Post race stretching or exercise routines?

yz 200 guy

Member
Aug 28, 2000
62
0
After a two-hour hare scrambles, I'm sore. I'm often sore until Tuesday at my age now (used to be Wednesday until I started working out).
I know laying around Sunday night is bad, but what do you guys do after a hard race or ride that can minimize muscle soreness? If it is fun that would be really good because I usually feel less than motivated.
What are good post recovery meals too? We usually hit the fast food places on the way back, is it wrong to reward ourselves?:ugg:
 

LWilson250

Member
Jan 1, 2001
685
0
I love being young! But even though I am 16 I still feel a little stiff and sore after a day at the MX track. (Note to self: XR’s don’t like MX) What I have found to be the best way to unwind after a day of riding is a nice bicycle ride. It keeps the blood flowing and lets you slowly relax. Just take a few spins around the block. And food wise, I hit P.O.’s for a half pound cheese burger with bacon on it.

Lee W.
 

yz 200 guy

Member
Aug 28, 2000
62
0
Thanks Lee. I thought that might be a good thing to try. Overnite I came to the realization that it is just a motivational thing. I mean, you bust your chops all day to pack, drive, race, clean up, pack, drive, unpack, clean, etc... And when the end of that list comes, my mind says "stick a fork in it, your done". I need to reprogram myself that there is one more thing to do and it would pay off bigtime later in the week.

I'm looking for success stories out there that will give me motivation. What about hitting hot tubs or swimming? Massages work? What about shooting some hoops or something similar?:think
 

bbbom

~SPONSOR~
Aug 13, 1999
2,094
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Better late than never

In my experience, the best thing you can do the day after any type of really strenuous activity is to do a mild warm up of some type then stretch every muscle you can.

It helps to do a daily stretching routine anyways but, especially after a seriously hard workout, it helps get the lactic acid out of the muscles.

One of the guys I work with is into marathons (and he thinks I'm nuts :eek:), he swears that when he incorporated a daily stretching routine into his workouts, his recovery time was greatly reduced.

I've also heard that Hatha Yoga is very good, but I haven't tried it yet.
 

yz 200 guy

Member
Aug 28, 2000
62
0
It is Wednesday and I feel better than usual after doing a 2 hour hare scrambles on Sunday. Here is what I did different.

Stretched a lot more before the race (the ambulance was late, so what else is there to do). When I got home I didn't sit down, but got on my bicycle and did an easy 5 mile spin around town. Afterwards I stretched some more. Monday I stretched, but didn't do my normal workout. I also drank more water than usual. Tuesday I stretched and did an easy workout with pushups, situps, leglifts, rowing maching and walked on a treadmill.

Now I know all that is worth it, because I do feel better. There is my missing link for motivation.
 

Payday2

Member
Sep 29, 1999
54
0
After your next HS, try this:

Drink two servings of TwinLab Ultra Fuel, take 1000 mg of vitamin C, and 200-400 IU's of vitamin E.

Skip the fast food. 30 minutes after you drink the above, try eating a protein bar with carbs, like a Power Bar Protein Plus or a Met-RX 100 gram bar. Skip the fast food.

After a strenous activity, your body wants to replace muscle glycogen and liver glycogen stores more than anything. The quickest way to do this is with a carb supplement like Ultra Fuel. This has been shown in studies to cut your recovery time drastically. Fats digest slowly, so filling up on fast food will delay the amount of time it takes to start refueling your muscles.

Vitamins E and C are anti oxidants, which will help flush some of the "nasties" out of your muscles.

Give it a try, and good luck!

J&K
 

yz 200 guy

Member
Aug 28, 2000
62
0
So I take it I should skip the fast food then?:)

Where can I get this Ultra Fuel? GNC? I have some Vitamin C which I keep forgetting to take daily, but I will pick up some Vitamin E also.

Thanks for the advice, but I'm going to miss the fast food thing...

yz 200 guy
 

Payday2

Member
Sep 29, 1999
54
0
Save the fast food treat for a mid week, job well done break from the week.

;)

Yes, you can get Ultra Fuel at GNC, but I prefer to buy my supplements at Vitamin Outlet. GNC tends to inflate prices by about 30%, then offer terrible customer service on top of that.

Timing is critical with the carb/recovery deal though. Be sure to drink the Ultra Fuel 30-60 minutes after exercise, preferably 30. After 60 minutes, the window of opportunity tends to close down a bit.

J&K
 
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