Does anyone use cycling as their only form of exercise and i

disorganisedmum

I'm trying to work out a routine of sorts as cycling is going to be my main form of exercise.I am looking to lose some weight but once I've got a good base level of fitness I'd like to do some sportives or that type of thing.I'll also be doing some pilates for core strength and kettlebells but could anyone advise me how often it's best to cycle and rest days and so on.I'm reasonably fit already but building up miles on the bike.Any tips would be very gratefully received.

Secteur

I only cycle, and I do it for weight loss, fitness & pleasure (in that order).

I tried running, but despite really giving it a good go I found it impossibly hard, injury-full and just miserable.

For some reason, despite always being crap at sports, and "the last one to be picked", I seem to be a natural on the bike... (but I'm no Bradley Wiggins!!)

Since starting cycling (along with a strict diet), I have lost 30kg (now 80kg) and my resting pulse etc has plummeted (a sign of cardiovascular conditioning).

I dont follow any particular exercise plan other than just riding as often as I can (usually 5 times a week, covering 100-150 miles) and eating well (90% of my diet is chicken, turkey and copious amounts of fruit and 10% being my morning bowl of porridge made with water).

I probably should do more core exercises, but I am lazy!

disorganisedmum

Secteur wrote:

I only cycle, and I do it for weight loss, fitness & pleasure (in that order).

I tried running, but despite really giving it a good go I found it impossibly hard, injury-full and just miserable.

For some reason, despite always being crap at sports, and "the last one to be picked", I seem to be a natural on the bike... (but I'm no Bradley Wiggins!!)

Since starting cycling (along with a strict diet), I have lost 30kg (now 80kg) and my resting pulse etc has plummeted (a sign of cardiovascular conditioning).

I dont follow any particular exercise plan other than just riding as often as I can (usually 5 times a week, covering 100-150 miles) and eating well (90% of my diet is chicken, turkey and copious amounts of fruit and 10% being my morning bowl of porridge made with water).

I probably should do more core exercises, but I am lazy!

Ha ha,well done on your weight loss,that's fantastic.Diet is my biggest downfall,if I coulld crack that,I'd prob be about 8 and half stone,if only!
I do a bit of core stuff and kettlebells too but where I struggle is how many rest days to have.I too tried running and also ended up utterly miserable and in constant pain with shin splints.I have one leg marginally longer than the other so have been seeing an osteopath and she rec cycling.I do have a tendency to overdo things cos I'm so impatient.
I was told when I was hospitalised earlier this year for a kidney infection that my blood pressure and pulse were fantastic and indicative of being quite fit,so there's something!

BobScarle

For a little while now cycling has been my only exercise after having to give up running and football due to ankle problems. Since the start of the year I have cut out from my diet things like crisps, cakes, chocolate bars, the general rubbish that we all seem to like. I do still have a few treats every now and again. I ride every weekend with a group and as often as I can in the week. I have lost about 2 stone in weight and feel great for it. I realise that 28 pound in about 6 months equates to around a pound a week so it is not fantastically quick, but it should be sustainable.

Boy Lard

I started cycling to try and lose some weight. Now I cycle because I like cycling and losing/maintaining weight is a bonus. I could never manage to keep motivated to go to the gym and I can't run regularly because of pain in my knees, (and now ankle).

I like my food and beer, so I haven't really changed what I eat, but I cycle to work every day, it is only a 10-12 miles round trip depending on which way I go. It only takes 15-20 minutes each way, but I try and ride it at a fairly reasonable pace. Once a week I get out on the road bike and do 30-40 miles. At least once a week I get out on my mtb and dick about, which probably expends more energy than the road ride.

Doing this I went from 14 1/2 stones to 10 1/2 stones in 6 months. My resting heart rate also went from 68 bpm to 52 bpm.

Then I broke my ankle (road bike not mountain bike) and went back up to 13 1/2 stones (over 6 months) because I couldn't get out on any bike. I am currently about 12 stones and slowly falling as I get back into my cycling routine. The most important thing for me though is that cycling doesn't feel like trying to exercise to lose weight, I do it because I like it and losing weight or keeping fit is a bonus.

McQueen

I am just getting bike into cycling again i am in the process of buying myself a road bike

I am similar to some guys on here, years of playing rugby and chucking heavy weights around in the gym has left me at a bodyweight of just shy of 105kilos. I used to play prop forward for my local team but two nasty shoulder injuries and been 33 i have had enough i think i will stick to watching it lol Both injuries required surgery and time off work which i cant afford to do again.

Dont know if i am too heavy to use a road bike???? I have been mega tight with my diet last two weeks and have dropped down from 230lbs to 223.5lbs the long road has begun.

At the minute i exercise quite abit, i have three siberian huskies that get walked 3-5miles a day, i run them once a week too weather permitting. I have an old mountain bike i have been taking out 1-2 times a week just started. But its owner and the bike weigh a tonne which aint good

My goal is too next year do the coast to coast and get down hopefully given 6months to drop down to 75-80kilos

McQueen

Secteur wrote:

I only cycle, and I do it for weight loss, fitness & pleasure (in that order).

