Starting from scratch (again)

amnesia

Hi all... apologies for the long post !

I've been riding for a couple of years now,and really enjoy it,but unfortunately work/family commitments mean that I don't get out as much as I would like and the great British weather doesn't help much either. My last proper ride out was in November !

I am determined that 2013 is the year that I am going to improve my cycling, up my avg speed and improve my endurance so I really need to get training...

I had open heart surgery as an infant in 1975 and although I have been signed off as 'medically fit' by BUPA I have a reduced lung capacity due to scarring from various operations and procedures (at least it got me out of cross-country at school !). My Strava data shows that my average heart rate on a ride is particularly high, although I seem able to maintain an avg of 160+bpm for a couple of hours (eg http://app.strava.com/activities/24285141). This makes it difficult to ride in zone 2 as it feels like it's practically zero effort - about 7 or 8 mph on the turbo !

My resting HR is currently 71 but was around 60 during last summer. MHR is 185 ish I think. I am 39 in March.

I have no intention of competing in any races, but I'd like to be able to keep up with my mates on a 50 mile ride. A few of us at work are going to Mallorca for a riding holiday in April and I'd like to be fit enough to manage 'proper hills' when we go.

I have a Cycleops Jet Fluid Pro trainer, a Garmin Edge 800, an ANT+ USB dongle and have just subscribed to TrainerRoad (not logged any rides yet)... but where to start on TrainerRoad ?

I'm guessing the first thing to do it train to lose weight - I am currently 190lbs and 5'10". I would like to lose a stone or so. I have a reasonably balanced diet, but could make my portion sizes a bit smaller, I guess.

Any thoughts on what plan(s) to start with on TR ?
Motivation to train on the turbo isn't an issue - knowing what to do on it to make the most out of the time is !

Cheers in advance,
Daniel.

Simmotino

Base I is a fairly gentle introduction to Trainer Road and a good plan to start with to get back in to the swing of things.

Quite a few of the rides in the plan have instructions as well with cadence drills and the like which help keep it interesting.

poynedexter

good luck with the weight loss. its better to focus on diet changes which are sustainable over time, and be honest with what you actually consume (190 sounds like plenty of room improvement). get the road bike out when you can. i also have family work etc but rarely does the weather affect my cycling. so far this year maybe some frost. oh and btw, focus on fitness, and weight, the average speeds will look after themselves.

amnesia

Thanks for the advice chaps - will start the Base I plan this week and report back on progress

Trev The Rev

amnesia wrote:

Thanks for the advice chaps - will start the Base I plan this week and report back on progress

I assume you have the go ahead from your doctor? With your medical history it would be worth getting a thorough check up just in case.

If your max heart rate is 185bpm (how did you get this figure?) then 160bpm is 86% of max,top end zone 3, which is a high percentage to ride at for a couple of hours, particularly if you are not fit and overweight.

amnesia

Trev The Rev wrote:

amnesia wrote:

Thanks for the advice chaps - will start the Base I plan this week and report back on progress

I assume you have the go ahead from your doctor? With your medical history it would be worth getting a thorough check up just in case.

If your max heart rate is 185bpm (how did you get this figure?) then 160bpm is 86% of max,top end zone 3, which is a high percentage to ride at for a couple of hours, particularly if you are not fit and overweight.

Hi.. yes, I have a thorough half-day MOT with Bupa each December and I'm fine to proceed. I suspect my weird heart rate is a symptom of having had heart surgery. It's the thing that makes long hills difficult. I hit 180bpm quite easily and have to slow down (or stop!) to recover - only takes a few seconds to drop to 140 ish, by which time the others are way ahead
It may be that I can't do anything about this and just need to live with it... I know I'm special
Obviously losing weight will reduce the effort required to climb, so that's where I need to start with the training.

BTW - there are so many ways of calculating MHR... I used 217 - (0.85 x Age) to get 185.

GiantMike

amnesia wrote:

BTW - there are so many ways of calculating MHR... I used 217 - (0.85 x Age) to get 185.

There is only 1 accurate way of determining max HR, and that's with a max HR test. The equations are a useful guide but a lot of people vary wildly from them.

My Max HR is 189. Using your formula it would be 181.

grazza_e

Good sensible recommendations. If you have a decent training plan that's great. I found when I restarted a few years ago early on it was good to focus on some higher cadence workouts which were really useful from a technique perspective.

I do think the point above is really good though is it's really useful to do a HR test to figure out your various zones and thresholds, although in the early stages the basic formula probably won't have you that far off. I do like doing a test every now and then as it's also a decent measure of progress. My zones have changed a reasonable amount since I originally started as my fitness has changed. There are quite a few methods out there of doing threshold type tests, i've used the Field Test from the 'time crunched cyclist' book in the past, but there are a lot of options.