Setting my self a challenge

[bravonovember]

Ok so I am 20, 5,9 and weigh about 95kg's so well overweight and don't have a clue and fitness. Now I have set myself a challenge on competing in a mountain bike downhill race at the end of March next year. For anybody unfamiliar a linky http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19RO8tGmKUU (The video is of the world cup event)

Now I have been riding for about 14 months now and my skill is start to improve, but as I can't get out every weekend my fitness hasn't.

I feel my weakness are:

1: Being Over weight and having a bad diet. Have started to try and eat better for example today. Breakfast small amount of muesli and semi milk. Lunch pouched eggs x2 on white bread "yeh I know" small pot of jelly, apple, mullur corner and a go ahead bar. had a few more apple's and pears until dinner when I had Breaded Base with some stir fry noodle's veg. pot of jelly for dessert.

Now it's the snacks that are getting to me. normally I would have some crisps or a mars bar or 3!! Will find my self getting bored of apple's and pear's quckly and don't always want something sweet. I am not a massive fan of nuts so I am a little stumped on something I can nibble on. some low fat recipe a steak, beer, chocolate lover would like would be nice.

2: Arm and hands. Riding downhill kills my hands and fingers. Part of it is down to the setup of my handle bars i have corrected it now, but I will stil struggle anything I can do to improve the strenth of my fingers and hands? Also get quite bad arm pump. Now I have bought some weights but a bit unsure on what correct exercises to do to impove genral arm strenth.

3: Legs I need to improve my sprinting abilities after all a run only last 5 minutes max and at school I was always far better at cross country than the 100m sprint. Now I plan to go out on my XC bike around the local cross country trail ride hard and as fast for 5 mintues take it steady for 10 the repeat. Some leg exercises I can do at home would be great as well.

I have no doubt missed loads oh p.s sorry about the spelling not my strongest point. Will keep you posted

[Ennoch]

bravonovember said:

1: Being Over weight and having a bad diet. Have started to try and eat better for example today. Breakfast small amount of muesli and semi milk. Lunch pouched eggs x2 on white bread "yeh I know" small pot of jelly, apple, mullur corner and a go ahead bar. had a few more apple's and pears until dinner when I had Breaded Base with some stir fry noodle's veg. pot of jelly for dessert.

Now it's the snacks that are getting to me. normally I would have some crisps or a mars bar or 3!! Will find my self getting bored of apple's and pear's quckly and don't always want something sweet. I am not a massive fan of nuts so I am a little stumped on something I can nibble on. some low fat recipe a steak, beer, chocolate lover would like would be nice.

Diet wise there’s plenty of info out there; it’s as much finding one that you like and are thus going to follow rather than the ‘ultimate’ fad. I just make salads, cut out processed carbs/sugars, and eat fresh veg/fruit/meat/nuts etc. I generally don’t eat cheese, don’t fry stuff and use the minimum of additional fats. Filling yourself up with veg and protein helps to keep the full feeling for longer while avoiding simple and processed sugars minimise sugar crashes and the subsequent desire for more sugar. There’s a lot of willpower involved but use a low calorie diet (sub 2000 cal per day) and combine with a serious dose of exercise each day, whether that be at the gym, going for a run (helps to offset the hamstring shortening effects of cycling) or going out for a quick hour. This will shed weight quickly as it maximises the calorie deficit. Training with caffeine can be good too as it raises the metabolism and (IIRC) seems to aid in the burning of fat for fuel during longer cardio sessions (1hr+). Don’t go for Red Bull or anything like that though, just a strong double espresso will do fine and avoid all the other rubbish that goes with it. Snack wise I like nuts but rice cakes are useful (generally untopped) or a tub of boiled egg/fish etc and some veg to munch on through the day – sugar snap peas, mini corn etc are all good because they have a low calorie density. I don’t drink much alcohol either, mainly for other medical reasons rather than weight gain, but as it promotes the storage of fat, and in the case of lager/wine etc is a big source of carbohydrate, it isn’t the ideal thing to be drinking if you’re trying to lose weight. I’ll drink occasionally, as in 3-4 times a year max, but I just look at the way it makes me feel vs what I’d rather be doing the following day. As for chocolate, I can't stand milk chocolate anyway but will usually only have 85% stuff. I actually eat quite a lot, and use it as a post ride/exercise treat. Maybe a bar a week? Basically, look at the calorific content of what you're eating and actually count up what you're eating, it could be a bit of a surprise!

