Where to start

deimosjohnny

Got a new road bike so just about to hit the tarmac and need some advice on where to start. I have put some personal info below. I guess it is just going to be get out and do what I can just so my body knows it is starting work out. If that is 20mins, 30mins will be happy and just build on it week on week for a few weeks before i start to over complicate it heck if i need to get off an hurl and recover then thats whats going to happen.

Plan for week 1is 20 mins a day relatively flat, with little or no coasting.
Plan for week 2 is 25 "
Plan for week 3 is 30
Plan for week 4 is 40

After week 4 will start looking at distance and time.

Is it just as simple as this to start out or is there something else I should consider.

I have always been big and hey if i can get to 13 1/2 stone and fitter will be happy currently 5'7" and 15 stone (big belly)
really have let myself go in last year, coronal ligaments in my knee after being smacked by a dog running into me. So not even been walking for extended periods until January maybe 20min 30min per day but not enough calorie reduction and burn to reduce weight (was not trying). All change now 8 pounds off so down to the 15st and bike has just arrived so will work on more exercise in the equation.

I have absolutely no fitness level and break into a sweat just thinking about exercise.

Blood pressure and general health all ok to start getting weight off and fit.

hypster

Setting yourself targets are all well and good but at this stage I would just tend to listen to your body. You might find that you can go a little longer or that it is all too much to start with and just take it easy. The point is don't beat yourself up because you haven't hit some arbitrary target, this is supposed to be fun.

On that point it sounds like you are already putting yourself under pressure and are in danger of making the whole process joyless which will have you stopping and giving up sooner than anything. I would say rather than setting yourself a certain time on the bike you might want to set yourself a target like cycling to the shops to get something or cycling to a certain point like a friend's house. That way you will have some incentive to actually get there rather than just putting yourself under time pressure.

All of this needs to be combined with making sure you have a healthy diet as well. One of the problems with exercise is it tends to make you hungry and sometimes you can actually pile on calories over time and put on weight rather than lose it which is very demotivating.

You don't have to go out every day either so don't underestimate the benefit of adequate rest. I would say 3-4 rides a week would probably be more manageable and you should find once you get into it that you are looking forward to the next ride rather than dreading it.

One of the things you will need to harden up is your rear end, especially if you start to increase the length of your rides. Hopefully as you get fitter and lighter you will find that you can start to increase the length of the rides and the benefits start to increase then.

Good luck and stick with it.

markhewitt1978

Just starting out with no previous cycling experience? I think making goals like that is going to be counter productive.

Just go out and ride your bike, see how you get on and where you get to. Then after you've been doing it for 2 or 3 months, then start giving yourself some challenges.

deimosjohnny

Cheers.

Will just go out and enjoy it with a few rides a week till my ass, legs and lungs get used to it.

markhewitt1978

deimosjohnny wrote:

Cheers.

Will just go out and enjoy it with a few rides a week till my ass, legs and lungs get used to it.

Good choice, it will be a learning process, about cycling and about your own body and abilities. Most starting out with a new sport will understandably want to get on it straight away, but that's the best way to get injured or blow out.

top_bhoy

If the aim is to use cycling as a means to lose weight and become fitter I believe there are 2 things which are key;

1) Get your diet sorted out; and
2) Cycle regular

Doing 1) is paramount but the benefits of doing one will be negated without the other though .

I'd start by cycling 10km, 5 days a week for 2 weeks then perhaps gradually increasing it depending on how you feel. Maybe then do 10km twice a day rather than increasing the distance to say 15 or 20km. The thing about it is that although everyone says it should be enjoyable, if you're overweight and unfit, pushing yourself at the beginning it might not seem that much fun initially and you'll need to suffer a little. Nobody really tells you that. A bit of muscle soreness is ok as is feeling a little tired occasionally but I'd avoid cycling with injury. After 6-8 weeks you'll feel the benefits and be flying.

The bottom line though is doing it once a week won't see any results...do it regularly and watch the food intake; notice the changes.

supermurph09

I was slim and pretty fit when I took up cycling, I found that counted for very little! Its bike fit you need to be. Unless you have a particular event you are training for I would not worry about a plan is it might take away the initial enjoyment of just riding your bike.

First few times, just get used to the bike, the roads and effort needed. You may only do 5 or 6 miles first time out, nothing wrong with that. Your backside, neck, wrists, shoulders, pretty much everything will need time to adjust so keep the rides short. Do you have a means of tracking your rides? Garmin / Iphone etc? If you do then consider joining Strava as this will allow you to monitor your progress quite easily. Then you can see your improvment and this will spur you on.

As you go further or spend more time on the bike you'll need to start thinking of nutrition, don't end up cycling 35 miles with nothing more than a cereal bar and one bottle of water. It hurts!

markhewitt1978

Supermurph09 wrote:

As you go further or spend more time on the bike you'll need to start thinking of nutrition, don't end up cycling 35 miles with nothing more than a cereal bar and one bottle of water. It hurts!

Only when you're starting out. For 35 miles one cereal bar and one bottle of water is usually sufficient.

supermurph09

markhewitt1978 wrote:

Supermurph09 wrote:

As you go further or spend more time on the bike you'll need to start thinking of nutrition, don't end up cycling 35 miles with nothing more than a cereal bar and one bottle of water. It hurts!

Only when you're starting out. For 35 miles one cereal bar and one bottle of water is usually sufficient.

Yes I meant the first time you cycle that far you will most likely want more.

kajjal

Just spend a few weeks getting used to the bike and building up your fitness. Riding a bike is a combination of fitness, technique and confidence, it just takes a while to get all three.

Roughly speaking unless you ride for more than about two hours you won't need much water or any extra food this time of the year but it does vary from person to person.

