Top 5 Tips On Actually Recover From Your Hard Ride

Cycling enjoys a high reputation in recent years, with its popularity among both of the young and old, more and more people are taking part in this activity. Indeed, cycling is a great sport for its numerous benefits for us. Riding on your bike to enjoy the beautiful scenery and breathe the fresh air is pretty wonderful and easy to achieve, however, it is just the first step of your cycling process. How to recover from your hard and long ride also matters a lot and plays a significant role in your subsequent performance. It is a quite important lesson that every cyclist needs to make clear and keep in mind. Here, I will give you some top effective tips on how to recover from a hard ride. Here we go!

Cool down
cool down after cyclingNo matter how strong you really are, after a continuous hard ride, it is quite imperative for you to take some even though just a few minutes to take a break and cool yourself down. For those pro cyclists, they usually will plan in advance to keep several days free to relax, which is to make sure they can achieve a better performance next time. Like Kristian House, a pro rider for the Rapha Condor-JLT team, he once said that “ I do schedule rest days into my training programme, but it does tend to vary, depending on how heavy the workload is.” Another pro also said, “Rest is planned into my training programme, but I will also add in additional rest if I am underperforming in training.” “ I have learned to listen to my body, and as much as I might want to ride on a rest day, I know I won’t help.” Although most of us are not the pro cyclists, we still could learn a lot from their experience. What pro riders’ experience demonstrates is the significance of the rest. Of course, how much rest do you need is largely depended on individual specific condition. But giving some time to cool yourself down and take a break will definitely make a huge difference to your recovery.

Recovery nutrition
There is no doubt that it is extremely vital for you to get some necessary nutrition for cycling recovery. General speaking, there are two main things that we need to replenish at once after a hard ride, carbohydrates and protein. Therefore, you must eat or drink something that is rich in carbohydrates or protein to help you refuel, because you have burnt a combination of glycogen when you are riding. Banana, fruits, nuts or a big glass of smoothie are all good option for your supplement. As you come to the end of a ride, it is highly recommended that you had better finish any food you are carrying with for it is the most direct source you can get. Some cyclists may refuse to eat something after a hard ride for the concern of weight gain, but it is not a wise decision. As a matter of fact, if you don’t supplement the energy and nutrition your body needs in time, it is highly possible for you to gain more fat. Because your body has burnt a lot of calories when you are cycling, if you don’t replenish something now, your body has to store the fat in order to work well for a long time.

Rub down
Believe it or not, massage for years has been an important component rub down after cyclingof sports recovery, many cyclists have benefited from it. “Like a lot of this stuff, it is important not just for the body, but on the head, too. If you are getting a massage and stretching as well as using compression tights, for example, you know you are preparing well for your event, and that is a psychological bonus,” a pro rider said. Indeed, massage is really beneficial for our health and recovery from a ride. It can increase blood flow, correctly align muscle fibres and scar tissue as well as reduce tightness. Of course, it is impossible for a great number of cyclists to cycling with a massage therapist, you could learn some easy steps on message and do it on your own when finishing your hard and intense ride. According to a recent research in the USA, massage following exercise could improve circulation up to 72 hours later. Therefore, massaging your legs to help to push out the fluid and break up muscle adhesions after a hard and long ride, so as to get your muscles work more smoothly.

Sleep
Get a good night’s sleep absolutely plays a big role in your cycling recovery. According to a study from Wheaton College in the US, athletes need more sleep compared to the normal people. The researchers have found that sleep deprivation amounting to 30 to 36 hours could reduce cardiovascular performance by an alarming 11 per cent. Therefore, since you have worn out after a hard ride, don’t try to stay up late and have an overnight party. Make sure that you get some quality sleep at night to help your body recover from the tire during the day.

sleep after cycling

Wear compression tights
Many cyclists may have no idea that compression clothing is a very popular recovery tool among athletes. Although most cyclists are not pro ones, it is still worth to have a try. Putting a pair of compression tights on post-training would certainly help you to recover from your hard ride. They are tight enough to give you genuine compressive effects. Of course, it would be better if you could afford to buy a quality brand and take care with sizing.

To recap

As a cycling fan, I love cycling. Usually, I will spend all of my spare time on riding my bike to enjoy the blue sky and beautiful sunshine. Thus, according to my experience, cycling recovery must be put on the very priority on your cycling process. Grasping the effective tips on cycling recovery will certainly improve your cycling enjoyment. I really hope that what I have said above could help you have a more clear idea on how to recover from a hard ride. If you have any better ideas, welcome to leave your messages to me. For more information, please check our website, http://www.cycling4you.com/.