My legs are feeling pretty tired at the moment and last night’s ride was slower than normal. I’ve been cycling quite a lot (for me) so I’m wondering if I should be taking something extra to help my legs?

I commute around 60-80 miles a week on average (c. 20 mile round trip 3-4 days per week), plus cycle round the park with the dog, do local errands, and then some local riding. Not many hills though as I live in North London so it’s fairly flat around me

Strava mileage (which covers most of my riding but not all of it) says I’ve done just over 70 miles this week so far, about 130 miles last week, then for the weeks before that 48, 99, 67, 73, 113.

I have a nutribullet for breakfast once I get to work, this is made up of lots of fruit (half of each of apple, pear, banana, orange, nectarine, plum etc), big handful of spinach, milk and a mix of seeds in the main. Sometimes add in ginger, peanut butter and maybe a few oats

I’m always hungry and eat loads throughout the day, but I was always greedy so there’s no change here, I’m just using more of those calories up. Lunch tends to healthy ish, and I have one at lunchtime and another about mid afternoon, I’m also snacking a lot during the day. A lot of chocolate and crap recently as lots of people in the office returning from holidays. I eat dinner pretty soon after cycling home as I’m hungry. Dinner tends to have more carbs than lunch, more a quirk of home cooking vs. what I’m grabbing from the office canteen rather than something intentional

My mileage isn’t huge but I’m cycling most days, I tend to do some boxing in the gym once a week too. I’d like to see if there’s something I can do to power up my legs so they feel slightly less tired, I try to stretch them in the evenings

I’d prefer not to have to cycle less as I’m really enjoying it and it’s a great way to get to work

I was thinking some form of recovery drink or maybe a protein shake? Would that make a difference? I don’t want to add calories for no reason, unless they’ll replenish my legs more quickly than my normal food so will make them feel less tired.

I’ve also thought about adding some protein powder to my nutribullet but again not sure if this would be of help.

The real answer might be ‘man up princess’, which is what I’ve done for the last year, but I’m wondering if I’ve been missing a trick?

—-. TL:DR – I’m cycling regularly and my legs are tired, anything I should be doing to help?

I don’t think that kind of mileage requires any nutritional supplements. I average over 200km a week and don’t use any supplements or recovery products. You say that you are cycling more than you are used to – it’s probably just a case of getting used to the greater distance.

You say you have a nutribullet for breakfast once you get to work – presumably this means you are riding fasted every time you commute. Fasted rides have their place, but if you’re doing them all the time then that may be contributing to your tired legs.

Apart from that, try to replace the chocolate/crap with healthy snacks and make sure you’re getting enough protein in your diet.

I’ve been using 250ml milk with protein power when i get in, seems to work, stops on the onslaught of sore legs and also the dreaded unable to sleep cause I’ve trained too hard late at night

*most of my rides start at 8pm and I’m home 9:30/10pm* so found this has worked a treat.

As i eat around 6pm with the family then get kids sorted before heading out

FFS stop nibbling stuff out of the hedge for breakfast and get some proper fats and proteins, you’re not a flippin’ hamster! Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and you’re starving yourself on faddish crap, which, to make matters worse, you’re eating after riding when the body needs proteins to repair the muscle damage.

Get up earlier and make yourself a solid breakfast of scrambled eggs on granary toast with proper butter, none of that hydrogenated vegetable oil crap. By the time you’ve showered and cleaned teeth you’ll have digested most of it. Make sure you rest, lots, drop the boxing, eat well at lunch time and have a decent meal in the evening with plenty of carbs, fats and proteins.

Small story: recently I came across a German doctor in cycling kit sitting outside a popular cyclists’ cafe in Chipping, eating FIVE fried eggs on toast. He was a fit, well-muscled bloke and we got chatting; he reckoned that most people don’t eat enough fats and proteins for cycling and are in a state of permanent fatigue as a result. I liked that, especially as I love eggs.

