Off the bike-what other stretches/exercises do you suggest

[lovelygamer]

When I am not on the bike is there a set of exercises or stretching that will help sore legs on a newbie? I have been doing the normal stuff (toe touch, hamstring stretch) but wondered if there was a secret to it.

I did get sent an article from a friend about core exercise and how it is important to add those to your routine to stay strong when cycling. I haven't started yet but will try some of those.

I know breaks are important, and I've been alternating long mile days with short ones and make sure I take one day a week off.

I have never done a specific exercise that made my legs ache so much as cycling does. I know I am quite overweight but I worked out in the gym prior to this new effort to increase my riding.

I've gone 130 miles this month, getting out about five days a week. Advice?

[ny biker]

I like the book "Stretching" by Bob Anderson.

http://www.amazon.com/Stretching-Ann...7966289&sr=1-1

[Jiffer]

It sounds like there's more involved than simply stretching, though stretching is important, especially as your muscles are learning this new activity.

WARM UP & COOL DOWN

When my husband I started working with a coach, we started learning the importance of warming up at the beginning of a ride and cooling down at the end of it. I have gotten kind of anal about it even, particularly the cool down. I make sure I get a full ten minutes of nice easy riding. This helps my muscles recover faster.

While I'm cooling down, I coast every now and then and do some stretches. (I'm the only person I know who does this, but it just feels good and I know I'm doing something good for my muscles. I don't even know many people who actually cool down, to be honest, but they're doing themselves a disservice.) Anyway, I start by standing and with one leg in front and one in back and I stretch out my calves. I do this for a bit and then switch which foot is in front and do it again (and maybe more again after my next stretch).

My next stretch is kind of harder to explain, but I'll try. It also starts with one foot in front and one in back. I stand, but bend my knees and crouch down kind of close to the handlebars until I feel a good stretch in my quads and hamstring. I switch front and back foot and do it again, and might mix in the calf stretch. (I peddle between stretches depending on how fast or slow I'm coasting.)

I have also read that after you warm up for about ten minutes, this is a good time to stretch (stretching cold muscles is kind of pointless). Sometimes I do those same "cool down stretches" while warming up, but the article I read talked about getting off the bike to stretch. I think most cyclists would think it's ridiculous to stop and stretch (my LBS owner, who used to ride professionally laughed at the idea), and I think for many it's really not necessary. However, when you are starting out, and your muscles are new to this activity and you are having soreness issues, it would probably be a great help. I definitely felt it helped when I first started riding, but didn't seem to be as important as my body got used to riding. (But I always stretch at the end of my ride and often off the bike.)

By the way, because I am a stat freak and want all my big rides to have the fastest average pace, I don't include my warm up and cool down distance in my ride stats. I do keep track of those, though, because I like to know the full mileage I have ridden, plus our club keeps track of the highest mileage riders on bikejournal.com. I, therefore, reset my Garmin when my warm up is over and when I start my cool down later. I log those miles in a separate accumulating entry, which is always the 1st of the month on bikejournal.com. And I don't include pace for that entry. Just miles. This tip might not apply to you if you aren't anal about these things like me.

RECOVERY

There are many factors to recovery.

Resting completely from the bike is one.

Going on a recovery ride is another. After a particularly hard ride, like your long ride of the week, or a "speed workout", you should do a recovery ride. Just go out and spin your legs for about 30 minutes. It's similar to cooling down at the end of a ride. It helps your muscles recover faster and you'll be better able to do your next harder ride. (Walking and other activities can help with recovery too. It doesn't have to be on the bike necessarily.)

Post ride food and/or drink. Within 30 minutes of riding, (except maybe recovery ride days), you should have protein and some form of carbs. Recoverite is the recovery drink I used to have. (I say used to, cause my dietary restrictions won't allow me to have it right now, plus I'm hardly able to ride enough to need recovery because of health issues.)

Some people swear by chocolate milk for recovery. Sounds silly, but the protein in the chocolate and whatever is in the chocolate (carbs?) is supposed to be a great combination.

If you did a really long ride, you should have a good meal that includes a good protein, like eggs or chicken or something.

Compression tights. This is something that seems more common in the running and triathlon world, but my husband got me into compression tights and he wears them often. 2XU is the brand we have. You wear them after a long or hard ride (anything you know was taxing to your muscles). They are extra tight and feel good on your sore muslces when you have them on. They increase circulation and stabilize your muscles, which helps your muscle recover faster.

