help! dead legs and im not sure why anymore



stea1thviper

New Member
Nov 11, 2006
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Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.
 
I had a similar experience a week ago I think I had a bug my wife and kid were very sick a few days after my failed 20 minute TT attempt where I could go 10 minutes and no more. I think the city water had a moment of contamination I always have a cap full of vinegar in a glass of water in the morning and when they got sick I started doing vinegar and water at lunch also and my strength started to come back. Can't wait to see the annual water dept report for January.
 
wiredued said:
I had a similar experience a week ago I think I had a bug my wife and kid were very sick a few days after my failed 20 minute TT attempt where I could go 10 minutes and no more. I think the city water had a moment of contamination I always have a cap full of vinegar in a glass of water in the morning and when they got sick I started doing vinegar and water at lunch also and my strength started to come back. Can't wait to see the annual water dept report for January.
Wire, I'm curious, what's with the vinegar?
 
Sounds like over training to me. Two days off may not be long enough depending on you much you trained before your "dead legs" set in.
 
bladegeek said:
Sounds like over training to me. Two days off may not be long enough depending on you much you trained before your "dead legs" set in.
I agree, too much man.

http://www.pursuit-performance.com.au/polar/html/segments/Cycling.html

The above link will get you to a Polar website. on the left of the site is a link to polar personal trainer. You sound like you are into what you do, so I'm guessing you have a HR Monitor. You don't need it but it is handy.

The trainer will you give you an exercise program with a diary. The diary is very easy to navigate around and uses a simple drag and drop function to customise your week etc. The exercises are easy to follow and understand. I can't remember the name of the guy who writes them...

Rego (free) on the site is just an email addy and some personal stuff like height, weight and age...oh, and where you are going with your goals. Some of the training may feel like you are doing nothing, don't fret. Others cane you!!

I haven't been crook since using the site and my performance has improved in competition.

It's a good alternative to a personal coach.
 
stea1thviper said:
Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.
I have read before that people report get great results just before or at the begining of being overtrained. The other thing i thought of when reading this is maby you are under eating?
 
Olie said:
I have read before that people report get great results just before or at the begining of being overtrained. The other thing i thought of when reading this is maby you are under eating?
hmm, interesting. any sources to back that up? and undereating is def a possibility. well ill up my food consumption over the next couple days and see how that works out.
 
stea1thviper said:
hmm, interesting. any sources to back that up? and undereating is def a possibility. well ill up my food consumption over the next couple days and see how that works out.
No i cant remember where I read that, but i read it when I thought I may have been overtraining. I'll have a look on the web and see if i can find it.
 
Dead legs means you're overreached, unless there's some other medical condition causing it. I experienced this last year after hard sessions indoors.

I just had 3 very good sessions on the indoor trainer this week, and had a bit of what you describe plus moderate constant pain in my left side. Just took it easy today.

-bikeguy
 
bikeguy said:
Dead legs means you're overreached, unless there's some other medical condition causing it. I experienced this last year after hard sessions indoors.

I just had 3 very good sessions on the indoor trainer this week, and had a bit of what you describe plus moderate constant pain in my left side. Just took it easy today.

-bikeguy
Yup.. Make sure you're eating right, which is a lot tougher than most people imagine. Periodize your training, maybe a more important point. Here's how you get faster:

1. Sleep more.
2. Stretch more.
3. Go fast more.
 
What does your PMC tell you? What has been the ramp rate for the last 42 days? I say you are under eating.

stea1thviper said:
Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.
 
CapeRoadster said:
Yup.. Make sure you're eating right, which is a lot tougher than most people imagine. Periodize your training, maybe a more important point. Here's how you get faster:

1. Sleep more.
2. Stretch more.
3. Go fast more.

It was more a lack of motivation I felt than leg heaviness, however once the weather warms up and I go out for 100 km+ rides then I can literally have tired legs, if I do 3 long rides consecutively. So far my endurance continues to improve though so maybe I can make 3 130 km rides back to back.

I agree that a stretching seems to even improve my TT speed. I've got to remember, just a few hamstring, calf and glute stretches before TT's.

-bikeguy
 
stea1thviper said:
Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.


Like Bluejersey, I am wondering if you use WKO+ and have details to share on your PMC. If not, could you give us a general picture of what your volume has looked like over the past 7, 14, 28 days and over the last 3 months (eg have you had an off season and then built up quickly.

