Have you thought about cold showers or baths after the hot shower? The hot shower will be effective in cleaning you, but the the heat can exacerbate swelling in the damaged muscle tissue, possibly making the soreness worse than it needs to be. The cold shower, on the other hand might do the opposite.

Of course I have no scientific studies to back this up, nor am I a certified trainer or coach. But I have found this helpful for getting back on my feet quicker after difficult training sessions.

Hmmm... I've heard of this in marathon training, might be something to it. I do really hate cold showers though!

On the other hand, by the next day, I think promoting blood flow is a good thing and will help speed recovery. I'm just wondering if a light workout does this better than other methods, like heat or massage....

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Unless you are really hurting while doing those light spins, I'd say they are doing you some good. Worst case, you are at least burning some calories. Best case, your doing that, plus developing some pedaling economy and speeding recovery by getting some blood flowing to those sore muscles.

By the way, I think the first reply is advocating those cold showers (I think a cold bath (with ice) would be better) for immediately post-workout, not the following day.

And elevate those legs when resting!!!

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Proud member of Team Tooth Pick (TTP): like a leaf in the wind.

okay, i understand why an ice bath is good post-workout...

but should i really be spending like 3 bucks a workout on bags of ice? would cold water do the trick?

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http://www.theninjadon.blogspot.com

"The bicycle riders drank much wine, and were burned and browned by the sun. They did not take the race seriously except among themselves." -- Ernest Hemingway, The Sun Also Rises

I like to do an easy swim workout after a hard bike or run session, same day or next am. If you do the easy spin I would use a HRM to make sure that HR never goes over about 120 or so... of course that is personal.

You might also want to try some nutritional strategies. Some suggestions from E.F. Coyle.

Within 15 min of stopping workout eat/drink 50-100 grams of rapidly absorded carbos and 10-20 grams of protein.

Eat 50-100 grams of carbos and 10-20 grams of protein every 2 hours unitl next meal.

This should help to quickly restore muscle glycogen levels and rebuild muscle. Also, don't forget to ingest fluids.

Great question. People really tend to ignore pro-active recovery strategies.

I am a huge believer in massage. It is not cheap but it is well worth the cost. One a week, spaced after your hardest wrokouts will facilitate rapid muscle and soft tissue repair. Some massage therapists are also using techniques that help maintain or improve range of motion, that is especially helpful.

The nutrition information throughout this thread is valuable and I will add enough restful sleep also. Sleep is super important and staying warm enough in bed is important too.

All pretty common sense stuff. I am also a believer in using mild, over the counter anti-inflammatories when necessary. I like Aleve.

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Tom Demerly
The Tri Shop.com

Great stuff - thanks for all the replies.

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Anything that increases blood flow will aid recovery. That could be a light swim, a leisurely walk with a spouse/child/dog/group, a light (very light) weight training session, ice, heat, massage, etc.

If I were a pro athlete, I would do all of them. I would warm up thoroughly, have a long workout (or as long as it should be), a relaxing cool down.

Then I would ice/heat, repeat. Later in the day I would nap, then "active recovery" to get the blood going again. I would have a massage, and go to bed completely relaxed.

Most of my active recovery would be chasing my 2yo all over the place.

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I would also hire a chef or buy prepared foods for athletes. This creates a vast amount of free time ... for active recovery.

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With limited time, and so much area to cover, I sometimes do an ice massage. In baseball I would just need my shoulder, elbow area ice massaged, in triathloning, you basically need to whole body, so it's hard, almost impossible to do by yourself.

The above is what my life will be like once I cash this winning powerball ticket.

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-- Every morning brings opportunity;
Each evening offers judgement. --