# Recovery time?



## NZSpokes1.0 (Sep 20, 2020)

It seems to take a bit longer to recover now Im returning to mtb. 

On wednesday I did a commute to work, 30 miles return and hilly. Thats a big ride for me right now. And on Saturday morning I went for a forest ride on my EMtb. I found my legs still sore under effort, I guess from the Wednesday ride. 

Im guessing this slow of a recovery is normal now Im 52?


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## Eric Malcolm (Dec 18, 2011)

Do you ride your bike at least 4-5 times a week?
You need to be on your bike regularly whether it be a short, medium or long ride mixed discipline if necessary. At 52yrs old, you need to keep mobile so recovery becomes easier. 
You're too young for an EMTB. I am 10 yrs older than you and I don't have the need for one.

Eric


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

+1 for riding regularly. at least 3 times a week. Then you will recover easily.


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## MSU Alum (Aug 8, 2009)

I'm 68. I don't have time for recovery unless I'm literally confined to a wheel chair. That's why God made ibuprofen!

You can take 12 a day, and everyone has a spare kidney if it comes to that.


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## RhB HJ (May 20, 2020)

NZSpokes1.0 said:


> It seems to take a bit longer to recover now Im returning to mtb.
> 
> On wednesday I did a commute to work, 30 miles return and hilly. Thats a big ride for me right now. And on Saturday morning I went for a forest ride on my EMtb. I found my legs still sore under effort, I guess from the Wednesday ride.
> 
> Im guessing this slow of a recovery is normal now Im 52?


Old rule in endurance sports; running, cycling, XC skiing : one day rest and then an easy day of exercise works usually better than two or more days of rest. Unless you get injured!!!!
At least it works/worked for me in all three - he writes after too many days off because of too much wind and rain. 
I let you know how tomorrow works out ... being well rested.

BTW at 75 I've been getting back into the 3-4 riding days a week.
Routine started on April 9th and right now I'm at 2831.1 km for the season. Most of it on my new Devinci Stellar Acera XC bike. I also have an old Bianchi "Nyala" ( Shimano 600)with fenders just for days when I want to ride, but it could start to rain while I'm out there.


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## NZSpokes1.0 (Sep 20, 2020)

Eric Malcolm said:


> Do you ride your bike at least 4-5 times a week?
> You need to be on your bike regularly whether it be a short, medium or long ride mixed discipline if necessary. At 52yrs old, you need to keep mobile so recovery becomes easier.
> You're too young for an EMTB. I am 10 yrs older than you and I don't have the need for one.
> 
> Eric


Im only getting time twice a week currently so I guess I need to rethink that somehow.

Being 5'7 and 230lb dont help. Working on diet as well. Im quite unfit currently and not very strong. Watched a vid on a strength workout at home which Im starting on today.

Cheers for the advice.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

MSU Alum said:


> I'm 68. I don't have time for recovery unless I'm literally confined to a wheel chair...


At some point, recovery time exceeds your life expectancy.


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## NZSpokes1.0 (Sep 20, 2020)

RhB HJ said:


> Old rule in endurance sports; running, cycling, XC skiing : one day rest and then an easy day of exercise works usually better than two or more days of rest. Unless you get injured!!!!
> At least it works/worked for me in all three - he writes after too many days off because of too much wind and rain.
> I let you know how tomorrow works out ... being well rested.
> 
> ...


I think I will start commuting a bit more then. I have an old hardtail with crossrides on. Mate has offered me some old XT sti levers which I loved back in the day. The ones with the flappy brake levers to change gear. They will work on my commuter.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

MSU Alum said:


> I'm 68. I don't have time for recovery unless I'm literally confined to a wheel chair. That's why God made ibuprofen!


I'd just like to point out that scientists invented ibuprofen......


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## NZSpokes1.0 (Sep 20, 2020)

plummet said:


> I'd just like to point out that scientists invented ibuprofen......


It was Stuart that invented it.


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## str8edgMTBMXer (Apr 15, 2015)

I am 51, and I definitely notice that I recover quicker in the summer, when I ride more often. My job only allows me to ride on the weekends in the other seasons (teacher).


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## Rev Bubba (Jan 16, 2004)

*e-Bike for commuting?*

Using the e-Bike for your commute sounds like it might be a better alternative. It should enable you to add more days to your commute and help you arrive fresher.


