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Because the muscles have been pedalling for hours, they have become programmed to repeat the
same action over and over, and they will find it difficult to stop when the stage has finished, the
brain has difficulty in sending messages to the muscles to stop them.
When the stage finishes it is best to give the muscles first aid while they are in the ‘window of
opportunity’ and while they are still warm and pliable
Using passive movement and then active movement can assist communication between the muscles
by telling the brain to switch off the muscles so they can rest, meanwhile the increase in the fresh
blood into the tissues will help the muscles recover faster than they would have.
Just working on the muscles using conventional means does not address the issues as quickly or
efficiently as it might-it needs something extra to cover this
Working with the muscles, can address one problem while at the same time work on the other one,
the theory is that de-stressing the muscles by taking them in a different direction to that they have
become used to can help them relax, which will allow the calf muscle pump to work at pumping the
wastes up the legs back to the body.
Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan
Ultra Marathon Recovery Specialist 1
Cycling and leg soreness recovery using the World Run recovery System-Michael Gillan Recovery Specialist
Other than taking drugs to improve performance, the cyclist in competition can gain the edge over
other cyclists by faster recovery between stages, and it is by improved recovery that is shown in the
graph of the 1996 Colac 6 day event that I have inserted below
The competitive cyclist would like results similar to those shown in the above group and the way
this was achieved was using the simple, easy, oil free, non-intrusive, fast system of recovery
Copyright 2008 Michael Gillan
Ultra Marathon Recovery Specialist 2
Cycling and leg soreness recovery using the World Run recovery System-Michael Gillan Recovery Specialist
This particular system was developed and been tested on some of the top endurance athletes in ultra
marathon walks and runs, including the only fully documented run around the world.
www.worldrun.org
In all sports one of the main themes they all have in common is that of recovery, and in multi-day
events like stage cycling such as the Tour de France or an ultra marathon around the world, the
efficiency of the recovery system can make or break the athlete.
When the athlete is being worked on, and too much enthusiasm is being used by whoever is doing
the recovery work, this can place the overused muscle tissues, and the overall placing of the athlete
in danger because any damage accidentally caused by too much pressure on the muscles needs extra
time to recover from before the muscles can perform at peak efficiency again.
Do not just take my word; below is a quote from Sandra Brown taken from her advice sheet for the
Surrey Walking Club.
“The second tear (at least I have matching legs with old tears on both sides) was caused, to my great
annoyance at the time, by an overenthusiastic physio who was supposed to be helping me to warm
up gently before a 24 hour race and got carried away. I am now more wary of having physio at any
time, and make sure that I stay in control, by saying at the outset what I want and don’t want to be
done to me. Having never had a persistent injury (my varied training pattern means that any niggles
have the chance to heal quickly, rather than get hammered and go critical,) I have never had regular
physio or a steady relationship of trust with any physiotherapist who knew me and my needs. The
closest I have come to this was receiving massage from Michael Gillan during the Nanango
(Queensland) 1000-mile race in 1996. I had no hesitation in having a massage from Michael again
at the end of the Melbourne 100 miles walk in 1999. Michael’s approach is very gentle at all times,
and always works with the athlete and puts the athlete in control, thus minimising the risk of harm
and maximising the benefit.
Very occasionally I will feel tightness in one or other hamstring, but I am lucky that neither tear has
become a real problem. These days I stretch pretty diligently after exercise and am convinced of its
value, and my cross-training approach plays a part; I am sure, in keeping me free of overuse
injuries. More on stretching another time.”
(Source:http://www.surreywalkingclub.org.uk/Training?Advice/Articles/training_for_ultras_by_san
dra_br.htm#Training/forUltras_SB)
http://aching-legs-relief.com/cycling_and_recovery_using_world_run_recovery.html