Muscle Recovery

[SouthernBelle]

We've been talking about stuff for muscle aches. Does anything really help muscle recovery?

Since I'm planning on lots of gym time this winter working on leg strength, It does affect my chances to ride when they arise on the weekend. And I hate to admit it, but I think I've reached an age where the recovery time is longer than it used to be.

Will protein help, i.e. whey protein shakes? Anything else?

[Zen]

I think I've reached an age where the recovery time is longer than it used to be.



I think you've answered your own question.
I'm still in the basement working on the magic potion, I'll pm you when I find it ;)

[Eden]

Post workout nutrition is supposed to play a pretty big role - try to make sure if you've done a fairly long or hard workout to get your recovery snack in pretty quickly - I think the window is 1/2 hour from the end of your workout, and yes make sure there's some protein in there. It doesn't have to be a prepackaged recovery drink or even whey powder, but make sure your not just getting all carbs.

If you are feeling like you might be really sore then next day and you really don't want to be, cold soaks work. They are not pleasant! but they really do cut down on the muscle aches. You have to be willing to sit for about 5 minutes in really cold water though (I have never been able to actually add ice :eek:)... some people say alternate with warm water, but I think the cold alone works just fine. I don't think I'd like to do it all the time though....

[melissam]

Susan,

I'm certainly no expert, and I'm not concocting any secret formulas in the basement, but...

Have you tried given yourself a leg massage after a strenuous workout? It's supposed to be a great factor in helping recovery. It gets a lot of the crud out of your legs and into your bloodstream. (There's probably a more technical term than crud, like lactic acid, or something.)

Basically, all you need to do is spend 5 minutes on the leg massage. Lie down by a wall, put your legs up against the wall, take one leg, and work the foot and calf. Rub harder towards the heart. Take the other leg, work its foot & calf. Go back to the first leg, work the thigh. Finish the thigh on the other, and you're done.

If it doesn't help with recovery, at least it feels nice. :)

-- Melissa

[CyclaSutra]

I've had decent luck with Sportlegs, although I thought it was such a gimmick I only threw down for the sample size at first.
Is a hot tub in the budget?
:-)

[SouthernBelle]

I did not know about the cold water soaks (I've been doing a hot soak) nor the half hour window. I also have been doing self massage at night rather than right after. Hopefully these things will help since I cooked my quads at the gym last week.

BTW, for massages I've used my grandmother's rolling pin. :p Keep it off the boney areas. Wash it up before making biscuits or pie crust.

[OakLeaf]

What everyone else said about protein and self-massage.

The only time I did a cold soak, I wound up with hypothermia and had to spend a half hour in a hot bath :o I think that pretty much defeated the purpose :rolleyes:

[Eden]

Hot water really doesn't work the same way cold does....
You can't do it for a long time - about 5 minutes at a time.
The theory goes you are sore because when you do a hard workout you are creating all sorts of little micro tears in your muscles. All that damage causes swelling and soreness. Soaking in cold water is like icing an injury. I can vouch that it really does work. I do a 3 day stage race in June. I've tried the cold water soak inbetween the days and I've started the last day without sore legs. I don't find it pleasant enough to want to do it all of the time though....

As far as the 30 minute window goes - its pretty well agreed upon that immediately after exercise to 30 minutes is the best time to refuel. You don't have to get fancy - you can use chocolate milk if you want to, just be sure what you use has a mixture of carbs, proteins and a little fat. I'm not sure what this will do for the soreness, but it really should help with tiredness and the heavy leg feeling.

[Thorn]

At some point we just don't bounce back like we used to. What works for some, might not work for others. We started make a concerted effort for post ride protein and have good results. That could be anywhere from finishing up the sports drink with a big handful of almonds to a protein recovery bar or recovery drink. In fall and winter, we've stretched it to stopping for a hot chocolate or a chai at Starbucks (hey, if chocolate milk is supposed to work, then I fgure hot chocolate works, too :rolleyes: -- of course, I'm not sure there is support for chai, but any way I can justify it, I will :D )

I also read somewhere that elevating the legs also helps--keeps the circulation running. I'm a little skeptical on that one, but trying it gives you a good excuse for lounging around after a ride.

