If you’re like me, you try to squeeze every last second out of every ride. Time in the saddle for me is extremely limited based on family, work, and life concerns so I try to make the most of every opportunity even if it means skipping out on stretching (or a shower!). Most often, I roll home and run through the door, change on the fly and run out to whatever I’m already late for. Sound familiar?
Every once in a while, I get a chance to indulge in my ideal post-ride routine. As an extremely amateur cyclist, I don’t have a physio or soigneur waiting for me with an iced towel, massage, or recovery embrocation, but I do have a few things that I do to help recovery. If I have the time, here’s my ideal post-training ride routine:
- As soon as I walk through the door, I’ll make a recovery drink. I usually go with a product like cytomax or something similar but I’ve also been known to make a milk shake with protein powder, ice cream, and herseys syrup. Sometimes just the thought of that during a long ride keeps the pedals turning.
- Change out of cycling clothes into comfortable shorts and stretch while downing recovery drink. I like to stretch for about 20 minutes.
- HOT shower.
- Lay on the couch with legs elevated. I have a massage device called The Stick that I roll over quads and calves. A massage would be really ideal but that would require motivation to leave the house because I’ll never have the pros’ option of a physio or soigneur coming to me. I’ll keep my legs elevated for as long as I can keep my eyes open.
- Nap. But just before, I’ll eat something light (bowl of cereal or yogurt and granola) to give my body something to work on and recover while I sleep. Nap can last from 1-2 hours.
- I usually wake up hungry. If I’m ravenously hungry then I’ll know I didn’t eat enough on the ride or before napping. Continuing to eat and drink after a ride is important for recovery. For this post-nap meal, I try to keep it organic and fresh including veggies, pasta, and chicken.
- The rest of my idyllic day will find me with legs elevated and only walking when absolutely necessary. Perfection would be an afternoon of Paris-Roubaix coverage on Versus.
Disclaimer: This hardly ever occurs. If I have a few spare minutes, I’ll do a few of these things like make a recovery drink and stretch but like I said, most of the time I’m flying off to whatever’s next.
What’s your Ideal Post-Training Ride Routine? Leave a comment and let us know.
Ride on…
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