How do i recover after a hard training session?

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I need to find a good plan after a hard training to recover properly for the next day, i've serched the internet but there is just so much stuff there i dont know where to start! I f you could give me any tips for diet, stretching or any other thing that you know of that will boost recovery time after a hard traing session then it will be most appreciated.

Originally posted by hal
I need to find a good plan after a hard training to recover properly for the next day, i've serched the internet but there is just so much stuff there i dont know where to start! I f you could give me any tips for diet, stretching or any other thing that you know of that will boost recovery time after a hard traing session then it will be most appreciated.

What exactly are you seeking? Drugs to help speed recovery? Nutrition and rest always work for me. As does a good massage and streching. I ride roughly 120-160 km daily and work full time. So these work for me.....

Memph

eating properly'll be the most important thing, replenish the muscle gycogen quickly, make sure you're not starving the carbs during training (stops muscles getting 'eaten'), and making sure you get the proper balanced diet (with enough protein) is critical.

Don't skip meals or let them get unbalanced on other days either, you're still recovering then as well.

Your car'd die if you put the wrong fuel in, or if you put oil in the petrol tank!

Take all the advices other fellas give you on nutrition, rest, etc, but do not forget stretching. One of the first professionals to emphazise strongly on stretching was Hinault. He wrote a book only on stretching. Don't do it right away after a strenuous ride. First take some small portion of protein after you get home, half an hour later replenish your carbos with cereal in soya milk, milk is hard to digest specially if you are over 40. Take a bath with warm water to soothe your whole body. Keep yourself active, do light stuff around the house, never lie down right away. Circulation is actively cleaning toxins away with light chores even though you feel beat up. After 2 hours do your stretching. See many related books and websites. Finally after 4 hours have your supper. I am 54 and with 5 hours of training a week the younger guys have troble dropping me off.

Originally posted by Memphmann
What exactly are you seeking? Drugs to help speed recovery? Nutrition and rest always work for me. As does a good massage and streching. I ride roughly 120-160 km daily and work full time. So these work for me.....

Memph

Bloody h... how do you manage that, wouldn't have thought there were enough hours in the day :eek:

Originally posted by vitiris
Bloody h... how do you manage that, wouldn't have thought there were enough hours in the day :eek:

There is if you want to ride bad enough. I am attempting to get back into race shape for next season.....

Memph

Originally posted by hal
I need to find a good plan after a hard training to recover properly for the next day, i've serched the internet but there is just so much stuff there i dont know where to start! I f you could give me any tips for diet, stretching or any other thing that you know of that will boost recovery time after a hard traing session then it will be most appreciated.

Well, its not a plan but i can give you a couple of tips, very simple and useful as well. Try using dates, fresh dates. Right after your ride or even during. Not too many. 3-4 are enough because they have a very hot effect.
And use honey drink, after; to recoop. Its damn effective. 2 tablespoons in one glass of water. Pl dont use both of these things after dinner, specially for males.

As far as what to do right after the ride the first hour is the most critical for nutrition. Mind you this would be for a 2-3+ hour ride. When I do long group rides on the weekend I take a small cooler with a protien shake and sports drink in the car. When I get back to the car I down the protien shake and then begin re-hydrating with the sports drink. I then try to eat a meal within an hour.

Originally posted by davidbod
When I get back to the car I down the protien shake and then begin re-hydrating with the sports drink.

Good plan in general but I would lean towards re-hydrating first then having the protein (within ~30 mins of the ride).

From everything I've read here and elsewhere, the general outlines are clear:
1) eat and drink enough of the right stuff on your ride. Most people can absorb only about 280 calories/hour, so don't eat more than that or you'll get bloated/stomach ache, etc. Eat mostly carbs, but if it's a longer ride add protein. Your body starts converting protein to glycogen in a longer ride, and it will use muscle, which makes you achey the next day, if you don't eat some while riding.

2) Don't forget to hydrate. You will get somewhat dehydrated on a very long ride, but the more you drink during, the less it will impact you during and after. Make sure you're getting some salts (sodium and potassium) so that you don't pee away your electrolyte balance. If you're prone to cramps, take some calcium too.

