# Tired legs and feeling spent!



## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Hello all,

I’m hoping I can get some pointers here as far as nutrition goes. For the past week my legs have felt extremely tired at the beginning of a ride and it makes me feel gassed before I ever get to the fun trails. Having said that, I did knock almost 20 seconds off a section of trail today even though I felt like I was going much slower.

When I ride back to back days my legs usually feel pretty tired, so I try not to do that. I try to take at least a day off in between rides, but usually do a fairly low intensity walk with my wife on those days. I noticed last week and then again this morning that even though I didn’t ride for 2-3 days between my last couple of rides that my legs feel like they do when I ride back to back days. Could this be a nutrition issue? 
My usual breakfast is either two eggs with cheese, a protein, if I have some and some kind of carb (usually bread related), or oatmeal with fresh strawberries and maple syrup added. Lunch is usually a salad with chicken and dinner is some form of protein (usually chicken) and steamed or roasted veggies.

I’m fairly new to trying to actually track my intake and know next to nothing about what I actually need to be eating to accommodate my biking. There’s a ton of information out there and it makes it hard to determine what is correct. Hopefully I haven’t confused anyone here. I really enjoy riding, but the last week has been extremely hard and I feel like my fitness has gone backwards about three months. Oh, a typical ride is 5.5-7 miles on my lunch break, 2-4 days a week. I live in north central Florida. 

Can anyone suggest something to try to help? Thank you!


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## 127.0.0.1 (Nov 19, 2013)

ride more, like a lot more. your stated miles are ....tiny

eat whatever, you need saddle time


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## spaightlabs (Dec 3, 2011)

How old are you? Height/weight? Doing anything workout wise other than mellow walking? How long does it take you to ride your 5.5 to 7 miles? Any medical conditions? 

I suspect that 127.0.0.1 is spot on and you just need to increase your strength and endurance...


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## J.B. Weld (Aug 13, 2012)

I doubt your problem has anything to do with nutrition (though I do think good nutrition is extremely important) and almost for sure has nothing to do with protein deficiency, sounds like you're getting more than enough of that.

I disagree with the "just ride more" sentiment, I mean maybe you should and maybe not. It depends. You can get plenty fit on 3-4 rides per week.

My legs always feel dead after a day or 2 off btw, that's pretty common I think.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I tend to be stronger in the afternoon. It gives me the morning to hydrate after getting up and having coffee. I'm, 69+ and I find I feel the best on a ride if I take a nap midday and have a small cup of coffee in the early afternoon. But I'm a coffee addict. The best thing would be for me to get off coffee completely, because when I'm "clean" I tend to vary less in energy during the day. But man, that morning cup really "greases the skids"!
So. Could be based on daily rhythms and if you're a coffee addict, go to rehab.


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## wolfmw (Dec 18, 2020)

For the mileage your talking about, probably don't need to do anything special nutrition wise. But if you're in north FL - hydration and electrolytes are your friend! Make sure you're drinking way more fluids than you think you need, at least until you know what you need.


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## AEyogi (Nov 19, 2021)

If you feel crappy take a week off. What is "tiny" for others might be a bigger stress for you. Physical, nutritional, and psychological stressors are cumulative. If life is tough, your not eating enough, not sleeping enough, all this saps your workout recovery. 

I was trying to be a hard-ass and tore the pectoral tendon clean off my arm bench-pressing when I did not feel good and should have taken time off. Don't be like me.


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## toyotatacomaTRD (Apr 4, 2012)

Get yourself a cheap foam roller and roll out the leg muscles in between rides. I find my legs feel fresher. Read about how to do it properly and add it to your routine. Also, make sure you're getting electrolytes back into your body as that can definitely have an impact.


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## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

Your body is telling you that you need to rest so I would listen to it. Take a week off and spend that time getting some light exercise with the wife. Rest up and start hitting the trails again. 

Most of us normally train 3 weeks and have a light or off week.


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## GKelley (Sep 4, 2018)

Squats and lunges will do wonders for ya.


