Sore Calf
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Sore Calf
Throwing this out there to get your experienced advice from people I can relate to!
For some reason I occasionally get calf pain after riding which mostly comes from riding the bike on my trainer when I Zwift. Last year I got it so bad that I had a huge bruise on the back of my calf when I don't bruise easily. The bike I'm on is a bit large for me and someone said it could be because it's not fitted for me. My outside road bike is a size 56 and this bike is 58 but I'm 5"11" so that shouldn't be too big?
It doesn't really happen when I'm on my outdoor bikes but mostly with the inside bike on the trainer. I have a smart trainer so it applies resistance on Zwift hills.
Any ideas on how I can prevent this?
For some reason I occasionally get calf pain after riding which mostly comes from riding the bike on my trainer when I Zwift. Last year I got it so bad that I had a huge bruise on the back of my calf when I don't bruise easily. The bike I'm on is a bit large for me and someone said it could be because it's not fitted for me. My outside road bike is a size 56 and this bike is 58 but I'm 5"11" so that shouldn't be too big?
It doesn't really happen when I'm on my outdoor bikes but mostly with the inside bike on the trainer. I have a smart trainer so it applies resistance on Zwift hills.
Any ideas on how I can prevent this?
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Anytime I hear of calf problems, the first thing I imagine is that the foot is too far back on the pedal causing you to have to use your calf muscles way too much. Sometimes it takes some getting used to, but putting your foot further forward on the pedal might give you better power transfer into the pedals and work your calf and rest of body less.
Also might be your seat is too high and you are having to point your toes down near the bottom of your stroke.
Or maybe you just naturally try to pedal with your foot angle constantly varying as you pedal. Don't do that.
As for the bruising, that's odd to me. I seldom bruise even after taking a bad hit or fall. Might that be long term diet related or something else you need to look into?
Also might be your seat is too high and you are having to point your toes down near the bottom of your stroke.
Or maybe you just naturally try to pedal with your foot angle constantly varying as you pedal. Don't do that.
As for the bruising, that's odd to me. I seldom bruise even after taking a bad hit or fall. Might that be long term diet related or something else you need to look into?
Last edited by Iride01; 09-11-20 at 08:40 AM.
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It does sound like a fit issue, or possibly pushing too hard a gear, or a combo of both.
If your 56 is a good fit, just make sure your saddle position to the pedals is the same on both bikes. You can adjust the stem on the 58 to get the same reach. Are the cranks the same length on both bikes?
You should be able to get the 58 adjusted close enough to the 56 for trainer rides. I assume you’re using the same type of pedals on both bikes???
If your 56 is a good fit, just make sure your saddle position to the pedals is the same on both bikes. You can adjust the stem on the 58 to get the same reach. Are the cranks the same length on both bikes?
You should be able to get the 58 adjusted close enough to the 56 for trainer rides. I assume you’re using the same type of pedals on both bikes???
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Throwing this out there to get your experienced advice from people I can relate to!
For some reason I occasionally get calf pain after riding which mostly comes from riding the bike on my trainer when I Zwift. Last year I got it so bad that I had a huge bruise on the back of my calf when I don't bruise easily. The bike I'm on is a bit large for me and someone said it could be because it's not fitted for me. My outside road bike is a size 56 and this bike is 58 but I'm 5"11" so that shouldn't be too big?
It doesn't really happen when I'm on my outdoor bikes but mostly with the inside bike on the trainer. I have a smart trainer so it applies resistance on Zwift hills.
Any ideas on how I can prevent this?
For some reason I occasionally get calf pain after riding which mostly comes from riding the bike on my trainer when I Zwift. Last year I got it so bad that I had a huge bruise on the back of my calf when I don't bruise easily. The bike I'm on is a bit large for me and someone said it could be because it's not fitted for me. My outside road bike is a size 56 and this bike is 58 but I'm 5"11" so that shouldn't be too big?
It doesn't really happen when I'm on my outdoor bikes but mostly with the inside bike on the trainer. I have a smart trainer so it applies resistance on Zwift hills.
Any ideas on how I can prevent this?
If one side then your dominant leg is working too hard and you can work to strengthen the other side for more balanced riding and training.
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It does sound like a fit issue, or possibly pushing too hard a gear, or a combo of both.
If your 56 is a good fit, just make sure your saddle position to the pedals is the same on both bikes. You can adjust the stem on the 58 to get the same reach. Are the cranks the same length on both bikes?