I tried running, but despite really giving it a good go I found it impossibly hard, injury-full and just miserable.

For some reason, despite always being crap at sports, and "the last one to be picked", I seem to be a natural on the bike... (but I'm no Bradley Wiggins!!)

Since starting cycling (along with a strict diet), I have lost 30kg (now 80kg) and my resting pulse etc has plummeted (a sign of cardiovascular conditioning).

I dont follow any particular exercise plan other than just riding as often as I can (usually 5 times a week, covering 100-150 miles) and eating well (90% of my diet is chicken, turkey and copious amounts of fruit and 10% being my morning bowl of porridge made with water).

I probably should do more core exercises, but I am lazy!

nice one re the weight loss

Calder

disorganisedmum wrote:

Ha ha,well done on your weight loss,that's fantastic.Diet is my biggest downfall,if I coulld crack that,I'd prob be about 8 and half stone,if only!
..........

If, by this, you mean you munch on loads of snack stuff...... It's one of those things that when you first try to cut it out it's really hard, but then once you're used to not snacking you never really think about it. Tip: Don't buy cheese, or biscuits, or crisps when you go to the supermarket - all easy to live without.

Oh, and have pasta, rice, spuds, and cous cous based stuff for your tea - all make it dead easy to rustle up something that's as near as dammit fat free. No processed shite, no chips, no take-away stuff, blah blah blah.

It's not hard and it's not expensive. Obviously an occasional treat won't hurt, but personally I find myself not wanting it anyway..........

kim10

If you are careful with what you eat increasing the time you spend on the bike should make you lose weight or maintain a level once reached.
As for how many rest days I think this depends a lot on what kind of riding/training you are doing. If you go out and do nothing else than endurance riding effort you won’t need as much rest as if you for example do a lot of high interval hard riding. I do a bit of both and normally make sure I have a rest day after a hard interval session or a light recovery ride that day after. Like you I also do Pilates but I normally do not think too much about what days I do this, in fact I often ride to the gym to these sessions.
Whatever you do make sure you listen to your body and look out for signals of overtraining specially if you will be doing a lot of hard training.

dragonontheedge

Cycling is my only form of exercise. I cant abide gyms, I dont care for running and swimming involves getting cold and wet.

First and foremost I love cycling and all that goes with it. My road bike is a much pampered immaculate 2007 Allez which runs Ultegra and 105. I have put 7,000 miles on it in 18 months since I got it secondhand. Despite two owners and the mileage it is showroom fresh and lives indoors.

On average I do 600 miles a month.

I am not one for doing interval training or anything like that. I just get on it and ride it as the whim takes me. Sometimes 20 miles sometimes 70+. I figure that whatever I do is far better than doing nothing.

I have lost some weight since cycling but balancing that is muscle bulk which I have to say I am proud of.

I am 5'10", weigh 178 pound. At rest BPM is between 50 and 60. I am happy with that given that i will be 50 on my next birthday.

Al

TheEnglishman

Secteur - you lost 80kg? Man alive - I don't weigh 80 kg!!! Top man!

Anyway, this site has loads of useful fitness stuff - http://www.bikeradar.com/fitness/ - there's always something new to read and try, from diet to regimes to technique to.....

Simmotino

TheEnglishman wrote:

Secteur - you lost 80kg? Man alive - I don't weigh 80 kg!!! Top man!

I think he meant he'd lost 30kg so now weighs 80kg

guy.spartacus

I cycle for fun at the weekends and to improve cardio conditioning.
I used it to drop weight from 120kg to 88kg and now lift weights 4 times a week while slowly gaining weight (currently at 94kg)
Cycling is still fun to me and that's why I keep it up - this weight doesn't help with the hills though!

DavidJB

I cycle 13-14 hours a week + any commuting.

snakedoc

I took up cycling after I tore my ACL whilst skiing last February as I was told that the better condition the muscles in my legs were, the quicker the recovery time would be after having an operation to reconstruct the ligament.
By the time of the operation in July 2011 I had lost a stone in weight (from 12 to 11) and post op I have now lost another stone!
Have had to buy a complete new wardrobe as nothing fitted anymore.

I have recently started running (on the days when it's pouring with rain!), but I am now as a result of the cycling the fittest I have ever been.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Negative. Lots of swimming and running too + an active dayjob

Secteur

Simmotino wrote:

TheEnglishman wrote:

Secteur - you lost 80kg? Man alive - I don't weigh 80 kg!!! Top man!

I think he meant he'd lost 30kg so now weighs 80kg

Correct!!

18 months ago I was a 110kg fatty, but now am a more svelte 80kg, with about another 5-6kg to go, I think. The nearer I get to my target weight, the slower & harder it is!