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## Juansan (Dec 30, 2020)

Lactic acid, builds up in your muscles over time, rest and do some easier rides, a heart rate monitor would help you judge the level of your effort, a hard ride one day an easier ride or what is referred to as a recovery ride the next.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

I feel tired too. 

Did a Technical AF 3 hr hikable 700m Vert on sat morning, then 2 hour pedal fest sat arvo, then 2 hour hikabike on Sunday, Tuesday night was 2 hours of pedal fest. I back that up with getting up at 4.30 driving 2 hours round trip to work and 10 hour work days.... 

Fark, I'm burning the candle at both ends. 

Anyway my point is. Tiredness is a combo of all your combined activities. Interrogate the rest of your lifestyle as well. 

From the limited info given I would say rest up. Then hit into again. Get some longer riders in over the weekend and ensure you get good rest including decent sleep.


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## rowyourown (11 mo ago)

Have you had Covid? Possible you did and didn't even realize, except for the riding issue. I just say this because a friend is experiencing a similar downturn in endurance post-Covid.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

From your mileage, I'm assuming you haven't been riding for long. Could it be the humidity has kicked in? That is a real energy zapper. It's already kicked in around here (north Georgia) whereas for some odd reason, last year it didn't really kick in until July.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

93studiolite said:


> Oh, a typical ride is 5.5-7 miles on my lunch break, 2-4 days a week. I live in north central Florida.


I'll echo what others have said, and specifically Plummet.
If you get up in the morning, pound down some coffee, and then go into work, pound down some more coffee and then try to squeeze in a lunch ride, you're working against yourself. You'll be really dehydrated and stressed. (My son is 39 years younger than me, but if he's been drinking coffee at work all day, I actually stand a chance of hanging with him - well, a better chance, anyway!) I don't think you're riding enough to empty the gas tank, but you may be emptying the gas tank with everything else you do. Take a look at the entire "ecosystem" within which you operate. You might be able to make some decisions on your own as to what you need to do differently.


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## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Thanks guys. I’ll see if I can answer some of the questions. I’m 44, sitting at about 170 lbs at the moment. When I started riding in August last year I weighed 187. The biking has really helped with my fitness and weight. 

As to the Covid question. I did have COVID last year at the end of July. Nothing since then, that I know of anyway. The humidity has started up here also, so maybe that’s what I’m experiencing.

I usually have two cups of coffee and then switch to water. I try to drink between 64-128 oz of water a day, at least 64 oz. I have not been adding in any electrolytes though. I ordered some packets to try out and they should be here this week.

Rides usually take between 30-45 minutes depending on which trails I ride.

MSU Alum, I usually ride somewhere between 12:00-2:00, but my last couple of rides have been in the mornings before it gets to hot. I’ll try at my normal time on my next ride and see what happens.

I know my rides are not really that long, but it’s what I can fit in at this point in my life. I can sometimes fit a slightly longer ride in once or twice a month. Usually between 10-15 miles on those rides. I think that’s it.


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## chazpat (Sep 23, 2006)

I wear a Camelbak but last year started also carrying a bottle with electrolytes once it gets hot and humid. I think it helps. I need to work on my daily hydration as well. Interesting about the coffee, I've gotten into the habit of drinking a triple latte early afternoon and I do find myself napping a bit later!


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

If you drink alcohol, cut back or quit.


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## netaron (12 mo ago)

How long have you been riding your bike with your current routine? 
Have you been active (as in running or any other high-intensity workout) for the past 10 or so years? 
How are your sleep habits, as in do you sleep through the night or at least feel rested in the morning?


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## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Current routine has been about two months. I was riding four days a week, but aggravated an old knee injury from my running days. Doctor told me to drop back to two days a week until my knee felt better. I basically went zero to hero. No high intensity workouts for close to 20 years. 

I did ease into this, or thought I did. I started riding August 2021 and rode only a couple of miles around the house with maybe one or two trail days a month until December. December is when I started riding four days a week. Did that for a couple of months and then my knee issue started. Dropped down to two days a week until about two months ago. 

