go for somewhere in the middle.

 

[Fab Foodie]

Ride harder more often ... it sound stupid, but your legs build to the extra effort!

 

[Dan_h]

Assuming that you don't have any health issues, it could just be that you keep doing the same thing so keep getting the same results. If you go out for 5-10 miles on the week-end, or something like that, you may find that the 3-5 mile rides stop hurting.

I have to agree with this, your body adapts by overloading then recovering. If you keep doing the same few miles then your body will only adapt as far as it needs to in order to cover this distance. You need to push it further in order to adapt to longer and longer distances. Soon your 3-5 mile rides will seem like a warm up!

 

[NormanD]

If it really gets bad then a cold bath soak in cold water will help a great deal, it tightens the muscles and forces small tears in the muscles to repair quicker.

 

[Blue]

If it really gets bad then a cold bath soak in cold water will help a great deal, it tightens the muscles and forces small tears in the muscles to repair quicker.

That ones hard to do at this time of year!!

It's something I strongly believe in as a remedy for the damage inflicted by hard interval sessions and the like. However, I doubt if riding 3-5 miles would create that sort of damage.

That said, it was heartening to read your post as I sometimes think I am alone in my madness as I lower my nether regions into the chilly depths of a cold bath.

 

[Dave 123]

Lay in bed every morning and gently S-T-R-E-T-C-H your legs for a few minutes, worked and works for me.

 

[addictfreak]

Agree totally with the stretching. I often spend about 10-15 mins doing variouse stretches.

Nice MX5 by the way! Wish I still had mine.

 

[gbb]

Been cycling for about a yr nothing major 3-5 miles a day but when the going gets a bit tough i get like an aching in legs thought they'd be use to it by now ......am i just unfit?

Just to check something not so obvious Cockney ?...where are your legs aching ?
If its on the thighs, above the knees, check your saddles not too low, that'd give you horrible aching thighs.

 

[Monkspeed]

Just to check something not so obvious Cockney ?...where are your legs aching ?
If its on the thighs, above the knees, check your saddles not too low, that'd give you horrible aching thighs.

I second this, did 18km the other day with my seat too low and got lots of thigh burn and aching knees. Raise your seat a cm and see how you go, keep raising it till it gets comfortable. You will just know when it feels right.

Also what the others have said about body adaptation is very true. Doing lunges is one thing, doing them while holding 4kg dumbells is quite another. Its amazing how the body adapts to just walking, but add some weights and its a whole new ballgame.

 

[NormanD]

That said, it was heartening to read your post as I sometimes think I am alone in my madness as I lower my nether regions into the chilly depths of a cold bath.

Oh I've slithered my way into an ice cold bath or two, gasping for breath and swallowing hard the two lumps that have appeared at the back of my throat!! ... No you're not the only one that's done this madness, but it works

 

[Peteaud]

Hot, very hot bath and a long soak works for me.

Seconds what others have said about saddle height, in fact I raised min another cm last weekend, made a massive difference.

 

[MattHB]

More miles! And stretch them out properly afterwards. You'll learn to love it.

 

[cockney]

Ta guys thought i was going to get the p**s taken out of me,have my seat height roughly to my hips.Ta for the mx5 comment really fun,and by the way seems to be my quads thay ache.