Legs have no strength

[Zac Herrod]

I'm 17 and would consider myself to be healthy i have a good diet and have been cycling for about 3 years. I race MTB and do road riding for training, towards the end of last summer (2014) when I was at my peak i was averaging 120 miles a week. At this point i was performing well in races. Around comes autumn and i get to do less training because of college so i drop down to around 40 miles a week. I slowly noticed a decrease in my performance in the races (this was to be expected). Just before Christmas I couldn't find the time to get out and i came down with a nasty cold which has steadily improved but has been on and off and i am still suffering but only with mild symptoms. So over the Christmas period i did virtually no riding. Only recently at the start of January have I got back into training and i've noticed my legs will fatigue very easily, i've been struggling in my recent races and have been disappointed in my self. Each training session my legs just didn't feel like they were powerful at all, and i could notice them aching just walking up the stairs. I would have a 1 or 2 day rest period in between training sessions as well but that didn't help. During my race today i felt fine for the first lap but then my legs became very tired and i felt like i had a loss of energy, i don't feel out of breath at all i just felt very lifeless in the legs. I ate plenty the day before with a nice pasta dish the evening before and hydrated well that day and the night before the race. I was just wondering if anyone could give any advice, is it something that will go away? Or is it linked to my illness? i was thinking about taking a week off to focus on getting better.

 

[maydog]

You say your legs don't feel powerful, do you have a means to quantify that; do you use a power meter?

 

[Zac Herrod]

I do not use a power meter,the word powerful was probably not the best one to use. If I start to out put any larger amounts of power ie standing up to climb or increasing resistance on the turbo trainer, I can feel them starting fatigue very quickly when this has not been the case before. I was wondering if I haven't given them enough time to recover, although a couple of days I thought would be okay at my age.

 

[Nigel Doyle]

Sounds like you need to get yourself a coach and get on to a well thought out training plan. You could be burnt out from overtraining although the distances you're doing aren't that high. I do a lot more and I'm 53. I was training 6 days a week but I was not giving myself time to recover so I'm back to 5 days a week and following a training plan that includes a 1 in 4 recovery week.

 

[rgvcycling]

When you say training, what kind of training are you doing?

 

[Zac Herrod]

Recently after christmas I was doing interval training using gcn videos on the turbo trainer as I don't have much time, then on a Sunday either a race or around a 30 mile ride. But in the summer I would just do regular road rides.

 

[rgvcycling]

You obviously lost your power during the winter months and it's going to to take time to rebuild. Just keep up with the intervals or find a training plan that targets increased power and endurance. Either way it's gonna take some time.

 

[OGRICHBOI]

As a fitness buff, I suggest you to drink water and load up on potassium. Bananas, coconuts, or anything that will help the fatigue go away. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking rest days. If you work hard on an injury, then it will only become worse. I recommend taking at least 2 rest days, and then a light day. I know this could effect your schedule, but it is important that the body receives the attention it needs. Best of luck!

 

[kana_marie]

I agree with ovrichboi. The worst pain I have ever had in my legs were from dehydration and needing some potassium. A glass of water and a banana has always been my miracle cure.

 

[gavinfree]

Listen to the above posters on the water and potassium. Also, consider throwing in a little weight training for your legs once or twice per week to increase your leg strength. It might improve things for you so that you don't feel so weak/weaker than normal during rides and getting up and down stairs. Your strength should return in due time, and I wouldn't worry about it being something more serious, at least as this point.

 

[vespid49]

You said that you came down with sickness and didn't bike for a while. Of course when resuming you're legs are going to be sore as you haven't targeted those muscles for a while. Plus, while you were sick you could do no cardio training. I think that just taking it a bit slower and working back to your previous level over time is a good plan. If not, you could also try targeting your legs with exercises - perhaps squats or deadlifts, or some lunges.
Another idea is that you should go for a run and see if you can run as far as you usually do. If you can't, then it seems like it could be a cardio problem.

 

[allswl]

you may need to pay attention to what you are eating just before you train or do a race. Nutrition is a very important part of the dynamic. Are you getting enough carbs and how long before you train or ride do you eat. I would also suggest that you do some weight lifting.