My sleep pattern is somewhat poor honestly. Some nights I get the correct amount of sleep, but most nights not. Rarely do I feel completely rested in the morning.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

93studiolite said:


> Current routine has been about two months. I was riding four days a week, but aggravated an old knee injury from my running days. Doctor told me to drop back to two days a week until my knee felt better. I basically went zero to hero. No high intensity workouts for close to 20 years.
> 
> I did ease into this, or thought I did. I started riding August 2021 and rode only a couple of miles around the house with maybe one or two trail days a month until December. December is when I started riding four days a week. Did that for a couple of months and then my knee issue started. Dropped down to two days a week until about two months ago.
> 
> My sleep pattern is somewhat poor honestly. Some nights I get the correct amount of sleep, but most nights not. Rarely do I feel completely rested in the morning.


In my mind the answer is simple. 

You are not riding enough, you haven't built up enough base fitness and you are not getting enough sleep to recover effectively. 

The solution is better sleep habbits and throw some longer rides on the weekend to build the base up base fitness. 

Do you have time to ride on the weekend? yes, you do. You just need to prioritize the riding higher up the list...... 

If you don't want to do that then you will have to accept a lack of fitness and move on.


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## netaron (12 mo ago)

93studiolite said:


> Current routine has been about two months. I was riding four days a week, but aggravated an old knee injury from my running days. Doctor told me to drop back to two days a week until my knee felt better. I basically went zero to hero. No high intensity workouts for close to 20 years.
> 
> I did ease into this, or thought I did. I started riding August 2021 and rode only a couple of miles around the house with maybe one or two trail days a month until December. December is when I started riding four days a week. Did that for a couple of months and then my knee issue started. Dropped down to two days a week until about two months ago.
> 
> My sleep pattern is somewhat poor honestly. Some nights I get the correct amount of sleep, but most nights not. Rarely do I feel completely rested in the morning.


From my own experience, it sounds like you're on your way to building endurance/muscle and need a routine that works for your body to keep challenging yourself and building up. Your diet sounds great as others have mentioned, so no worries there.

Sleep is a huge deal. I can ride my usual 10-15 miles daily while skipping breakfast and even dinner the night before. But if I don't sleep well, I feel as though I'm completely out of energy and breath while carrying a lead backpack.

I'd suggest starting a sleep/ride/food/etc. intake log just for kicks. You'd be amazed at what you can discover when keeping detailed logs of your habits and daily routines. Try to capture everything for at least 2 weeks and record how you feel before and after every ride, to include your miles ridden.


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## Dogbrain (Mar 4, 2008)

If I minimize processed food and specifically avoid sugar, dairy, and wheat, my recovery is much better. I also don't drink anymore so that's out of the way. You can read all kinds of hypotheses about inflammatory diets and I won't get into that. But eating lean meat, lots of veggies, and whole grains makes me feel better and recover better. After a month or so it feels like a super power. I primarily get my carbs from rice and potatoes. 

Beyond that I'll echo that sleep is important and things do get better with consistency.


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## lemonadejars (Sep 7, 2021)

I've been feeling the same the last few rides, legs have instant fatigued which leads to increased cardio to compensate that leads to feeling exhausted at the end of the climb. These are climbs I've been able to do easily without feeling gassed at the end.

I put it down to the increased leg workout weights I'm doing twice a week at the gym, haven't been sleeping well but have never really slept well, and have been eating like **** too.

I'm like you, I started in August last year from zero physical activity/excercise for 10-15 years to riding daily so I'm definitely miles ahead of where I was when I started

It feels like you're regressing but sometimes your body just needs more rest, and it helps to try maintain healthy eating/drinking habbits. I don't drink alcohol but I've been eating a lot of carbs as of late and I'm feeling the effects of that.

I'm not an expert so I can't impart any advice but these are the observations I've made regarding my recent fatigue


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## Smiles for miles (Feb 26, 2021)

Everyone is different, but I find magnesium is crucial to my muscle recovery between rides. A good dose of it after a ride reduces my muscle soreness significantly. However it did take a few weeks to ramp up to 100% USRDA amounts, since magnesium really gets the lower GI system going. Also time of day makes a huge impact on my energy level on the bike. The earlier the better.


