# Dead legs



## Jsperry1290 (Nov 29, 2021)

Thanks to Covid I started mountain biking again in spring 2020, unfortunately I am 40 and don’t feel and good as I did 20yrs ago. I usually get in 1-2 rides per week 4-7miles with 1000ft of climbing. I also run 3-4 miles a few time per week and can do a 5k at an 8:20 pace. I also do weights 2-3days a week.
Even with all the rides I am struggling to improve. I still stop 1-2 times during my climbs to give the legs a break, but eventually they just stop working and feel dead. If I had more free time I would ride more. My buddies only ride once a week, don’t do any other exercises, and don’t eat like athletes but they can go all day. I am at a loss in what to do.


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## RETROROCKS (Sep 25, 2004)

Dont know how long youve been riding, but I always noticed gains in riding after putting some road miles in my legs.
Its a lot easier than mtb and it builds stamina quicker.


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## dubthang (Apr 2, 2009)

You need to ride farther. I don't even warm up until 7 or 8 miles in. Before that, I feel dead between miles 2 through 7. Push past the agony, and you will find your second wind.


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## Pisgah (Feb 24, 2006)

Try getting some really long rides. i feel like I get stronger when I ride through dead legs. It’s tough and you might have a bad day or two. But after a while you should see some gains.

edit: dub posted while I was typing.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

Make sure you’re not going full red line every ride either. Change the tempo will change the way you ride. Intervals can make a huge difference. 

Also, are you getting in any rest days at all? It’s also possible you’re overtraining.


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## Fuse6F (Jul 5, 2017)

over training will leave you dead in the legs. wont notice till you do no leg work for a week straight.

biking is supposed to be 6x easier than running. so 3miles should be 18 miles on the bike. 

why run if you can ride. easier on the whole body and you can definitely push the cardio in a more fun way imo


1000ft vertical in 5 miles is not a cardio ride per say. more of a leg killer.

try 22 miles in the dirt, w 3-400ft vert but at cardio heart rate. yeah sounds boring, but not if your working cardio and training to increase threshold power. it can be great fun!

need to fuel the body to deliver the power for those climbs. to compare, try running those same climbs and see what it feels like.

more rest, get in long rides, focused on endurance, switch to a big calorie diet for the fuel, then try some big climb rides.

you will soon be smashing it!


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## copylatte (Sep 24, 2011)

Jsperry1290 said:


> Thanks to Covid I started mountain biking again in spring 2020, unfortunately I am 40 and don’t feel and good as I did 20yrs ago. I usually get in 1-2 rides per week 4-7miles with 1000ft of climbing. I also run 3-4 miles a few time per week and can do a 5k at an 8:20 pace. I also do weights 2-3days a week.
> Even with all the rides I am struggling to improve. I still stop 1-2 times during my climbs to give the legs a break, but eventually they just stop working and feel dead. If I had more free time I would ride more. My buddies only ride once a week, don’t do any other exercises, and don’t eat like athletes but they can go all day. I am at a loss in what to do.


check.your saddle height....make sure it is at the right setting because it has a huge effect on legs. 

and it sounds like you may be over exercising?....I would set up a training plan or work with a trainer. Rest and recovery are essential for good results.


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## celswick (Mar 5, 2020)

Try spinning easier gears. Be smooth and avoid pounding the pedals. 


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## Mcfarton (Oct 18, 2021)

X training is great for your body. You have a good mix of activities. You will probably not excel at any one of them spreading out your time like that. Make sure that all your activities are not max efforts. If your legs feel dead your body is telling you that you found the bottom. You should try to recover until they feel better. That could mean no cardio for a few days. Try walking on your run days until you feel better. Instead of doing your normal hilly Mtb ride ride somewhere fly at an easier pace. Your legs should not feel dead all the time


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## LMN (Sep 8, 2007)

Sounds like you are really active. A couple of possibilities.

1st: Sequencing. Are your ride days on gym days, or day after gym days? You might need another day to recovery from gym work. Personally, I find that the gym makes my legs really bad in the short term.