Also, how much carbohydrate are you getting in your diet? How many calories? And how many calories are you burning (approx equal to kilojoules burnt on the powermeter).
 
stea1thviper said:
Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.
Since it sounds like you don't have a PM, but are using a formula to convert speed to power on your trainer, I would check for an issue in that system. A change in tire, tire pressure, roller resistance, break rubbing, etc, could have a large affect on the estimated wattage.
 
stea1thviper said:
Alright, this is really starting to worry me. Last week I was doing great. I was breaking my power records on the indoor trainer and even feeling fresh afterwards. Next day I did a 2 hour tempo ride no problem. Wattage still looking great. Then all the sudden the next morning I felt incredibly sluggish. Two weeks prior I had been off the bike for 4-5 days so I figured there was no way I was overtrained so I tried an endurance workout on the trainer again only to find my legs were just dead. I normally average 180ish watts on 4+ hour rides, and my legs were showing signs of being tired after maintaining 170 watts for 10 minutes. So I just did an easy half an hour and called it a day. Day after I took off completely.

I figured 2 days of no training was more than enough to recover so the next day I decided to do a 2x20. I was aiming for 270 watts for the first 20 minute ride, but I had to kill myself to average 260 for 10 minutes. I couldn't believe it. So I just warmed down and called it a day. Next day I did a 2 hour endurance ride and now this morning my legs are as lifeless as can be.

Sorry for the detailed training log, I'm hoping that someone out there can help explain to me if I'm doing something wrong that I'm unaware of. These dead legs are starting to become very frustrating and worrysome.


You have done too much. Your schedule is not optimized for recovery

Prior to your 4-5 days off when was your last recovery week?

After breaking you wattage records during the week and then... a TWO HOUR Tempo ride is A LOT! After this ride you were tired and glycogen depleted. You should have never attempted the endurance ride the next day at all.....you needed three days of recovery riding for 30-60 minutes with NO pressure at all on the pedals and a very low heart rate..like 110.

You took two days easy and then tried a 2 X 20 and found you had dead legs so you stopped early and that's good....but then you did a 2 hour endurance ride the next day and THAT IS BAD....it should have been a short recovery ride.

Bro.....you worked hard before all this as evidenced by wattage breakage. Also, it is my guess that you did at least three days in a row pretty hard and I bet you did 4-5 days in a row ..right? Anyway ...you trained hard but failed to allow for recovery. I see what happened to you ALL THE TIME.
You trained hard for 3-5 days in a row which is a tough block....then you needed to allow for recovery IN A BLOCK as well.

Sometimes you can recover in two days but sometimes you can't. Most guys cannot recover consistently in two days after 3-5 hard days in a row You have to heed the signs ..which was a power drop and dead legs...then you need to do the right thing and NOT train until you are recovered.


NOW STOP and take two days of recovery. First day is 30-45 minutes recovery ride EASY...no pressure....it is NOT training in the slightest. It s wise to do this on your trainer. If you do it outside and there are ANY hills at all then use a mountain bike and the low gears...NO pressure on the legs at all! Then the next day take OFF the bike and go for a 30 minute walk.
Start eating a lot of carbs and some good quality protein.
 
bikeguy said:
It was more a lack of motivation I felt than leg heaviness, however once the weather warms up and I go out for 100 km+ rides then I can literally have tired legs, if I do 3 long rides consecutively. So far my endurance continues to improve though so maybe I can make 3 130 km rides back to back.

I agree that a stretching seems to even improve my TT speed. I've got to remember, just a few hamstring, calf and glute stretches before TT's.

-bikeguy
wow 130 km ride in Finland...I have never been to Europe, but looking at a map of Europe, Finland is not a large country...if you rode 130 kms in Finland, you would end up in Austria !!!:eek:
 
Aussie Steve said:
wow 130 km ride in Finland...I have never been to Europe, but looking at a map of Europe, Finland is not a large country...if you rode 130 kms in Finland, you would end up in Austria !!!:eek:
HAHAHAHAHA :)
Then I could ride from the Netherlands to the French alps in one day at my bicycle!!

I wish :D:D:D:D
 
Aussie Steve said:
wow 130 km ride in Finland...I have never been to Europe, but looking at a map of Europe, Finland is not a large country...if you rode 130 kms in Finland, you would end up in Austria !!!:eek:

Hahaha.. maybe 1/3 to being out if I rode in one direction only. Now Denmark on the otherhand, you'd definitely be way out if you rode 130 km in one direction. I sometimes kid my dad about that, since he's from there.
:p
 
bikeguy said:
Hahaha.. maybe 1/3 to being out if I rode in one direction only. Now Denmark on the otherhand, you'd definitely be way out if you rode 130 km in one direction. I sometimes kid my dad about that, since he's from there.
:p
Bikeguy, just checked on your current weather (0200 Weds): -34C (-29F), with a forecast high of -18C (0F). Hope you're not planning that 130 km ride anytime soon! :eek: