Getting fitter?

tenbar
tenbar Posts: 94
edited June 2009 in Road beginners
Hello
I was wondering what people's views were on how they measure improved fitness as they cycle more often from the non-cyclist/absolute beginner. I don't want any technical answers here. I have personal goals on well known and used routes, such as getting up a certain hill in a sitting position rather than having to stand up. There's also the obvious increase in average speed. That's the kind of thing I'm after. What are you thoughts?

Comments

  • Mettan
    Mettan Posts: 2,103
    One thing you might notice over the months on a regular loop, is that your heart-rate will be lower and you're breathing easier on any particular hill - (assumes same speed/conditions etc etc....) - one other phenomenon you might notice is that your recovery at the top of any hill will be quicker the fitter you become - (ie rather than dawdling for 7 seconds at slow pace at the top, you might only dawdle for 3 as you get fitter - eventually you just plow straight over and on - great feeling).
  • Jeff Jones
    Jeff Jones Posts: 1,865
    edited June 2009
    Measure your hill climbing times (taking into account that a tail or a headwind will make a small difference)
    Jeff Jones

    Product manager, Sports
  • daviesee
    daviesee Posts: 6,386
    Hi,

    Real fitness is not measured by how strong, or how fast you are; although they are natural by-products :P

    Real fitness is measured in how quickly you recover.

    For example, if you go on 3 runs a week as you get fitter you will be able to manage 5 similar runs a week.

    More fitness =more runs = more strength = faster :P
    None of the above should be taken seriously, and certainly not personally.
  • Porgy
    Porgy Posts: 4,525
    daviesee wrote:
    For example, if you go on 3 runs a week as you get fitter you will be able to manage 5 similar runs a week.

    Since December and moving out of London I've been building up from 1 day a week - which I could barely manage in the winter - to now doing 5 days a week.

    Now I'm going to add in rides at the weekend.

    After that I guess I will need to start increasing my daily mileage. I've tired to do faster - but traffic and traffic lights and suicidal peds put paid to that
  • roger_merriman
    roger_merriman Posts: 6,165
    I've slowly being putting more time on the saddle so that wee lumps like nightingale lane in Richmound (london) are a easy spin in the saddle now, and there doesn't seem to be anything (thus far) in the north downs that with 34/27 i need to stand up for, winterfold/whitedown are all saddle jobs, mind you i'm still miles away from fast!

    I might try at some point a TT and see how long it takes....
  • tenbar wrote:
    Hello
    I was wondering what people's views were on how they measure improved fitness as they cycle more often from the non-cyclist/absolute beginner. I don't want any technical answers here. I have personal goals on well known and used routes, such as getting up a certain hill in a sitting position rather than having to stand up. There's also the obvious increase in average speed. That's the kind of thing I'm after. What are you thoughts?
    Jeff is on the money.

    Here are my thoughts in a BikeRadar article:
    http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/articl ... ting-19175