I consider myself middle of the road bike fit, legs look good 8), cycle about 3 times a week, that kind of thing…

I went to a gig the other night where it was necessary to bob up and down like a loon for about one and a half hours….

Since then,… my calfs have been in total pain, considering I thought myself pretty fit, I’m surprised at the level of pain,….I can’t even walk straight 😕

So how much of the power in the pedal stroke is attributed to the calfs as oppose to the thighs?

Or isn’t it as simple as that?

Do you even lift bro?

Check out the calves on most pro cyclists.

Muscle memory innit.. Different groups and that, areas of muscle..

I can’t even walk straight

a popular T-shirt slogan at Brighton Pride a few years back.

I think all of your power comes from your upper leg muscles.

Hardly any power comes from the calves. They’re relatively small muscles so are the first to fatigue on a ride. Then your quads/glutes/hamstrings start doing all the work. It’s only when someone tells you this that you’ll start to notice it!

What you’re experiencing is DOMS from springing off your toes… We don’t do anything like this when cycling. I’m guessing you’re not a runner and perhaps don’t do much walking in the hills etc…

Surely all the power is through your calf or your foot would just bend up in the downstroke?

Hardly any power comes from the calves. They’re relatively small muscles so are the first to fatigue on a ride. Then your quads/glutes/hamstrings start doing all the work. It’s only when someone tells you this that you’ll start to notice it!

What you’re experiencing is DOMS from springing off your toes… We don’t do anything like this when cycling. I’m guessing you’re not a runner and perhaps don’t do much walking in the hills etc…

This is true… thanks for the reply.

Surely all the power is through your calf or your foot would just bend up in the downstroke?

The calf muscles play a small part in keeping your ankle rigid, but there are a lot of other mechanisms that assist this and it doesn’t take much energy. Similar to holding a heavy weight in curled fingers – the muscles used are very small, but the bones, tendons etc are designed to support the weight without movement, so virtually no “muscle power” is used.

You missed leg day.

My neck explodes at gigs now, it used to be basically all of my exercise was rocking the **** out, so everything was well balanced but cycling just doesn’t work the headbanging muscles.

My neck explodes at gigs now, it used to be basically all of my exercise was rocking the **** out, so everything was well balanced but cycling just doesn’t work the headbanging muscles.

I had a little of that, but haven’t got much hair to flail about!! 😀

I lurked and only entered the fray twice…. what a lightweight I’ve become! 😀

The reason it happens has been pretty well covered by Shibboleth etc…

I just wanted to say that when I first started running the pain in my calves and Achilles tendon nearly crippled me the day after. I only ran 1/2 – 1 mile at a steady pace but I could barely walk straight and descending stairs was agony 😯

It wore off in 3-5 days and my body slowly adapted to running 8)

Try skipping 🙂

Try skipping

My outside space is communal…. i’d die of shame 🙂

boxing did for me. I thought I was quite “leg fit” with all the cycling, but 2 hours of bouncing round a ring left my calves in tatters. I don’t box any more due to injury, but quite often will incorporate ring movement into my weights regime, as I lift lighter weights more (aiming for good all round useable strength, rather than massive biceps)

As a lifelong cyclist, I never get that “muscle burn” that people talk about – the fact is, my legs are just used to the demands of cycling.

When I go skiing though… Jesus! That burns!