I recently seriously got back into cycling after about 9 years (previously moutain biking). I have been training fairly intensely the last few week (about 100+ mi. a week) and don't seem to be getting much more stamina, strength or endurance. I also have alot of pain in my legs on the tougher climbs. A few friends were saying that there legs never hurt them which seems weird to me. Is it typical to have pain or burning in your legs from lactic acid accumulation or do I have some sort of dificiency thats causng it? I do suspect that I don't have the greatest lung capacity. Could that cause it?
I recently seriously got back into cycling after about 9 years (previously moutain biking). I have been training fairly intensely the last few week (about 100+ mi. a week) and don't seem to be getting much more stamina, strength or endurance. I also have alot of pain in my legs on the tougher climbs. A few friends were saying that there legs never hurt them which seems weird to me. Is it typical to have pain or burning in your legs from lactic acid accumulation or do I have some sort of dificiency thats causng it? I do suspect that I don't have the greatest lung capacity. Could that cause it?
Thanks for your help!
Having a build up of lactate, is perfectly normal (although it's not actually the lactate that causes the problem, but that's another story).
as regards the change in fitness or lack thereof, that could be that you've not been training intensely enough or with enough frequency/volume or because you're not training very efficiently. it's impossible to tell from your info which it is.
the other point is -- have you been MTB right up to switch to road, or was there a break in training for some period of time?
please don't post the same query to multiple forums
Having a build up of lactate, is perfectly normal (although it's not actually the lactate that causes the problem, but that's another story).
as regards the change in fitness or lack thereof, that could be that you've not been training intensely enough or with enough frequency/volume or because you're not training very efficiently. it's impossible to tell from your info which it is.
the other point is -- have you been MTB right up to switch to road, or was there a break in training for some period of time?
please don't post the same query to multiple forums
ric
Thanks for the reply. Actually it's been a number of weeks that I've been riding regularly. When I say regularly I mean about 4-5 times a week for anywhere from 10-30 mi. per ride. I hadn't been riding for 9 years previous to that. When I was riding back then it was on a MTB.
Thanks for the reply. Actually it's been a number of weeks that I've been riding regularly. When I say regularly I mean about 4-5 times a week for anywhere from 10-30 mi. per ride. I hadn't been riding for 9 years previous to that. When I was riding back then it was on a MTB.
Your body will adjust but not everyone is the same. Remember, lactic acid is partially oxidized energy and the reason it forms is lack of oxygen. You body can become adept at reusing lactic acid, completely oxidizing it to carbon dioxide and water.
I would recommend a lower intensity, higher cadence workout to train the body into preventing its formation.
Your body will adjust but not everyone is the same. Remember, lactic acid is partially oxidized energy and the reason it forms is lack of oxygen. You body can become adept at reusing lactic acid, completely oxidizing it to carbon dioxide and water.
I would recommend a lower intensity, higher cadence workout to train the body into preventing its formation.
if you want to increase your fitness, then you will have to train at an intensity that produces moderate to large amounts of lactate (depending on your goals). Training at low intensities won't necessary or (time) efficiently increase your fitness.
Furthermore, you cannot prevent it's formation as lactate is always present, unless you have e.g., McArdles Syndrome.
I recently seriously got back into cycling after about 9 years (previously moutain biking). I have been training fairly intensely the last few week (about 100+ mi. a week) and don't seem to be getting much more stamina, strength or endurance. I also have alot of pain in my legs on the tougher climbs. A few friends were saying that there legs never hurt them which seems weird to me. Is it typical to have pain or burning in your legs from lactic acid accumulation or do I have some sort of dificiency thats causng it? I do suspect that I don't have the greatest lung capacity. Could that cause it?
Thanks for your help!
My 2 cents. your friends lie. If i saw my friend suffer up a climb, i'd tell him my legs weren't hurting either. 😄 just to see the :eek: on their face.
"No Chain! No Chain!" as Hincapie and Armstrong say.......