[SouthernBelle]

Is a hot tub in the budget?
:-)

I guess it would have to be a cold tub?!

[CyclaSutra]

OK, so cold soak right after exercise, just hot tub it when you're already sore on your day off. I have never had the guts to do an ice soak. Maybe I'll find some... anyone have spare guts?

[Tuckervill]

When I was about 6, I had an extremely high fever, about 105. My mother put me in a tub of cold water, and it was the worst experience of my young life! I will not be doing a cold soak at any time!

Massaging my legs, especially my calves, does help, though.

Karen

[Dogmama]

Fueling before and after your workout with a carb to protein mixture of 4 to 1 is supposed to be ideal. As somebody said, chocolate milk fills the bill. It should be low fat or skim because fat delays gastric emptying and you want this hitting your muscles quickly.

Vitamin C is supposed to be good post-workout. If I'm doing a long and/or hard ride after leg day, I'll pop a couple of asprin before the ride.

Don't let soreness keep you out of the gym. If, by the time your next leg day is scheduled, you're still sore, do your workout but reduce your weights and/or reps. You will soon build enough strength that leg day followed by cycling isn't as painful.

Oh yeah, and you could always go lighter on the before-cycling leg day...nah!

[Zen]

Epsom salts are my friend.

[kelownagirl]

I rely on epsom salts too. And lotsa stretching. And I take calcium and magnesium.

[Kano]

a rolling pin is a nifty quad-massager. works great on post-ski legs, and I bet it's good on post-gym legs too.

Personally, I learned many years ago that keeping my muscles WARM after working hard keeps me from stiffening up too much. I sleep in sweats after a hard work out, and pile on extra blankets too.

Stretching is also pretty important!

Karen in Boise

[RoadRaven]

My son completed a certificate in sports science last year. We have just been talking about the benefits of ice baths so I just read out to him and my partner about Eden doing the cold water baths on her 3-day tour. (They know a few of you - like Eden - because of the simnilar interests in racing to me).

My son says that one school of thought says 30 seconds of cold, then 2 minutes of hot... repeated several times after a race... then ideally a massage after that.

He says (like Eden does) that the cold assists with the bruising/muscle tears... but he adds that doing the cold/hot/cold/hot thing helps to disperse the lactic acid - the change in temperature is the critical factor there.

I always try and give my partner a gentle leg rub (as opposed to a deep tissue massage) asap after a race. And if he is too tired to reciprocate, I self massage my quads. We always massage with arnica oil or cream.

[tulip]

Yoga!

[indysteel]

If it's muscle soreness holding you back, you might just try working through it on the bike. Short of overtraining or nursing a strain or injury, I tend think the best cure for muscle soreness is more movement. That doesn't mean going out on your hardest or fastest ride, but an easy to moderate recovery ride might actually help you feel better, not worse. You, of course, know your body better than I do though! You could, as someone else suggested, time your strength training so that it's earlier in the week, leaving you free to ride over the weekend.

Also, the concept of "recovery" covers a wide range of issues so it helps to be specific about what our bodies are experiencing in figuring out an antidote: Muscle soreness from microtears, pain or strain from an overuse injury, lactic acid buildup from high intensity exercise, muscle tightness, glycogen depletion, dehydration, general fatigue, overtraining, calorie or nutrient deficiencies, etc., etc. Unfortunately, there is no one solution for all of these problems.

I try to cover my bases by drinking a recovery drink after hard efforts (chocolate milk is my drug of choice), icing areas and taking Motrin as needed, incorporating yoga and stretching into my routine, staying hydrated and eating nutrient-dense foods, trying (often in vain) to get enough sleep, having at least one designated rest day each week, taking the random day unscheduled day off when I'm feeling run down, purposely doing easy recovery rides, and getting regular deep tissue massages. I need to get one of those foam rollers, too!