Yup, some great products and advice these days on recovery, take advantage of it I say

Stetching straight after a ride?

toughen up princess?
It’s probably just getting used to your higher mileage, stretch, take it easy when you’re tired – or if you know there’s a lot more miles to come tomorrow, nice steady pace, slow acceleration spinning the pedals. If you do a big ride that fries your legs get a cold shower straight after (don’t have to go the whole hog, just make sure your leg muscles get chilled).

Just pace yourself while you’re upping the mileage, once you get used to it you can up the effort some more or extend the mileage further.

Do you do every ride at the same tempo? The biggest mistake I used to make was that I’d always ride everywhere like it was a race effort. With little time to train, riding hard all the time has be be the thing to do, right? Wrong. If you’re riding every day, you need to factor in active recovery on days that you’re tired (from hard riding or off the bike stuff).

Is it just me that thinks the main nutritional content of that nutribullet is probably sugar? And what constitutes a “healthy-ish” lunch?

Pick up the Nutribullet and wang it out of the window and then stop drinking rubbish and eat some real food.

Every Nutribullet gives money to David Wolfe who is a nutritional charlatan of epic bell-end proportions.

I don’t like eating first thing in the morning, can’t stomach it, and also don’t really have time. Wake up, brush teeth, toilet, changed, jump on bike. Shower at work

It’s handy to be able to jump straight on the bike and then eat at work. If I forget my nutribullet then I tend to have muesli and granola (50:50) with milk

I’ve been having a nutribullet most workdays for about 18 months, I like them as I know I’m consuming a lot of fruit , I don’t mind the sugar side of it as it’s as good a sugar content I’m going to get (all the vitamins and fibre etc to go with it), plus I don’t need to lose weight

It’s easy enough to lob some oats in the nutribullet if that’s the answer (milled or whole), but I’m wondering if something more targeted at recovery might work more efficiently

Rides are rarely smashed all the way through, some sections if I fancy it or am chasing someone down (love a bit of commuter racing!) but I’m also fine pootling in at an easy spin. I like riding my bike so it’s all good, and the overall improvement in journey is only a few minutes realistically. Last night felt particularly slow though

Would prefer not to drop boxing as it’s the only workout I get on my upper body, I tend to go easy when it’s anything cardio in there (like burpees and mountain climbers)

Healthy ish brekkie/lunch/snacks so far is
– nutribullet – half appple, half pear, half orange, half banana, half plum, half nectarine, couple of baby carrots, 1.5 handfuls of spinach, milk, ginger, peanut butter, seeds
– 2 mini ritter sports (4 little cubes each)
– chicken curry, no rice – currently being consumed

Up for the rest of the day is
– banana
– apple
– yoghurt
– salad, about the size of a chinese takeaway box, with couscous salad, beetroot salad, tomatoes, cucumber, salad leaves, random seeds
– dinner to be agreed – homemade leftovers probably

I’m definitely cycling slightly more than normal as the weather’s nice, but I ride year round, I’d still expect my base mileage to remain similar.

I like omelettes and scrambled eggs but tend to save those for the weekend

You need a bowl of porridge in the morning before you leave home. Your diet looks to be very high in simple carbohydrates and very low in complex carbohydrates, protein and fat. You need to swap that around.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, you’ve already fasted during the night. I agree with globalti – I’m a toast and poached egg man myself.

in cycling kit sitting outside a popular cyclists’ cafe in Chipping, eating FIVE fried eggs on toast.

Him?

as a note on recovery drinks v protein shakes.

I’ve always made my own recovery by adding instant oats to protein shake, I tend to have this after a turbo session, and just the protein after weight training.

Recently had some commercial recovery drinks, Awful load of chemicals, sugars and funny stuff in. Not impressed really.

Mashing all that fruit into a juice is not a good idea.. You loose most of the benefits of the fibre content for a start and making a fast release carbohdrate even faster! All you are doing when making lots off fruit juice in this way is creating an insulin spike which is very, very fast burning and totally useless for your timing as this is after your exercise in essence! You are having this after doing your regular ride so its a waste from an energy or even nutritional point of view. Eating an orange whole or pineapple etc is a lot better so try and do that.