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## NZSpokes1.0 (Sep 20, 2020)

Rev Bubba said:


> Using the e-Bike for your commute sounds like it might be a better alternative. It should enable you to add more days to your commute and help you arrive fresher.


Thats a great idea. :thumbsup:


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Yup...need more time once you hit 50. 

Embrace it and listen to your body.


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## RhB HJ (May 20, 2020)

NZSpokes1.0 said:


> I think I will start commuting a bit more then. I have an old hardtail with crossrides on. Mate has offered me some old XT sti levers which I loved back in the day. The ones with the flappy brake levers to change gear. They will work on my commuter.


Once upon a time - like 35 years ago - I was into triathlons to ease the running load.
There have been a lot of changes since e.g. my Bianchi "Nyala" I got for my 50th was really dated, never mind having a CatEye CC-1000 for data, which I switched between that and the road bike.
Nowadays I'm after different data. 9 years ago the "medicos" finally discovered a heart defect (birth defect) which meant getting a mechanical aortic valve. Other than that no other work required since my arteries were as clean as a whistle. 
The surgeon assigned "the blame" to my regular exercise. So I just keep on doing what I'm doing. 
Since it took me too long to get up to speed on the XC skiing trails last winter, I decided to really get back into biking.  
What's left now is sucking it up when the weather turns, I don't like riding in the rain, get some cycling footage to use when using my old wind-load trainer. 
Yeah everything is a bit dated around our place, except my new XC bike.


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## RhB HJ (May 20, 2020)

NZSpokes1.0 said:


> Thats a great idea. :thumbsup:


If the gearing allows, it should, get a cadence sensor and read it off your phone. Keep the cadence between 70 and 80 when pedaling and almost coast on the downhills to recover.


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

There's nothing wrong with riding when sore, sometimes it'll even work it's way out.

Lots of options including scheduling days off, cross training, doing flat or no climb days.

Quality over quantity is always an option.

I like riding, but riding every day sorta negates doing other stuff.

Last week I did a few short rides mid week (< hour), then did a 3k/8 mile climbing ride on Friday, took Saturday off to work on the van, then shuttled a 4k/14 miles descent ride on Sunday.


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## rmac (Oct 26, 2004)

Somewhat stating the obvious but nutrition plays a part in recovery too. I have not seen any data on it but just in my own experience I have noticed that if I don't do a good job of fueling during and after long/tiring rides my legs feel worse and take longer to recover. 
It's also a struggle to balance weight loss/burning fat by riding hard and eating less with having enough energy to enjoy the ride and be able to get up off the couch post-ride. Only recently have I made a mental adjustment to stop caring about fat-burning on long rides and eat enough to make it fun - I take care of fat burning in other ways.


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## ddoh (Jan 11, 2017)

"There's nothing wrong with riding when sore, sometimes it'll even work it's way out."

Exactly that. Usually, I'll forget my legs were sore after about 10-15 minutes. I'm in my best biking shape in years (at 70) and I can go reasonably hard for about 3 days. That was not the case for the last few years when my fitness was not as good. Fitness matters.


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## Spectre (Jan 23, 2004)

Building a fitness base with long, slow rides in the winter helps. Even the pros do that to build their body up for the high level of training that happens in the months before the season starts.

As others have said, a recovery day or two during the week helps. You might also follow the training process known as periodization by taking an easy week during the month & harder and easier periods during the year. I find that I feel great in the 4th week of training in a month, but continuing to push in the 4th week inevitably gets me sick or injured. So I have adopted a 3 week build & a 1 week recovery cycle during each month.


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## Spec44 (Aug 17, 2013)

An easy 30 minute spin the next day will work wonders after a big ride.


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## NordieBoy (Sep 26, 2004)

ebike for work commute so it's more of a recovery ride.
shorter, more intensive MTB rides until you're more acclimatised to it.

eg. 2*1hr rides a week instead of 1*2hr.

I'm trying to do long ride, medium ride, easy spin, rest, technique ride, technique ride, rest.

the long ride is 2.5-3hr and 1000m of climbing.
medium is 1.5-2hr and 6-700m of climbing.
easy spin is on the road.
technique rides are effectively interval sessions as well as I like climbing more than descending.

the rest days are very important 
so is ibuprofen...


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## speedygz (May 12, 2020)

As my physiotherapist recommends, if you're still sore 24 hrs after your exercise, you've just pushed yourself a bit too hard. Back it off, & build up slower. Listen to your body


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## thegock (Jan 21, 2014)

66 next year and I am happy to be able to often ride five days a week on the MTB. My local trails are accessible with a 3.5 mile ride mostly through quiet suburbs and a MUT. I don't go hard every day, but always put in some hard efforts throughout the week.

