Cycling Recovery Tips

Cycling Weekly

You've finished your ride so what should you do next? In this video we detail the best post ride tips and tricks. Including what food you should eat after your ride and what stretches you should do.

Transcript

00:00We've all been there, we get back from a long hard ride and we just want to stuff our face with junk

00:04food and take an earned rest on the sofa but it may not be the best idea for not only your recovery

00:09that day but also for your injury niggles further down the line. With all that in mind here's our

00:14top tips for all the things you should do immediately after your ride.

00:30You're back from your ride and the first thing you'll probably do is head straight for your fridge

00:34looking for chocolate, cake, toast, it doesn't matter whatever it is you're probably going to want to

00:39eat it. If you can get ahead of your nutritional strategy before you even leave the house

00:43that can be key to your recovery. Therefore getting ahead of your post-ride routine before you even

00:49head out can be key. Preparing a protein recovery shake or a protein bar that you can eat immediately

00:55after your ride will mean you avoid any other less nutritious alternatives. Lastly you may have

01:01initially topped up your recovery stores with a protein shake and fluids when you got back from

01:06your ride but it's also key to have a balanced meal within a few hours of your ride to complete that

01:11recovery process. You should look to consume a meal which is lean in protein such as eggs chicken or

01:16tofu alongside complex carbohydrates such as rice or pasta and fats such as avocado. Depending on the

01:24type of session you have ridden after a hard ride a cyclist should look to consume one gram of

01:29carbohydrate for every kilogram of body weight along with 20 to 30 grams of protein in their recovery meal.

01:44Now our next tip is even more crucial in the warmer summer months as keeping on top of your hydration

01:50levels is key after every long ride. One way to understand how much water you have lost through sweat

01:56is to weigh yourself before and after your ride. Studies have shown that even low fluid losses can

02:01significantly affect your ability to ride. A two percent drop in body weight due to sweating

02:06for an 80 kilogram rider this would be 1.6 kilograms will impair performance noticeably. Therefore

02:12replacing water and lost sauce with an electrolyte drink after your ride will mean your body can begin

02:17recovering sufficiently and maintain other normal bodily functions. You can also tell how dehydrated you

02:23are through the colour of your urine. If it's running dark it means you need to drink more water whereas

02:28if it's running quite clear it means your hydration levels are back to normal.

02:38You've begun your refuelling and rehydration process and you're out the shower all clean but there's

02:44one thing that you should do which will really tip the scales in your favour when it comes to your recovery

02:49and that is a good cool down. This can be done in a few different ways you can either foam roller or

02:54you just carry out a few basic stretches after each ride and here are Cycling Weekly's top four

03:00stretches you should do after every ride. Lying down bend your upper leg so that your foot is up towards

03:06your glute. Use the same hand on that side to pull the leg at the ankle closer and you should feel a

03:11stretch across the front of the quad. Hold for 30 seconds on each leg rolling over in between.

03:22Take a big step forward with your right leg keeping the knee directly above the ankle.

03:27The knee of the left leg should be resting on the floor. Put your hands on the ground either side of

03:32your foot a bit like a sprinter in the starting blocks. Hold for 30 seconds on each leg return to the

03:37start position before repeating on the other side. Sit on the floor with both of your legs outstretched.

03:47Extend your arms by reaching forward and bending at the waist as far as you can whilst keeping your

03:52knees straight and your back straight. Be sure to stretch until you feel a gentle pull in your hamstrings.

03:57If you feel any pain you should stop the exercise. Hold this position for 30 seconds and repeat.

04:08Lie on your back and slightly bend one leg. Raise your other foot up onto your bent leg and rest it on

04:14your thigh. Then stretch forward threading your arm through your legs to hold onto the back of your

04:19knee and pull it towards you. Hold this stretch for 30 seconds and then swap to the other leg and repeat.

04:27Those are our top tips what you should do after every ride. Do let us know in the comments section below

04:32what advice you'd give to your fellow cyclists. If you've liked our video give it a thumbs up and

04:37don't forget to subscribe to the cycling weekly channel. Until next time though, we'll see you then.

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