Question:
I 've been skating a while, but
one thing that never seems to go
away is the
muscle soreness/ tiredness that
comes from back to back days of
heavy
skating (I skate alone frequently,
so when i say heavy, i mean solid
skating). a normal day skating is
3-4 hours, a heavy day would be
6 or
more. anyways, i don't suffer injuries
ever, unless they're from a slam
(I
don't get sore knees or ankles or
anything like that). but yeah, after
about 3-4 days of skating like that,
my muscles gradually become sorer
and
stiffer and weaker until it's so
bad I have to take a day's rest
from
skating. sometimes they're just
a little that way and i can push
them
pretty good once they're warmed
up. just wondering, does anybody
else here
know what i'm talking about? how
often do you have to take rests
like that?
Answer:
I spent some time learning about
proper exercise hydration and nutrition.
I find that a meal with meat protein
right after a big workout (meaning,
6 hours or more of strenuous activity,
such as a hilly century helps my
recovery. I also find that a meal
with meat protein at mid-day helps
me to recover and ride better the
rest of the day.
I eat a vegan
(no animal proteins) diet most of
the time, so meat protein is an
exception for me these days, but
there are certain times I consider
it desireable, for those reasons.
I don't know enough about the chemistry
to know why chicken would speed
my recovery more than tofu and peanuts.
Proper hydration is the best thing
you can do for yourself during a
workout. Even mild dehydration takes
a huge hit on your performance,
and probably most important, your
confidence. If you don't have to
take a pee break at least once,
and probably a couple of times during
a session, then you probably aren't
drinking enough and consequently
are not at your peak performance.
Because the
body can't take in as much water
as it uses during strenuous activity
(there's a net loss of about 1/4
liter in the average person over
an hour, according to a military
study that was reported to me on
one of my bike lists), you pretty
much have to take in water until
it comes out the other end in order
to keep on top of it.recent research
shows that protein in the bloodstream
increases athletic performance by
some heinous amount. this is why
sports drinks are starting to include
protein in the mix.