I would just echo what someone said above - the snacks were missed badly at first, but now it's been months since I had any proper junk food, and I just dont miss it. When i'm hungry, I now crave fruit not cake! And cant remember the last time I had chips (?maybe 3 months ago) - I used to eat them daily.

kleinstroker

Some inspirational stories, makes me think I made the right decision to start cycling again instead of running. I don't have any scales so not sure if I've lost any weight over the past 6 weeks, but it's early days yet! I do feel more lively though, and I have definitely started to cut down on bad stuff, especially beer funnily enough. Still love a choccy biscuit with my tea though, can't see that ever changing.

snakedoc

I still enjoy my treats - my cycling just means that I can justify having that extra slice of chocolate cake in the evenings!

MICHAELCYCLES

Calder wrote:

disorganisedmum wrote:

Ha ha,well done on your weight loss,that's fantastic.Diet is my biggest downfall,if I coulld crack that,I'd prob be about 8 and half stone,if only!
..........

Tip: Don't buy cheese, or biscuits, or crisps when you go to the supermarket - all easy to live without.
........

Ex-squeeze me. Live without cheese! Are you completely mental, NO WAY!

snoopsmydogg

MICHAELCYCLES wrote:

Calder wrote:

disorganisedmum wrote:

Ha ha,well done on your weight loss,that's fantastic.Diet is my biggest downfall,if I coulld crack that,I'd prob be about 8 and half stone,if only!
..........

Tip: Don't buy cheese, or biscuits, or crisps when you go to the supermarket - all easy to live without.
........

Ex-squeeze me. Live without cheese! Are you completely mental, NO WAY!

+1

No way would i consider going without cheese :evil:

samsbike

Secteur wrote:

I only cycle, and I do it for weight loss, fitness & pleasure (in that order).

II probably should do more core exercises, but I am lazy!

what he said. Although now that I am riding more slowly I enjoy the commuting early morning on the canal path (well, when its dry!)

trek_dan

Yes. Cycling is fun and I find it immensely enjoyable above all. Commuting isnt always fun but its a neccesary evil due to being poor. I try do to some weight training a couple of times a week so I dont end up mega skinny.
Any form of excercise I've tried that I find less fun than playing on the Playstation while eating crisps I cant make myself leave the house for.

nickel

Only form of exercise I really enjoy apart from cycling is walking, although I did have a go at rock climbing a month or so ago and really enjoyed it....despite my puny upper body!

Sesquepidilian

My only exercise, too. I recently weighed myself at 13st 13lbs; I think I've lost about 3 stone in about 7 months of riding, though I've been slacking after a house move into a new area recently.

I'd like to break into the 12s but if I take it too seriously I'll likely loose interest. This is my second major health kick after doing kickboxing & karate 10 years ago. Back then I did the same thing; got too serious and lost interest completley.

stueys

Only really cycle, apart from that I do some free weights for upper body and some core floor exercises. Re losing weight I figure its 70% diet to be really effective, tracking what you eat and burn sounds dull but does work...

Sesquepidilian

TBH I would have, t thought more like 30% diet and 70% exercise, in my case anyways. Probably more like 50/50 when people get serious eh ?

MattC59

I cycle for pleasure, nothing else. I don't race and I don't particularly train for anything. At the same time though, I do like to keep a certain level of fitness, so I guess that there's a certain amount of cycling for exercise there. Mrs C has just bought a cross trainer (with my money is seems !) so I'll be havinbg a blast on that as well, but before that, cycling was my only form of exercise.

t.m.h.n.e.t

Sesquepidilian wrote:

TBH I would have, t thought more like 30% diet and 70% exercise, in my case anyways. Probably more like 50/50 when people get serious eh ?

80% diet 20% exercise. Ultimately if your diet is crap no amount of exercise will do you much good.

Gizmo_

T.M.H.N.E.T wrote:

Sesquepidilian wrote:

TBH I would have, t thought more like 30% diet and 70% exercise, in my case anyways. Probably more like 50/50 when people get serious eh ?

80% diet 20% exercise. Ultimately if your diet is crap no amount of exercise will do you much good.

Agreed. It's very difficult to get more than 500 calories *out* per hour. I can put 500 calories *in* in about a minute.

qeaou

Good talk everyone,
I came from a background of track&field as a teenager,
then got into weightlifting, then finished college, got to work and got fat...
10 years later, got back into weightlifting, which is all I knew, until I got into cycling.
(with research and some background in physiology) I designed this routine:
cycling 2 times a week for cardio, endurance and weight loss (with high carb breakfast before cycling and low calorie diet for the rest of the day, protein shake at the end of the day for re-building)
Many cyclists, such as myself got into cycling, because their knees could not stand running (especially with 90kg)
but three times a week in a controlled setting (such as gym, or treadmill in your house) you can get the benfits of easy running for muscle and joint warmup.
If your core focus is cycling, like in my case, do core strength training in the gym for lower back and legs,
this is also an opportunity to do some serious abs training and upper body (shoulders, back, arms) to get a good balance,
If your focus is a bit of weight loss, and a bit of strength training, in the gym
do medium weight resistance, only about 60% max but more reps (20-30 instead of 10)
drink plenty of water before and during,

If you cycle regularly on say, Saturday, do your leg training on Mon or Tue and then let it recover.
(while doing upper body later in the week)

This will allow you to get the benefit of training during your ride.

Any comments?