Even if you ride an electric bike, your muscles are still working overtime in order to pedal the machine. If you are suffering from muscle soreness, you should know that there are plenty of ways to treat it safely. With this in mind, here are some tips for dealing with muscle soreness from cycling.
Learn About Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness
Delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) comes from the damage to your muscles while exercising. However, even though the damage occurs during exercise, you probably won’t feel sorry until the next day.
Sometimes, DOMS can manifest between 48 and 72 hours after exercise. In addition, the symptoms can last between five and seven days.
You should know that although DOMS is only a mild form of muscular damage, it indicates that you are overworking yourself. Therefore, make sure you get enough rest after a long bike ride so your muscles can recuperate.
Read also: Avoiding hip pain while riding an e-bike, with a few easy steps. Or what to do when your bottom is sore when riding an e-bike?
Take an Ice Bath
To help relieve muscle soreness, you may want to take an ice bath to reduce swelling. This type of relief has been used for centuries due to its tried and true effectiveness. Essentially, the ice helps to reduce blood flow to your sore muscles, which gives them more time to heal.
The ice also helps numb your pain receptors at the point of contact, so you won’t feel as sore. On the other hand, switching your ice with heat helps promote blood flow for repairing damaged tissue, so you should often use an ice pack and a heat pack in conjunction with one another. Nonetheless, too much heat can promote inflammation, so you should lean more towards the cooler part of the equation.
Read also: Does riding an e-bike help train strength and endurance? And, Are electric bikes good for cardio exercise?
Eat More Protein
Eating a balanced diet is an essential health tip whether you have sore muscles or not. Nevertheless, the primary ingredient for repairing muscles is protein, so you should add more protein-rich foods to your diet if you don’t eat them already. Some examples include eggs, chicken, milk, and legumes such as almonds.
If you are vegan or don’t like the taste of these foods, you can consume larger quantities of protein by taking supplements. On the extreme end of things, don’t switch to a protein-only diet if you are taking cycling more seriously because eliminating carbohydrates too quickly is one of the main reasons a cyclist experiences cycling fatigue.
Overall, cycling is a stimulating way to get exercise, but working too hard could put your muscles in harm’s way. Now that you know a few tips for dealing with muscle soreness from cycling, you can continue to enjoy this hobby without any setbacks.
Read also: Are electric bikes good for exercise? And, Can I use an e-bike to get fit or for weight loss?