Rest days are also very important for building fitness. Too much non stop exercise just causes injury and if taken too far illness. I tend to go out four or five times a week if I can manage it. Most of all enjoy it

Southgate

First off, congratulations for committing yourself to losing weight and getting fit. As others have said, to achieve this you will need to focus on exercise and nutrition. Given your weight loss goals, I would go as far as to say that at this stage it is your diet you should be planning, not your cycling regime.

[If you haven't already done so, cut out the junk food and sugary snacks, cut down on white carbohydrates, and cut right back on drinking alcohol, soft drinks, milkshakes, lattes, fruit juices. Eat fresh food and lots of green leafy vegetables.]

For the first few weeks of cycling, I would just do as others have advised: ride your bike a few times a week and listen to your body. If you are knackered, have a rest for a couple of days and then ride again. It will take time to get cycle fit.

I would also consider doing some cross training, and specifically some resistance training to build your muscle mass and strengthen your core. This will help you on the bike, and also help with the weight loss.

Finally, don't stress and be patient. There is no magic bullet, but the results will come in due course. Good luck, and again: well done!

ai_1

I'd agree with Hypster, Mark and Supermurph above. Don't set any targets initially. In my experience setting goals is tempting because it gives you a sense of progress and possibility even before you begin but in reality what usually happens is something doesn't go to plan and you miss a session or do a shorter distance or whatever and suddenly you're getting dis-illusioned and less likely to stick with it. The best thing you can do for you'r physical, mental health and your physique is develop a love of cycling (or other sport). If you enjoy it, you'll keep it up. If you rely on a plan and willpower it will, at some point, fail. If, in a few months you've gotten into the habit of going for a cycle frequently and you look forward to it rather than dreading it then you've succeeded in becoming a cyclist. The distances, speeds etc are just details.

Initially, just enjoy riding. If you feel like taking it easy and just cruising along taking in the scenery, do that. If you want to push on and see what you can do , that's fine too. If you're just not enjoying a particular ride then head home, don't punish yourself - don't make this a habit either but if you have bad days don't let them put you off. Some days you just don't feel as good although those days will become rarer as you get used to riding. For me, and probably most people, it's getting out the front door that I found the hard bit. Once I was on the bike I'd be glad I'd gotten out for a ride. I can't remember ever getting back from a ride and wishing I'd stayed at home!

The one target that might be worth setting is a number of days to ride each week just to help get you out the door. 3 or 4 rides a week will be plenty. The first couple of weeks you'll probably have some saddle soreness, especially if you're having fun and stay out a while first time out. If so you probably won't want to get on the bike within a day or two which is fine but don't leave it too long. You'll adapt pretty quickly. You'll probably be sorest after the first ride but that will reduce after subsequent rides and within a few weeks you should be fine.

wandsworth

Some great advice here. As others have said, it's important to cycle regularly. Is it possible to build cycling into your commute? That's what really made the difference for me.

markhewitt1978

Ai_1 wrote:

If you're just not enjoying a particular ride then head home, don't punish yourself

Good advice. Last weekend I'd planned 60 miles and three big climbs. However it was windy as hell so after the first big climb I abandoned and headed home as I just wasn't enjoying it at all, did this mean I'd failed? Nah, the climbs will still be there to tackle another day!

deimosjohnny

2nd ride tonight but after that feel great might pay for it tomorrow and so will probably go for a light swim and miss the bike.

Massive difference tonight as did the bike fit up properly with help of Mrs and after watching a few videos, almost next to no arse pain, seat height, moved seat forward to fit. Better ride position which felt better pedalling.

deimosjohnny

Did my first 25miler tonight, will be paying for it tomorrow and the next day think it was maybe 5 too far 1900ft gain. Any tips to reduce the sore legs!

mikenetic

Some gentle stretches when you get off the bike can help, particularly hamstrings, quads, back, hip flexors. Don't over do it, try to do them once you get off the bike, rather than waiting.

ai_1

mikenetic wrote:

Some gentle stretches when you get off the bike can help, particularly hamstrings, quads, back, hip flexors. Don't over do it, try to do them once you get off the bike, rather than waiting.

Foam roller may also help but I'm usually too lazy

trappy666

I started off planning rides and they weren't really doing it for me so I started to just jump on the bike without a route planned and I was finding that I was clocking 50km+ every ride without thinking!

As for the legs and arms, I do a few stretches when I'm off the bike. I was once told be a fitness instructor that stretching cold muscles actually does more damage than not stretching before riding.

deimosjohnny

Stretched after ride, warm jacuzzi bath (not that the bubbles do anything) stretched afterwards and again before went to bed. Result is no pain, having just walked the dog legs just feal tired with not much energy can't get out again before saturday so two rest days.

deimosjohnny

trappy666 wrote:

I started off planning rides and they weren't really doing it for me so I started to just jump on the bike without a route planned and I was finding that I was clocking 50km+ every ride without thinking!

As for the legs and arms, I do a few stretches when I'm off the bike. I was once told be a fitness instructor that stretching cold muscles actually does more damage than not stretching before riding.

Having no fitness level and carrying 3 stone too much, 50km is not going to happen for me without having to think. I have a couple of circuits that i can do 5.5m with 800ft which i can do as one or two circuits and now have a 13m with 800ft and the 25m 1900ft. All on good backroads in the country. So depending on balancing work and family time can get out for a run from 30mins to over two hours. Plan is now is to to keep to these rides and naturally let my pace increase i.e. not watch the clock or time segments just do the rides to build up strength and stamina.

Hopefully in a few weeks can do a club rub and not embarrass myself by holding anyone back.