Hi All,
Is it normal during build phase to have almost constant burn in quads?
During SSB I had enough time to regenerate, but right now my legs hurt, I’m able to do trainings but just wanted to find out if this is typical for this phase of training.
I’m supplementing my training with Whey protein and BCAA.
Compared to doing intervals outside my quads are much more sore from riding my trainer. I think it’s more due to difference in inertia and having to “muscle” the pedal going over the top. Sort of like if your used to riding in Florida all year then you move to Summit Co. Colorado. Imagine climbing 100% or the time vs. flat riding.
Also, if your glutes are weak with respect to the quads then your quads might be picking up more of the load. I’ve been doing some extra work to make sure my glutes stay engaged…
Must vary by person. My legs are rarely sore after a cycling training session - just tired. Neither do my legs feel like a limiter during any session - it’s my heart instead.
Post ride the hard efforts are felt around the knees. Sore quads after a trainer or outdoor ride? I can probably count the number of times per year on one hand. Everybody is different.
It depends what your limiter is. For me it’s my heart/cardio system, not my legs. I hit 187 HR during my ramp test which is the highest I’ve seen my HR in 5 years, and it felt like my heart was going to explode (which would be bad!). My legs were tired, but not the reason I stopped.
My legs do get sore after strength sessions, which I do 1x per week, and have been doing for 30 years. So maybe it’s a different kind of loading/stress than cycling required to get my legs sore.
Agree with @skraburski , if your legs are never sore I’d question if you’re pushing yourself enough to adapt and get stronger. Legs are sore because they have been broken down.
When muscles are required to work harder than they’re used to or in a different way, it’s believed to cause microscopic damage to the muscle fibres, resulting in muscle soreness or stiffness.
You recover and come back stronger (supercompensation)
My legs are also rarely sore after TR sessions. Sure they feel tired but not sore. I try to keep my cadence up around 90 to 95 which according to coach chad puts more emphasis on the cardiovascular system as opposed to lower cadence sessions which work muscles more.
I’m not even referring to increasing FTP. I did Traditional Base MV and my legs were sore from doing mostly Z2 and a little low tempo work. My FTP actually decreased initially but my legs were still sore (new stimulus for me with LSD rides).
I think we’re splitting hairs referring to sore vs “tired”. I’m not sure what tired means in reference to muscles.
Everyone is different. I can do z2 work day after day without feeling sore. I did traditional base 1 high volume and all it did was make me hungry after each workout. And I picked up some nice aerobic gains after 4 weeks. And @mcneese.chad reported similar as you while experimenting with polarized training.
My cadence is 95-107 normally with my average for the workouts being upper 90s. The shorter the workouts (1:30 and under) the higher the cadence. So cadence can’t be the reason for muscle soreness, but to your point I agree.