Am I sore sometime? Yes---especially taking an idiotic fall on some wet rocks at a stream crossing Saturday. But after 11 minutes on the bike in the morning, I forget about the sore and soar on the bike.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

When I finish a ride, my Garmin shows a recovery time, I guess based on HR history, time in zones, etc. I'm not sure if it factors in age. Anyway, it usually shows something like 22 hrs, 37 hrs, etc. Last ride I did it literally said "3 Days"! I never saw that before...


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## jabrabu (Aug 2, 2010)

Lone Rager said:


> When I finish a ride, my Garmin shows a recovery time, I guess based on HR history, time in zones, etc. I'm not sure if it factors in age. Anyway, it usually shows something like 22 hrs, 37 hrs, etc. Last ride I did it literally said "3 Days"! I never saw that before...


I wonder how good that Garmin algorithm is. About 10 minutes into a ride it tells me how good my recovery is. It always says Good, even when I feel totally wiped out, my legs are burning, and I can't keep my HR under control. So I tend to think it's useless.


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## Lone Rager (Dec 13, 2013)

10-20 minutes into a ride my reports my "Performance Condition". You need to be riding with PM and HR for this to occur, I believe, and I think it's based on those two parameters. IDK how it's calculated but I assume more power with lower HR is better, though that short into a ride HR hasn't stabilized much.


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## jimPacNW (Feb 26, 2013)

My 'rule' has been: No more than 3 days on in a row, and no more than 2 days off in a row.

Only riding 2 days a week you're not going to see much improvement, try for 4 or 5 days per week, and short (20+ minute) rides count, so long as you're doing one or two relatively long rides per week.


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## Taroroot (Nov 6, 2013)

Commuting gets you into a habit of riding and can help to motivate. I was riding weekend and commuting two days during the week and doing one afterwork ride with friends midweek before Covid. Now its in disarray, but I still ride between 6 to 3 days a week now, usually 5. DO vary it up. I usually do a hard ride wed and one of weekend days. Other days are mellower, and a day or so completely off bike.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Taroroot said:


> Commuting gets you into a habit of riding and can help to motivate. I was riding weekend and commuting two days during the week and doing one afterwork ride with friends midweek before Covid. Now its in disarray, but I still ride between 6 to 3 days a week now, usually 5. DO vary it up. I usually do a hard ride wed and one of weekend days. Other days are mellower, and a day or so completely off bike.


I find the hardest part are those prescribed 'easier' days. I tend to go out and get after it, even when not intended. It takes a lot of self-regulation to go mellow.


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## Horseshoe (May 31, 2018)

I alternate riding and lifting and aim for 4-5 days per week, with most of my in town trips being on my e-bike for some easy spinning. The more consistent I can be with that, the easier it is to recover.


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## Taroroot (Nov 6, 2013)

Crankout said:


> I find the hardest part are those prescribed 'easier' days. I tend to go out and get after it, even when not intended. It takes a lot of self-regulation to go mellow.


I guess it depends on personality. Easy days I choose a relatively flat route. Cruise and enjoy the sights, say hello to people.


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## coyotegulch (Jun 25, 2008)

56 yo here. Try to ride 2-5x/ week depending on schedule, and I lift 2-3x/ week, home gym. I am terrible about rest since I try to ride whenever I can, not knowing if I'll miss a day or a few days in between based on my schedule. That's especially true once winter and spring come with weather variations. I have started to use a recovery supplement https://ikorlabs.com/recovery-shot recommended by a friend. Anecdotally it seems to help me through multiple days of hard efforts. I know that's not scientific.


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## JenLightly (Sep 29, 2020)

Crankout said:


> I find the hardest part are those prescribed 'easier' days. I tend to go out and get after it, even when not intended. It takes a lot of self-regulation to go mellow.


I'm this way in general, not just with biking. I can't count how many times I have told myself I would get "just a little" bit of work done, and then I end up doing the whole weeks to-do.


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## Crankout (Jun 16, 2010)

Taroroot said:


> I guess it depends on personality. Easy days I choose a relatively flat route. Cruise and enjoy the sights, say hello to people.


That definitely makes for a Zone 1 type of ride...yeah, that never happens for me.


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