As for what is best some protein after would be a good start and protein before. Maybe have some eggs and seeded wholemeal toast before in the morning, slow release carbohydrate from the bread and your protein (eggs) Eat a protein bar when you get to work, look for ones with a good ratio of protein to carbs, some are way too high on carbs and low on protein some vice versa. try and get ones with some natural sugar in them, fruit or maple syrup/honey content. If you make a juice with the shitty Nutra Bullet at least stick it in a bottle and drink it on the bike on the way to work and use it as energy and get some use from all the fructose.

Also as mentioned don’t overlook healthy natural fats as a good source of energy and recovery, nuts, coconut oil, proper butter, oily fish are all good and overlooked a lot due to the years of crap the health food industry has led people down. I find fats are one of the best things for weight training recovery.

Healthy ish brekkie/lunch/snacks so far is
– nutribullet – half appple, half pear, half orange, half banana, half plum, half nectarine, couple of baby carrots, 1.5 handfuls of spinach, milk, ginger, peanut butter, seeds
– 2 mini ritter sports (4 little cubes each)
– chicken curry, no rice – currently being consumed

Up for the rest of the day is
– banana
– apple
– yoghurt
– salad, about the size of a chinese takeaway box, with couscous salad, beetroot salad, tomatoes, cucumber, salad leaves, random seeds
– dinner to be agreed – homemade leftovers probably

Pretty much all your carbs coming from fruit and virtually no protein.

Get some nice slow release carbs in your diet (why cut out the rice for example?) and ~15g of protein 5 times a day.

Mashing all that fruit into a juice is not a good idea.. You loose most of the benefits of the fibre content for a start

No.No. And No.

Personally I’m not a blend everything into a smoothie person. But this is not correct.

Might need a side thread on the nutribullet here… Do you really lose the benefits of the fibre content? it’s not juiced, it’s just blended. The nutribullet is an easy to wash blender essentially

I reckon I’ll add some oats to it then, I’ll mill them so they absorb quicker, it’ll thicken up the nutribullet too

There’s no chance of me eating before I leave home as I don’t have time and I struggle to stomach it. I like eating so I’m happy to eat something extra when I get to work

I like nuts, I eat quite a lot of them, though not had any today apart from in the peanut butter. We don’t eat marg, only butter, but I don’t really have much butter

I think I underdid it on the protein and fats when I describe my diet. I usually pile into this for dinner. Last night this was some soya sauce pork, boiled egg, beef curry, tofu and some veg. Fair bit of rich buttery cake for dessert too 😆 My dinners are usually more carby though

It definitely sounds like I’m missing out on complex carbs – oats sound like an easy way of fixing this, have loads of these at home!

I’d like to eat more eggs but going to the canteen to wait for them to make an omelette is a bit of a pain. That’s why I’m thinking there might be some benefit to lobbing some protein powder into my nutribullet as well as the oats?

There’s no chance of me eating before I leave home as I don’t have time and I struggle to stomach it.

Get up earlier and ride slower. In fact, always ride slow in the morning.
Go for it on the way home.

You need a bowl of porridge in the morning before you leave home.

or at work. Like the op on work days I prefer to get up and go, I ride in most days and eat when I get to work, only time I eat before I leave is when I do an extended (4ish hours) ride in to work and then it’s only a couple of bananas and a decaffeinated beverage.
Only time I have trouble with dead legs is when I do more than the usual or go silly fast when I have fresh legs (eg a monday morning after a lazy weekend)

Dunno about this nutribullet business but a big bowl of porridge is proper pre or post ride food.

I think I underdid it on the protein and fats when I describe my diet. I usually pile into this for dinner.

That’s why I’m thinking there might be some benefit to lobbing some protein powder into my nutribullet as well as the oats?

