May as the starting line
In May the outdoor pools open across Czechia, cycling season shifts into top gear, daylight stretches until nine in the evening, and races start up almost every weekend. Your body is ready to go after winter, and your head is even more ready. That is exactly where the catch is.
Every May and June, physiotherapy clinics see the same patients: cyclists and runners who overdid it in the first week after a long break. Always for the same reason. The body is excited after winter, but it is not prepared. And then by autumn you are no longer sure you can manage a flat ride.
Let us do it differently this year. Here are three easy gateways back into movement, plus recovery, food, and the kind of weekend that gets the whole season going without flooring you in the process. If you are tempted to step out of your usual rhythm, our piece from last year, When Nature Heals: Microadventures Around the Corner, is a good follow-up. May is the perfect time to start.
On the bike: routes worth saving for first
Your first three rides always deserve respect. Shorter routes, a calmer pace, no ambitions. Your body needs to remember what it actually does, and the saddle needs to remember you too.
For beginners, the flats are ideal. The Prague riverside path heading toward Roztoky, the Polabí region with its ponds and canals, the Greenway Jizera, or the paved cycle paths in the Lednice-Valtice cultural landscape. If you have a few seasons behind you, get on something serious and head for the hills. The Krušné hory, the Šumava, the Beskydy, and the Jeseníky all offer dozens of marked routes for mountain and road bikes.
If you do not have a bike at home, or it is still in the shop, use the Rekola bike-sharing network, which covers most major Czech cities and is great for getting around town. For longer rides, hills, or a weekend in the mountains, rent a trekking, mountain or e-bike from Decathlon Rent, available in most of their stores.
And if a finish line and a start ramp are what get you moving, take a look at the Prima Cup series for mountain biking fans. It kicks off in spring, and consistent training from May rewards you with an experience by the time autumn comes around.
- Tip: Before your first ride, check tyre pressure, chain lubrication, and brake pad wear. Twenty minutes of servicing at home saves you an hour pushing the bike back.
Into the water: the gentlest restart your body could ask for
According to physiotherapists, swimming is one of the best ways to move after a winter break. The water carries you, your joints take no impact, your back muscles straighten naturally, and you learn to breathe properly. And after an hour in the pool, you never come out in a bad mood.
Swimming also neatly covers the WHO recommendation of at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week. Three half-hour visits to the pool and you are done. Open water is beautiful, but give it a few more weeks. An early-spring dip in the Sázava looks great on Reels and tends to end in bed.
The Prague classic is Podolí Swimming Stadium, a fifty-metre pool with a long tradition where you can still find a lane on eight even at peak times. And if you want to fine-tune your technique under guidance, take a look at the courses and training sessions run by the Zdeněk Braum swim club, which take place right there in Podolí. They train kids and adults alike, and anyone who feels more like an anchor than a swimmer after winter will find a place to belong.
Out in nature, on foot: step by step back into your shoes
Experienced coaches know the ten percent rule by heart. Do not increase your weekly volume or intensity by more than ten percent over the previous week. The body needs to ease in, not be forced into shape.
The second rule is even simpler. Run at a pace where you can still hold a fluent conversation. If you are gasping mid-sentence, slow down. The vast majority of your training should happen at this pace, not in the red.
- Do not increase your weekly volume or intensity by more than 10 percent compared to the previous week.
- Run at a pace where you can still hold a fluent conversation. If you are gasping mid-sentence, slow down.
Shoes and recovery come before ambition. Plan races as milestones, not as tests of maturity. Give your body a chance, and it will tell you when it is ready for ten kilometres.
If you need a goal slightly bigger than "I'll make it to the pond in the park," take a look at Spartan Race. It starts with sprints of around five kilometres, and the obstacles will gradually teach you that running is only half the story. Training for your first start fits comfortably into the summer.
For compression socks, magnesium, or recovery gels, head to the Benefit Plus Pharmacy, where you can pay directly with your benefit points.
Recovery is not a reward. It is part of training.
