# Legs burn at night after a ride



## hotrozz (Oct 24, 2010)

Though I'm in my 40's,I'm still a beginner mtbr and like to push myself
pretty hard.
At night my legs really burn, enough to keep me awake even though I feel exhausted.
Am I just over doing it on the trail, or is there possibly something else I should or shouldn't be doing?


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## manabiker (Jul 18, 2010)

Put them legs in a hot bath with epsom salt, after a ride, stay in awhile, adding hot water, here is a how to I just found, Happy Trails

http://www.ehow.com/how_2223295_salt-bath-treat-sore-muscles.html


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

over doing it...my .02

i call them 'antsy-legs'.....and would get that after hard days and races....


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## AndrwSwitch (Nov 8, 2007)

OMG, lactic acid buildup.

Try incorporating a cooldown into the tail end of your ride. If you don't stretch some time between when you finish your ride and when you go to bed, try adding that. Try Icy Hot. Try going for a walk or an easy ride (like twenty minutes, just enough to warm up) between when you come home from your "real" ride and when you go to bed. Come to think of it, try incorporating a warmup in the beginning of your ride.

If over-doing it is the way you like to do it, or you're not at a stage where you can really choose your effort level, doing some preparation before your ride and some recovery afterwards may let you keep over-doing it without demolishing your body so much.

Somewhat tangentially, if your bike doesn't fit you right (especially putting the saddle too low) you may be more sore after a ride.


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## Shark (Feb 4, 2006)

Yah I will feel it in my legs once in a while, but just a bit stiff/sore....if it's bad enough to keep you awake at night, you might be pushing a bit too hard, or just need some rest time in between rides.

I try to stretch out after a ride....take a nice hot shower (& a cold beer after hah) & usually all is well.


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## CHUM (Aug 30, 2004)

agh!...too much info...

i like to eat burritos and drink beer after a hard ride....MUCH easier...and more fun to boot





AndrwSwitch said:


> OMG, lactic acid buildup.
> 
> Try incorporating a cooldown into the tail end of your ride. If you don't stretch some time between when you finish your ride and when you go to bed, try adding that. Try Icy Hot. Try going for a walk or an easy ride (like twenty minutes, just enough to warm up) between when you come home from your "real" ride and when you go to bed. Come to think of it, try incorporating a warmup in the beginning of your ride.....


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## safariofthemind (Oct 27, 2010)

http://judoinfo.com/soreness.htm


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## hotrozz (Oct 24, 2010)

AndrwSwitch said:


> OMG, lactic acid buildup.
> 
> Try incorporating a cooldown into the tail end of your ride. If you don't stretch some time between when you finish your ride and when you go to bed, try adding that. Try Icy Hot. Try going for a walk or an easy ride (like twenty minutes, just enough to warm up) between when you come home from your "real" ride and when you go to bed. Come to think of it, try incorporating a warmup in the beginning of your ride.
> 
> ...


Those all sound like good tips, I'll try doing warm up and cool down rides next time. The terrain here is steep enough that you don't really have a choice but to push yourself if you want to get any riding in.
For better or for worse, I think "over doing it" is the way I like to do it. Seems like I sometimes don't know when to say enough is enough.LOL


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## scjohn (Jul 21, 2010)

strecth, before and after your ride. Make sure you are eating the right food before and after your ride if you are pushing hard all ride, every ride. Google Chris Carmichael(sp). You will find specific cycling work outs and not all rides are supposed to be max effort all the time, even for the most elite cyclist's. Also have your heart checked out. leg pain can be an indicator of poor circulation, which cycling should definately help with. Try a long ride or two at lower exertion level and see how you feel afterward.

Strecth
Nutrition
Proper training technique
See the Doc.


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## tihsepa (May 15, 2009)

Drink chocolate milk afterwards. It really helps with recovery.


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## frdfandc (Sep 5, 2007)

You want to consume protein within the hour after your rides. Stay hydrated as well. This will help with recovery.

After every ride, I consume around 50g of protein - I like beef jerky and I also drink a protein shake - and approx a gallon of water mixed with electrolite's. Within a couple of hours, I'm feeling pretty good. But YMMV.


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## safariofthemind (Oct 27, 2010)

Acidosis is a byproduct of anaerobic muscle exertion. Your best friend is a steady pace and trying to stay within the aerobic zone. That means watching your cadence and heart rate or using an indicator such as your rate of advancing versus altitude gain, etc. Varies for everyone but you need to pay attention to what your body is telling you.

And, as has been said, a slow down period helps dissipate the effect in muscle tissue.

Food helps you feel good but does not really help the above process. Water on the other hand can help some, but you need to provide it DURING the ride, not after.


