| If you've just begun cycling and possibly discovered a | | | | Over-training occurs when you continue to push your |
| new passion, you may be tempted to ride your bike at | | | | body without allowing it to properly recover. Essentially |
| every given opportunity. It's easy to assume that the | | | | over-training means that you wear down your muscles |
| more you ride, the faster and stronger you'll get but | | | | and organs with strenuous use and then fail to give |
| this is a common mistake that ignores one of the most | | | | them the time or the nutrients it needs to recover. It |
| important parts of any training schedule -- recovery. It | | | | generally starts with a general soreness in the muscles |
| is in resting and recovery, and the correct nutritional | | | | and a constant feeling of tiredness. During you will feel |
| support, that your progress is made -- allowing your | | | | a certain amount of soreness and fatigue, but if your |
| body to rebuild it self just that little bit stronger each | | | | training schedule is well balanced you should be able to |
| time. | | | | recover enough between rides so that you |
| At the end of a long ride you may want to sit down | | | | performance can improve a little bit each time. If you |
| and do little or nothing for the rest of the day. This is a | | | | still feel sore from your last ride when you start a new |
| fine idea but your training isn't completely over until | | | | one you may want to look into reducing the intensity, |
| you've attended to your bodies needs so that it can | | | | duration, or frequency of your rides. |
| replace and replenish its depleted supplies. It is vital to | | | | If you continue to over train you begin to see a steady |
| replace carbohydrates and proteins for effective | | | | deterioration of your performance, and may |
| recovery and to maximize the effectiveness of your | | | | experience mood swings as your hormone levels are |
| training. This should be done within half an hour of | | | | disrupted. You also put yourself at a much greater risk |
| finishing your ride. | | | | of injury, as your muscles will lose a lot of their flexibility |
| Complex carbohydrates will replenish the glycogen | | | | and suppleness. Your day-to-day lifestyle also has an |
| stores in your muscles and protein will assist your body | | | | effect on over-training. If you are under a lot of stress, |
| in repairing muscle tissue while also maximizing your | | | | or not sleeping well due to other reasons, then you |
| muscles ability to store glycogen. Glycogen is the | | | | may experience over-training at a much lower level of |
| primary source of energy for the muscles. In strenuous | | | | exertion than you normally would. |
| exercise your body will be burning glycogen for around | | | | If you're training effectively you should see a steady |
| the first hour and a half to two hours -- at the end of | | | | development of your strength and endurance. To do |
| training or racing these supplies must be replenished | | | | this it is vital that you understand the importance of |
| and an intake of complex carbohydrates within half an | | | | both nutritional support following strenuous exercise |
| hour of training is the way to do it. It is recommended | | | | and the need to let your body recover properly |
| to eat 30-90 grams of carbohydrate and 10-30 grams | | | | between training sessions. Recording each session and |
| of protein to maximize your body's recovery. | | | | your recovery with training software will give you the |
| As well as rebuilding your body and replacing its | | | | ability to develop the most effective program for |
| depleted supplies nutritionally, it is vital to have a | | | | yourself. |
| sensible training program that includes recovery time. | | | | |