Taking a month off - effects?

GGBiker

I have been in good form over the past 6 months, seen great improvements in fitness and lost several kilos to get down to a good racing weight. I haven't been this fit ever in my life before.

I usually manage to ride around 100 miles + per week. Not a huge amount by some standards, in my dreams I would have time for twice this amount and I am sure I would see big improvements if I could manage it. Unfortunately work and family commitments make that impossible at present.

I am having a really busy month, so busy in fact that I haven't been out on the bike for 2 weeks now. I know this will ease off at the end of October. I am caught between feeling irritated about not getting out on the bike and feeling guilt/anxiety over not doing the other important work stuff I need to do over the next few weeks.

I have also caught the cold in the past few days which is putting me off going out as well, telling myself I should recover first.

If I do no cycling (or other cardio exercise) for another 3 weeks (5 weeks inactivity in total) how much fitness would you expect me to lose and how long to regain it if I resume my 100 miles per week (quality miles, hard 3 hr club runs and 1-2 individual hard sessions of 1.5hrs per week).

Just interested in people's personal experience of this. I am aged mid thirties and am otherwise in good health, don't smoke, drink little alcohol (3-4 units weekly if at all).

wavefront

There will be others who will come along and probably give you better thoughts as to how much fitness you'll lose, but I would be tempted to write off your month, make that decision now, and it'll mean you'll be less stressed about not being on the bike- your month will be more enjoyable if you make that clear in your mind. If you try to juggle both, based on what your month could be like, you'll resent family time, resent being at work, and generally be a grumpy so and so to everyone you meet (this is based on how I get!!!!)

Anyway, when you come back to it, I suspect it won't take *that* long (a few weeks) to get back to where you were, and you might even find you are even stronger - depending on how restful the month away is a course.

Maybe on the month away, delve into creating a winter training plan, shop for some bike bits, repair or maintain your bike - it'll help keep you smiling!

diamonddog

IMO the biggest problem you may have is motivating yourself to get back out there, if you can get past that given your age it shouldn't take long to get back to where you were. The other things to watch are your eating habits during the lay off period, it is easy to pile on the lbs if you're not careful.

kajjal

For a month you will be OK as long as you do some sort of exercise ,not necessarily hard exercise. It shouldn't take too long to regain your fitness. If you can even fit in a few short 30 minute rides by getting up a bit earlier if you can that will help maintain your fitness.

I stopped biking for over 6 months due a shoulder injury and had to start again from scratch. You will find it much easier.

BrandonA

I've had a similar situation to you in September. It took 4 weeks to get my front wheel repaired on my main bike so I had to ride my second bike. I also got flu which took me out of action for a couple of weeks.

This weekend I completed 3 rides (Fri, Sat + Sun). I really noticed the difference. My average speed did not drop but I found that I was completely shattered after 30 miles (90 min) and my thighs were feeling it yesterday. Over the summer these rides would have had little effect on my body and I could have gone further at a slightly faster speed.

I did do a few 40-50 min indoor turbo sessions during this 4 week period so sprinting was OK but its my stamina which has taken the hit.

markhewitt1978

I'm in a very similar situation myself. Combination of me feeling ill so not riding, then going on holiday, then being ill again, then Mum going into hospital (she's fine) then I'm working next weekend, argh!

The thing that's making it worse is knowing about the impending winter meaning I'm managing a slow decline anyway so it's a bad time of the year to be off the bike for several weeks as I'm going to be losing a good bit of fitness over the winter anyway, so losing a good amount before the winter even starts isn't good.

GGBiker

Cheers folks, did a bit of reading around and there appears to be good evidence that doing even short hard bursts is enough to maintain fitness over this sort of time period. I'll try to get out once or twice a week if only for 45 mins.

GiantMike

I'm just riding again after 5 weeks off the bike, 3 weeks of which I wasn't able to walk more than 3-400m per day. Had my first ride yesterday and I really noticed the difference in heart rate compared to my pre-operation levels. At the end of the ride I was in bits, average HR was 10-15bpm higher and I was at least 2-3mph slower for the same bpm. Average power was down roughly 40-50W over the 90 mins.

Hopefully I'll get the fitness back quite quickly but it was demoralising to run out of energy and power after 45 mins and still have 45 mins to do.

Mikey23

Had an off early July with broken bones and plated clavicle so could only vegetate through July and most of august. A friend lent me first a cycle trainer then a turbo so gradually increased time, distance and intensity through September and started riding on the roads again mid September. Am nearly back to where I was and have recently done a 30 mile flat sportive and a 50 mile hilly. I'm not quite back to where I was but pretty chuffed that my fitness has come back fairly well. Set yourself realistic targets is my advice

sloppyschleckonds

Mikey23 wrote:

Had an off early July with broken bones and plated clavicle so could only vegetate through July and most of august.

Sounds nasty Mikey; good advise though, set realistic targets and don't overreach

mile muncher

You'll become a massive, wobbly, wheezing, unsightly porker, your lycra will beg for mercy and you'll be overtaken by kids on balance bikes and old folks on mobility scooters. The shame will be unbearable, you may aswell jack it all in. Do you have a nice bike, I give you good price

At least you'll be well rested, just accept you'll have lost a little edge, but it will come back, you sound pretty healthy so its wont be too bad.

Tom Dean

I don't know what kind of reassurance you are after. Just do what you can.