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## NoCanSurf (Feb 19, 2021)

_Try cocaine. From what I gather from watching the pro-tours in the 90's and 00's is that a lot of the *pros* found it helpful to boost their output and help reduce the need for sleep. _

When I first got back into riding I spent some time on an indoor trainer for a week or two before getting out there again. Once I pedaled outside my apartment, the real world was ducking hard, and a cold slap in the face. My first rides were often 5 to 7 miles and left me destroyed. But I kept at it and 7 miles turned to 10, and on to 15 and to 20+ miles and went from flat to hilly. This is all road riding at this point. I needed two sometime three days rest between rides in the beginning. Now I'n trying short slow recover rides on my days off... 

It was of course a lot easier in my 20's. I'm in my late 40's and I can feel it. Wish I kept riding in my 30's and maybe it wouldn't have taken so much work to get back to riding shape (still not there 100%). I guess what I'm trying to say is - keep at it, ride, ride and ride some more and in time the fitness and the the benefits of the fitness will come to you. 

I'm of course joking about the cocaine. You should avoid cocaine, I think the side effects outweigh (heart disease, jail, numb teeth) any gains it might offer.


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## mnpikey (Sep 18, 2017)

You know your body best! If you think something is wrong, see a doctor to check things out. Best thing to do would go, talk, and likely do a full CBC (complete blood count) and the various levels for vitamin D, etc....


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## flyninjasquirrel (Apr 27, 2018)

All of the above plus...

Beet juice. Drink 0.5-1 cup 2 hours before your ride. Google it.


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## spaightlabs (Dec 3, 2011)

.


flyninjasquirrel said:


> All of the above plus...
> 
> Beet juice. Drink 0.5-1 cup 2 hours before your ride. Google it.


Ok Dr. Oz.


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## spaightlabs (Dec 3, 2011)

Rod said:


> Your body is telling you that you need to rest so I would listen to it. Take a week off and spend that time getting some light exercise with the wife. Rest up and start hitting the trails again.
> 
> Most of us normally train 3 weeks and have a light or off week.


There's a big difference between working out/exercising and training and I think a lot of people don't really understand the distinction.

I lift/crossfit 4 times a week and ride 4 to 6 times a week. It's all recreational/exercise, not training, and I don't need to take a light week or off week every 3 weeks. It takes a lot to try be 'over trained'.

OP is exercising, not training.


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## TBoneAz (Aug 28, 2012)

OP your diet sounds really good, but maybe a little low-carb to support your riding with the timing you describe. Try a bowl of your normal oatmeal you describe about 2 hours before you ride, and then eat a banana about 30 mins before and see if it helps.


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## Rod (Oct 17, 2007)

spaightlabs said:


> There's a big difference between working out/exercising and training and I think a lot of people don't really understand the distinction.
> 
> I lift/crossfit 4 times a week and ride 4 to 6 times a week. It's all recreational/exercise, not training, and I don't need to take a light week or off week every 3 weeks. It takes a lot to try be 'over trained'.
> 
> OP is exercising, not training.


The OP's body is still tired. Stress is stress. It doesn't matter if it's from the bike, work, or life. Their body is telling them that they need rest. The symptoms are there.

They no longer feel like they're progressing, fatigue, tired legs, can't do back to back days, no longer feeling fresh.

It may be as simple as them not getting enough sleep at night. That would be a good place to start. We simply don't have enough information in the original post to make an informed opinion on why they're tired.


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## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Thanks for all the help and recommendations. A couple of people have said I didn’t give enough information, so what more info would you like? I’ll supply what I can.

I am only exercising and having fun, not specifically training for any purpose. Biking has been the only recent activity that has been able to keep my interest and I’m having a blast for the most part. On the days it’s tough to get moving and feeling gassed from the outset though, it’s tough to focus and I feel like I’m going to hurt myself. Those days are not enjoyable and I’m afraid that if this keeps up I’m going to loose interest/motivation and see it as just another workout. I don’t mind exercising as long as I can have fun.