Some people, particularly runners, wear them while exercising and say they help them perform better. I have tried compression cycling shorts and I'm not sure they help a whole lot. I've also tried wearing my compression tights over my cycling shorts. Those might have helped some, but certainly not something I'd want to wear in warm weather. I pretty much stick to wearing them as recovery AFTER a hard ride. My husband sleeps in his sometimes.

Five days a week is a lot, but not necessarily too much. If you are having constant muscle soreness issues, it could be a bit much for you right now. If you make sure at least one or two of those five is a recovery ride, you'd probably benefit more and your muscles would like you better and perform better.

STRETCHING

While I'm drinking my recovery drink, I will often sit on the floor with my laptop, enter my stats and stretch. I probably do all the usual ones you do and they're too hard to really describe. I'd look online for good stretches for cyclists. I've come across some before.

There is one stretch I do that is another one of those that I'm probably the only one who does. (When it comes to stretching, I just find what feels good . . . when something I want to stretch is getting stretched, that's the stretch that works of me!)

I call it the frog stretch! Ribbit. It's basically squatting with both feet flat on the floor. (Maybe like you live in a third world country and have to use a hole in the dirt instead of a toilet!!!) My legs are kind of to the side and my arms and torso are between (if that makes sense?) I can feel this stretching my calves, my quads and just all over. Sometimes I roll up onto my toes a little and I feel it even more. My husband can't do this stretch. It's comical seeing him try.

Oh, another one I like to do that I really feel in my hamstring (which is one of the most important areas for me . . . my right hamstring is always higher than my left and on long rides, it has caused me great discomfort higher up. Had no idea is was a tight hamstring issue until I had a bike fit and he tested my flexibility). Anyway, for this, I stand, bend over half way and stick my butt way out until I feel the stretch in my hamstring. You might think of it as another "potty" thing. Like you're going potty over a dirty toilet you don't want to sit all the way on. Only when you are actually doing that, you feel it more in your quads. For this, I position myself so I feel it in my hamstring.

Okay, this is horribly long and hopefully not way too much information.

Happy muscle recovery!!!!!!!!!!!!

[shootingstar]

I call it the frog stretch! Ribbit. It's basically squatting with both feet flat on the floor. (Maybe like you live in a third world country and have to use a hole in the dirt instead of a toilet!!!) My legs are kind of to the side and my arms and torso are between (if that makes sense?) I can feel this stretching my calves, my quads and just all over. Sometimes I roll up onto my toes a little and I feel it even more. My husband can't do this stretch. It's comical seeing him try

I have squatted down close to the ground when I get tired of standing around.

Yes, that manoeuvre "looks" so developing country....I do think it depends on tasks/postures that one has done "naturallyu" when young/as a child and being shorter/smaller.

[MojoGrrl]

I take a yoga class at least once per week (vinyasa flow; sometimes I do the "easy" 1 hr 15 minute class, sometimes the 1 hr 30 min more intense) but I would love to be able to do it twice per week again. My sports massage guy recommended doing some yoga on my own daily so I try to at least do some stretching regularly.

For cycling, I do leg stretches and upper back/shoulders stuff. Good ones for the legs are hip openers and stretches that work the hamstrings. Two really good books that I cross-reference: Yoga Anatomy by Leslie Kaminoff and Cycling Anatomy by Shannon Sovndal.

[TigerMom]

Jiffer...Thanks for all your great advice!

At first, I thought that I was only supposed to have only one recovery day (bike 3-4 times/wk for 30-60minutes each time and then do elliptical machine twice per week for 45minutes along with daily abdomen exercises) because I really love biking and want to improve (I'm in my late 30's). But I was having tight/sore thigh muscles within 1 minute of biking every time and in a constant light state of sore muscles even at rest. But, now that I have 3 recovery days per week, I seem to have a lot more energy when I do bike ride.

I was also trying to do a low carb diet (after 6 months, I have finally lost 16 pounds out of the 18pounds that I had gained from using steroids for my medical condition) and still have 2 pounds left to get back to my original figure. I probably need more carbs, but so difficult to eat a lot (I'm a foodie) while losing weight if I eat more carbs. Such a difficulty balancing amount of carbs needed for bike riding energy vs. weight loss.

____________________________________

2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

[Jiffer]

Jiffer...Thanks for all your great advice!

At first, I thought that I was only supposed to have only one recovery day (bike 3-4 times/wk for 30-60minutes each time and then do elliptical machine twice per week for 45minutes along with daily abdomen exercises) because I really love biking and want to improve (I'm in my late 30's). But I was having tight/sore thigh muscles within 1 minute of biking every time and in a constant light state of sore muscles even at rest. But, now that I have 3 recovery days per week, I seem to have a lot more energy when I do bike ride.

