Ok, here I sit on the couch again! Another injury involving either a pinched nerve or some kind of muscle strain in the left side of my neck/chest. This has been a reoccuring injury since I was in my early twenties and heavy in to lifting weights. I pulled a muscle or strained one way back then, and every once in a great while it gives way. It's usually few and far between so it's something I can live with, but it's hit me two times in three weeks! Fortunately, I think I've discovered what's triggering it. Working out!
I worked out very few times this year, and when I did, it hurt my performance on the bike. I'm not saying that working out is a bad thing to do, or that it has no benefits, but not for all. A professional bike racer probably does benefit from this, but one has to remember that's their job. They ride a bike 40 hours a week, and that's it, so adding workouts in to that mix isn't an overload, but for the average amateur racer who has a regular forty hour a week job, just riding an average of ten to twelve hours a week is enough. Anymore, and overload can occur, which just sets you back. We shouldn't try and emulate their training schedules.
I believe it's better to spend any extra time one has actually out training on the bike rather then hitting the gym. Which one is going to make you faster? There's a saying..."Get in to shape to play your sport. Don't play your sport to get in to shape". I don't think that holds true for cycling. Most people ride bikes to get in to shape. I now firmly believe that's all that is needed for me.
So here I sit. Maybe another week off the bike to heal, and then back to it without the weekly workout! Hope all is well, until next time...
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