I am feeling better than I have in the past 15 years though. I’m down roughly 15 pounds since the beginning of December and I don’t feel out of breath when I wake up in the morning. My resting heart rate has also gone down from the low 70’s to the mid/upper 50’s. I’m not sure if that’s relevant to anything, but it’s a metric I can see and feel.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

Some useful info from some of your other posts suggest that you're new to this exercise or level of exercise, have some knee pain, 44 yo, 170 lbs (you dropped 17 pounds. Did you do it low carb? Are you over or underweight now?). You said the doctor had you go from 4 days a week to 2 days a week and you went to hero from zero (does that mean your problem is resolved at 2 days a week?).

Any other exercise, or just biking?
No intense workouts for 20 years and it sounds like 4 days a week is too much and 2 days a week is fine.

Is that about right?
Ride 2 days a week and then ease into 3 days every other week. Continue your slow progression and don't reinjure your knee.


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## oab1 (Apr 18, 2018)

Way overthinking this. Love the comment about Covid, too.

This rider has no base fitness. You can't build a base on 2-3 days a week, particularly on rides that short. You can burn some calories, and have some fun, but you aren't going to see much progress over time that way.

It is good that you are asking questions and thinking about how to improve, but for right now you just need to commit more time to riding (so long as it is enjoyable) as is reasonable for your life and goals. Riding back to back days is OK. Feeling sore is normal and your body will adjust eventually, probably within 2 weeks. Use the 80/20 rule for your rides (80% of riding for the week should be easy, 20% can be hard effort). That's part of the utility of doing more easy miles. If you ride 10 miles a week, you can only hit 2 of them hard. If you ride 20 miles a week, you can bank 4 harder miles and make the physical adaptions associated with that intensity more quickly. I too feel worse coming back after taking more than 1-2 consecutive days off. Beyond that 'active recovery' where you are at least riding easy is much better than taking more time off the bike, and will start to feel good.

Continuing to ride 2-3 days a week and taking walks with your wife is also OK.


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

Man... so much to unpack here but I'll start.

1.)I would really work to find out why you are having knee pain, poor form? poor fit? etc... to have any kind of success you need to address that, I know you said you had a knee issue and doc told you to take it easy but thats a lazy treatment. figure out what is causing the flare up, even if there was prior damage there are ways to treat and help that (rehab/prehab)

2.) I've noticed for myself that there is a certain amount of time necessary for my body to "prime" itself, or in other words get into exercise mode. No matter what I do the first couple miles suck, then a little easier and then I'm up and running. Used to happen when I ran marathons and continues now.

3.) If you are exercising 2 days a week, there's a strong likelihood that you are in fact in worse shape than you were 3 weeks ago. The body needs physical stress to adapt and make changes, you simply are not stressing the system enough to cause the physiological changes necessary to see any improvement. 

4.)As far as diet, you gave us a vague overview of what you eat but what were the results of your diet? are you constantly losing weight? gaining? plateau? personally if I adopt any kind of meal plan/diet, I slowly add more and more quality nutrients until I start seeing a slow rise in numbers. When I say quality nutrients I mean adding extra kale or spinach salad, having more greens, maybe a protein shake. figure out what adequately fuels your body and your actual nutrient needs are. anybody can crash diet and that usually results in a lot of what you are feeling. 

5.)REST!!!! thats in all caps and has an unnecessary amount of exclamation points because it is that important. Improvements are never made on the trail, in the gym, in the field... they are made in the bed when you are recovering. I usually take ZMA, 5-Htp, and a few other supplements to make sure my body rests well and is recovered. A lot of products can measure the efficacy and duration of your sleep. 

6.)Mental aspect - Understand that exercise will sometimes suck... if it was easy or fun everyone would be walking around ripped and the picture of physical prowess... that simply isn't the case so maybe a change in mindset is necessary. And simply saying that if it isn't fun you will do something else is a cop out because the human nature is to sit on the couch, you say " do something else" but in reality that something else is usually nothing at all. Another thing that usually helps with drive is finding a goal... exercising just because is boring. But training for an event gives you something to focus on other than the suck-age you are feeling. 

