Torn a calf muscle

[zill]

Answer remains the same. You should not be getting injuries from training. EVER. If you are getting them from overuse in training, how the hell do you expect to lift 10% in competition? I cannot ride super hard when training alone. Put a wheel in front of me, booyah.

I remember some pro African runners say they train harder than they race.... Although maybe a bit different in cycling as you wouldn't do a harder tour de france in training before the actual tour de france

You don't like to chase power numbers in training? The great thing about a power meter is that you can train as hard as you desire (even when not moving on a trainer) and you can tell precisely the quality of your training!

Look at your training, and take the injury as a learning experience. Most of the value in the PMC is figuring out what is good for YOU. I get away with limited Z2 riding for a while but just racing (Z3 with a ton of Z6 and Z7 efforts) eventually destroys me.

What is PMC?

[CKinnard]

CKinnard and vander, lets keep in mind that the discussion will never replace qualified medical advice and because of intrinsic differences, what works for one person may not work for another.

"Cant see it being too long off."
"While it is impossible to diagnose over the internet it really doesnt sound like a tear." Zill's physio, who actually assessed it in real life, already said it was!
"FYI a complete achillies rupture surgically repaired and going well can be back on an exercise bike 4 weeks post (in a boot still). How quick does that make you think a grade 1 medial gastroc strain should take."
"I am just going to reiterate here, a minor calf tear should not keep you of the bike for long treated properly."

The point is that while it may be possible to delve right down into this, it will be difficult to quantify to that satisfaction of all. It may however be beneficial however when discussing this to include in a 'please' when requesting feedback or information as a courtesy.

double

"define properly, as in a full rehab protocol that applies equally to all minor calf tears.
if you strap, explain your strapping technique/s.
if you ice, when you stop icing.
what criteria do you use to progress exercise? pain? palpation? if strength, how do you quantify? time? please explain."

[g-boaf]

Answer remains the same. You should not be getting injuries from training. EVER. If you are getting them from overuse in training, how the hell do you expect to lift 10% in competition? I cannot ride super hard when training alone. Put a wheel in front of me, booyah.

I remember some pro African runners say they train harder than they race.... Although maybe a bit different in cycling as you wouldn't do a harder tour de france in training before the actual tour de france

You don't like to chase power numbers in training? The great thing about a power meter is that you can train as hard as you desire (even when not moving on a trainer) and you can tell precisely the quality of your training!

Look at your training, and take the injury as a learning experience. Most of the value in the PMC is figuring out what is good for YOU. I get away with limited Z2 riding for a while but just racing (Z3 with a ton of Z6 and Z7 efforts) eventually destroys me.

What is PMC?

PMC is a picture with colourful lines all over it.

http://home.trainingpeaks.com/blog/arti ... ment-chart" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sometimes it is nice to go without a power meter (or don't show it on the screen) and just ride without looking at a number. Ride by feeling. Where I do a lot of riding, you can't be looking down at the Garmin all the time - there are too many other riders going backwards and forwards and you have to watch out for them.

Or you could just do maybe 1500-2000km of "junk" riding over 3-4 weeks. That always seems to work okay for me.

[Xplora]

Answer remains the same. You should not be getting injuries from training. EVER. If you are getting them from overuse in training, how the hell do you expect to lift 10% in competition? I cannot ride super hard when training alone. Put a wheel in front of me, booyah.

I remember some pro African runners say they train harder than they race.... Although maybe a bit different in cycling as you wouldn't do a harder tour de france in training before the actual tour de france

You don't like to chase power numbers in training? The great thing about a power meter is that you can train as hard as you desire (even when not moving on a trainer) and you can tell precisely the quality of your training!

Look at your training, and take the injury as a learning experience. Most of the value in the PMC is figuring out what is good for YOU. I get away with limited Z2 riding for a while but just racing (Z3 with a ton of Z6 and Z7 efforts) eventually destroys me.

What is PMC?

I have a very very very firm belief that you want the maximum speed, for the least power and least effort. I consistently get lower power than most of my peers, but I ride as fast as they do. If I kick 1000w and go as fast as my friend kicking 1250w, that is a win IMO. If I can kick 1000w and my friend kicks 1000w, and I am able to lift again in a minute, and they can't, that's a win too.

I don't chase power. Power is a reflection, and a limit on your effort. If you are trying to push power, just like pushing for speed you will drain yourself and get destroyed. Injury... have a think about the injury experiences you have, your style of training, and then compare to the other riders... training thread is full of injured riders. I'm nursing some bad knees after a couple punishing weeks. Just have to take it easy until the niggles go. Bad time for Z4 efforts. Or climbs. Just have to cruise through it.

[zill]

I don't chase power. Power is a reflection, and a limit on your effort. If you are trying to push power, just like pushing for speed you will drain yourself and get destroyed. Injury... have a think about the injury experiences you have, your style of training, and then compare to the other riders... training thread is full of injured riders. I'm nursing some bad knees after a couple punishing weeks. Just have to take it easy until the niggles go. Bad time for Z4 efforts. Or climbs. Just have to cruise through it.

Good point. This injury may have been a good thing in hindsight since every year this time can be a bit of an off season for me. So I naturally found an off season period. Also, its about time I address my binge eating disorder and sleep disorder (waking up too early and not being able to get back to sleep again) with the latter I highly suspect as a result of my poor diet and low body weight. That kind of lifestyle of intense training, binge eating and sleep disorder has to stop at some point which is now. Having a good rethink of it and how to approach things better when the injury is healed and competing again. Now that I'm not riding hard and up 10kg (still within healthy BMI), I sleep better and don't feel the need to binge eat.

[mikesbytes]

Hey Zill, years ago I injured a tendon, it occurred while doing yoga. I don't believe that yoga was the cause of the injury, just the action that was being done when it went. I never really figured out the root cause of the problem, but once fixed it never reoccurred again.

What I did learn from this encounter was a heap of info around that part of the body. While we don't want to get injured, sometimes it makes us a better (ie more knowledgeable) person

[JdM]

How's the recovery coming Zill?

[zill]

How's the recovery coming Zill?

It's improving every week but not by massive amounts. The healing process seems to be like a spectrum. It will probably take nearly 3 months to be fully healed - like new. But probably start light base training after two months which is two weeks and a half weeks from today. For now, it will just be some pressure free riding for enjoyment (and getting passed by most commuters).

[zill]

It's been a full two months and now calf has pretty much recovered and back to normal - although fitness has substantially decreased over this period.

Saw another physio which confirmed what many here have said and that it was not a torn calf but rather calf muscle overload due to nerve irritation. Does that sound more like it?

[zill]

Just to add to my previous post, it's been nearly 10 weeks and finally feeling normal again. Surged during a hill section on a commute ride and averaged 520W for 1 minute on a commute ride with no pain. Definitely back but will take time to build up the fitness again.

[mikesbytes]

[emoji106]