bravonovember said:

2: Arm and hands. Riding downhill kills my hands and fingers. Part of it is down to the setup of my handle bars i have corrected it now, but I will stil struggle anything I can do to improve the strenth of my fingers and hands? Also get quite bad arm pump. Now I have bought some weights but a bit unsure on what correct exercises to do to impove genral arm strenth.

You’re going to struggle to build massive strength in the space of four months - I’ve been doing it nearly fifteen years and still suffer sore hands if I haven’t done much riding for a few weeks as can happen! But there are some good things you can do – pull ups, barbell rows, thick pull ups (2”+ bar diameter) etc. Try flattening off your brake levers so you can hold on better too (mine are about 20deg from horizontal). Try adjusting the brake lever reach too so that you’re not stretching so far. I generally like mine to bite about 15mm off the grip but this will vary dependant on grip thickness. If you message me your email I can send you a link to a training plan I have, and have given to a few others I race with. Also, as you lose weight the work your hands have to do to support your body lessens which is no bad thing. If you can shed 10kg then that’s a huge load off your arms in compressions and such.

bravonovember said:

3: Legs I need to improve my sprinting abilities after all a run only last 5 minutes max and at school I was always far better at cross country than the 100m sprint. Now I plan to go out on my XC bike around the local cross country trail ride hard and as fast for 5 mintues take it steady for 10 the repeat. Some leg exercises I can do at home would be great as well.

I have no doubt missed loads oh p.s sorry about the spelling not my strongest point. Will keep you posted

Which race are you planning to do? Some are definitely more pedally than others, and some are significantly harder on your core & arms than others too. Get your big bike and do 100m sprints on it, as hard as you can and for as many reps as you can. It’ll hurt but it’s a good way to get your lactic system’s efficiency up. Downhill generally requires a good cardio base for the general elevated rate your body’s working at, combined with a blindingly good anaerobic/lactic system for the runs themselves. There are various ways to keep your lactic build up minimal throughout a run (spinning for a corner rather than sprinting, just to flow blood through your muscles etc), and releasing your grip slightly and so on. It’s more useful on a five minute run than a two minute run admittedly, but if you’re blowing hard then you may need to do it anyway! If you’re trying to build up the fitness I’d say you need to be getting a lot of 2hr rides in over the winter when you can, or even some 1hr post work rides with some lights. Go hard for the entire duration rather than doing the interval like hard for 5/rest for 10 that you suggest, and then use the big bike for interval sprints with minimal rest between reps (like thirty/forty seconds max). Try single leg squats for leg strength but if you have access to some proper facilities kettle bell swings with a heavy bell, squats, weighted lunges, farmers walks, and deadlifts are all really effective ways of improving your hard sprint strength.

There’s a whole world of info, tricks, tips and things which could probably be of use but with only four months there’s only so much you can actually implement. My training’s already in progress and has been since October – for an April/early May start! Get your diet sorted with adequate veg/greenery/meat/eggs etc (go for natural rather than processed), and while you’re trying to lose weight, cut out things like rice, pasta & bread unless you’ve had a really hard day of riding etc. Caffeine before your workouts will help burn fat, drink lots of water and cut out alcohol.

Hopefully that's of some use to you...

[beanbag]

Cut out snacks altogether. It's very hard to do but you don't need to snack. It's all in your mind and over time you'll find you can forget about snacking altogether.

