Soreness
 

I have read to drink plenty of water and pickle juice. What else do you all do for the soreness after longer rides and some fall/thrown off's?

One thing I an interested in, do any of you use wrist and shoulder support braces? It seems my right wrist and right should is the most sore. Not so much painful, but over time I can see this turning into something more serious if I don't address it now.

I practice soreness prevention through training. I am a runner and bicyclist, so I just work to improve my upper body fitness before I ride. If it's shoulder and wrist, do pushups, pullups, and a rowing machine to increase strength in your arms. Pushups for the shoulders, elbows, and wrists, and pullups and rowing machine for upper and lower back as well as building strength to stand on the bike. Plus, pullups and rowing machine build grip strength.

I would guess that you aren't perfectly comfortable on the bike right now, and you are basically hanging on the bars. I suggest standing as much as possible, with a forward lean through your waist. Keep your legs as straight as possible. Riding in a crouch position (half standing) will wear your legs, arms, and back to no end. Especially your quads. Standing allows you to balance over the bike and use your arms for steering and hands for the controls.

Look for Shane Watts videos online. He teaches the best way to stand while riding.

Vitamin I! Ibuprofen helps. Take at least 800 mg as this is the dosage required for the drug to work as an anti-inflammatory. I usually take the same dosage before a long ride or race, as I feel it helps with arm pump.

The soreness after rides will abate as you continue to get into "riding" shape. If I am riding on a regular basis (ie. weekly) I do not get soreness, even after a 60-80 mile loop of technical single track.

If I could justify a gym membership and the money to use it I would. But I live 20+ miles from closest gym, figure in gas for my truck and membership I am looking at $200-250 monthly to workout. I will however start with push-ups and sit-ups again and see where that leads me. Pull-ups, maybe but not for awhile on that, weight needs to be cut before that happens.

This reminds me of the Army, "Your leg broke, here 800mg and some water, you'll be fine" Common med for Army, they were like Pez candy!

I will start taking again before and after rides, I didn't even think about it honestly.....

I have a list of body weight exercises that I used to train for my last 100 mile race (18 months ago...). It is analog so I need to convert to digital. A big long list that I alternated in a Tabata protocol (or HIIT) to get maximum results. Also try jumping rope for cardio. Before you buy a jump rope, make sure it has a free spinning "rope," preferably with bearings in the end. It makes it just that little bit easier.

Here's a short list before I take the time to dig out my exercise sheet:
Squats with overhead press (8 lb dumb bells for me)
Push ups
Russian twist
Jumping jacks
Flys (lifting your arms from your side with dumb bells)
High knee lifts
Running in place (sprints)
Mountain climbers

Group four exercises together. Do each exercise for 20 seconds followed by 10 seconds of rest. Repeat each group of exercises 4 times. Get an HIIT app for your phone, because you will not be able to keep track of where you are. Another use for the HIIT app is jumping rope with the same protocol: 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off, four times.

Ibuprofen (and most other NSAIDs) are pretty brutal on the stomach, particularly at larger doses... and especially if you haven't eaten much. In saying that they do work wonders in regards to taking the edge off any residual pain post ride.

It's basically the same as any other form of muscle fatigue, in that whenever you (over)work a group of muscles that haven't been used strenuously in some time there will be muscle damage and repair occurring. Interestingly, riding bikes is absolutely magic at targeting pretty much all your muscle groups and finding places to be sore that you didn't even know you had.

As above though, through seat time, cross training, improved technique, repetition, etc you will become 'ride fit'. You'll either be riding for harder/longer and pulling up with less fatigue, as well as recovering much more quickly.

In the mean time, over the counter pain killers, fluids, cold/warm showers, and supplements can all help. B group vitamins are good - but I find most tend to be urinated out before getting the full benefit, so mostly I just try and eat a balanced diet, and supplement with magnesium when I feel the need (do some research to see benefits).

Keep at it mate, you'll be there in no time! That struggle 2 days later where you feel like you've been hit by a bus is just a reminder of the great time you had! Embrace it.

Pedialite a couple hours before the ride. Drink a whole bottle of it. This will cut out the cramps and keep you hydrated during the ride too. Then immediately afterwards and the next day have a protein shake to help the muscles rebuild. And a decent diet goes a long way too. I try my best to steer clear of any kind of pill as the long term side effects far outweigh any short term benefits.


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50/50 Jim Beam Red Stag & Stones Ginger Wine.After 3 all you feel is happy.

I was thinking Jack Daniels and Ginger Ale, nice snappy drink and 3-4 in, pain turns to numbness..... Good one!:D

Soreness
 

Well, I've been doing medical research for 32 years. After every hard ride, race, work party or day at motocross track. I take 4 200mg Advil's and start drinking beer. The beer ALWAYS gets the job done first. 4 200mg Advil's equals a Tylenol 3 with Codine. Source, from my Dentist. Forest