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Leg Training Question

1K views 8 replies 7 participants last post by  mtnbikenc1979 
#1 ·
Remember I'm only 2 months into road biking. I've noticed that after every ride that is longer than an hour my legs burn for hours after. My quads and hamstrings feel like they are on fire. Am I doing something wrong on the bike or is it something that my legs are going to have to get use to? BTW I finally got my average speed up on one of my normal routes. Went from 14 mph to 17 mph with lots of hills. WooHoo!!!.....Justin :D
 
#2 ·
Are you doing a cool down/stretch?

Glad to see you're enjoying your riding! What do you mean by "on fire?"

If you're riding hard, and you don't do a cool down and/or stretch, you are not be flushing out the lactic acid you've built up in your muscles. This may also cause you to feel tightness/soreness for a day or two. Is that what you're feeling?
 
#3 ·
mtnbikenc1979 said:
Remember I'm only 2 months into road biking. I've noticed that after every ride that is longer than an hour my legs burn for hours after. My quads and hamstrings feel like they are on fire. Am I doing something wrong on the bike or is it something that my legs are going to have to get use to? BTW I finally got my average speed up on one of my normal routes. Went from 14 mph to 17 mph with lots of hills. WooHoo!!!.....Justin :D
How much water are you taking in? Make sure you stay hydrated and stretch to cool down after the ride. I suspect that you may be coming in after a ride and sitting down and relaxing. You need to drink a couple of cups of water and stretch out. I often go for a short walk around the block to relax my legs.

Congrats on the increase...maybe you are pushing too hard too fast.
 
#4 ·
Muscle twitching

mtnbikenc1979 said:
Remember I'm only 2 months into road biking. I've noticed that after every ride that is longer than an hour my legs burn for hours after. My quads and hamstrings feel like they are on fire. Am I doing something wrong on the bike or is it something that my legs are going to have to get use to? BTW I finally got my average speed up on one of my normal routes. Went from 14 mph to 17 mph with lots of hills. WooHoo!!!.....Justin :D

My problem is that after really riding hard, my left quads twitch when at rest...anyone ever heard of that one?
 
#5 ·
Ahhhhhh... Stretching!!!!

gtscottie said:
How much water are you taking in? Make sure you stay hydrated and stretch to cool down after the ride. I suspect that you may be coming in after a ride and sitting down and relaxing. You need to drink a couple of cups of water and stretch out. I often go for a short walk around the block to relax my legs.

Congrats on the increase...maybe you are pushing too hard too fast.
I'll give that a try. It never crossed my mind to stretch. Thanks to all who replied....Justin :D
 
#6 ·
Stretching

Only thing that I would add is to put your legs up after you stretch. Also, start stretching within an hour after the ride; otherwise, the muscles will start to tighten up, making stretching a little painful.
Lastly, in the last 15 minutes of your ride, spin in an easy gear so that you can get a thorough cooldown.
 
#7 ·
Watch cadence too...

Sometimes mtn bikers (assumption based on your screen name) will try to push a heavier gear when first riding on the road. Well, at least I did. One good hill can tap you riding like this and it can be hard to recover. Spinning smoothly is really an art and takes practice. Watch some experienced riders and pay close attention to the rhythym and smoothness of their spin as well as how quiet their upper body is.

Once you've got a good feel for it, you'll use an easier gear, work more aerobically with a lower heart rate and reduce by-product in your legs.

Good luck, it sounds like you are on the right track!
 
#8 ·
Warming up and stretching after the ride will help alot. The advice about staying hydrated is also excelent. You might also want to have yourself properly fitted at your LBS (I'm assuming that you haven't.) When I first started riding I was not sitting on my bike right and found that this caused me to strain out my calfs alot, a simple adjustment and it went away. You'll also notice that as you develop your spin most of this will be eliminated as a smooth and consistent cadence really helps with the longevity of those legs...

Oh and seeing that you're relatively new to road riding don't pay so much attention to speed, rather work on your cadence, breathing and rhythm...in other words tune the engine then open it up.
 
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