You should be able to get the 58 adjusted close enough to the 56 for trainer rides. I assume you’re using the same type of pedals on both bikes???
If your 56 is a good fit, just make sure your saddle position to the pedals is the same on both bikes. You can adjust the stem on the 58 to get the same reach. Are the cranks the same length on both bikes?
You should be able to get the 58 adjusted close enough to the 56 for trainer rides. I assume you’re using the same type of pedals on both bikes???
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It's always just one leg and right now it's the right leg but can't recall if that's consistent. Now after reading about the pedal cleat position I just noticed that they don't match, so that might be part of the reason. One is positioned higher up on the shoe than the other. I'll adjust them to match.
At the current seat level, my legs have a slight bend in the down pedal and the stem doesn't look too out of whack but will measure on both bikes to see how close or far apart they are.
Zwift does tend to encourage me to mash a bit too much as I have a smart trainer and the resistance increases with hills. I put out an average of 2.0 - 2.5 watts/kg on my rides for about an hour.
I probably don't stretch as much as I should after the ride which doesn't help. Usually I'm dripping so much after my ride I want to get off the bike as fast as I can!
At the current seat level, my legs have a slight bend in the down pedal and the stem doesn't look too out of whack but will measure on both bikes to see how close or far apart they are.
Zwift does tend to encourage me to mash a bit too much as I have a smart trainer and the resistance increases with hills. I put out an average of 2.0 - 2.5 watts/kg on my rides for about an hour.
I probably don't stretch as much as I should after the ride which doesn't help. Usually I'm dripping so much after my ride I want to get off the bike as fast as I can!
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Calf pain could be different things. A few years back I had it just below the knee, and it turned out to be a Baker's cyst.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
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Calf pain could be different things. A few years back I had it just below the knee, and it turned out to be a Baker's cyst.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
So definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle and is eased with a little massage using my fist. Reading all the advice above, when I Zwifted yesterday I paid attention to using a dominant leg and tried pushing more with my left. I also rode more in the lower gear for higher cadence and reduced the mashing. Seems to be better.
I will try and raise the seat a little but can't bring it up too much higher as I already find it hard enough to get my leg over it when I dismount since it's already sitting a few inches off the ground from the height of the trainer.
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ooh, what is a baker's cyst? doesn't sound very good.
So definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle and is eased with a little massage using my fist. Reading all the advice above, when I Zwifted yesterday I paid attention to using a dominant leg and tried pushing more with my left. I also rode more in the lower gear for higher cadence and reduced the mashing. Seems to be better.
I will try and raise the seat a little but can't bring it up too much higher as I already find it hard enough to get my leg over it when I dismount since it's already sitting a few inches off the ground from the height of the trainer.
So definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle and is eased with a little massage using my fist. Reading all the advice above, when I Zwifted yesterday I paid attention to using a dominant leg and tried pushing more with my left. I also rode more in the lower gear for higher cadence and reduced the mashing. Seems to be better.
I will try and raise the seat a little but can't bring it up too much higher as I already find it hard enough to get my leg over it when I dismount since it's already sitting a few inches off the ground from the height of the trainer.
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Calf pain could be different things. A few years back I had it just below the knee, and it turned out to be a Baker's cyst.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
Where exactly is the pain? inner or outer, upper or lower? Near the achilles tendon? Have a look at some anatomy drawings - there are two main calf muscles - the soleus and the gastrocnemius.
https://www.musclesused.com/gastrocne...-calf-muscles/
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ooh, what is a baker's cyst? doesn't sound very good.
So definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle and is eased with a little massage using my fist. Reading all the advice above, when I Zwifted yesterday I paid attention to using a dominant leg and tried pushing more with my left. I also rode more in the lower gear for higher cadence and reduced the mashing. Seems to be better.
I will try and raise the seat a little but can't bring it up too much higher as I already find it hard enough to get my leg over it when I dismount since it's already sitting a few inches off the ground from the height of the trainer.
So definitely in the gastrocnemius muscle and is eased with a little massage using my fist. Reading all the advice above, when I Zwifted yesterday I paid attention to using a dominant leg and tried pushing more with my left. I also rode more in the lower gear for higher cadence and reduced the mashing. Seems to be better.
