Cycle to work, sore all week :(

CountryWise

In the last few months I have been cycling to work, 7km in the morning and the same home, naturally the body was a bit sore the first few times due to using new muscle groups etc but it hasnt really gone away and its been a good few weeks now and i still generally ache, i also do a good bit of running in the evening too which doesnt help but has to be done as i have football at the weekends, any tips on how to easy the leg pains after a good long cycle, i try to stretch as much as possible but i may be doing the wrong stretches?

Any ideas welcome,

Thanks

Morgan

Exactly what kind of pain are you experiencing and where is it?

CountryWise

Just the calf and thigh areas, its not torn muscles or anything i know its just soreness but i thought my body would adapt and the cycle would become more pleasant,not yet though

CountryWise

Just the calf and thigh areas, its not torn muscles or anything i know its just soreness but i thought my body would adapt and the cycle would become more pleasant,not yet though

air

You might want to see a doctor, that is very moderate exercise and you shouldnt be experiencing any discomfort.

peterk19

sounds like your doing too muchu could try supplementing Glutamine (help your mucles recover) or even take a few days off either the running or the cycling and give ur body a chance to recover, also u may want to start stretching out your legs before and after cycling

CountryWise

TBH I wouldnt go as far to call it discomfort its just an ache you get, say when you have gone for a run for the first time in a few months or played a match, you hurt the next day as you are using new muscles, maybe im not giving the muscles time to recover as the only day im not active(cycling or running or playing football) is Saturday.......

blorg

7km should not be leaving you in bits. I would suspect that your bike is not set up correctly, e.g. doesn't fit you properly.

CountryWise

peterk19 wrote:

sounds like your doing too muchu could try supplementing Glutamine (help your mucles recover) or even take a few days off either the running or the cycling and give ur body a chance to recover, also u may want to start stretching out your legs before and after cycling

I think i know deep down this is what it probably is, its just the thought of using Dublin Bus for a few days *shivers* and relying on timetables.

Thanks for the tip on Glutamine though

ferdi

yeah could you be too tall/short of the frame? is the saddle down really low?

CountryWise

ferdi wrote:

yeah could you be too tall/short of the frame? is the saddle down really low?

something i have thought about and maybe there is somehting in that,might test it later and try adjusting the saddle even if only for a day

Morgan

On saddle height - check that your leg is fully extended when sitting on the saddle with your heel on the pedal. When cycling, use the ball of your foot (this will result in a slight bend in the knee).

Also, don't use too high a gear - you should be spinning the pedals, not slowly grinding them around. Is your route very hilly?

cyclopath2001

Checking the certainly position is worthwhile, but the most common problem I see among riders I pass is that they're over-geared and are pushing rather than peddling. Think about spinning the pedals rather than cranking them around.

Another problem I see is people pressing with the instep rather than the ball of the foot.

Other measures to make the ride easier would be to make sure tyres are properly inflated and avoiding wearing jackets that catch the wind or a backpack that might be forcing a bad posture.

Check out some gentle stretching exercises too.

That said, any new exercise does take some getting used to and patience may be needed.

Stick with it, I know a 90-year old who looks forward to a 10km spin every day.

niceonetom

you know what always sorts me out? a massage.

Sean02

With all that exercise you must be super fit. 7 K should be no problem even for a novice . That is provided your bike set up is right as described earlier, although I would have thought the effects there would be on achilees and knees. If you find that you sweat a lot you may have a lactic acid problem. This is easily solved by drinking a glass of luckwarm water with a 1/4 spoonful of salt after exercise.

oobydooby

14 km per day is similar to my commute as well. Are you racing it or just sauntering along? As a few posters have already said, it's not a distance that should tire you at all, especially if you're sporty. Although it's been mentioned above, are you in too high a gear? For most routes middle cog front and back is appropriate and make sure your tyres are good and hard.

I'd rather take the pain than commute by bus too :eek:

CountryWise

Its definitely not that im in too high a gear, usually mid cog on front and just above mid cog on the back!

I dont race into work but the starting and stopping at traffic lights can really frustrate me so i try build up the speed again quite quickly.

Interestingly enough i didnt do any exercise last night to see how i felt(usually a good 30-40 minute run) and the cycle was alot easier today so it may well be a case of doing too much and not letting the muscles recover.

I wouldnt call myself superfit though, I could jog for hours but thats no help in a football match when ya need to sprint, thats why i need to do extra work in the evening

bikergal

CountryWise wrote: »

In the last few months I have been cycling to work, 7km in the morning and the same home, naturally the body was a bit sore the first few times due to using new muscle groups etc but it hasnt really gone away and its been a good few weeks now and i still generally ache, i also do a good bit of running in the evening too which doesnt help but has to be done as i have football at the weekends, any tips on how to easy the leg pains after a good long cycle, i try to stretch as much as possible but i may be doing the wrong stretches?

Any ideas welcome,

Thanks

I tend to suffer with sore legs too, what works for me is some stretches, followed by the legs up against the wall, some body lotion and massage the sore bits, normally the calves and quads. I found that i was not able to do it as well as somebody else massaging my legs, but it eases the pain, or the burning feeling at the top of a flight of stairs.I find that my legs are more sore after a run than a bike. Swimming after a jog/bike is another one that works for me. Also, is your bike set up properly? If the saddle is too low or too high, that could cause sore muscles too.