cycling whilst physically tired ( is it beneficial)

[johnnyb47]

Hi to all. This may sound a bit of a stupid question ( which I am lol ) but it regards cycling when you are physically tired. Every night after work I've been venturing out in my bike doing anything between 15 miles to 20 on each ride. It's almost become an addiction and now that I'm a sad old git who lives by my self i actually enjoy getting out in the evening and watch the world go by , ( or should I say goes by me at the pace I do ). My main goal is to get fit once again and at the moment I'm averaging around 14/ 15 mph on each ride . So when I do feel physically drained after working all day and find it hard going cycling, it makes me wonder whether or not its beneficial to cycle while feeling like this. On the one hand I ride slower but I still manage to put the miles in ,so would this be of less benefit to me against going out when I'm feeling like Chris Froome lol. . On the other hand though I sometimes think cycling whilst tired is probably good for you because it helps you push harder to maintain a respectable pace and pushing tired legs muscles will gain strength quicker.
I just wandering what would be your views on this be , as you are all no doubt more experienced and informed than me
Many thanks for reading and any advice is always highly appreciated
Johnny

 

[keithmac]

I would say it's far more benificial than being sat in front of the tele!, especially if you enjoy doing it.

Maybe have a rest day (Wednesday?) to give your body some recovery time?.

 

[Dec66]

So long as you're not injured; why not?

You'll sleep better, if nothing else.

 

[S-Express]

pushing tired legs muscles will gain strength quicker.

Except if you never allow the muscle to recover, it's always going to feel tired, so it's a bit of a no-win. Recovery is part of every athlete's training regime.

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Between end of May/beginning of July this year I did 10 days at work, then one day off, then an 8 day tour on the bike, back to work straight after, no day off for 2 weeks.
I was riding to work every day, plus I did a 40 miler after work one day.
I was so tired that I kept falling off the bike: average speed 5mph.
No, I don't think it's beneficial

 

[mythste]

How do you feel once you're on the bike? I've really upped my commuting miles recently, and although my legs feel a little heavy first thing in the morning, once I've got up and started pedalling that weight soon disappears.

 

[snorri]

If you were just mentally drained from work, I would say your evening cycling would be a good thing, but to be physically drained from work then further drain your body physically by evening cycling does not seem like a good idea to me. The body needs rest, or something will give.
I'm not a medic, what do I know?

 

[GlenBen]

Its probably not the right advice, but Id say that so long as you give yourself a rest occasionally, a cycle in the evening is beneficial. Being out on the bike enjoying yourself, getting light exercise, being in the fresh air, keeping you happy. It has to be better than sitting in front of the tv with a beer.

 

[NorthernDave]

Sometimes I do have to push myself to get out on the bike, but when I do get out there I enjoy it and it's a great way to put all the nonsense of the day behind you.

So, providing your enjoying it and it's not doing you any harm, carry on!

 

[johnnyb47]

Thank you all for the good advice given. This morning my legs still feel like there full of concrete. I think I will begrudgingly take a day off today from cycling and go out tomorrow instead. I bet the fitter guys will probably find this post quite amusing because they probably treat my epic milage ( to me ) as a warm up session.:-))
It may be just me feeling run down at the moment as I have summer cold and I'm not getting a decent night sleep from it.
Anyway I best get ready for work now
Take care all and have yourselves a good day :-)
Johnny

 

[Cuchilo]

As said above , rest is a major part of training .

 

[coffeejo]

I bet the fitter guys will probably find this post quite amusing because they probably treat my epic milage ( to me ) as a warm up session.:-))

It's not a competition. You're obviously pushing yourself to the limit - nothing else matters.

 

[summerdays]

It's also about whether you are alert and aware on the road, I know if I am tired I make more mistakes, and I will change my route to avoid the more difficult parts.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Try mixing it up a bit, do some early morning rides, do some evening rides and as others have said put in regular rest days and give yourself some recovery time.

 

[steveindenmark]

Johnny, cycling is a very personal thing. The only person you are competing against is yourself, so don't worry about what other people do. I don't bother with speed or trying to improve it. But I remember points on my ride and my aim is not to be so knackered the next time I reach that point. Cycling fitness does not come overnight, it takes months and months of gradual work. If I concentrated on getting fit every time I go out for a ride I would have jacked it in by now. I just go out and ride. I find new routes and always have a camera with me. I stop for ice cream and a paddle.

I now know it takes me 2.15 hours to cover 30 miles and that is just warming my legs up. 100 milers are not a problem and if I am doing a short 30km ride I will now and go and look for hills. Where in the past I would avoid them like the plague. But it all came about by just riding a bike and not training, training, training.

With regards to feeling tired. You are probably like me, you stay awake far too long watching TV after your ride. We both know it is dross whats on the TV. Get to bed a lot earlier and in a couple of weeks you will feel a lot better.