I was also trying to do a low carb diet (after 6 months, I have finally lost 16 pounds out of the 18pounds that I had gained from using steroids for my medical condition) and still have 2 pounds left to get back to my original figure. I probably need more carbs, but so difficult to eat a lot (I'm a foodie) while losing weight if I eat more carbs. Such a difficulty balancing amount of carbs needed for bike riding energy vs. weight loss.

____________________________________

2012 Specialized Amira Elite, upgraded carbon handle bars, Jett saddle 143mm switched to 145mm 2012 Selle Italia Max SLR Gel Flow saddle

2011 Specialized Ariel Sport,suspension post,Serfas Rx Women's Microfiber saddle

You're welcome. Glad to know at least one person benefited from of my many way super long posts.

Congrats on your weight loss! I know exactly what you mean about balancing your eating for weight loss with energy to ride. I struggled with that for a long time. I finally seemed to figure out how to do both a couple of years ago and lost the nagging ten pounds. However, regrettably, I fear that my weight loss contributed to my current health issues. (Adrenal fatigue, candida, hypothyroid and low hormones). I think I already had stuff going on in my body for a long time, but the bigger training load and weight loss in 2010 exacerbated it. So do be careful how you feed your body, particularly when you are stressing it with exercise. I'm glad you're almost to your goal. Unfortunately, my weight went back up, and then some, when my health issues presented strongly (mostly fatigue and dizziness).

I think I'm on the road to recovery now, though, and have lost about five of the pounds I gained. (Wasn't trying, but the zero sugar and low grain diet I'm on for Candida helps with that. )

[Jiffer]

I wanted to add a comment on food and drink. My doc says that for recovery, in addition to protein, make sure you get chromium. There's chromium in Recoverite (which I mentioned I used to drink). But since I can't have it right now, nuts is natural way to get chromium.

I also mentioned chocolate milk as a recovery option (though I don't think that has chromium in it). I can't have cow's milk or sugar, but I can have goat's milk, pure cocoa and xylitol (a natural sweetener). So I have done that a few times and I'm pretty excited about it! I actually get to have chocolate milk now! I used to avoid milk cause it bothered my sinus congestion. Now that I'm eating all "healthy", I figured out a way to have chocolate milk and it's all legal.

Add nuts to that and I have my recovery components.

I just looked up why chocolate milk is good for recovery. Here's a snippet of what I found at this link. http://blogs.webmd.com/healthy-recip...ut-on-top.html

Chocolate milk’s recovery benefits seem to be due to three nutritional attributes:
#1. Its ideal 3 to 1 ratio of carbohydrate grams to protein grams, which appears to enhance glycogen replenishment into the muscles post workout. Regular milk has a carb to protein ratio of about 2 to 1.
#2. It contains whey protein, which is digested and absorbed quickly, getting essential amino acids circulating in the blood stream soon after consumption. Whey protein is thought to enhance the building and repair of muscle. Twenty percent of the protein in milk is whey protein.
#3. It also contains the protein casein, which is digested and absorbed more slowly than whey protein and sustains amino acids in the circulation many hours after consumption. Casein is thought to reduce the amount of muscle breakdown.

One last thought from me. Goat's milk is closer to human milk and much healthier for you than cow's milk. I've known this for years, but avoided trying it cause it just seemed "weird"! And I'd heard it had a weird taste. Well, a friend of mine told me she'd been drinking goat's milk for a while and thought it tasted great, so I took the plunge. When I took my first sip of goat's milk my first thought was that it tasted just like cow's milk. A moment later, I realized there was a slight aftertaste. Maybe aftertaste isn't the word, but there "is" a minor flavor in it that you don't notice right off and is different than cow's milk, but it doesn't bother me at all.

So there. I threw more stuff at you guys to process!

[lovelygamer]

I'll read this in detail tonight but I wanted to stop by and say I tried the frog stretch pose and it's amazing! There are muscles in my thighs that don't get stretched any other way. Who knew??

[Jiffer]

Yay!!! I'm glad I made a frog stretcher out of somebody! I realized the other night when I did this and saw my reflection in the sliding glass door, that one of the reasons I call it the frog stretch is because my arms come down in between my legs, just like a frog. It was almost comical how much I looked like a front.

I generally do this with my feet completely flat, which gives a certain stretch, then as I mentioned, sometimes I roll onto my toes, which stretches differently.