Your body can only utilise so much protein in 1 go, so having it mostly in 1 or 2 meals is not as good as spreading it over the day.
So yes, a scoop of protein powder would probably be a good addition.

Hmmm, might be getting some protein powder then. Cheapest/best source anyone? Don’t need anything else apart from protein powder, and don’t need a huge amount for now

There’s no way I’m going to get up earlier, I don’t get enough sleep as it is and I don’t want to go to bed any earlier, otherwise I have less time in the evening

I used to have wholemeal pitta bread with wholenut peanut butter (the meridian stuff, no other crap in it). Switched for the nutribullet about 18 months, I feel better for it I think (other factors involved, but am fitter/healthier now)

It’s all a balance, I’m happy to ride a bit slower but I’m rarely smashing it (unless I get overtaken by someone and I’m in the right mood!)

Sometimes Brompton bike in and out too, everything does feel slightly harder on that, not significantly so though

Start lobbying for a 26 hour day. Extra hour in bed and an extra hour to get breakfast and get to work.

How much sleep are you getting?

Start lobbying for a 26 hour day. Extra hour in bed and an extra hour to get breakfast and get to work.

Can we skip 26 and go right for 30?

I’d be fine with 24 if we can bag a 3 day weekend!

Not enough! Last night was just under 6 hours or so, really feeling it today. I’d like to aim for 7 as a benchmark

I used to be able to sleep less and ‘bank’ sleep at the weekend. But this isn’t possible since I’ve got older, and kids and life get in the way of that

Eating an orange whole or pineapple

bloody hellfire! now i’ve got a big cakehole but even i’d struggle with teh pointy bits on a pineapple.

personally i go for mainlining coffee and a few easier days on the bike and achey legs. i know i could probably do with porridge after riding in but its foul. Also if i eat breakfast i’m hanging hungry by 10am whereas if i dont i`m fine till lunch.

, I don’t get enough sleep as it is

That there is going to be a big factor in tired legs

Your body needs time (and protein) to recover

I did 30k a day to and from work for 2 years, I soon learnt that sleep and beans(chick peas, kidney, etcetc) chucked in with everything was what I needed

Maybe you are burning the candle at both ends a little – sleep is the key to recovery not miraculous foodstuffs.

You need a bowl of porridge in the morning before you leave home.

Now I combine the wonders of porridge with a nutribullet type device.
I cup of Oats
300ml oat milk
1 heaped teaspoon cocoa powder
3 heaped teaspoons mixed sunflower and pumpkin seeds
1 heaped teaspoon flax seeds
1 heaped teaspoon hemp seeds
1 heaped teaspoon sesame seeds
few raisins
Handful of kale
Add to water to achieve desired consistency
Put in freezer till time to ride to work
Ride to work
Consume at desk while colleagues look at you and tell you that you are weird
Point out to said colleagues they are are all either overweight, unfit or both and that cereals for breakfast are crap and you don’t even get any decent free toys anymore.

Is it me or is fairly obvious that you’re suffering becuase you don’t eat properly.

Eat breakfast with carbs. You know, if your body runs out of glucose – basically the fruit sugars – and has no carbs its starts consuming your muscular form for energy. Maybe that’s why you’re tired, you just are cashing energy cheques you can’t fulfil.

Get up earlier, and start getting sued to breakfast. You only can’t stomach it because you’ve trained yourself that way. You’ll get used to it and you’ll feel better.

Your riding profile as described does not warrant the expense of protien or recovery shakes beyond whats found in the weekly shop.

Ask Kryton about this – sounds like you also need a ‘basic metabolic support’ supplement.

It’ll sort you right out, honest. Either that, or give you expensive pee.

Just get some rest. And eat peas. Lots and lots of peas.

Edit: ^ ha-ha! What brilliant timing.. 😉

Is it me or is fairly obvious that you’re suffering becuase you don’t eat properly.

Yes, does seem that way!

There’s no chance of me eating before I leave home as I don’t have time and I struggle to stomach it.

Get up earlier and ride slower. In fact, always ride slow in the morning.
Go for it on the way home.

