# Rest days and funky legs afterward?



## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

Serious question here.. I've typically taken very few rest days totally off the bike. This season I'm trying to rest more and forcing myself to take a day off each week to recover. However the day following my rest days my legs just feel lacking. I feel fine. No pain and no immediately perceivable fatigue. However I lack any "depth". Week after week my first hard workout following a rest day just doesn't go anywhere. The next day I do better and can dig deeper.. aka hitting my threshold etc.

Anyone else get this? I can't imagine myself being the only one.


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## kbiker3111 (Nov 7, 2006)

I agree, if I do a hard workout then a day off my legs feel rusty the following day. Once I'm warmed up things are fine, but it takes a bit longer to get there and I suffer a bit more. Not a big deal most of the time, but during a block of A races, I won't take a day off for as long as a month. I'll do 30-45 minute recovery rides some days, but it helps my legs the next day.


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## DMH2979 (May 24, 2011)

This is very common and there are various theories on why it happens. Sometimes a very light ride in lieu of complete rest can help. When resting for a big race or important stage race, I usually take the Sun, Mon, Tues off beforehand and then start to ramp it up again so that my legs are "open" come race day.


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## r.shoemaker78 (Feb 23, 2012)

I'm by no means a racer but I have been training 5-6 days a week and noticed the same effect. What I started doing on my rest days was spending a good 30-45 min just stretching and relaxing when I would normally be on my trainer. Not only did my legs feel stronger on the next ride, the added flexibilty has really improved my ability to stay in the drops for longer stretches.

This has just been my experience for the last month and it really seems to be helping me a lot.


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## trener1 (Jan 22, 2004)

That is why during the Tour, on rest days the pros still go out for a easy couple of hours of riding.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Mar 7, 2008)

Glad I'm not the only 1. I have a bad habit of not taking easy day easy enough. So I've tried taking days off entirely to ensure I recover. Considering how poorly I respond the next day I will need to change my game plan


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

the body needs movement... even if you're off the bike you should be doing something to get blood pumping, working the muscles... yoga / calisthenics / light jog / whatever


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## bytewalls (Feb 14, 2010)

After your hard day you should not have a day off, just lets the body stiffen up. You definately need to recover but active recovery can work wonders. Ride super super easy, 1 hour the day after your hard ride, and then take a rest day. Keeping your muscles moving forces things to break up a little bit and loosen everything up hopefully will help you avoid that 'dead' feeling


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