Retaining fitness
vegas76
Posts: 278
I've just done a cycle trip, which included a hilly 600km over 6 days. While I'm knackered at the moment, I'll be fighting fit in a few days.
What's the best way to maintain my fitness given that I won't be able to do 100km rides regularly (family commitments)?
What's the best way to maintain my fitness given that I won't be able to do 100km rides regularly (family commitments)?
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The best way to maintain endurance is by riding endurance. You don't say how much time you can commit to the bike. probably the most time efficient for you would be to do some sweetspot intervals but unless you have power and/or a heart rate monitor that is difficult to do.
You could do it on perceived effort so maybe warm up for 15 mins then do 2 x 20 minutes at a hard effort with 10 mins rest in between, the feeling will be uncomfortable hardly able to talk or only very short sentences, you should not really enjoy this but after a few times of doing it you will get used to the feeling and be able to cope better. Then warm down for 10 or 15 mins. Best done on a road with no downhill or slightly uphill.
To be really time efficient do it on a turbo trainer0 -
I can probably manage 5-7 hours a week normally... family and work commitments.
I normally use an HR monitor but don't have a power meter yet (roll on Christmas).
Sounds like sweetspot intervals will work. How about HIIT sessions?0 -
It's tough. Long rides at just below your aerobic threshold improve everything whilst helping to remove those extra kilos. The only advice would be to ride each time for as long as you can, consistently within a percent or two of your threshold then batter yourself at the end of the session.0
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Won't the "fitness" gained from those hilly rides depend upon how you rode them?
If you smashed the climbs and then recovered after the summits, you will reap relatively short term VO2 max gains, in which case HIIT sessions now should help you maintain those gains and perhaps even build on them.
If you rode those hilly days at a more even pace, taking the climbs in easy gears, most gains will be from the "slow but steady" fitness build of endurance stamina, promoting fat burn fuel pathways. The more frequent you can do a longer ride of say 2+ hours, the more you will maintain or build upon what you did over those six days.
... Or something like that.================
2020 Voodoo Marasa
2017 Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2016
2016 Voodoo Wazoo0 -
What did you do to get fit for the above ride. Just do that.vegas76 said:I've just done a cycle trip, which included a hilly 600km over 6 days. While I'm knackered at the moment, I'll be fighting fit in a few days.
What's the best way to maintain my fitness given that I won't be able to do 100km rides regularly (family commitments)?0 -
Unless you have any specific performance goals (ie road racing, TTs, etc), then just use the 5-7 hours in the same way that you did previously. Sweetspot intervals and HIIT sessions are fine, but pretty pointless to be battering yourself if you have no real purpose or objective for doing so. Just ride your bike and enjoy it.vegas76 said:I can probably manage 5-7 hours a week normally... family and work commitments.
I normally use an HR monitor but don't have a power meter yet (roll on Christmas).
Sounds like sweetspot intervals will work. How about HIIT sessions?0 -
yup - either set yourself a goal and work for it (next race season, sportive - DO NOT confuse this with a race - charity event or whatever, or just devise a riding programme and ride, smile, enjoy, drink coffee.
no poibt eating nothing, smashing yourself to bits and pretending you're neo pro if you aren't actually going to do anything with ut.
being fit is fun. being v fit is fun fun. smashing yourself to bits for no real reason is a bit jeffy..The camera down the willy isn't anything like as bad as it sounds.
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