Rest days?

drummer_boy

Speaking as a runner and a rider, if you're training (i.e. working hard) then rest days are beneficial.

If you are just riding, then not so much. We don't use rest days from walking, to rest our legs normally, as they are not being worked hard.

runners on their rest days don't stop walking.

My £0.02 is to have easy days and training days, and to mix up your exercise if you can (eg running and riding).

homers_double

In summer my alarm is et daily at 5.30am to get up for a 30+km pre work ride, my rest days are those when I get out of bed and it's hammering it down. If it's sunny all week then fine, 30odd km isn't a lot to recover from given the fact I have a desk job.

These rides will be fueled on water and water alone.

Longer rides will be fueled by breakfast, water and a mid ride cereal bar.

I'm no pro athelete so would consider cutting out a few beers at weekend more beneficial than a salty tablet.

Alex99

Gecko848evo wrote:

Hello I was wondering if it's necessary to take a rest day off out a week. I'm 27, 5'11", 211lbs. I ride about 15-25 miles daily and one 50 miles (weekend) is it necessary to take a day off? Do I rode enough to "need" a day off? There is a upcoming century ride on May 14 I think if I can get up to 100 miles on a weekend il sign up lol.

Depends on whether you're training, or just riding. Riding easy for an hour every day is quite OK to do continuously. Doing hard intervals etc..., not so. If your daily ride is a commute, and is therefore two rides, very doubtful that you need to worry about additional salts or carbs during the ride. Just eat good food.

milemuncher1

Drummer_Boy wrote:

Speaking as a runner and a rider, if you're training (i.e. working hard) then rest days are beneficial.

If you are just riding, then not so much. We don't use rest days from walking, to rest our legs normally, as they are not being worked hard.

runners on their rest days don't stop walking.

My £0.02 is to have easy days and training days, and to mix up your exercise if you can (eg running and riding).

That very much depends on the intensity / length of the riding. If you're just doing the commute, and pootles round the park, no need for rest days. If you're doing long rides with terrain involved, you rest, or you get injured.

redvision

Speaking as someone who rarely took a rest day (probably once a month) and during 2015 was doing on average 240 miles per week on the bike and 30 miles running, REST DAYS ARE IMPORTANT.
Due to my ignorance/naivety/stupidity etc i overworked my body and suffered a bad knee injury which i am still waiting for surgery on and has ruined my 2016 season plans.

So make sure you do take enough rest days, they are important.

Gecko848evo

Update...okay so all this month I bumped up my miles I'm doing 4x28(miles) 2 hours I eat 1 banana 1 gel and 4 dates per hour, I eat a little every 15 min..... 1x15(miles) bout an hour or less, just drink water.... and 1x50(miles) I make a perpetum 4 hr gel on a a hammer flask and bottle of water per hour I try to eat more solids the first 2 hours and gels at the end.....and one rest day I guess you can at that 15 mile is also a rest day just a steady ride nothing too intense

Alex99

Gecko848evo wrote:

Update...okay so all this month I bumped up my miles I'm doing 4x28(miles) 2 hours I eat 1 banana 1 gel and 4 dates per hour, I eat a little every 15 min..... 1x15(miles) bout an hour or less, just drink water.... and 1x50(miles) I make a perpetum 4 hr gel on a a hammer flask and bottle of water per hour I try to eat more solids the first 2 hours and gels at the end.....and one rest day I guess you can at that 15 mile is also a rest day just a steady ride nothing too intense

So, you're doing 170+ miles per week. You're 5'11" and 15 st. You seem very precise in what you're eating and when. You're concerned about recovery... what are you aiming for?

Bobbinogs

Alex99 wrote:

Gecko848evo wrote:

Update...okay so all this month I bumped up my miles I'm doing 4x28(miles) 2 hours I eat 1 banana 1 gel and 4 dates per hour, I eat a little every 15 min..... 1x15(miles) bout an hour or less, just drink water.... and 1x50(miles) I make a perpetum 4 hr gel on a a hammer flask and bottle of water per hour I try to eat more solids the first 2 hours and gels at the end.....and one rest day I guess you can at that 15 mile is also a rest day just a steady ride nothing too intense

So, you're doing 170+ miles per week. You're 5'11" and 15 st. You seem very precise in what you're eating and when. You're concerned about recovery... what are you aiming for?

I suspect the OP weighs the dates beforehand to ensure that the 4 are all of a certain size. No point having exactly 4 dates per hour if there are some variances, surely...