2nd: You just aren't in riding shape yet. Spend a month or two riding a mellow route or even flat bike paths. Nothing like easier terrain to build fitness when you are returning to the sport.

3rd: You need a rest day. It is very rare that I do any exercise on mondays. That is the day that I recover from the weekend of fun, and get caught up on life stuff. Pick a day of week and make it your off day.


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## ugadawg (Jun 27, 2020)

I’m about your age and have a similar routine. I lift weights 4-5 days per week, run 2-3 times, and ride 1-2 times per week. My legs get tired sometimes too. I have noticed when they start feeling tired it’s usually because I have stopped stretching. I usually stretch between sets when I’m lifting weights, otherwise, I won’t take the time to stretch. I also make sure I don’t skip leg day. The other thing I’ve found that helps is to make sure I take in enough electrolytes. I use Key Nutrients electrolyte powder that I found in Amazon. It doesn’t taste very good, but it works.


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## tick_magnet (Dec 15, 2016)

4-7 miles of riding per session or 3-4 miles of running per session are not very long. If your buddies are riding long, that probably explains why they can ride longer than you. I would include some rides or runs on the weekends that go at least 1-2 hours at relative low to moderate intensity (zone 2-3 heart rate). I doubt you are over trained. Doesn't sound like the overall volume is very high even though you have lots of sessions.


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## Juansan (Dec 30, 2020)

Heart Rate Monitor, more road than MTB. Its easier to control your level of effort on the road and a Heart Rate Monitor will help you do that. I ride road 45 to 60 mins a day 2 to 3 days a week and MTB 1or 2 days sometimes 3. I use a MTB hardtail with road tires on the road. MTB's handle better and I also like being in the same riding position. I have spare a set of wheels with dirt tires mounted up and will occasionally take my hardtail Mt Biking. My legs feel a little heavy sometimes but never dead.


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## silentG (May 18, 2009)

Random thoughts...

I second HRM as it gives you a really good indicator of ride quality as there are rides where I swear I was killing it but the HRM shows it wasn't as epic as I though and other rides that felt pretty middling but the actual effort via the HRM is high.

Nicer HRM and watch combo setups can tell you stuff like relative effort, estimate for rest based on age, weight, and resting heart rate, etc and that has been really handy for my two cents.

On the flip side it is always a good idea to mix up your rides if you can so after an intensive ride a more technical ride which can be intensive but in a different way or just something different and that is handy both for mental freshness and also physically so you don't end up in a pattern where you are hammering and hammering the nail and that nail has nowhere to go so you get flat rides, dead legs, and ultimately kind of a blah feeling about biking which would be a shame.

I also wouldn't underestimate saddle height being too low or just high rolling resistance tires as that can make a difference for sure.


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## Jsperry1290 (Nov 29, 2021)

I rode 9 miles yesterday with 1800ft of climbing. I had to stop a few times and give the legs a rest. My Garmin watch (I know chest straps are better) had me at an avg if 144bpm, maxing at 168bpm on the steepest climb, which I stopped at the top. I tried some Cliff Bloks but they did not seem to help with the legs but I had a nice caffeine buzz. Today I’m not very sore except in the hips.

I had my tires at 27psi and they are fairly fast bontrager xr4s. My saddle height and seat fore/aft is set in the right spot per the YouTubevideos


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## celswick (Mar 5, 2020)

Maybe you should try to build up some pedaling strength/endurance/muscle memory by doing some flatter rides instead of so much climbing right away.


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## Jsperry1290 (Nov 29, 2021)

Garmin has me at 154.4 miles since Jan 1 2021


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## copylatte (Sep 24, 2011)

Jsperry1290 said:


> Garmin has me at 154.4 miles since Jan 1 2021


There is your answer. Your legs will be sore / tired if you only ride 150 miles a year. The only answer is ride more.

From your earlier post it sounded like you were riding more miles which I think threw everyone off...but start riding more and your legs won't hurt.


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## celswick (Mar 5, 2020)

Jsperry1290 said:


> Garmin has me at 154.4 miles since Jan 1 2021


I’m sure a lot of folks here ride that much in a week. Just ride more—it’s fun!


