My thighs seem to be swollen.....

[Jacquelynn]

Hi I am fairly new to cycling (about 4 months now) recently I joined TNT and I am riding harder and longer than I every have before, but have felt really good. I have noticed that my thighs seem to be swollen and my pants are really tight around my thighs but not so much my waist. Is this due to lactic acid build up or water retention? I know it can't be muscle yet it's just to soon!

Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Jacquelynn

[Grog]

Four months is enough to start building muscle.

I would really doubt that it is lactic acid buildup. Water retention? Maybe just being properly hydrated. I say get new jeans (hard I know for a woman with actual muscles instead of pogo sticks for legs) and keep riding!

[Eden]

I'd say its probably muscle... It's not lactic acid, your body clears that away relatively quickly. If your thighs feel tight just after a ride, and at that time you notice your pants feel a bit more tight around the thigh, but it goes away, then it could be water retention. Otherwise pat yourself on the back you are building muscles!

[Starfish]

Yep, I bet it's muscle. I think it is possible to see new muscle in 4 months.

And, if your legs are inflamed, try sitting in an ice bath after your rides. It sounds horrifying, but ends up being wonderfully soothing. (I wear sweatshirts and stuff on my top half, and make sure the bathroom is toasty warm.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Hi I am fairly new to cycling (about 4 months now) recently I joined TNT and I am riding harder and longer than I every have before, but have felt really good. I have noticed that my thighs seem to be swollen and my pants are really tight around my thighs but not so much my waist. Is this due to lactic acid build up or water retention? I know it can't be muscle yet it's just to soon!

Any wisdom would be greatly appreciated

Thanks
Jacquelynn

Could be you've over-inflated your thighs. Try unscrewing the valves and letting a bit of air out. Don't inflate beyond maximum pounds/per/inch or they might blow while riding or jogging. A floor pump with a good gauge is helpful.
As to your jeans fitting problem, don't pump them up to full pressure until after you've put on your pants.

[Starfish]

maximum pounds/per/inch

Lisa...

But, is this phrase really something we want to see in the same sentence as the word thighs?

[Tuckervill]

I don't want to be a downer, but maybe you're eating more because you're riding more? I generally gain weight from the bottom up, and lose it from my face down. Check the scale?

Karen

[Wahine]

I'd agree that it is possible to put on muscle mass after 4 months of consistent cycling. The other thing that happens and also results in some puffiness (besides inflammation, someone else already mentioned this) is that you are storing more glycogen in the muscle. For every gram of glycogen stored in muscle you must also store 3 grams of water. This settles back out again with time. It also goes hand in hand with general hydration which Grog was talking about.

[KnottedYet]

Muscles are good.