training tips/routines

[lenandsons]

Hi All

Just getting back into some serious cycling and need to get my fitness levels up, really improve my hillclimbing ability and shed loads of blubber. So any training ideas both on the bike ( roadie ) and in the gym will be greatly appreciated.

TIA

[mikee boy]

Without wanting to sound cheeky, just ride. I put in a lot of road miles and I lost a stone really quickly and I feel a lot fitter now too. The key is to keep getting on the bike and riding it.

[anonymous-user]

remember to include stretching sessions as well as actual training sessions. not only will it help prevent things like cramp but it will also reduce recovery times

[Ken Sington]

If you can, try and get a proper assessment of your maximum heart rate, not the 220 - your age which is a very rough rule of thumb. Doing this, I found my maximum was 20bpm higher than I previously thought. You can then aim to train at the correct level to burn fat as fuel, rather than carbohydrate. Doing this, with some diet tweaking, has lost me 20lbs so far since the end of January and has made a big difference to my speed up the hills. You might find it easier to train at a constant heart rate in the gym though on a static bike or a turbo trainer at home, because you don't have to take account of wind resistance, terrain changes, near misses from cars etc, all of which have an effect on your heart rate.

[fergus]

Make sure that you're set-up correctly on the bike prior to either pushing yourself hard or being in the saddle for a long time. This may cause problems down the line....

[lenandsons]

Hi All

Did a 50k ride for charity yesterday, first time I have been able to check times against an accurate distance. Completed in 1 hour 50 so was not to upset with that time, also managed to keep pedaling up a long steady hill with a steep climb to end from 20 k's out to the 25k turnaround All in all a very good day was had, just need to get my hillclimbs sorted as they are still a struggle.
Wwill exercises like squats and deadlifts help, rep range of 8 - 12 with about 705 of my 1 rep max?

[Parsnip]

Weights help - not as much as riding though.

Stay out of the gym as much as possible - thats what the winter is for - even then, a turbo/rollers session is much more beneficial than the gym.

There is no substitute for miles under your belt - don't worry about strength sessions, hill repeats or the like yet - join a club, do some group rides - get dropped, get strong, go back and cause some damage. Things like weights and specific sessions are icing on the cake - if you don't have a good base mileage, you don't got no cake.

[mikee boy]

Parsnip said:

join a club, do some group rides - get dropped, get strong, go back and cause some damage.

The best thing about clubs is the 70 year old bloke on an 80's bike who is better than you in every category. It also gives you a lot of motivation to keep going out and to keep up with a 'briskish' pace.

[phil-sti]

hmmmmmmm ive been riding again for the last 8 weeks and ride nearly everyday and have suffered from sore leg muscles until i started using psp22 energy supplement, since then i have been able to ride harder and faster without my legs aching as bad. so maybe u need a good store of carbs to help burn the fat off ?

[b2hbm]

If you're pushing hard, don't forget to allow time for recovery; bashing away every day might sound like the right thing to do but increases the chances of injury or just getting fed up and chucking it.

When I restarted a few years back I aimed for a rest day every 2-3 days. It gives your muscles time to recover, build up glycogen and then you're flying along on your next session; you'll go harder and get fitter than if you try to push hard every day. If you feel you really must ride or do something every day try to have "easy" and "hard" sessions to allow recovery.

[fergus]

b2hbm said:

...bashing away every day might sound like the right thing to do but increases the chances of injury...

You'll get very sore carrying on like that night after night