How often do you have to ride to keep your fitness up?

zedders

I haven't been out since Sunday evening and am knackered as worked late all week. I don't work shifts as such but reg end up doing 12 or 14 hour shifts, coming home at 8 or 10pm. Am not looking for simpathy or anything, I actually enjoy my job, and I know in current finanical cilmates I can hardly complain; it pays the bills and all...
But seriously I was woundering how often you feel you need to go out on the bike to keep your fitness up? Sometimes I ride 3 or 4 times a week, like last week and I feel good for it.
But other weeks, working late and other commitments (i.e the misses!) get in the way and I can't get out at all. By the time a fresh week starts I feel I'm back to square one, and the previous weeks efforts are wasted.
Therefore should I try and go out after working such a long days when tired? (Sometimes it's impossible, I just feel knackered and have no motivation at all, or its dark etc).
Whether its riding to work, out on my own, or with my mates I normally ride between 15 and 30 miles, upto 40 on rare occasions. At the mo it seems like one good week followed by a bad one. Any advice on how to keep my fitness up with such a varied program. (I don't actually have a program) Be harsh if you like, I don't mind, but one or two possitive/constructive replies would be nice. Soz to moan - I can't help it!
Cheers - Zedders.

funckchicken

i think if you want see a reasonable increase in your fitness levels you need to be training at least 3 times a week, preferably 4.

as a rough rule of thumb - once or twice twice weekly just to maintain what you have, 3 or 4 times a week to increase.

it depends though. if you can only get out once or twice a week then if you up the intensity you can maybe increase your fitness a bit. plus if you need a recovery week then maybe just once or twice that week might be good for you.

Infamous

Depends how fit you are. If you can only get out 3 or 4 times a week then ride them as hard as you can (intervals if you like).

NoNotAgain

Zedders,
unfortunately, the real basics for becoming better lie within riding for a long time at a low heart rate.
I'd go for intervals rather than riding as hard as you can all the time, since that way you wouldn't improve but rather overtrain instead.
I work a lot more than 40 hrs a week as well and enjoy it, but I take my time to ride before or after work 5 times a week.
By the way, darkness is no excuse, mate. Some brilliant mind invented lights for bikes quite a while ago.

fossyant

Can you commute by bike ? That's how I got my fitness back..... it's hard work twice daily, but you'll certainly reap the benefits.

Jester84

Do something else like swimming?

A good way of building fitness without straining bones etc

NoNotAgain

But swimming is even more time consuming.

zedders

Commuting, swiming, lights erm?
Maybe I should swim to work with lights?

I have commuted before. I think I need to get back to riding in Mon, Wed and Fri.

Mothyman

can you do an hour at lunch/tea time then quick shower at work before a bit more work then home to the wife?

NoNotAgain

To be honest - other things seem to be more important in your life at the moment.
Why not leave cycling aside for a while instead of forcing yourself to it?

SteppenHerring

NoNotAgain wrote:

To be honest - other things seem to be more important in your life at the moment.
Why not leave cycling aside for a while instead of forcing yourself to it?

Burn the heretic!

More seriously, it's supposed to be an enjoyable hobby - not a chore.

STEFANOS4784

I know what you mean zedders i know how long it took to be able to go up hills without stopping for a rest and am dreading what will happen when i return from a 2 week lads holiday but, ah well...........

Funckchicken what do you consider 'training' ie: how far, how hard?

NoNotAgain you make a good point........

CiB

Zedders. You've mentioned crossing the A5 to get to work, which puts you in the correct end of Leics - my guess is the business park at Lutterworth, or up round the Dodwells estate (Triumph?).

Make a point of cycling to Burbage (from the Watling and down the Lutterworth Road), go past The Anchor [if you can, I never can], up the hill and continue as far as the church where you can enjoy a relaxing and top quality pint in The Cross Keys. John the Landlord will eye you up properly as 'not from round ere', unless of course you are. Enjoy your pint, and return from whence thee came, as long as it's not Nuneaton. <insert 'strewth I hope he's not' smiley/>. That should give you a nice little warm-up / keep-you-at-it ride. It works for me, and it's a bit further from down here in t'grim sarf.



Leicestershire. What a perfect county.

Infamous

NoNotAgain wrote:

Zedders,
unfortunately, the real basics for becoming better lie within riding for a long time at a low heart rate.

