pippen_2k Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 If anyone has any insight it would be much appreciated. I am currently training for Triathlons, whereby I am training 6 days a week, 2 times a day. During this time I am doing 2 weights circuits a week working all body parts. As I Ride and run long distances I really need my legs to be fresh as possible, but just recently after my weight workouts my legs have been so fatigued I have been cramping up in the pool whilst kicking. Also whilst running yesterday afternoon my legs were feeling fatigued at only like the 6km mark .. roughly halfway.. so I struggled to finish. So I am just curious to know if a) I should continue to do leg exercies in the gym such as Squats, but just manage my time better? or b) since I run and ride alot ( there is alot of leg resistance in cycling ) I should maybe cut out leg exercies altogether... cause I really cant afford to have a couple of days off to recover... Any advice would be cool! Link to post Share on other sites
Blackfrost Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 b) since I run and ride alot ( there is alot of leg resistance in cycling ) I should maybe cut out leg exercies altogether... cause I really cant afford to have a couple of days off to recover... Stick with "B" the last thing your legs need is additional exercise on top of the running and cycling. Your legs are fatigued because they are not getting enough recovery time to heal micro tears. Save your lower body weight training for off season times. but just recently after my weight workouts my legs have been so fatigued I have been cramping up in the pool whilst kicking. Cramping is a result of vitamin deficiency and lactic acid buildup. Are you getting enough potassium to support the amount of exertion that you are putting your body though? I would highly reccomend a solid daily multi-vitamin just to make sure you're not depleting yourself detrimentally. Hope this helps Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
Author pippen_2k Posted September 16, 2005 Author Share Posted September 16, 2005 Thanks for the reply Blackfrost. When you mention Potassium, I did a quick search myself and saw that potassium and sodium deficencies were the main reasons for cramping..along with a lack of water. Im sure water aint the problem, so Im gonna check out at getting some multi vitamins containing them 2, cause Im obviously not eating enough of that food source to get me by. As with the weights, Ill take ur advice and lay off the leg exercises untill after xmas. Cheers Link to post Share on other sites
MattB Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 i used to race cat B. You need to be taking potassium and drinking electrolytes. What I found to be helpfull was to ride/run in the morning, then do weights at night. Before and after doing weights, do some light spinning to get the blood flowing in your legs (and the lactic acid out). Much more effective then stretching. By doing the weights last, you can guage how hard you can work. Much easier to not over do it. we also rode 7 days a week. Day 7 was very VERY easy (5 miles of flat @ 15 mph and 60 to 80 RPM) and just basicly enough to get warmed up. The whole purpose was to get blood flowing and keep the muscle from getting stiff. Link to post Share on other sites
Blackfrost Posted September 16, 2005 Share Posted September 16, 2005 BTW a great source of potassium is a banana a day - I usually have one in my protein shake each morning, or I start to cramp up pretty badly, even with a daily vitamin. Link to post Share on other sites
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