# days off, truck syndrome



## Provincial (Jun 14, 2017)

How do your off days go? since april, I have been riding 3-4 days a week, a combination of mtb and road, over the last month, my days off I feel like I have been hit by a truck. my whole body hurts. I mean bad
does every one else over 50 get the same results, I would think that I should feel better on my rest days, no way

conditioning wise, my rides feel great. I recover now as I go. crashing less, have lost 51lbs in the last year. blood pressure is near normal, heart rate at rest is mid 50's. but the days off are killing me.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I need an occasional day off to recover. In between biking and skiing on both ends, I usually get 2 or 3 weeks with nothing to do. Aside from being bored, and annoying my wife, I feel pretty normal. I'm 65.


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## Legbacon (Jan 20, 2004)

I try to keep my riding down to 4 days a week to avoid exhaustion. I only mountain bike, but all my rides have a lot of climbing, and it takes it's toll. I sometimes feel pretty tired on days off, but never like I've been hit by a truck.


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## SteveF (Mar 5, 2004)

Vary the intensity of your rides-if you're riding hard as you can several days a week, you would benefit from making time for an easy, low effort "recovery" ride. Even adding a low-effort ride rather than taking a day off can make you feel better, sometimes. Just go out and pedal around the neighborhood for an hour or so. Also, stretch after you ride and use a foam roller or see a sports massage therapist. I also medicate if I need to, both during hard rides and on days when I'm too sore to function. (I use Celebrex, usually only 1-3/week.)


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## jeffscott (May 10, 2006)

Provincial said:


> How do your off days go? since april, I have been riding 3-4 days a week, a combination of mtb and road, over the last month, my days off I feel like I have been hit by a truck. my whole body hurts. I mean bad
> does every one else over 50 get the same results, I would think that I should feel better on my rest days, no way
> 
> conditioning wise, my rides feel great. I recover now as I go. crashing less, have lost 51lbs in the last year. blood pressure is near normal, heart rate at rest is mid 50's. but the days off are killing me.


depends on how hard I go and long

when training you need to use the long easy recovery ride....helps a lot


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

If I do not exert myself on the bike for a stretch of 2-3 days, I too become sore all over. And my mood sucks azz.


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## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

Recovery ride the day after definitely helps. Also, once in a while, take 5-7 days without any hard exertion rides or long rides.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

Sounds to me like the OP is experiencing something different than the normal tiredness or perhaps DOMS after a hard ride, even for old people.


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## Dirtrider127 (Sep 17, 2010)

Provincial said:


> How do your off days go? since april, I have been riding 3-4 days a week, a combination of mtb and road, over the last month, my days off I feel like I have been hit by a truck. my whole body hurts. I mean bad
> does every one else over 50 get the same results, I would think that I should feel better on my rest days, no way
> 
> conditioning wise, my rides feel great. I recover now as I go. crashing less, have lost 51lbs in the last year. blood pressure is near normal, heart rate at rest is mid 50's. but the days off are killing me.


You might want to make sure your properly hydrating the day before and day of your rides. I know for me, if I have a larger ride planned, I drink a lot for a couple of day beforehand. It seems to help


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## DIRTJUNKIE (Oct 18, 2000)

Dirtrider127 said:


> You might want to make sure your properly hydrating the day before and day of your rides. I know for me, if I have a larger ride planned, I drink a lot for a couple of day beforehand. It seems to help


This is the most important thing to do to avoid being hit by a truck.


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## Provincial (Jun 14, 2017)

thanks for all the advice

I decided to take this week off the bike. give things a chance to heal up 

been using my elliptical every day just to keep things moving , light workouts on that don't seem to bother me. will see next week when I am back at it.


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## JBarn (Jan 7, 2010)

I've found I have to listen to my body. I commute to work often ( 34 miles round trip) and have found my MTB endurance and speed have gotten better this year by cutting back on my work commuting...and adding more rest in between.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

50#, that's quite a change, maybe you're trying too hard all the time/all of a sudden?

Shoot for moderation and consistency, on days can be rewarding without being exhausting.

Off days are whatever you want them to be. I try to get exercise every day, but generally only try killing myself once a week 

If you're that exhausted you are probably overdoing it. Try varying your routine. Don't use exercise to lose/keep off weight, that's what diets are for.


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## edubfromktown (Sep 7, 2010)

I tend to ride 4-5 times per week. One or possibly two may be at higher wattage rates. 

Sometimes a week or so off is not a bad thing... I was on travel the last two weeks and did an easy ride and a rocky technical one in the past 3 days without feeling slaughtered.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Lone Rager said:


> Sounds to me like the OP is experiencing something different than the normal tiredness or perhaps DOMS after a hard ride, even for old people.


I agree. This problem doesn't sound normal.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Provincial said:


> How do your off days go? since april, I have been riding 3-4 days a week, a combination of mtb and road, over the last month, my days off I feel like I have been hit by a truck. my whole body hurts. I mean bad
> does every one else over 50 get the same results, I would think that I should feel better on my rest days, no way
> 
> conditioning wise, my rides feel great. I recover now as I go. crashing less, have lost 51lbs in the last year. blood pressure is near normal, heart rate at rest is mid 50's. but the days off are killing me.


and yes, feeling bad on a recovery day is normal if you have been overdoing it. I feel better when I exercise, but you can break yourself down if you don't practice moderation.

Like I said earlier, losing 50# is a big deal, this suggests that being in shape is a new thing or you go though periods of being active/ healthy interrupted by periods of inactivity/unhealthiness.

Strive for consistency, structure your life so you have regular exercise and regular rests, vary intensity, don't binge.


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## Can2pir (Nov 27, 2016)

Great advice here.
I was a personal trainer and coach for medium to high level runners, cyclists, tri athletes a few years ago. The biggest change I implemented for most self trained athletes was changing intensities of rides (or runs). Especially as the athlete ages. We (as older athletes) don't recover like the young'ns but we do benefit from varying intensities. Not to get into the physiology but our different energy systems need different workouts. Long slow (low heart rate, medium long intervals, and tough short intervals)

When we ride trails we usually get it all and usually too much of the tough short stuff which takes longer to recover from. 

I find a day or two out of the saddle hiking, low intensity, and sometimes on the same trails that I ride makes for good recovery (helps strengthen hamstrings too!) and keeps me active. I use the time for trail maintenance and planning my rides too. 

Just saying. (But who's listening.....reference to another thread,  )


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