A flat 10 mile pootle in to work can’t be much more taxing than a brisk 30 minute walk to work. It sounds like you are over complicating things and your body is responding poorly to the stress/ tension of getting out on the bike or riding much too hard.

Ha, it’s not obvious to me! I feel like I eat a lot, all the time. I’m famed for it at home and in the office to be honest, often known as the human dustbin

I forgot to add that I put cocoa powder into my nutribullet, makes them taste lovely

Getting up earlier isn’t an option, really. But eating a little something before I get on the bike is, flapjack maybe? I can make some but they tend to get smashed by the whole family!

Steer clear of beans (apart from baked beans) as I have something called G6PD deficiency.

If I eat something small straight before I ride, and don’t smash it to work, will it get used, or does it need time to digest

In my laymans head I was assuming I was doing some fasted rides

Yes its been said heaps of times that when you blend fruit up you do loose some of the positive aspects of it ie the fibre. This is independent research not the owner of Nutri Bullet or Kenwood! Someone mentioned they struggle to get ten pieces of pineapple into there gob on this thread…Well when would you eat two oranges two apples two slices of pineapple and a handful of blue berries like a lot of people do with these smoothy things in one go. That is no different from spooning down a few tablespoons of sugar now the fibre in the fruit is broke down its even worse too… Have a look at how much is in a ripe banana…

You eat a lot of fruit (you’re not a wasp or Gillian Mckeith) – you don’t appear to be eating much of anything else.

I have done commutes in the past ranging from 4-11 miles each way and was doing this 5 days a week. As the mileage increased I just ate more of normal food – what I was eating didn’t change – just the quantity. Example below. I’m not saying its perfect but you should see quite a difference between my diet and yours.

Breakfast OJ, tea, 2-4 weetabix or shreddies or porridge, maybe some fruit

At work – upto 6 sandwiches (usually wholemeal or granary with butter – ham, salami,chicken, bacon, sausage, cheese, tuna, egg, salad leaves, jam) pack of crisps, maybe some celery/tomatoes, yoghurt, upto 3 fruit (usually apple, pear, satsuma, banana) and a choc biscuit.

Get home – dinner
usually meat and 2 veg based or pasta bolognaisse, curry and rice etc occasionally including dessert.

Can you use your nutribullet thing to make soup – add some seasoning and put in the microwave?

Interesting read-up. I’m suffering the same thing, but I’m MTB’ing 160-180km per week, in 40 degree heat (I’m guiding in Turkey).

Unfortunately I have little control of my diet, but my normal day is along the lines of:
Breaskfast:
Cheese sandwich, pile of cucumber, 1x bowl sugar puffs/bread and honey
If I get 2nd breakfast, muesli, yoghurt and raisins
Lunch:
Whatever the hell I’m given. Normally potato or pasta with horrible aubergine, some tomato, a smidgen of meat and maybe some peppers. Yoghurt available.
Dinner:
The same, but in a different variation. We were lucky today, we got chicken!

OP – consider yourself lucky you can dictate your diet. I’m snacking on cashews in the evenings to help get the fat back in, but it’s hard work being here!

I’ll hunt down more protein though…

It does look like I eat a lot of fruit, mainly through my nutribullet, but I have a fairly standard lunch – salad and what is a glorified soup. It’s basically a pot of jacket potato filling from the canteen so is aimed at being quite protein full. Dinner is standard fair for dinner time – spag Bol, chicken and something, rice, pasta, fish cakes, sausages, potatoes etc

I think my nutribullet breakfast makes it look disproportionately weighted to that as the ingredient list is quite big

Any thoughts on whole vs milled/ground oats? Would prefer the latter as it thickens up the nutribullet nicely

Make flapjack.. Oats, butter, fruit, nuts, peanut butter, honey etc.. Easy to eat with coffee for breakfast if struggling to eat first thing.. Or eat and ride if you are late…

I don’t like eating in the morning but I could definitely manage some flapjack