Water is a great substitute I find as it fills you up so drink glass after glass. I'll try for at least 3 litres per day. It sounds a lot but after a while you get used to it and it makes you feel much better.

On top of that, it aids digestion and increases your metabolism so you end up losing weight as a result.

Good luck!

[bravonovember]

Cheers for the replys really helpful. I would like to take part at Astonhill on the Black run at the end of March. I am going for the first time this Sunday, to see what it's like. If it is to ruff and narly for me I'll probably change it to a 661 mini DH race. The reasoning behinding choosing Astonhill is I have been told it's rather steep and rooty Watching the youtube video it's relatively short. With the lads I ride with I am often the quickest down the really steeps rock gardens and roooty bit's. I loved the double black at Antur Stiniog the other week in the wet. I will see how I get on this weekend I have looked at the times from last year runnig of the event.

[Ennoch]

Just emailed you!

[bravonovember]

Ennoch said:

Just emailed you!

Thanks very much pal, just read it very helpful. Cheers

[Ordinary_Chap]

Ennoch said:

bravonovember said:

1: Being Over weight and having a bad diet. Have started to try and eat better for example today. Breakfast small amount of muesli and semi milk. Lunch pouched eggs x2 on white bread "yeh I know" small pot of jelly, apple, mullur corner and a go ahead bar. had a few more apple's and pears until dinner when I had Breaded Base with some stir fry noodle's veg. pot of jelly for dessert.

Now it's the snacks that are getting to me. normally I would have some crisps or a mars bar or 3!! Will find my self getting bored of apple's and pear's quckly and don't always want something sweet. I am not a massive fan of nuts so I am a little stumped on something I can nibble on. some low fat recipe a steak, beer, chocolate lover would like would be nice.

Diet wise there’s plenty of info out there; it’s as much finding one that you like and are thus going to follow rather than the ‘ultimate’ fad. I just make salads, cut out processed carbs/sugars, and eat fresh veg/fruit/meat/nuts etc. I generally don’t eat cheese, don’t fry stuff and use the minimum of additional fats. Filling yourself up with veg and protein helps to keep the full feeling for longer while avoiding simple and processed sugars minimise sugar crashes and the subsequent desire for more sugar. There’s a lot of willpower involved but use a low calorie diet (sub 2000 cal per day) and combine with a serious dose of exercise each day, whether that be at the gym, going for a run (helps to offset the hamstring shortening effects of cycling) or going out for a quick hour. This will shed weight quickly as it maximises the calorie deficit. Training with caffeine can be good too as it raises the metabolism and (IIRC) seems to aid in the burning of fat for fuel during longer cardio sessions (1hr+). Don’t go for Red Bull or anything like that though, just a strong double espresso will do fine and avoid all the other rubbish that goes with it. Snack wise I like nuts but rice cakes are useful (generally untopped) or a tub of boiled egg/fish etc and some veg to munch on through the day – sugar snap peas, mini corn etc are all good because they have a low calorie density. I don’t drink much alcohol either, mainly for other medical reasons rather than weight gain, but as it promotes the storage of fat, and in the case of lager/wine etc is a big source of carbohydrate, it isn’t the ideal thing to be drinking if you’re trying to lose weight. I’ll drink occasionally, as in 3-4 times a year max, but I just look at the way it makes me feel vs what I’d rather be doing the following day. As for chocolate, I can't stand milk chocolate anyway but will usually only have 85% stuff. I actually eat quite a lot, and use it as a post ride/exercise treat. Maybe a bar a week? Basically, look at the calorific content of what you're eating and actually count up what you're eating, it could be a bit of a surprise!

bravonovember said:

2: Arm and hands. Riding downhill kills my hands and fingers. Part of it is down to the setup of my handle bars i have corrected it now, but I will stil struggle anything I can do to improve the strenth of my fingers and hands? Also get quite bad arm pump. Now I have bought some weights but a bit unsure on what correct exercises to do to impove genral arm strenth.