No Not True. The real basics for becoming better lie withing riding for a long time at a high heart rate.

TarmacExpert

Basically, to maintain your fitness, you need to keep training at whatever level it took to achieve that fitness, assuming you have been doing it long enough to reach an equilibrium. To improve you need to increase your level of training, whereas if you decrease your level of training you will become less fit, albeit you may in the short term improve due to the extra rest.

For example, I had done no cycling for many months before my first ride of this year, and achieved rapid gains by cycling just once every two weeks. Once every two weeks was enough to achieve improvement for me because it was an increase in my training load.

On the other hand, in my main sport, swimming, I have in the past trained 6 times a week, and cannot achieve the same level of performance if I only train 5 times a week, though training 5 times a week makes me a lot faster than training 4 times a week etc.

I agree with the people who say if you can't train much, train hard. I have always found a high volume of low intensity training to be something that needs to be done in addition to high intensity training, not instead of. Do high intensity training if you have limited time, up to the point where it starts to take you into overtraining. Overtraining for a short period is fine, arguably even desirable (we might term such overtraining "overreaching" rather than overtraining), as you will get the super-compensation effect when you taper for a race. If you still have further time to devote to training after doing as much high intensity training as your body can handle, then you can start to add low intensity long duration training. Of course, when doing high intensity training, you will still get plenty of low intensity training in your warm up and recovery time, I'm not suggesting you get on the bike, take your heart rate straight to the max, do that for 30 mins, then stop dead.

guv001

NoNotAgain wrote:

To be honest - other things seem to be more important in your life at the moment.
Why not leave cycling aside for a while instead of forcing yourself to it?

I've just had 6 months off because I felt burnt out and was no longer enjoying riding. First ride back today and feel motivated but knackered I'm sure my fitness will return in about 6 weeks (well I hope).

keef66

I only ride when I know I'm going to enjoy it. Suppose on average it's once in the week and a longer ride at the weekend, but at the moment it's more often cos there's more daylight and better weather.

I think a couple of times a week is enough to maintain my base level of fitness without it becoming a chore or ending my marriage. Would be different if I was a racer, but I'm not.

When I was off the bike for 3 months with a knee injury, surgery, recuperation, I lost a lot of muscle and I did struggle a bit when I first started riding again, but now I think I'm fitter than I was before.

Stumpy Ade

With regard to high or low intensity both are needed.

Low intensity would be a long, low heart rate ride, this builds stamina and endurance.

High intensity would involve intervals and/or hill work raising and lowering heart rate, over a shorter distance, this builds speed and power.

Threshold or tempo, would be a middle distance ride at a consistant hard or challanging pace, builds cadio vascular performance.

If you can manage these 3 rides a week this will give you a good balanced fitness.

It can get more technical, heart rate zones etc this is useful generalisation that has served me well.

NoNotAgain

Infamous wrote:

NoNotAgain wrote:

Zedders,
unfortunately, the real basics for becoming better lie within riding for a long time at a low heart rate.

No Not True. The real basics for becoming better lie withing riding for a long time at a high heart rate.

Simply wrong, mate. Get your facts straight.

GyatsoLa

If you are short on time, the way to make up for it is to introduce a higher intensity to your workouts. There is an interesting article on one piece of research here:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2005/ ... eandhealth

also, google 'tabata protocol' for a few articles on a particularly intense short and sharp type of session.

Infamous

NoNotAgain wrote:

Infamous wrote:

NoNotAgain wrote:

Zedders,
unfortunately, the real basics for becoming better lie within riding for a long time at a low heart rate.

No Not True. The real basics for becoming better lie withing riding for a long time at a high heart rate.

Simply wrong, mate. Get your facts straight.

fast as fupp

and theres me thinking it was riding for a medium time at a medium heartrate 8)

Mothyman

church where you can enjoy a relaxing and top quality pint in The Cross Keys.


...imaybe ts the quality pint whch is ruining his fitness.........but i cant talk - am a stone over weight

zedders

Infamous wrote:

NoNotAgain wrote:

Infamous wrote:

NoNotAgain wrote:

Zedders,
unfortunately, the real basics for becoming better lie within riding for a long time at a low heart rate.

No Not True. The real basics for becoming better lie withing riding for a long time at a high heart rate.

Simply wrong, mate. Get your facts straight.