I could go on but I feel like I would just be further restating what others have written..


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## nomadsurfer (12 mo ago)

The humidity definitely doesn’t help! I’m in south Florida and the last few weeks have been brutal. What were easy rides have gotten harder, sometimes difficult.

I’m in a similar situation. No serious biking for 15+ years, but plenty of surfing and martial arts. I thought I was fit……. NOPE!


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## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Ok. Let me see if I can clear some of this up. I currently am not experiencing any knee pain. I injured my knee running track when I was in High School and since then have some popping in it. When I started riding back in December I went from basically zero activity to riding 3-4 times a week because I was having so much fun. My knee started hurting really bad when it popped and I talked to the doctor about it. He said I was probably over doing it since I had not previously been exercising and to ride only 2 days a week for a couple of months. In March I started riding 3 days a week again and no longer have any knee pain.

MSU Alum, yes on everything except the knee pain. I’m probably still a little over weight, but my target weight is 165. I’m getting close to that now.

I went riding again today and everything went well. I had no leg fatigue until I got further into my ride. Tried not to over do it by pushing to hard as well. I took a full day off with no exercise, and rode at my normal time 12:00-1:00 time frame. I also drank a half gallon of water before I went as well. Maybe all of that helped.


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## netaron (12 mo ago)

Growing pains 😁


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## 93studiolite (May 28, 2021)

Swolie74 I forgot to answer your questions.

1. No knee pain currently. Please see my response to MSU Alum above for an explanation.

2. I can see that.

3. I “exercise” 4-5 days a week. My week consists mostly of biking and walking though. The walks on my no ride days are more just spending time with my wife away from the kids and a way to not just sit around. We only walk 2 miles and I don’t really get much of a workout, but at least I’m moving. Probably should add some weight training stuff in, I just really dislike lifting. Never really cared for it, a lot of effort with not much visible gains when I did.

4. The diet was added in more for getting proper fuel for a ride I guess. I’ve dropped about 15-17 pounds since I started riding in December. I plateau and then go down. I’m not really following any meal plan, just counting and keeping track of my calorie intake.

5. My Fitbit will track my sleep. Most nights it says are fair. I probably should start taking some supplements, but I don’t know what would be best for rebuilding muscle and general recovery.

6. I understand that exercise has ups and downs and not every day is going to be fun. I was more concerned that I was doing something wrong and not giving my body proper nutrients, rest, etc. I was a runner in High School, but that was almost 25 years ago. I did Aikido for 5 years, but rarely got a real workout. The stretching was great though. I’ve never been as flexible as I was when doing that.

I think that’s all of the ones you asked.


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## nomadsurfer (12 mo ago)

93studiolite said:


> I also drank a half gallon of water before I went as well. Maybe all of that helped.


I can only say from my experience, but I did a little experiment this week, and drinking a lot of water starting hours before riding made a huge difference in my overall performance. And switching from coffee to black tea.

night and day


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## Swolie74 (11 mo ago)

93studiolite said:


> Swolie74 I forgot to answer your questions.
> 
> 3. I “exercise” 4-5 days a week. My week consists mostly of biking and walking though. The walks on my no ride days are more just spending time with my wife away from the kids and a way to not just sit around. We only walk 2 miles and I don’t really get much of a workout, but at least I’m moving. Probably should add some weight training stuff in, I just really dislike lifting. Never really cared for it, a lot of effort with not much visible gains when I did.
> *definitely try to work in some rehab/recovery exercises, foam rolling, yoga, maybe partner assisted stretching... I hardly consider walking exercise for most people, it's more a leisure activity. Weight training helps your entire body system in ways you can't really see, posture/skeletal structure, bone density, proprioception. You don't need to be killing yourself during the weighted activities just think of it as heavy cardio, lol*
> ...


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## alex h (Dec 29, 2020)

toyotatacomaTRD said:


> Get yourself a cheap foam roller and roll out the leg muscles in between rides. I find my legs feel fresher. Read about how to do it properly and add it to your routine. Also, make sure you're getting electrolytes back into your body as that can definitely have an impact.


this. Game changer.


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