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training plan for a newbie

jlbjlb Posts: 3
edited December 1969 in Training, fitness and health
hi all , only just got into this cycling lark after many years playing footy .i always thought i was fairly fit till i tried riding. it seems to use a completely different set of muscles to football . even so i think i ve caught the bug for it. i was just wondering if anyone had any advice for a training plan to help me improve. my time is a little limited i can fit 2x 30min/1 hr sesion in a week ( tue and thurs ) and a longer ride at the weekend.

any tips?

must try harder!
must try harder!

Posts

  • simmerssimmers Posts: 92
    That's a good start. Just enjoy it to begin with and work on building a basic fitness base. Try 'spinning' a smaller gear than feels right to begin with, it's easier on your knees and spares your legs. Increase weekly time of ride by no more than about 10% per week. Keep hydrated on longer rides and eat soon after returning. Check your basic position on the bike for comfort and speed (plenty of guides on the net). If you get in to it, consider getting shoes, shorts, gloves etc which will all help. You might find a heart rate monitor helpful later on. Read magazines, books and web sites. Oh, and enjoy it!
  • jsmithfymjsmithfym Posts: 296
    Just go out and ride enjoy but don't think that you have to hammer round to get fitter.
  • PhilBixbyPhilBixby Posts: 697
    See if there's a club nearby that does a moderate-paced weekend ride you could join, so you can get tips and advice, plus company (if/when you want it) plus you can find out about the many and varied opportunities for challenge and competition as your fitness progresses. Enjoy!

    Phil B
    Clifton CC York
  • UnknownUnknown
    You could add intervals/hills as one of your 30 minutes sessions to get fitter quicker - it'll probably put you off enjoying cycling though.


    www.getmountainbiking.co.uk
    Mountain Biking Instruction in Northants/Milton Keynes for the uninitiated!
  • gbyersgbyers Posts: 164
    Is it road cycling your mainly interested in? If so Cycling Weekly (rival pub to C+) has a good training and fitness supplement out at the moment.

    It covers a huge amount of territory and a lot of it is aimed at beginners.

    It's a bit pricey for a mag (œ6) but i had a long train journey yesterday and succumbed - it was a good read and well worth it.

    Details here

    http://www.cyclingweekly.co.uk/catalog/ ... 61ca7fd642

    Good luck with the bike.

    ________________________________________________________________________________
    Anyone expecting to see a witty and imaginitive signature here obviously hasn't seen my username.
    ________________________________________________________________________________
  • UnknownUnknown
    It depends what your aim is

    If you are aiming to do a 100 mile ride your training methods will be different to if you are planning to get faster and faster at 10 mile time trials. Building up fitness to commute 10 miles each day to work would be different again. Or doing a Lands End to JoG. Etc.

    --
    Drink your souplesse
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