After your first session of the season, things happen in your body that are worth knowing about. Micro-tears in the muscles, an increased need for sleep, dehydration, raised cortisol levels. The body is repairing itself. If you do not give it time, it will cut corners on the repair.
Three proven tools: sauna, massage, and proper stretching. We wrote about the sauna in The Sauna as an Elixir of Health, and about how companies view employee health in Health as Capital. Add good food and hydration to that and you will save yourself the trips to the physiotherapist, which cost considerably more.
The most accessible sauna network in the country is Saunia, which you will find in Prague, Brno, Ostrava, and plenty of smaller cities too. For regular recovery in Prague and Brno, book Infinit Wellness Centres, where you will find a sauna world, massages, and physiotherapy all under one roof.
If you want to know how you are really doing, rather than guessing from Strava graphs, book a session at the VO2max Clinic. They will measure your heart rate reserve, your lactate curve, and your running economy, so you can plan your season with your head, not your gut.
And if winter has left you with more pain than fatigue, take a longer break at a spa. LázněTour has a dedicated category for musculoskeletal conditions, so you can choose a stay tailored to your knees, back, or shoulders.
Top up what your body needs
What to eat before training? Easily digestible carbohydrates, a banana, a bowl of porridge, a slice of wholegrain bread. Afterwards, ideally within two hours, top up with protein and carbs. And above all, drink. Hydration is the most underrated part of the season, and the body pays for the shortfall with fatigue, cramps, and poor recovery.
After a long winter without sunshine, it pays to top up vitamin D, magnesium for cramps, and omega-3 for the joints. None of these supplements will work miracles overnight, but they pay off over time.
- Vitamin D – essential after a long winter without sunlight.
- Magnesium – prevents cramps during increased activity.
- Omega-3 – for joint health and recovery.
You can comfortably order electrolytes, magnesium, gels, vitamin D, and healthy groceries from the Benefit Plus Pharmacy, paying directly with points.
If you want a meal plan built around how you actually move, rather than tips from a friend at the pub, try the nutrition counselling at Nutriadapt. They will put together a plan you can realistically stick to even in a busy working week.
And if you like to measure everything, take a look at Kalorické tabulky, a Czech app with the largest local database of foods and physical activities.
Out of town: the weekend that gets the whole season going
The long weekend around May 8th is uniquely suited to a movement restart. Three days are enough to ease into the season. Four days replace a month of good intentions. The tip is to include all three gateways in your programme, the bike, the water, and a run, and round it off with a sauna.
- Tip: include all three gateways in the programme – cycling, swimming and running – and finish with a sauna.
A single weekend like that often sets off a whole season. And when you get home on Sunday evening, you usually already know what you will do next.
For quiet by the water and wellness under one roof, Hotel Jezerka by the Seč reservoir is a safe bet. From the pool you can head out on a ride around the lake, a hike, or a run through the woods. Further north, Hotel Antonie in Frýdlant is worth a stop, combining wellness with the Jizera Mountains and dozens of kilometres of cycle routes right outside. And if South Moravia is calling, Spa Resort Lednice sits right inside the Lednice-Valtice landscape, putting cycling, vineyards, and a sauna within minutes of each other.
When you want more flexibility, take a look at Travelking, which currently offers 10 percent extra credits in the catalogue, or at Pobyty v Česku, with a wide selection of stays across the country. For a classic spa pause without too much planning, Lázně Travel works well, helping you choose a stay around what actually needs relief.
Movement that lasts into autumn
This is not about heading out fast in May. It is about your shoes still fitting in October. A body that moves regularly works better at everything else. You focus better, sleep better, decide better.
Benefit points are an excellent lever for that this year. Invest them in health in May, and they come back to you in the autumn, when you do not feel "spent." Few investments at a couple of thousand crowns a year can pull that off.
This year's season is just getting started. Where will you go first? You will find the full inspiration in the Sport and Health category in the Benefit Plus catalogue.
