Best Way To Relax After A Long Ride



Dora M

Active Member
Feb 20, 2015
122
26
0
Colombia
After I've been riding all day, I like to go and float in a swimming pool for a while to let all those tense muscles unwind. If I don't do that, I definitely can feel pain in my legs for the next few days. I don't need to take any supplements to prevent cramps, all I need is an hour in the water, preferably warm salt water.
How about you?
 
  • Like
Reactions: haleylx4
Really? Crack? I thought crack tensed the muscles. That's how i picture it, anyway. I haven't tried it myself.
 
Lol
I thought you meant the drug,
But I've been trying to picture how a crack, any kind of crack, can help you relax
Is it your crack, or someone else's?
 
I wish I had a swimming pool to go relax in after a ride however I dont so I usually just have a hot bubble bath and it works wonders
 
Stretching and Myofascial release using a foam roller for me but later in the day. Immediately after the ride I do a 5 minute cool down / stretching regime. I do the stretching and foam roller stuff every day even on rest days. I used to have very tight IT bands. This is now a thing of the past.
 
Stretching every muscle group slowly and thoroughly. I like to make sure I get every possible engle to find any tight spots and get them untied. Also epsom salt baths are great. The trick is to get hot enough to be effective without overheating myself. It's kind of an art, but if I get it right it's just amazingly good at relaxing all the muslces and getting them nice and loosened up.
 
I'm on the same wavelength as Mpre - Though I would expand it a little

Beer, sex (order unimportant)!then a nap
 
A good long shower so I don't stink any more, and then sitting down on my lovely couch to watch my lovely TV (Broadchurch in case anyone was wondering!)
 
I'd have another ride the day after, not a long one probably. Depends on how you feel, etc.

And of course shower is something that turns from routine to joy after a ride, especially a long one (I think there was no need to mention shower in this thread at all :)).
 
Stretching is my first step when I want to relax. My body doesn't get into complete relaxation mode until I pay attention to tense muscles. I'm pretty lowkey, so relaxation usually just entails stretching, shower, and lying in bed.
 
Nigel Doyle said:
Stretching and Myofascial release using a foam roller for me but later in the day. Immediately after the ride I do a 5 minute cool down / stretching regime. I do the stretching and foam roller stuff every day even on rest days. I used to have very tight IT bands. This is now a thing of the past.
That's a really good idea. I've got some foam rollers that I take with me to the pool. Perhaps next time I can try and roll on them on the lawn for a while for some extra benefits. How long did it take you for your IT bands to loosen up? And what happens if you don't stretch for a while? Do you get pain, do you feel stiff?
 
I'd do some loosening exercises after a long ride and take a warm water bath. I lay back in my garden and sip on piping hot coffee.
 

Similar threads