Right which is it?
Ride longer - ie more than 30 -40 miles, which for me would mean a 50+ milers once a week?
Or increase the intensity? which for me would mean a blast on the way home from work or trying to throw a quick 'pretend' 10 mile TT into the mix once a week! (and losing a few lbs wouldn't go a miss either).

Just like to say I do still enjoy going out 80% of the time. Its when am really, really tired when I don't. I know cycling should be about having fun, but there's also a fitness thing for me. I want to keep my fitness up and improve my stamina and pace.

ChrisInBicester - You'll be glad to hear I'm not from Nuneaton, although my lovely nan lives on the Long Shoot! I've cycled around burbage, Aston Flamville, and bits of Hinckley a few times, and in my old footy days had more than a pint or two the Keys!

northstar

Everyday, has helped, I can keep up with some roadies now.

Dunkeldog

I think fitness is different for different folks. I know my own fitness levels need three decent rides per week to maintain. Had a three month layoff in the winter - slipped disc and keyhole heart surgery back to back. Was absolutely in the floor the first couple of weeks back on the bike. Just about got my fitness back after three months of regular riding.

neeb

I've always found a big, big difference between getting out 2 times a week and 3 or 4. I'm only managing 3 or 4 proper rides at the moment, plus an occasional very short commute. I never do low intensity rides (bores me stiff), but usually combine a fast(ish) 60-70mile ride at the weekend with two or three faster 25-40 mile ones during the week. Still, I managed 19mph average today on my own over 65 miles on rolling terrain (would have been faster without stops). If I ride too much I stop enjoying it and sometimes get slower.

funckchicken

Funckchicken what do you consider 'training' ie: how far, how hard?

personally with work and other commitments i find it difficult to find the time to fit everything in. i'd love to be able to find more time to train say 5 days a week but the way things work out at the moment with other commitments i can only get out 3 or 4 times per week. with that frequency i'm able to see reasonable gains in my fitness. if i only get out twice that week i find i can maintain what i have, but not really increase.

at the moment my current routine is a long 80 to 100 mile ride on a saturday at a steady pace, with plenty of hills. a 50 mile steady endurance ride on the sunday, a fast threshold intervals 35 to 40 mile ride on a wednesday and a 30-40 mile ride on the thursday during which i strength train by pushing higher gears than normal and adding a few 30 second sprints. in winter i tend to do more one hour interval sessions on the turbo, during the week, but still keep the longer rides at the weekend.

in addition to the bike, one evening per week i also do weights on upper body along with some core strengthening exercises.

whilst i would like to get out on the bike more, the advantage is that with 3 complete rest days a week i'm able to recover and arrive at each session pretty fresh mentally and physically and ready to give it my all.

markmod

Zedders,

I know just where you are coming from, I am doing very long long days at work designing and building a website to meet a fast approaching deadline. 6am starts till 8-9pm at night most days and working weekends too! I got to the point that I was siting so long working at my desk that I did my sciatic nerve in and could hardly walk upright, let alone ride a bike for a while for a while...not good!

I now commute to work on my bike as much as possible (15 miles round trip only), but as you say- if knackered from a long day at work the appeal of a ride home on my bike seems to fade a little... I just want to get home quick.

I suppose I shouldn't moan as a least I have a job (and I assure you this isn't a moan as I do understand it's a nightmare to be laid off, been there done that), but most people seem to work 9-5, have an hours lunch and 'do just enough' to get by and not be fired nowadays... I don't ever seem to have been in a job like that, my employers always want the post i'm in to become a lifestyle rather than a job?

I am also conscious of the fact that the Misses will have my guts for garters after working late most of the week if i whizz of most of the weekend I have left free on my bike.

But I have found if you get up early on the weekend (I can't have a lie in now as I have totally busted my body clock, so i am awake at five in the morning most days!) that an early morning run in the dawn light of a bright morning is superb, no traffic hardly and you can hear and smell the countryside for miles (perhaps the smell isn't always a good thing!!)

I have found that if you are tired, its very difficult to motivate yourself to jump on your bike, if if you make yourself do it you do feel much better afterwards.

As i think many others have said in earlier posts here, fitness in cycling seems to be gained by distance and consistently getting out on your bike regularly... always difficult if you are working all the time though Zedders I'm afraid. Off to try and get some sleep now!!