What's Too Much???

Riding regularly is not a problem, and will help you improve. Of course, you should probably tell us a bit more about what you are doing in terms of your riding... time, distance, intensity, etc so that we could be a bit more specific with our feedback.

I would also point out that you will need time to recuperate - whether this means a day off per week or more depends on many factors, starting from your current overall fitness to the objectives that you want to achieve through riding.

I rode 10.75 miles yesterday, at about 38 min i kept a 90RPM cadence, I'm in the Army so I am pretty fit I have run 5 days a week for the last ten years, 3 to 10 miles. I'm no stranger to pain. My goal is to become a beast on the bike I love competition and would love to race. I just bought a trek 1000sl my first bike on wednesday. my first ride was the one above no major issues just some calf cramping and posterior soreness.

10.75 miles in 38 min for a first ride is fairly respectable, about 17 MPH. 90 RPM Cadence is good too. Posterior pain can either be just getting used to a saddle or having the wrong saddle. Leg cramping could be from using muscles that you normally don't use. Running uses different muscles than riding. Also, a potassium deficiency could lead to muscle cramping. Try eating a banana while you are riding and make sure that you are hydrated, a liter of water per hour if it is hot out. You might also try a sports drink that replaces electrolytes.

Concerning posterior pain, you may need to experiment a little to find the perfect saddle. I had a nice cushy saddle with a lot of padding that used to cause me pain right above my (for lack of the anatomical name) butt crack. It didn't hurt when I was sitting but as soon as I started to get up the pain would be staggering. I bought a new bike that had a stock Selle Italia saddle on it and I thought that this was going to be a problem as it was a very hard saddle except for three very lightly padded spots on top. I decided to try it anyway and now I won't use anything else. Unfortunately this saddle is starting to show signs of wear as I transfer it to whatever bike I intend to ride that day.

Anyway, you should only have a small amount of soreness from getting used to the saddle and maybe a few small aches from getting your riding muscles into shape. If there is any other pain then you have a problem that you should see your LBS and/or doctor about. You may be used to pain but it is not a good thing. "No pain, no gain" is not true! No discomfort, no gain is.

kdelong is correct. You will obviously suffer some pain and discomfort, but intentionally killing yourself will not help you develop.

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Replace or alternate. Its fine to work out everyday. If you have pain perhaps changing the pace or intensity. Maybe walk it off for awhile to work it out.

If you're worried, do more stretches and start out at short distances and work your way up. But if not, then just go for it. It won't be bad for you.

If my body is too tired and I lack the motivation to run or ride then I take that as a sign to slow down. Even if I have some goals made for the day if I lack the energy or if there is some pain in my legs or arms then I would spend more time recuperating by staying at home relaxing or hanging out with good friends

I replaced running with cycling with no problems.

I think there is no any limit in exercising but always remember to use your common sense that when there is too much pain it is good to take a day or two off.

If you are already active it may not be a problem for you to bear the ache and pain of sore muscles. Anyway, be careful about over -exerting and know the difference between just being tired and damaging yourself.

Cycling everyday or even twice a day is pretty normal for me, especially during the summer months. You never hear of motor vehicle drivers asking themselves of what's too much to drive every day. I understand that riding a bike is a far great physical activity than driving a car. But if you take regular short trips with your bike, you shouldn't experience any problems if you're fit.