I will try and raise the seat a little but can't bring it up too much higher as I already find it hard enough to get my leg over it when I dismount since it's already sitting a few inches off the ground from the height of the trainer.
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Sometimes it's caused by changing your pedal stroke in order to provide some relief when you are still trying to maintain high output such as focusing on pulling up vs. pushing down on the pedal stroke.
Do you ride harder indoors than you do outdoors?
Do you ride harder indoors than you do outdoors?
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I'm going to make some adjustments based on al these great recommendations, thanks everyone.
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Fit issue. Can't say anything without photos of you on the bike:
one with pedals horizontal, hands on the hoods, forearms level,
one with pedals vertical (aliined with seat tube), hands on hoods, elbows slightly bent.
one with pedals horizontal, hands on the hoods, forearms level,
one with pedals vertical (aliined with seat tube), hands on hoods, elbows slightly bent.
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Nope, don't think it's a bike fit issue. However, it wouldn't hurt for you to do a self-check on it, those photos not being all that perfect. Here's a bike fit primer: https://www.bikeforums.net/21296948-post3.html
The bike is not too big, not by any means. It's actually too small, but it's workable.
i can think of some things to try:
First of all, cadence. Do you have a cadence meter? Your cadence should be somewhere in the 80-95 range, lower for climbs, higher for flats. 90 is kind of the standard flat road cadence, though that does vary with individuals. Watts is a function of torque X cadence, so at the same watts, pedal pressure goes down with increasing cadence. When I'm trying to do hard intervals, my cadence is usually closer to 100 or else my legs give out. IOW, more cadence will reduce force on your calves.
Another thing which will reduce force on your calves is relaxing them. Let your heels drop. Relax your ankles. Your current position has plenty of room for heel drop before your legs get too straight. It used to be a thing to "ankle," pushing down with the toe on the downstroke. No one does that anymore because the quad muscles are so much stronger. Use them instead of your calves, by simply relaxing them. Feel your shoes' heel cups as you pedal. Concentrate of the contact between your heel and that cup.
Another thing is to simply reduce the downforce on the pedal during the downstroke. One can produce the same power, actually more power, by spreading the pedaling force out more around the pedal circle. The trick is to always exert your force on the pedal in the direction which is tangent to the pedal circle. The tangential force is the only force that does anything to propel the bike forward. This is the big thing that makes toe clips and now clipless pedals work so much better than flat pedals. Starting at top dead center, one pushes forward on the pedal, like kicking a dog off your front wheel. This gradually becomes a straight-down force at 90°. Past that point, one changes that down force to more of a pulling back force (heel cups!) until at the bottom one is pulling straight back. One continues to pull back and now slightly up for maybe another 30°. After that point, one simply lifts one's leg a bit, but don't pull up on the pedal. Just lift the leg a little. As the pedal nears the top, raise your toe, IOW start to drop your heel. Then, coming over the top, your heel will feel a little dropped, though a photo will show it raised because of ankle angle. Push forward with that heel dropped and so forth.
In interesting way to get used to doing this is to pedal very fast in a very low gear, say 100-120 rpm, small ring and a large cog, or pedal at a cadence just a little less than where you start to bounce. Practice this about once a week for quite a while. With practice, you should be able to hit 150 rpm without bouncing. Bouncing happens because one is still pushing down on the pedal when the pedal hits bottom dead center - and up your butt goes, Newton and all that. The trick to to do that tangential force pedaling thing. Then no down force at the bottom, right? When doing this drill, try to imagine a layer of air between the bottom of your foot and the shoe sole. Pedal with the shoe's upper, not the sole. This'll fix you right up.
The last thing, but still a good thing, is to do one-legged calf raises on a stair, say one set of 30 with each leg and through the full range of motion at your ankle. Yeah, 30 is a lot. Takes practice. Twice a week, no more. In spite of all these words, one does have to use one's calves.
The bike is not too big, not by any means. It's actually too small, but it's workable.
i can think of some things to try:
First of all, cadence. Do you have a cadence meter? Your cadence should be somewhere in the 80-95 range, lower for climbs, higher for flats. 90 is kind of the standard flat road cadence, though that does vary with individuals. Watts is a function of torque X cadence, so at the same watts, pedal pressure goes down with increasing cadence. When I'm trying to do hard intervals, my cadence is usually closer to 100 or else my legs give out. IOW, more cadence will reduce force on your calves.
