Out of shape 35 y.o. wants to bike. Advice?

[jana519]

I want to do some cycling to get back in shape, I'm pretty out of shape (6'1' 230 lbs). In my 20s I was active and use to bike a lot. The problem back then was that whenever I'd start cycling, pretty soon I'd get "cycling fatigue". It felt like when I got on my bike, my legs didn't feel "fresh".

I realize now I wasn't resting enough and probably doing too much, so I want to go slower and pace myself properly. Any advice on how many days to cycle each week and still have fresh legs? Is there a particular regiment that's good for someone out of shape and just looking to drop 5-10 lbs?

 

[whm1974]

I want to do some cycling to get back in shape, I'm pretty out of shape (6'1' 230 lbs). In my 20s I was active and use to bike a lot. The problem back then was that whenever I'd start cycling, pretty soon I'd get "cycling fatigue". It felt like when I got on my bike, my legs didn't feel "fresh".

I realize now I wasn't resting enough and probably doing too much, so I want to go slower and pace myself properly. Any advice on how many days to cycle each week and still have fresh legs? Is there a particular regiment that's good for someone out of shape and just looking to drop 5-10 lbs?

I wouldn't do more then an hour of biking if even that at first. If you are badly out of shape, then it is best to start slow. Also it is sometimes advisable to get a doctor checkup at before you begin.

 

[jana519]

I wouldn't do more then an hour of biking if even that at first. If you are badly out of shape, then it is best to start slow. Also it is sometimes advisable to get a doctor checkup at before you begin.

Do you cycle? Do you recommend a regiment based on miles or time?

I know I'm out of shape, I won't be doing anything stupid. I'll be starting slow. My plan is to one day of short riding with a higher heart rate, one day rest, one day of slow easy riding but getting in distance, then another day rest. Alternate.

I'm not terribly out of shape. I still walk regularly and my diet is so-so, not a lot of junk food but probably too much salt. My main concern is leg fatigue, I'm trying to avoid the cycle where everytime I get on the bike my quads don't feel fresh.

 

[whm1974]

Do you cycle? Do you recommend a regiment based on miles or time?

I know I'm out of shape, I won't be doing anything stupid. I'll be starting slow. My plan is to one day of short riding with a higher heart rate, one day rest, one day of slow easy riding but getting in distance, then another day rest. Alternate.

I'm not terribly out of shape. I still walk regularly and my diet is so-so, not a lot of junk food but probably too much salt. My main concern is leg fatigue, I'm trying to avoid the cycle where everytime I get on the bike my quads don't feel fresh.

I used to cycle a lot, but not so much anymore. I need to get back on my bike myself, which I will be doing this weekend.

 

[deadlyapp]

Is your goal only to lose weight? In which case cycling at high energy (moving from aerobic to anaerobic) may not really be necessary (other than you feeling like you're getting more of a workout).

May want to start with a triathlon training program, and tailor it to include more biking. Maybe even keep the swim aspect, as swimming and being in water has some pretty good benefits on their own.

https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/a-12-week-triathlon-training-plan-for-beginners?page=2

 

[pauldun170]

Start off with 30-60 min max cycling with moderate effort (sweat)
Stick to the 10% rule per week.
3-4 rides a week.
Sat (light effort for 60 minutes)
Sun( Shorter ride, moderate to intense - 30 minutes)
Tuesday (Light to moderate - whatever works for your schedule)
Thursday (light to moderate - whatever works for your schedule)

Squeeze strengthening workouts.
Wednesday or Friday - Squats and calves.
.

 

[Carson Dyle]

I'm scratching my head here... If you feel like you're not fully recovering, take an extra rest day or else do fewer miles. Start off slow, add miles gradually. Three, even two days a week to begin. The worst thing you can do is injure yourself or discourage yourself and quit.

 

[jana519]

Start off with 30-60 min max cycling with moderate effort (sweat)
Stick to the 10% rule per week.
3-4 rides a week.
Sat (light effort for 60 minutes)
Sun( Shorter ride, moderate to intense - 30 minutes)
Tuesday (Light to moderate - whatever works for your schedule)
Thursday (light to moderate - whatever works for your schedule)

Squeeze strengthening workouts.
Wednesday or Friday - Squats and calves.
.

Thanks. I will be starting at 20-30 minutes rides of moderate effort. Then I will do 40-50 light effort rides but longer distance.

I think 4 per week is a bit much to start out, I'll try 3 and see how things go. If my legs feel good then maybe I can squeeze in an extra ride. My focus is on long term health, so I'm not too worried about starting slow.

 

[jana519]

I'm scratching my head here... If you feel like you're not fully recovering, take an extra rest day or else do fewer miles. Start off slow, add miles gradually. Three, even two days a week to begin. The worst thing you can do is injure yourself or discourage yourself and quit.

Yeah, that's good advice. I didn't have much common sense in my 20s, just trying to feel tough and riding too hard. I was an idiot, essentially.

I was just trying to see if anyone else had the same issue of fatigue or what their riding frequency was. So far people have suggested resting more, so that's probably fine.

 

[jana519]

Is your goal only to lose weight? In which case cycling at high energy (moving from aerobic to anaerobic) may not really be necessary (other than you feeling like you're getting more of a workout).

