Rest?

[Tranced]

How often do you guys ride per week? I have been trying to get out more but I am not sure if I am overworking my body since I get sore after each ride usually. And is it safe to ride again if my legs are slightly sore? Any recovery tips? I down a recovery drink after my long rides and I try to eat a balanced diet with ample sleep but it seems to take a while for my body to recover.

[m210]

i usually ride 6 days a week of different intensities this time of year. some times hard, sometimes just light aerobic. i have 1 day off right now, but for particular events, there is more rest days... there's some great books to help you develop a training program if thats what you're interested in... coaches are pretty expensive these days.

[BrewMaster]

Sometimes rest is the best training you can do. You just have to get a feel for what your body needs. Sometimes that means riding when sore to loosen up, sometimes it means staying home and just stretching.

[Rockinthecasbah]

I was still sore from the toad fest today , but I eat mostly crap so I may take awhile to recover

[m210]

yes... sometimes a day off is really necessary, even when its not on the official program. can be tuff to determine if its just a lazy day, or if its legitimately needed. there are many times when a day off is better then riding/training for sure, but knowing when comes from experience.

[Tranced]

Dang, m210, you ride a lot! I try to ride 3-4 times a week and my rides are usually like 2-3 hours. Lately my left knee is acting up a bit and my lower back has been sore lately so I have been trying to rest more but I like mtn. biking so much.

[m210]

ha.. i do ride a lot i suppose. i just really enjoy training, as well as just good long rides with a good group of people. like i said some days are really hard (like tonight was) and some days are really easy, like tomorrow. with the 12hr coming up this weekend, the end of this week is a bit easier. i try to only have 2-3 really intense days a week, and they are never back to back.

[PacMan]

As others have said, go with what your body is telling you. You'll figure out what your limits are and they should expand the more you ride.

When I first started riding, 2-3 times a week was all I could muster. Now I ride 4-6 times a week and it's all good. I have been able to pull off stretches like 14 rides in 16 days and one month last year I rode 28 times in 31 days. Ride intensity and rest after the ride are factors too.

For example: did you go on a long ride and then go home and mow the lawn, wash the car and clean the house? Or did you go home, grab some food to re-fuel and chill on the couch for the rest of the day? It all factors in.

[Jordansrealm]

I usually workout whether thats riding, running or the gym 3-5 days per week depending on how busy I am. I always take one day off every three days of working out.

[RustyIron]

Usually three or four. I've found that after riding riding three or more consecutive days, my times inch up a bit. After a day off, I can usually ride faster. Also, if I only have one day of rest at a time, within a week or so my legs and joints will be sore continuously. Consecutive days of rest will restore everything to normal.

The hard part is mentally conditioning myself to remember that I'm not training for the Olympics. It's ok to take time off, it's ok to stop to rest, and it's ok to ride slower than your peak. After all, we're just here to have a good time (most of us).

[ericfoltz]

I ride pretty much every day. Maybe 2-4 days off per month.

I feel better if I ride every day. If I need a rest day, I just ride something easy with no steep hills.

[lukewiens]

I think it all depends on your past volume. The key is to start slow and work your way up. Too much too soon can create a one way trip to overtraining syndrome, injury, or illness (experienced all three due to training).

The trick is to find that balance of volume that works for you. You want to be able to stress your body so that your muscles regenerate stronger, but not to the point where that stress continues to accumulate to over-reaching.

If you are getting sore every time you ride, then you may want to only ride a couple of times per week to allow for a complete recovery before your next session. Then follow the 5-10% increase / week rule regarding volume to avoid injury, etc.

Some tips to avoid DOMS (Delayed onset muscle soreness), is to incorporate a cool down at the end of your ride and stretch immediately post ride. You will want to get high glycemic carbs in your system within 30 minutes of training to help jump start the rebuilding process. Maintaining proper hydration and sleep patterns throughout the week are crucial as well. Beyond that, you can buy a foam roller (aka, pillar of pain) and try some self massage. The key is to remove the residual lactic acid and toxins/byproducts that are produced through training.

30 minute recovery spins the day after a big session will also help to increase circulation and accelerate the recovery process....but sometimes complete rest is better for athletes that are just getting started.

I ride 7 days a week....it's to the point now where I actually feel worse if I take a day off then if I go out and do a 30 - 60 minute recovery spin. One trick I use is go to the gym hit a 30 - 60 minute recovery spin on the spin bike...afterwards go directly to the jacuzzi and stretch and sit for 10 minutes. Go home, take in a recovery drink and hit the foam roller before bed.....Keeps me goin at least!

[Impy]

I am guilty of not taking enough rest days for sure. BUt due to work sometimes I have to take *gasp* 2 days sometimes 3 days off in a row. I feel like crapola but often I have a huge boost after an enforced longish rest.

[un-kola]

Originally Posted by Tranced

How often do you guys ride per week? I have been trying to get out more but I am not sure if I am overworking my body since I get sore after each ride usually. And is it safe to ride again if my legs are slightly sore? Any recovery tips? I down a recovery drink after my long rides and I try to eat a balanced diet with ample sleep but it seems to take a while for my body to recover.

Three to four times a week.About every five to six weeks I'll take a week to two weeks off and do other things like hiking etc.- Lloyd

[CaDownhilldoll]

"Lately my left knee is acting up a bit and my lower back has been sore lately"

Check out your bike set up.. has the seat hight changed? If it's an old seat, could be wear and tear and you will need to raise it a bit or get a new one.. Also spin easy on your next ride.

[Permagrin]

Rest? Only if I absolutely have to. I may pay for it later but I'm having way too much fun now and when the old bod says cool it, I do. Just not for long.

[OMR]

I'll rest when I'm dead!

'nuff said....

[dstepper]

If I understand your question you are asking about riding not training. On roads trips I have rode hard every day for weeks on end.

I have noticed getting stronger when I take some 2-3 days off the bike to recover. I do not ever push myself hard and have never been sore the next day. Stiff yes but never to sore.

Years back if I did not ride every 3 days it felt like I lost strength. Now I do not see any difference, even if I am off the bike for a week.

Dean

[allison]

Originally Posted by dstepper

If I understand your question you are asking about riding not training. On roads trips I have rode hard every day for weeks on end.

I have noticed getting stronger when I take some 2-3 days off the bike to recover. I do not ever push myself hard and have never been sore the next day. Stiff yes but never to sore.

Years back if I did not ride every 3 days it felt like I lost strength. Now I do not see any difference, even if I am off the bike for a week.

Dean

In 2006 we went on 2 road trips.. one to Panguitch, UT/ Crested Butte/Durango, and then later one to Moab/Fruita.

We rode for I think 2 or 3 days in UT, a day off, then 3 days in CB. Then two days of riding in/near Durango. One of the days in CB I was hurting.. But, otherwise fine.

The Moab/Fruita trip? We rode like 6 days in a row and I could not pedal on the last day. I had nothing left.

May be different now, but the first trip I think had been easier since we had driving/forced rest days

[Tranced]

Thanks everyone for your input. You guys rock and you ride so much..I wish my fitness was up there with you guys and I'm totally motivated to someday reach up there! I'll definetely not push my body too hard and let it recover fully.

On a side note, today I rode with my boss (hehe he is an avid rider as well!) and another co-worker at Peter's Canyon and I got pretty bummed about my rear deraileur breaking as well as some spokes But coming on here and getting all of this helpful feedback made me in better spirits! I couldn't move my cranks at all at the end of the day and I was holding on to my friend's camelbak to pull me to my car haha. It was pretty funny to think of it.