Another thing which will reduce force on your calves is relaxing them. Let your heels drop. Relax your ankles. Your current position has plenty of room for heel drop before your legs get too straight. It used to be a thing to "ankle," pushing down with the toe on the downstroke. No one does that anymore because the quad muscles are so much stronger. Use them instead of your calves, by simply relaxing them. Feel your shoes' heel cups as you pedal. Concentrate of the contact between your heel and that cup.
Another thing is to simply reduce the downforce on the pedal during the downstroke. One can produce the same power, actually more power, by spreading the pedaling force out more around the pedal circle. The trick is to always exert your force on the pedal in the direction which is tangent to the pedal circle. The tangential force is the only force that does anything to propel the bike forward. This is the big thing that makes toe clips and now clipless pedals work so much better than flat pedals. Starting at top dead center, one pushes forward on the pedal, like kicking a dog off your front wheel. This gradually becomes a straight-down force at 90°. Past that point, one changes that down force to more of a pulling back force (heel cups!) until at the bottom one is pulling straight back. One continues to pull back and now slightly up for maybe another 30°. After that point, one simply lifts one's leg a bit, but don't pull up on the pedal. Just lift the leg a little. As the pedal nears the top, raise your toe, IOW start to drop your heel. Then, coming over the top, your heel will feel a little dropped, though a photo will show it raised because of ankle angle. Push forward with that heel dropped and so forth.
In interesting way to get used to doing this is to pedal very fast in a very low gear, say 100-120 rpm, small ring and a large cog, or pedal at a cadence just a little less than where you start to bounce. Practice this about once a week for quite a while. With practice, you should be able to hit 150 rpm without bouncing. Bouncing happens because one is still pushing down on the pedal when the pedal hits bottom dead center - and up your butt goes, Newton and all that. The trick to to do that tangential force pedaling thing. Then no down force at the bottom, right? When doing this drill, try to imagine a layer of air between the bottom of your foot and the shoe sole. Pedal with the shoe's upper, not the sole. This'll fix you right up.
The last thing, but still a good thing, is to do one-legged calf raises on a stair, say one set of 30 with each leg and through the full range of motion at your ankle. Yeah, 30 is a lot. Takes practice. Twice a week, no more. In spite of all these words, one does have to use one's calves.
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Carbonfiberboy Greatly appreciate the assessment and response. My indoor set up is in my basement office so I can run Zwift on my computer and large screen but not ideal for taking pictures. Not sure why the bike looks smaller, as it's 58cm and I'm 5'!!". I think I'm mashing too much as my cadence tends to be a bit lower as I down gear to get more power instead of spinning faster. I'll work on the pedaling and appreciate that advice, as well as the calf exercises, I'm sure that will help. If you can think of any videos you would recommend on pedaling form, I would appreciate it.
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Do you only get this when on the trainer? To me a trainer and being on the road are not comparable environments.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
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Do you only get this when on the trainer? To me a trainer and being on the road are not comparable environments.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
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Carbonfiberboy Greatly appreciate the assessment and response. My indoor set up is in my basement office so I can run Zwift on my computer and large screen but not ideal for taking pictures. Not sure why the bike looks smaller, as it's 58cm and I'm 5'!!". I think I'm mashing too much as my cadence tends to be a bit lower as I down gear to get more power instead of spinning faster. I'll work on the pedaling and appreciate that advice, as well as the calf exercises, I'm sure that will help. If you can think of any videos you would recommend on pedaling form, I would appreciate it.
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#23
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Do you only get this when on the trainer? To me a trainer and being on the road are not comparable environments.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
Though for over 10 years I keep saying I'm going to get a trainer or rollers, I never have. Every time I try one or the other the experience is too foreign and to me... not enjoyable. So I just content myself with cadence work on my wife's stationary bike during the winter.
Hard to tell in the pics, but your feet look too far back on the pedals. That will work the calf muscles more.
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You should try it. Allows the bike to move naturally underneath you just like an outdoor ride..I mean if the goal is to replicate the same feeling as riding outdoors and one does not like the artificiality of being locked stationary.
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I don't feel locked stationary, though I admit rollers take a lot more concentration than outdoor riding. I had a friend walk in the door unexpectedly last year. I said "Hello!" and was on the floor. OTOH I think concentration is a good thing. I like it, that Zen thing I guess. Ya gotta be here now.
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