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## hotrozz (Oct 24, 2010)

safariofthemind said:


> Acidosis is a byproduct of anaerobic muscle exertion. Your best friend is a steady pace and trying to stay within the aerobic zone. That means watching your cadence and heart rate or using an indicator such as your rate of advancing versus altitude gain, etc. Varies for everyone but you need to pay attention to what your body is telling you.
> 
> And, as has been said, a slow down period helps dissipate the effect in muscle tissue.
> 
> Food helps you feel good but does not really help the above process. Water on the other hand can help some, but you need to provide it DURING the ride, not after.


That makes sense, maybe I should invest in a HRM.


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## safariofthemind (Oct 27, 2010)

Do a google search on acidosis and lactate and sports regimes and you will get many good techniques. 

Triathletes, runners, martial artists and all kinds of athletes have dealt with this forever and there's a lot of good information out there. 

For me, it boils down to slowing down but if you want to play extra hard, or race, then you have to go the extra mile in learning how to manage your own body with the latest techniques. A sports medicine doctor at your local college can help.


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## miatagal96 (Jul 5, 2005)

That used to happen to me trying to keep up with my friends. I 'coped' by taking an Excedrin PM when it was bad enough to keep me awake; however, I think the advice others have given above should be tried before and the Excedrin PM should be a last resort.

My legs are much stronger now so it rarely happens any more. I'm not sure where you live, but if the winter reduces your ability to ride, do strengthening excercises over the winter so you'll be ahead of the game next season.


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## horriefic (Jul 20, 2010)

I get the same tired legs feeling after a hard day of pedalling uphill. And my legs ache for the next few days. This is good muscle pain caused by microtears in the muscle due to the extreme workout (similar pain you will get after a good workout in the gym). I noticed (on a consistent basis) that if I continue my normal diet, the pain will stay on in the legs for up to a 5 days. But if I take a protein shake, then the pain goes away after 1-2 days.

Due to the microtears in the muscle, your body needs protein to heal itself. The extra protein from the protein shake will provide the needed protein for the muscles to heal itself by growing new muscle fibers over the microtears. Overtime, the continous growth of new muscle fibers will make your muscles grow! That's the basic theory of how bodybuilders grow stronger and larger.

So increase your protein intake. Meat, eggs and milk will help. But I find a protein powder shaken with milk gives the best fix. Try it!


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## hotrozz (Oct 24, 2010)

horriefic said:


> I get the same tired legs feeling after a hard day of pedalling uphill. And my legs ache for the next few days. This is good muscle pain caused by microtears in the muscle due to the extreme workout (similar pain you will get after a good workout in the gym). I noticed (on a consistent basis) that if I continue my normal diet, the pain will stay on in the legs for up to a 5 days. But if I take a protein shake, then the pain goes away after 1-2 days.
> 
> Due to the microtears in the muscle, your body needs protein to heal itself. The extra protein from the protein shake will provide the needed protein for the muscles to heal itself by growing new muscle fibers over the microtears. Overtime, the continous growth of new muscle fibers will make your muscles grow! That's the basic theory of how bodybuilders grow stronger and larger.
> 
> So increase your protein intake. Meat, eggs and milk will help. But I find a protein powder shaken with milk gives the best fix. Try it!


For me this is a little bit of a different soreness than I would get after a day of weight training. 
My muscles don't really ache, more of a tired, burning feeling. It's been two days since I rode, and even still if I climb a few flights of stairs my legs will get the burning sensation.
I'll definitely be taking in more water during rides and protein after rides for now on though.


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## indianadave (Apr 27, 2010)

I never got that sore after 10-15 mile rides, but on a 30 mile ride that included a lot of climbs, I woke up at 2am with my upper thighs on fire. I got up and took 2 ibuprofen, and after an hour or so, was able to go back to bed. The pain never returned.
I don't do that long of a ride often, but will take some of the advice here and be more prepared next time.
Thanks.


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## Solrider (Aug 6, 2009)

Stretch before
Don't over-do it on the ride
hydrate..mix in some vitalyte
Stretch after
Hot epsom salt bath for 20 mins...no longer!
Get a massage once a week...try to see someone familiar with sports massage/PNF stretching.

I see you are in Boise...I know a great LMT in Fruitland if you are willing to make the drive.


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## BikeShopMonkey (Nov 18, 2010)

do not stretch before!!!!!

do a warm up first, work out, then stretch as you are recovering. fact!

the reason your body is not happy is no recovery. go to hammernutrition.com and read up on the free info there. they will try to sell you good products, but the info is far more important.


in a nutshell, you have one hour right after a hard workout that your body will turn food into fuel and then start to slowly shut down and turn food into fat storage.
if you do not eat right after a workout, your body cannot recovery full and you will be sore and feel like a hangover for 3-5 days.
eat properly and you are ready to crush another workout the very next day, fresh and strong. 

i ride 2-6 hours, five days a week and feel great all the time. never sore, tired or grumpy. its all when/what you eat.

check out the site. doctor approved!


