Will I ever be able to climb with lightweights?

dodsi

i assume its a 5 second sprint - flat out etc

is this correct?

but what does FT mean?

i am taking part in some vo2 max testing - so i should have some numbers to review and work to improve

doyler78

Your right dodsi on 5s = 5 seconds.

FT is function thresold basically the average steady state watts you can maintain over an hour or basically your average watts in 25mile/40km tt where you have paced yourself properly ie didn't blow at the end but nothing really in reserve.

Anonymous

Your VO2 test will pobably be a ramp test where you increase steadily increase power and carry on until you can't maintain the required power. This can also provide a FT of sorts too.

I use the test Doyler78 said to do my FT though.

Tino4444

holmeboy wrote:

Been doing a lot of miles for the last 2 years now including a lot of hills, the Question I've got to ask you experts is will I ever be able to keep up with a 10 stone cyclist (I'm 13 and a bit) going up hill into winds etc? I can do it for a while with extreme effort but eventually get dropped. Don't really see me losing much more weight, I'm 6ft of medium build.

:oops: :twisted: :roll: 8)

Have you tried cycling with a good length of rope on your back?.............When you then find that your lagging behind on the uphills simply lasoo the rider in front and let him pull you up the hill.

I find that mixing cycling with heavy weight lifting ( leg press and raises etc) helps develop leg strength as well as endurance. Im 6ft and 13stone 10 pounds. I use a hybrid bike and am currently faster over all especially up hills than my training pall who is 12 stone 5 pounds and rides a road bike.

oldwelshman

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

BeaconRuth wrote:

SteveR_100Milers wrote:

BTW I have just bought a *proper* TT bike and pointy helmet, so no excuses this year...it's made me re-think sessions on the turbo at least for the time being

Super! What have you got? And how has it made you re-think your turbo sessions?

Ruth

A focus izalco chrono, just looking for some nice blingy carbon deep section wheels on the cheap!
Spending a shade over £2k focuses the mind somewhat when sitting on the turbo, how long that will last I don't know. One thing I am going to do though that i have not done before is at least weekly ride our club 10 course on it to "tune" the set up and position, so I should have a good idea what I can expect to achieve this year. Structured goal orientated training...now that's a first!

First event is a 2 up 25 on 1st March, and I've pencilled in about 20 open events this year...let's see if the enthusiasm can stretch all the way till September for the welsh 12 hour

Steve I would give the wheels a miss Unless you willing to pay that large amount of money to ride a few TT's with them The roads are so bad in uk they feel awful on "normal" roads.
I used my deep section in the Pembroke sportive and it was awful. I much prefer my dura ace wheels. The carbon ones were ok in Italy but I hate them in UK (and so does my arse) and would never get them again.[/code]

holmeboy

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! seems like the answer to my Question is YES! IF I loose a stone and a Half, and do more Hills and go into the pain zone more. Well according to my Wii I've put on 3 pounds since Christmas and this period includes 2 trips to the gym, my wife stopping buying biscuits, crisps, chocolate etc!, Cycled Boxing day 45 miles, the Sunday 60 miles , cycled to work Mon/Tue/Wed and ran a 4 mile race (27 mins 15 secs) on New Years day, cycled the friday 56 miles, Sunday 42 miles, and Thursday 60 miles. Reckon muscle must be at least 4 times heavier than fat! :shock: :oops: :evil:

toontra

It's about consistency. You're not going to see meaningful results in 2 weeks. Keep up the training & watch your food for a few months and you will improve - no question.

cframe

I'm a lightweight as it is (~10stone) but the thing I found made the biggest difference to my climbing, or at least my perception of how well I'm climbing, was by changing my technique just recently.

I'll now spin up a hill at a pretty high cadence rather than just grind my way through it and just try to stay as relaxed as possible the whole way. Keeping light on the bars and light on the pedals, not getting all hunched up over the front trying to battle up it.

Mixing it up between sitting and standing seems to have made quite a difference as well in terms of just keeping the muscles a bit fresher.

liversedge

holmeboy wrote:

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! seems like the answer to my Question is YES! IF I loose a stone and a Half, and do more Hills and go into the pain zone more. Well according to my Wii I've put on 3 pounds since Christmas and this period includes 2 trips to the gym, my wife stopping buying biscuits, crisps, chocolate etc!, Cycled Boxing day 45 miles, the Sunday 60 miles , cycled to work Mon/Tue/Wed and ran a 4 mile race (27 mins 15 secs) on New Years day, cycled the friday 56 miles, Sunday 42 miles, and Thursday 60 miles. Reckon muscle must be at least 4 times heavier than fat! :shock: :oops: :evil:

You know what - you probably have put on muscle. Why would that be a surprise? My weight loss is very gradual and then I'll see a big dip when I least expect it. I used to weigh myself all the time, now I just check every week or so.

Just keep plugging away and it comes down ....

Tom Butcher

OK sorry but haven't read the whole thread - just the first page and then glanced at the power calculations on the last page. Anyway at 12.5 stone I find I climb reasonably on longish hills (rather than short power climbs or super steep stuff). I think it's because my strength is probably sustained power but that I have a relatively low peak power - so short power climbs I do struggle a bit on but on a longer climb and I can beat some lighter riders who are maybe my standard or slightly better on the flat. When I say better I think they probably have better acceleration/sprint to handle closing gaps etc - they probably wouldn't be so good in a time trial situation.

Mettan

holmeboy wrote:

Mmmmmmmmmmmmm! seems like the answer to my Question is YES! IF I loose a stone and a Half, and do more Hills and go into the pain zone more. Well according to my Wii I've put on 3 pounds since Christmas and this period includes 2 trips to the gym, my wife stopping buying biscuits, crisps, chocolate etc!, Cycled Boxing day 45 miles, the Sunday 60 miles , cycled to work Mon/Tue/Wed and ran a 4 mile race (27 mins 15 secs) on New Years day, cycled the friday 56 miles, Sunday 42 miles, and Thursday 60 miles. Reckon muscle must be at least 4 times heavier than fat! :shock: :oops: :evil:

You could try eating smaller portions throughout the day - sounds a bit strange, but I've found that the best way to lose weight is simply to eat less (via smaller portions) in combination with exercise - bit more drastic again, but, I go through certain periods where I'll eat little more than 2 bowls of shredded wheat a day (with milk and sugar) and plenty of cups of tea - sounds like a crap diet, but for a couple of days here and there, the weight seems to drop off. Not implying that this is suitable for everyone (or anyone in particular) though.

mclarent

eating smaller portions throughout the day is certainly recommended for anyone exercising every day, 4-6 small meals / snacks provide a constant stream of carbs into the blood stream, which are then more readily absorbed by the body (i.e. glycogen topped up).