Recovery Workouts on sore legs?

Swimming is good for a day with sore legs.

Palabra.

by definition a recovery ride is easy spinning meant to HELP with the soreness....

swimming always good when sore IMHO

and even easy recovery runs.....


the hard workouts breakdown and the recovery rides help rebuild....at least that is how I look at it (and the roadies I know) but you have to make sure your recovery ride is really a recovery ride - ie no hammering up hill.....

x2... I almost always feel BETTER (as in less sore) with some sort of "recovery" wrokout such as very easy spinning (usually on the trainer or short flat-ish ride), easy swim, or very short, VERY easy paced run than if I take a complete rest day if I'm especially fatigued.

If it is running that you are referring to, instead of biking, then I have heard it said that there is no such thing as a recovery run.  That is better time spent on the bike.  I agree also, swimming definitely enhances recovery from leg soreness, the stretching out of the muscles etc and no pounding is perfect.

not to derail this but if you are wildly sore 3+ times per week you prob should tone things back a bit.....

As newbz said, you should be spacing intense level workouts further apart (assuming the same discipline).  There should be 3 - 4 days between them to get the most quality out of your workouts.

But I will disagree that there are no such things as "recovery" runs.  I'm a huge proponent of them and think they are very beneficial.  A lot of top coaches (Daniels, Pfitzinger, Higdon) agree with that as well - which are the coaches that I have read and researched and put a lot of my running philosophy behind.  When you are running 7 - 10 time a week a lot of your runs will become slower paced and the recovery ones (no more than 6 miles for distance runners) start to be pretty critical for the success of the harder/longer efforts.  Just my thoughts on the topic.

However, putting in a decent recovery ride or swim is also very effective.  Just have to look at what your overall loads are and work them in appropriately.