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## hotrozz (Oct 24, 2010)

BikeShopMonkey said:


> do not stretch before!!!!!
> 
> do a warm up first, work out, then stretch as you are recovering. fact!
> 
> ...


Oh man, I didn't think about until you mentioned it. It DOES feel like a hangover! 
Lots of good info coming so far, definitely will help me next time.
BTW, how do you manage to get in five rides per week? It's dark when I leave in the AM and dark when I get home 4-5 days a week.


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## Hooch (Jun 30, 2006)

hehe I agree.. I have been doing crossfit at work with the rest of the guys I work with. 250 squats would have me walking like an old man for days afterwards. I find massages and a hot bath work would work wonders. Over the course of 9 months I have been building my fitness levels up so they don't hurt so much unless the guys hit me with the work out of new muscle groups. but now i include lots of riding as well.
warm up and cool downs are important as mentioned. also keep stretching throughout the day, evening and keep well hydrated. This is the advice that I am constantly given by the guys I work with. all army guys and one a trained PT instructor. Big part of our excercise is a proper warm up and cool down stretches afterwards.


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## ZmyDust (May 13, 2011)

Don't listen to all these crazies with their fancy-schmancy logic and book reading skills. Pain after a ride means you're doing it right lol.. 

More seriously, I second that Chocolate milk after a ride suggestion.


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## Gibbsinator (Jul 24, 2013)

I make it a priority to drink a quart to 2 quarts of chocolate milk after a ride.

Milk is an excellent choice for recovery. Lots of carbs and calories, along with other nutrients with a blend of whey(fast) and casein(slow) protein.


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## guamjim (Jun 3, 2013)

> I make it a priority to drink a quart to 2 quarts of chocolate milk after a ride.
> 
> Milk is an excellent choice for recovery. Lots of carbs and calories, along with other nutrients with a blend of whey(fast) and casein(slow) protein.


Wow, talk about drinking the (chocolate milk) koolaid - "The Perfect Recovery Drink"

The dairy associations are going all out in their promotions of chocolate milk. Personally, I have major concerns about milk's link to prostate and other cancers, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, et cetera, et cetera.

Regarding the leg burning, you might consider that it is being caused by nerve compression in the lower back. I have similar issues that started with a ruptured disk, which I have mostly recovered from, but returns when I do something that strains my back or if I overdo it on the bike. Check with your health care provider. Strengthen your core to support and protect your back, and faithfully practice good lifting mechanics and posture to avoid back injury.


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## Jams_805 (Aug 15, 2013)

Being someone that has played Hockey, done MMA and lifted weights for the last 10 years, I can tell you that everyone has their own regiment for a postworkout recovery. I too suffer from the burn in the legs, but I like to push the limits. The hot bath offers some relief, but nutrition can also offer a lot of help. The muscle needs fuel after that kind of workout, so most people recommend simple carbs and protein to aid with recovery, which is why chocolate milk keeps coming up (milk=protein, chocolate n sugar=carbs).. try different amounts of carbs and protein and see what helps u recover. I like 25grams of protein, and 30 grams carbs.. like a protein shake and a banana, 100% fruit juice and a protein bar, etc! and don't forget to stretch those muscles.. I stretch after every ride, and twice a day.


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## synodbio (Mar 21, 2013)

Riding your bike regularly, even for just a few miles each day, will help improve your muscular endurance, or the length of time it takes your muscles to fatigue during aerobic activity. Riding your bike aerobically on a regular basis will help develop the slow-twitch muscle fibers --- the muscle fibers involved in aerobic exercise --- in your thighs, which will eventually allow you to bike for longer periods of time before encountering the burning sensation indicative of muscle fatigue.


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## trekninja (Oct 22, 2007)

you can also go to vitamin shop and get something like dark matter or after shock which is full of amino acids, protein and all sorts of good stuff to help you recover. I have one after my workouts and it makes a legit difference in recovery time


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## Calais (Oct 2, 2013)

1. more water ... drink on your way to the ride, drink during the ride, drink on the
way home, drink in the tub.
2. carbs ... try bananas, mangos, berries -- they all provide carbs and nutrients.
3. buy a decent multivitamin or at least a b-complex ... 
4. consider eating more fish -- omegas are needed for nerves and its part of the
muscle break down build up cycle.
5. take a rest day or two ... most gains are made outside the gym or off the trail
because your body is healing and adding muscle.

Consider some cross training ... walking, hiking, swimming or yoga can all help with
recovery. Core training very important as well.

Good on you for giving it your all ... but consider taking a couple rest days -- you
might be amazed how much better you feel and ride!


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## DennisF (Nov 4, 2011)

I have had good success with L-Citrulline. Search for the web for

L-Citrulline muscle soreness 

or

L-Citrulline cycling


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