3) After the ride, have some protein within 30 minutes.

4) Stretch but don't push it.

5) Make sure to rest and/or sleep enough.

Originally posted by Matt Chanoff
From everything I've read here and elsewhere, the general outlines are clear:
1) eat and drink enough of the right stuff on your ride. Most people can absorb only about 280 calories/hour, so don't eat more than that or you'll get bloated/stomach ache, etc. Eat mostly carbs, but if it's a longer ride add protein. Your body starts converting protein to glycogen in a longer ride, and it will use muscle, which makes you achey the next day, if you don't eat some while riding.

Not sure about the 280 cals/hour given that many meals would be in excess of 600 cals (a british bag of chips in excess of 1200 cals) and eaten in one sitting. If you were to eat 280 cals in a meal, having one meal an hour a person that exercises may need to eat 10 meals in a day (10 hours).

There is no need to add protein in a long ride (protein is only an issue if there are insufficent carbs available). 'Delayed onset muscle soreness' has a number of causes (and were still not 100% about them) so eating protein on a ride is unlikely to stop DOMS. The best way to prevent DOMS is to not increase training load too quickly.
Originally posted by Matt Chanoff
3) After the ride, have some protein within 30 minutes.
I think you mean carbohydrate here; as an endurance rider's main priority is replacing glycogen stores as soon as possible following a ride.

A cool-down ride makes me feel very good. It means that after I leave my riding partners and head home, I keep riding at an easy pace, below 60% of max heart rate, for around 30 minutes. Lots of hydration during this. Then, of course, stretching and other things previously mentioned here. I once read a study claiming that this works better for recovery than massage or just plain rest. If the workout was so bad that you cannot possibly roll for another 30 minutes, then do it later in the day (if time permits). Just remember to keep pedalling, and don't fall asleep on the bike. After all, it's not an exercise for the chain, it's for your legs.

I use a product called Whey protein isolate by Maxs.Its like what bodybuilders use after a hard gym session. Ive also noticed that when u mix 2 scoops of the powder with 500ml of water there is only 0.1grams of sugar in the drink.However if u mix the 2 scoops with 500ml skim milk there is 17grams of sugar!!!
Another thing is to not do your racing while training.... Give ur legs an easy day,and theres no need to push huge gears all the time...

The main part of a recovery drink should be carbohydrate. Very high glycaemic carbs, with a small amount of protein is best. Typical amounts should be 1.0 to 1.5 grams carb per kg body mass, with ~ 10g of protein.

Ric

Originally posted by ricstern
The main part of a recovery drink should be carbohydrate. Very high glycaemic carbs, with a small amount of protein
So what will be happening since ive been using protein after a ride??? Will it stop me from losing weight???

Depending on when your next training session is (i.e., how long after your initial session) and the rest of your diet it may have an affect or it might not (on your recovery time).

As regards weight loss, this is due to energy balance.

Ric

Originally posted by 2LAP
Not sure about the 280 cals/hour given that many meals would be in excess of 600 cals (a british bag of chips in excess of 1200 cals) and eaten in one sitting. If you were to eat 280 cals in a meal, having one meal an hour a person that exercises may need to eat 10 meals in a day (10 hours).

There is no need to add protein in a long ride (protein is only an issue if there are insufficent carbs available). 'Delayed onset muscle soreness' has a number of causes (and were still not 100% about them) so eating protein on a ride is unlikely to stop DOMS. The best way to prevent DOMS is to not increase training load too quickly.

I think you mean carbohydrate here; as an endurance rider's main priority is replacing glycogen stores as soon as possible following a ride.

Re 280 calories - I've heard this from several sources. Of course you can eat more than that in a sitting. It's just that your body will take more than an hour to absorb and convert it into energy. This only matters if you're doing something, like a long ride, where you are using more than 280 cal/hour for an extended period.

Re "I think you mean carbohydrate here" No, you're correct that replacing glycogen stores is important after a long ride, but so is adding some protein to start rebuilding the muscles you've exercized. Adding the protein within 30 minutes post ride is supposed to prevent soreness better than if you wait longer.