May want to start with a triathlon training program, and tailor it to include more biking. Maybe even keep the swim aspect, as swimming and being in water has some pretty good benefits on their own.

https://www.active.com/triathlon/articles/a-12-week-triathlon-training-plan-for-beginners?page=2

Good point. On the surface the goal is losing some weight so my clothes fit me better. But also in the back of my mind longterm health is there too. Avoiding chronic illnesses. Feeling healthier. I'm not getting any younger, and having a healthy heart is important too.

So the immediate focus is losing weight, but I don't want to completely overlook the moderate to intense rides for heart health either.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Get some good bike shorts or a padded liner to wear under gym shorts. Your butt will thank you. Whenever I get back on the bike in the spring, that's the number one thing that kills me. Takes a little while to get back in the groove.

 

[fleshconsumed]

I used to bike a lot, I still do, although not as much anymore. As an example I generally do 25-30 miles per week just biking to work and grocery stores and I do 55-70 mile bike rides on crushed limestone (which is harder than pavement) couple of times every summer.

I think you're overthinking it. This is what I would advice:
- Try to find a happy medium, don't push yourself to the injury point, but don't go easy either, if you're not sweating/a little bit out of breath, then you're not really exercising
- Aim for a complete recovery on the second day after bike ride. It's ok to feel a bit sore on the same day, or even a little sore the next day after a big bike ride, but if you bike on day 1, by day 3 you should complete recover
- Make sure that your bike fits you and make sure that your seat is adjusted properly too. At one point I had huge issue with knee pain after any bike ride over 10 miles, it took me a while to realize that my bike seat was tilted too much forward, which made me use my legs/knees to keep myself from sliding forward

Other than that, clean up your diet, I know you said you don't eat a lot of junk food, but numbers don't lie, good luck

 

[pauldun170]

What kind of bike are you going to use?
Roadbike, Hybrid or Mountain bike?

 

[deadlyapp]

I haven't seen it mentioned here either, but if you're feeling overly fatigued in certain parts of your muscles, you may also simply be riding inefficiently or your bike might not be setup correctly for you.

If you're perfectly set up and you get this fatigue, then look in other parts of your lifestyle to correct it (nutrition, sleep, body work, etc).

I work out heavily every day, and yes some days I feel beat up, but in general because my nutrition is very good, I sleep well, and I do some soft tissue work and mobilization and stretching, I usually feel pretty damn good.

 

[Ventanni]

Get on your ass and bike.

 

[ArchAngel777]

Your legs don't always need to feel fresh. There are, basically, 3 main ways your legs can feel. 100% rested, somewhere in the middle and then exhausted. Ride appropriately based on that. To give you an example.

Saturday evening I was drained (legs exhausted, glycogen depleted), and I mean really drained. I did a 2 hour slow ride. Under 10mph. The next day, around 4:00pm my legs were 100%. I did an extreme grueling ride 1.5 hours of off-road course and felt great. So after that I did a road ride for another 2 hours on the easier side. I am actually in rather poor shape, at least to what I normally am (tough winter, serious bout of depression). I only started riding again 3 weeks ago. You just have to get on your bike and do it. Don't let your legs decide *if* you should ride, instead, let them decide "how hard" you should ride.

 

[Thebobo]

Get off your ass and Hike!

 

[wirelessenabled]

I want to do some cycling to get back in shape, I'm pretty out of shape (6'1' 230 lbs). In my 20s I was active and use to bike a lot. The problem back then was that whenever I'd start cycling, pretty soon I'd get "cycling fatigue". It felt like when I got on my bike, my legs didn't feel "fresh".

I realize now I wasn't resting enough and probably doing too much, so I want to go slower and pace myself properly. Any advice on how many days to cycle each week and still have fresh legs? Is there a particular regiment that's good for someone out of shape and just looking to drop 5-10 lbs?

The answer is to get in shape slowly but regularly. I am 63 yrs old, 6'1" and weigh 170 lbs going to 161 lbs. I try to ride my bicycle 100 miles each week. You just need to get on your bike as often as possible and ride, hopefully 20 miles a day on the level or a bit less if climbing. The first few weeks are going to be a challenge to you physically but after a while riding 20 miles is only a little over an hour. Don't worry about how your legs feel, just keep putting on the miles and they will feel fine at some point.

 

[djryanash]

Thanks. I will be starting at 20-30 minutes rides of moderate effort. Then I will do 40-50 light effort rides but longer distance.

I think 4 per week is a bit much to start out, I'll try 3 and see how things go. If my legs feel good then maybe I can squeeze in an extra ride. My focus is on long term health, so I'm not too worried about starting slow.

How's the riding coming along?

I would have suggested:

3-4 20-30 minute rides a week, increase by adding 10% to the time each week. So in 12 weeks time you'll be riding almost an hour to an hour and a half.

 

[wirelessenabled]

How are your rides doing?

 

[Roy Parker]

Couple of months back, I changed my diet and started counting calories. And trust me, it really helped. I lost more than 10 kgs in 3 months. Also, I started yoga. I read that yogic yoga and weight loss are closely related.