With the great weather we’ve been having in Golden, Colorado, it’s hard to keep yourself off the bike! Do you find yourself overtraining? Riding too many long miles? Or simply, skimping on your regular self care? How do you know if you’re pushing the limits too far?
First off, it’s important to note that during the summer months it is easy to get swept away in the joys of riding. The temps are great – the trails are great- riding a new mountain bike or road bike is great! All in all, riding in general is just plain amazing. But, with all the bike riding accompanies fatigue and over doing it. In fact, there are three stages of overtraining. Each stage is defined by certain levels of fatigue and recovery time. But in a nutshell, there are common symptoms cyclists can experience when they overtrain.
- get a washed-out feeling
- feel tired
- get grumpy and experience sudden mood swings
- become irrational
- feel a lack of energy for other activities
- suffer from depression
- have a decreased appetite
- get headaches
- get an increased incidence of injuries
- have trouble sleeping
- feel a loss of enthusiasm for the sport
- experience a sudden drop in performance
Yikes! That doesn’t sound fun – especially when the mountain bike trails and fun adventure road rides are beckoning. What can you do about it? Consider the tools at your disposal to aid in recovery.
Nutrition Options: A favorite nutritional product available post ride is PhysioPhyx. Here’s what we like about this product. PhysioPhyx LPR takes recovery nutrition to a new level of support and performance by delivering a powerful, evidence-based blend of Carbohydrates + Protein + Leucine. This potent combination of nutrients has been precisely formulated to help ensure you rapidly and effectively restore muscle energy (glycogen), minimize muscle soreness, stimulate muscle repair and speed training adaptations after moderate, intense and exhaustive exercise or competition. In fact, recent studies have shown the nutrient trio of Carbs + Protein + Leucine taken after exercise creates an absolute ideal environment for your body to quickly go into recovery overdrive. Who doesn’t like “overdrive”?! Speaking of overdrive – you may enjoy reading more on the subject of nutrition and recovery in these post:
- Keys to a Successful Cycling Race: Think Smart, Eat Smart
- How To Properly Fuel Your Morning Workout
- 3 Recipes for Increased Recovery
- Ride Hard – Recovery Harder: Ways to Speed Up Recovery
- How Well do Different Drinks Really Hydrate You?
Sleep: Included in the recovery process is quality sleep. According to the post, This Is Your Body On Sleep, reduced sleep negatively impacts your HGH production, and your body’s ability to restore its muscle glycogen supply. Ensure you are going quality of sleep by using the Sleep Cycle App. This cool app analyzing users’ sleep patterns and displays data showing how well (or poorly) you slept during the night. You might also add rolling or massage, stretching, compression, and low intensity activity to aid in getting a better night’s sleep. Many cyclist sleep in compression garments because they claim that it lowers perceived muscle soreness the day after a big day on the bike and they can reduce the swelling of legs after prolonged sitting.
Ultimately, the best way to identify if you are over training is by listening to your body. If you can’t keep yourself from riding, then maybe try the distraction technique! Distract yourself from the trails and road rides with some bike bling! Swap a training ride for a visit to Peak Cycles Bicycle Shop. Check out the new bike parts we have in stock. Try on some of the new Specialized Merino wool jerseys that offer evaporative cooling. Explore new tire or wheel options. The possibilities are limitless. And, once you have that spark back in your legs, you’ll enjoy your riding even more!
Posted by staffwriter8 
Peak Cycles - BikeParts.com Blog 