You’re going to struggle to build massive strength in the space of four months - I’ve been doing it nearly fifteen years and still suffer sore hands if I haven’t done much riding for a few weeks as can happen! But there are some good things you can do – pull ups, barbell rows, thick pull ups (2”+ bar diameter) etc. Try flattening off your brake levers so you can hold on better too (mine are about 20deg from horizontal). Try adjusting the brake lever reach too so that you’re not stretching so far. I generally like mine to bite about 15mm off the grip but this will vary dependant on grip thickness. If you message me your email I can send you a link to a training plan I have, and have given to a few others I race with. Also, as you lose weight the work your hands have to do to support your body lessens which is no bad thing. If you can shed 10kg then that’s a huge load off your arms in compressions and such.

bravonovember said:

3: Legs I need to improve my sprinting abilities after all a run only last 5 minutes max and at school I was always far better at cross country than the 100m sprint. Now I plan to go out on my XC bike around the local cross country trail ride hard and as fast for 5 mintues take it steady for 10 the repeat. Some leg exercises I can do at home would be great as well.

I have no doubt missed loads oh p.s sorry about the spelling not my strongest point. Will keep you posted

Which race are you planning to do? Some are definitely more pedally than others, and some are significantly harder on your core & arms than others too. Get your big bike and do 100m sprints on it, as hard as you can and for as many reps as you can. It’ll hurt but it’s a good way to get your lactic system’s efficiency up. Downhill generally requires a good cardio base for the general elevated rate your body’s working at, combined with a blindingly good anaerobic/lactic system for the runs themselves. There are various ways to keep your lactic build up minimal throughout a run (spinning for a corner rather than sprinting, just to flow blood through your muscles etc), and releasing your grip slightly and so on. It’s more useful on a five minute run than a two minute run admittedly, but if you’re blowing hard then you may need to do it anyway! If you’re trying to build up the fitness I’d say you need to be getting a lot of 2hr rides in over the winter when you can, or even some 1hr post work rides with some lights. Go hard for the entire duration rather than doing the interval like hard for 5/rest for 10 that you suggest, and then use the big bike for interval sprints with minimal rest between reps (like thirty/forty seconds max). Try single leg squats for leg strength but if you have access to some proper facilities kettle bell swings with a heavy bell, squats, weighted lunges, farmers walks, and deadlifts are all really effective ways of improving your hard sprint strength.

There’s a whole world of info, tricks, tips and things which could probably be of use but with only four months there’s only so much you can actually implement. My training’s already in progress and has been since October – for an April/early May start! Get your diet sorted with adequate veg/greenery/meat/eggs etc (go for natural rather than processed), and while you’re trying to lose weight, cut out things like rice, pasta & bread unless you’ve had a really hard day of riding etc. Caffeine before your workouts will help burn fat, drink lots of water and cut out alcohol.

Hopefully that's of some use to you...

Superb post Ennoch!

Good to have you onboard!
Lee

[joema]

Fort William is going to be 6 minutes plus and its rough.

What bike do you ride out of interest?


You're main focus has to be starting to lose weight and get some base fitness as you aren't going to get the time on the bike by now and then as it's winter.

Base fitness, I've always put the miles in on the road. A days racing downhill is tiring when you account for the amount of runs you do and time out. Should mix it with some high energy bursts.

Don't just diet. Use weights or go to the gym so you can turn some of that fat into muscle.

As for arm pump, there really is no substitute for riding. Excercises like mentioned can help so worth a go. Bike set up can, when you meet riders see how they have their controls. I run my brakes a good 2 inch or more from the grips and brake with the end of the lever with one finger. Levers are close to the bar. And they're angled so I'm not having to bend my wrists drastically.

Bend them elbows!

When you turn up to the track have a look at lines and try to visualise how you would ride them. There will often be several lines whereby there would usually be something g safe and easy or a bit trickier but you would gain some time.

And if you're still unsure you can always get some coaching. Don't feel embarrassed. There is a skills video from dirt back from 05... Still relevant and helpful,