what recovery supplements should i be taking?

[liketoride]

I ride to work and back everyday, we are talking about 50 miles round trip 5 days a week. On the weekends i like to ride with friends or by myself and i have been doing this for 4 years now but lately i have been really getting muscle soreness and i want it to go away. Right now after my rides i take a protein shake with organic cane sugar and BCAA then stretch and my legs are sore every morning. I take it easy for a couple of days ride below 220w and take all the supplements and still my legs do not recover. I would like for this to go away as it is not fun waking up everyday in pain. I dont race so i can take anything legal that you guys know of. I live in the US and have searched recovery methods and have tried everything i have read and have not been successful yet. I get home and stretch take the supplements and it is not getting better. Please help. Thank you

[robrud]

I take few days of rest / easy riding. Works best

Actually I have noticed better training adaptions after I stopped stuffing sugar in my body just after the ride. If your ride is just 1 hour you don't need any supplements. Healthy food should be more than sufficient.

[Marin]

I don't think any supplements or recovery drinks can help here.

Rest for a week or 2, and take it easy on the weekends.

[liketoride]

I have taken a couple of easy ride and still have not recovered the next day. My 20 min power right now is 380w and for the couple of days I would ride at 220 w which is a little higher than recommended but cannot ride any slower as I am riding home. Is anyone taking supplements I am not that is making an impacted for them?

[Dalai]

So you are commuting 50 miles every weekday and riding on the weekend - both days?

Supplements aren't going to help IMO. Cut back on the volume, include at least one rest day and eat healthy.

[BikeAnon]

The "supplements" you are looking for are available in the produce section of your grocery store.

The answers above are correct, but probably not what you're looking for.

[liketoride]

thanks for all the responses, yes not what i wanted to hear. So i went to GNC and they pointed out some products that should help. If they do i will report back and let you guys know. thanks again

[boots2000]

Many years ago I had an 8 month period where I commuted about 50 miles round trip on a bike-
It made me really slow.
My company moved a bit closer and I immediately felt better.
My suggestion is to get creative and figure out how you can work in an off day and maybe a shorter day on the bike- It will make a world of difference.

[mr4fox]

Are you doing interval training in addition to the 250mile weekly commute?
I agree with the others that this sounds more like a case of inadequate rest or just too much riding. How old are you?

Vitamins B6 is supposed to help with muscle soreness. You can get it on its own or in a blend with magnesium and zinc often called ZMA (zma may be a brand name, not sure). But I believe there is some research to support that zma can increase testosterone production naturally and the b6can help with the delayed onset muscle soreness (Dom's) you are experiencing.

But riding at 220w might just be too much to do day in day out. Try riding around 45%ftp, ala active recovery pace where you can still breath through your nose. Might take longer to get to work/home but it might help.

[dynaserve]

liketoride - How's it going?

I've taken ZMA but difficult to quantify any benefits.
I found glutamine helps a lot with faster recovery.

Good luck

[fromtrektocolnago]

stopped taking supplements years ago. the important thing is to refuel after a tough ride. eat healthy and get quality sleep.

[ophiravina]

you dont need supplements, eat more carbs before, during and after your ride. aim for 3000-4000 calories a day,mainly from fruits, vegetables, grains and legumes. if you feel like you want to eat more, eat more. because of the fiber in the food you wont be able to get fat from eating it. when you feel totally full you can stop eating. the more you eat, the stronger you get. when you refuel your body adequately from whole foods you feel a lot better, stronger and recover faster. try it for a couple of weeks and let me know how you feel, I'm vegan with no supplemaents for over a year and I feel a lot stronger during my races and training rides, I hope it will work for you too.

[djm]

What he said! ^^

ophiravina nails it. Make sure you eat well before and during your rides. Also make sure you drink enough, and make sure you have your blood checked for any deficiencies (by your doctor).

Also make sure you get enough quality sleep and relaxation.

If you have been "over reaching" in your training, you may need an extended break from training: Days, weeks, months. All depending on how long you've been in a state of insufficient recovery.

[eyedrop]

Plenty of quality food, plenty of water, and plenty restful sleep is the key!!!!!!

Most supplements are a complete waste of money. If they do help, its only gonna make a 2% difference at best. Dietary supplements can surely help if you already have a deficiency. I take B12 for that reason.

If your looking for a real "boost", steroids and blood doping can definitly make a difference. EPO is probably the biggest one there. But even EPO is only 8-10% performance increase.

Your best bet is to stop buying bike upgrades and supplements/drugs. Start concentrating on the basics and nailing them consistently. With patience, you will get to where you want fitness and recovery wise... If you wanna spend money on the problem, I suggest to keep using a power meter, hire a great coach and go from there...

[bm0p700f]

I ride 7 days a week clocking up 300 miles a week like the op. I do not ride at 220w though. Most rides are just that rides at a steady pace heart rate averaging no more than 120bpm. Some are recovery with heart rate around 100 bpm average. My max is about 170 bpm (i am only 40 as well).

To give you an idea this what did this week. Monday morning 36km recovery 105 bpm monday evening base 24 km. Tuesday Morning hill efforts @300w 46km easy in between. Tuessday evening chaingang -race effort, wednesday morning 42km recovery wednesday evening mtb ride 50km base then ride home 12km. Thursday used the car as i had to pick my wife up from the airport. Friday morning 42km base miles evening 25km base miles. Saturday 42km z1 riding evening 25km base z1. Sunday raced on fresh legs. If this where a typical week i would have rode on thursday too.


A couple of days a week i do intervals. I keep the to the 80/20 rule. Now racing season is up on us the weekly chaingang and a TT and a race on sunday will be all the intensity i need (i think). So i wont be doing jntervals much now. The rest of the week will base miles and or recovery.

You can ride every day and feel fresh when you need to. I do not have taper weeks but some weeks i do more recovery rides than othan others. Volume remain the same at around 20hrs.

The best recovery food is what i am eating now rice pudding!