should i let my thighs rest??

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josiecowboy69
josiecowboy69 Posts: 80
in Fitness and Exercise
I have been riding a bike for about 3/4 weeks now. Averaging an hour or two.. Lately, I'm finding it very hard to go long periods of time. My thighs are killing me. Should I set certain days of the week to ride or just push thru it? I usually get water aerobics and 30 ds in also. Just wondering if I need to alternate? Any advice is well considered. Thanks in advance...

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  • AmyRhubarb
    AmyRhubarb Posts: 6,890 Member
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    If your legs are hurting that bad, then yes, I would cut back on the time or intensity of the rides. Do the water aerobics or 30DS make them hurt like the riding does? Are you doing all of these things every day? If so, I would mix it up more, give your legs a break of at least a day in between whatever it is that's making them hurt so much.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
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    Probably
  • iSpuggz
    iSpuggz Posts: 39
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    I've just starting cycling and I've decided to do it on alternative days. I did a 2.5 miles test run this morning and my thighs were killing me, but saying that, I didn't want to lower my gears as I then don't feel like I'm getting a good workout.

    My plan is to do 6 miles rides monday, wednesday and friday and do light jogs inbetween on weekdays as well as some kickboxing and weights.

    It would be good to see what any seasoned cyclists have to say. No idea how they ride several hours every day!
  • josiecowboy69
    josiecowboy69 Posts: 80
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    If your legs are hurting that bad, then yes, I would cut back on the time or intensity of the rides. Do the water aerobics or 30DS make them hurt like the riding does? Are you doing all of these things every day? If so, I would mix it up more, give your legs a break of at least a day in between whatever it is that's making them hurt so much.

    No the other ones don't. But I'm kinda new to the whole.workout thing. And I'm not sure of when to take off days. I had my first wipeout Thursday on the bike and I believe it was just to much on my thighs. Needless to say, I loaded my bike, brought my hurt pride and butt home and didn't get back on until yesterday. But they were still hurting really bad. But I pushed thru it for an hour.
  • josiecowboy69
    josiecowboy69 Posts: 80
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    I do love riding... I just don't want to make it an unjoyable experience.... Because if I don't enjoy it, I ain't gonna do it..
  • 80Ben
    80Ben Posts: 119 Member
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    You should definitely take a day or two off. You'll avoid injury, and you need to give your muscles time to regenerate. From what you say I feel you're overdoing it. If you want a work out on your days off from riding, find exercises that use different muscles; people that lift weights every day usually have a different program for different muscles every other day.

    It sounds cliché, but you have to listen to your body.
  • josiecowboy69
    josiecowboy69 Posts: 80
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    You should definitely take a day or two off. You'll avoid injury, and you need to give your muscles time to regenerate. From what you say I feel you're overdoing it. If you want a work out on your days off from riding, find exercises that use different muscles; people that lift weights every day usually have a different program for different muscles every other day.

    It sounds cliché, but you have to listen to your body.

    Thanks, cause I definitely don't want to injure myself. I will find something to alternate on my days off.. maybe do the water aerobics on them days. Or even some kind of upper body training. Thanks again for your help. I'll try that this week and see how it goes.
  • carreen
    carreen Posts: 175 Member
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    Alternate your workouts. Give each muscle group a day in between to recoup.
  • Paula_h65
    Paula_h65 Posts: 6 Member
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    Yes, you should have a rest day every week. Your legs are the biggest muscles in the body they expend a considerable amount of energy, so it is good that you are out riding your bike and using them. However, your body needs time to heal! Yes, the idea of doing upper body is a wonderful idea. Remember, your entire body needs to move. Remember to always work all muscles-- if you push, remember to pull:)
  • KourtneyP83
    KourtneyP83 Posts: 319
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    I would say yes. I did Zumba last week and my thighs hurt so bad I couldn't sit down the next day. I took a break from it until I could comfortably move again and did something else.
  • AZKristi
    AZKristi Posts: 1,801 Member
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    What kind of pedals are you using? It might be worthwhile to invest in cycling cleats and the pedals that they clip into if you will be doing a lot of cycling. Without straps or cleats, you are only pushing down on the pedals. Overtime, this will overtrain the quads. With cleats, you match the pushing motion of one pedal with a pulling motion on the opposite pedal. Anytime you are working out (cycling, lifting, etc,) you always want to work opposing muscle groups. Cycling without cleats overtrains the quads in relation to the hamstring and glutes. The glutes are by far the most powerful muscle in the lower body. If you aren't using them to cycle, you aren't going to burn nearly as many calories and could be prone to injury in the long term.
  • Whatels
    Whatels Posts: 4 Member
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    Just go for a long walk today.
  • bluefox9er
    bluefox9er Posts: 2,917 Member
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    I would..I discovered the hard way by over training with my running and pulling my thigh whilst goofing around with basketball. i wont be able to run for a while now..so please do listen to your body.
  • josiecowboy69
    josiecowboy69 Posts: 80
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    What kind of pedals are you using? It might be worthwhile to invest in cycling cleats and the pedals that they clip into if you will be doing a lot of cycling. Without straps or cleats, you are only pushing down on the pedals. Overtime, this will overtrain the quads. With cleats, you match the pushing motion of one pedal with a pulling motion on the opposite pedal. Anytime you are working out (cycling, lifting, etc,) you always want to work opposing muscle groups. Cycling without cleats overtrains the quads in relation to the hamstring and glutes. The glutes are by far the most powerful muscle in the lower body. If you aren't using them to cycle, you aren't going to burn nearly as many calories and could be prone to injury in the long term.


    I'm guessing they are standard pedals. It's just a bike I had borrowed from mom. I was wanting to try it and see how much I was really gonna like it. And I do, like it, riding, that is. So maybe I just need to invest in an appropriate bike. Are you talking about the petals that has the straps on them? To hold my feet on?

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