Gecko848evo

I'm 27 and 210lbs...I'm not so sure what I'm aiming for..I guess stamina..amd to see if I can do a century ride on April 10. As far as eating im just trying to get the right amount of calories and carbs in like I said I'm still new ish

kajjal

Gecko848evo wrote:

I'm 27 and 210lbs...I'm not so sure what I'm aiming for..I guess stamina..amd to see if I can do a century ride on April 10. As far as eating im just trying to get the right amount of calories and carbs in like I said I'm still new ish

The biggest change i found is to mainly eat fresh, non processed food. Do this for a week and you will likely feel much better and probably start losing weight even if you are not particularly over weight. The worst thing to do for most people is not eat enough and feel hungry all the time. This just leads to poor fitness / energy and eating all kinds of rubbish.

charlie_potatoes

Gecko848evo wrote:

Update...okay so all this month I bumped up my miles I'm doing 4x28(miles) 2 hours I eat 1 banana 1 gel and 4 dates per hour, I eat a little every 15 min..... 1x15(miles) bout an hour or less, just drink water.... and 1x50(miles) I make a perpetum 4 hr gel on a a hammer flask and bottle of water per hour I try to eat more solids the first 2 hours and gels at the end.....and one rest day I guess you can at that 15 mile is also a rest day just a steady ride nothing too intense

That's a lot of food for a 2hr jolly? I don't really eat at all for 2 hrs zone 2 or low zone 3. If the intensity is higher then I'll stick some carbs in a bottle. Normally got a gel and a medjool date in the back pocket in case.

Bobbinogs wrote:

I suspect the OP weighs the dates beforehand to ensure that the 4 are all of a certain size. No point having exactly 4 dates per hour if there are some variances, surely...

An 24g (pitted) Medjool date is 66 Calories according to this source.......

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7348/2

Alex99

Gecko848evo wrote:

I'm 27 and 210lbs...I'm not so sure what I'm aiming for..I guess stamina..amd to see if I can do a century ride on April 10. As far as eating im just trying to get the right amount of calories and carbs in like I said I'm still new ish

Well you're certainly doing shed loads of riding... more than me, and I can on my bike and ride 100 miles if needs be. A century should be doo able. They joy of getting faster and fitter when you're new is quite exciting. But, don't over-do it if you're fairly new - it's a long term project. You don't want to get some nasty injury.

I realise it might not be a main goal, but just out of interest, are you losing weight?

Alex99

Charlie Potatoes wrote:

Gecko848evo wrote:

Update...okay so all this month I bumped up my miles I'm doing 4x28(miles) 2 hours I eat 1 banana 1 gel and 4 dates per hour, I eat a little every 15 min..... 1x15(miles) bout an hour or less, just drink water.... and 1x50(miles) I make a perpetum 4 hr gel on a a hammer flask and bottle of water per hour I try to eat more solids the first 2 hours and gels at the end.....and one rest day I guess you can at that 15 mile is also a rest day just a steady ride nothing too intense

That's a lot of food for a 2hr jolly? I don't really eat at all for 2 hrs zone 2 or low zone 3. If the intensity is higher then I'll stick some carbs in a bottle. Normally got a gel and a medjool date in the back pocket in case.

Bobbinogs wrote:

I suspect the OP weighs the dates beforehand to ensure that the 4 are all of a certain size. No point having exactly 4 dates per hour if there are some variances, surely...

An 24g (pitted) Medjool date is 66 Calories according to this source.......

http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/fruits-and-fruit-juices/7348/2

That is date-zilla

Gecko848evo

Yea I'm still experimenting with foods, I'm adjusting as the days pass..today I'm taking a rest day maybe gonna walk a bit outside, my legs are pretty worn out, and I have my weekend 50 mile ride tomorrow. Yes I was 225lbs in December now I'm at 210lbs legs have way more muscle definition

relk

It's mostly down to what you do during your rides. Basically in what heart rate zone your riding in. If the rides are all easy then you don't really need a rest day when you don't feel a need for it. If some of the rides are high intensity, you should take a rest day or two. Of course rest day is not meant to get all the renovation works done at your house. Rest day means rest. Don't have to do you 10 000 steps that day

Concerning eating. On a two hour ride you don't really need much food. Maybe a small bite after the first 60-90 minutes. On banana for example. Rides 90in or less you don't need any food.

Best ay to loose weight is to loose sugars from your daily diet completely. And if your not racing then also on the bike (added sugars). Get the energy from natural stuff. I train for 700+hours a year and eat bars and gels ONLY during racing and don't even have sugars or any processed sweets at home.

milemuncher1

Don't underestimate the effect of insulin in the whole 'sugary snack / beer' on a ride issue either. If you eat properly during a stop / rest day, and have a beer / sugary / carby snack attack whilst riding, the insulin spike which you induce, will tip your system into rapid fat storage mode. This is precisely what you need, on a long duration ride, or a multi day distance tour, because most people can only store enough of the ready fuel ( glycogen ) for a couple of hours riding. The body will then switch to fat, and if you get your fuelling wrong, eventually Ketones. When you get to Ketone fuelling, you are in a heap of trouble, as the body is just trying to fuel the brain, and everything else is put on the back burner.