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## abeckstead (Feb 29, 2012)

154 miles… 

Ride more, ride more, ride more! Regular ‘fitness’ isn’t bike fitness. 

I’m definitely not a top yearly stats guy on here… but I rode 2,500 miles this year and only 100 of that was on my indoor trainer. You may think that’s a lot… when I race I’m a mid pack finisher. Some people be putting in crazy work on bikes out there! 


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

abeckstead said:


> 154 miles…
> 
> Ride more, ride more, ride more! Regular ‘fitness’ isn’t bike fitness.
> 
> ...


I ride a lot more than that a year. I started using strava end of October for training, and I’m at 154 miles during a couple months including the holidays. Definitely need more riding than that.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Lots of good advice above re fitness. I also suggest look at your seat height. If it's too low you will burn your thighs out fast.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

plummet said:


> Lots of good advice above re fitness. I also suggest look at your seat height. If it's too low you will burn your thighs out fast.


The best form of crosstraining I’ve found for me, in addition to MTBing, is rowing. So much of mountain biking and rowing are complimentary to each other that if i don’t have the time to get on my bike, I row. Not sure what the OP is doing, but definitely needs more steady state miles.

And yes, never too high or too low on the saddle. Neither are good for your knees, back, or hips.


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## stripes (Sep 6, 2016)

Jsperry1290 said:


> I rode 9 miles yesterday with 1800ft of climbing. I had to stop a few times and give the legs a rest. My Garmin watch (I know chest straps are better) had me at an avg if 144bpm, maxing at 168bpm on the steepest climb, which I stopped at the top. I tried some Cliff Bloks but they did not seem to help with the legs but I had a nice caffeine buzz. Today I’m not very sore except in the hips.
> 
> I had my tires at 27psi and they are fairly fast bontrager xr4s. My saddle height and seat fore/aft is set in the right spot per the YouTubevideos


Please, go see a human and get fitted. Stop trusting “influencers” to your bike fit. 


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## rod9301 (Oct 30, 2004)

copylatte said:


> There is your answer. Your legs will be sore / tired if you only ride 150 miles a year. The only answer is ride more.
> 
> From your earlier post it sounded like you were riding more miles which I think threw everyone off...but start riding more and your legs won't hurt.


True, but he's not riding 150 a year, he said 154

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## Jsperry1290 (Nov 29, 2021)

All good info posted above. I realize 150ish miles in a year is nothing compared to a lot of people, but that’s all I could get last year. Hopefully I will get some more miles in 2022. Unfortunately I have a job that keeps me busy about 50hrs per week and I coach soccer from August to Nov.


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## plummet (Jul 8, 2005)

Jsperry1290 said:


> All good info posted above. I realize 150ish miles in a year is nothing compared to a lot of people, but that’s all I could get last year. Hopefully I will get some more miles in 2022. Unfortunately I have a job that keeps me busy about 50hrs per week and I coach soccer from August to Nov.


Ok, only 150m/yr. Simply not enough time on the bike. Ride more!.....

PS. I have 50hr a week job, plus a business on the side that's at least 20 hrs a week, plus 3 kids all doing various activities through the year plus I kitesurf...... Oh yeah my job takes me out of town too..... sometimes I can ride when I'm away sometimes not. Yes, I am BUSY AF. But I make sure I get 2-3 rides in per week. Some are stupid early before the family wakes up, before soccer starts on Saturday morning .... you can find time if you really want to.


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## Suns_PSD (Dec 13, 2013)

Jsperry1290 said:


> All good info posted above. I realize 150ish miles in a year is nothing compared to a lot of people, but that’s all I could get last year. Hopefully I will get some more miles in 2022. Unfortunately I have a job that keeps me busy about 50hrs per week and I coach soccer from August to Nov.


Buy a trainer and make time. Or don't and you won't improve. 
Ps. Your schedule sounds pretty easy currently quite frankly. Don't watch TV or drink, you'll be surprised at how much extra time you'll have 

GL


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