Fitness training
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Paul, Hills are always an issue....but if you're willing to drop some cash on light wheels you might be amazed at the difference. Light wheels actually have a greater impact on climbing speed than a light bike. One thing to consider: if you're not using a good sports drink or gel you're going to have problems when your ride exceeds 90 minutes in length. Gatorade or Powerade are awful sports drinks. I'm not sure what you have access to in SA, but I find Cytomax or Accelerade work well for me. As for an actual training program....it depends on what you've been doing up to now. One thing to consider: The body adapts quickly to stress so its important that you vary your workouts....somedays go long and easy, others do short sprints, others do 3-5 minutes at a hard effort 3-5 times, etc...I'd suggest you start by looking at www.TrainRight.com...Its a company run by Lance's coach. They offer serveral training packages worth thinking about. Paul
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Might not even be muscles, bus respiration (i.e. Chest Muscles), if I am correct this is all cardio, chest muscles and simple training. A good fitness studio can measure oxygen throughput (and tell you which training program can save you from certain asphyxiation). Going uphill daily can fix that, too.
we are here to help each other get through this thing, whatever it is Vonnegut jr.
boost your code || Fold With Us! || sighist | doxygen -
Paul, Hills are always an issue....but if you're willing to drop some cash on light wheels you might be amazed at the difference. Light wheels actually have a greater impact on climbing speed than a light bike. One thing to consider: if you're not using a good sports drink or gel you're going to have problems when your ride exceeds 90 minutes in length. Gatorade or Powerade are awful sports drinks. I'm not sure what you have access to in SA, but I find Cytomax or Accelerade work well for me. As for an actual training program....it depends on what you've been doing up to now. One thing to consider: The body adapts quickly to stress so its important that you vary your workouts....somedays go long and easy, others do short sprints, others do 3-5 minutes at a hard effort 3-5 times, etc...I'd suggest you start by looking at www.TrainRight.com...Its a company run by Lance's coach. They offer serveral training packages worth thinking about. Paul
Thanks for the info, Paul. If I may ask; What on earth is a sports gel? I know what a sports drink is but what do you do with a gel and what does it do to you? TrainRight looks interesting, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Fitness training? This is a site for geeks! I guess you're just "un-fit" for this site! :laugh: Okay, you can flame me for that last attempt at a joke. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights. Software Design Engineer Developer Division Sustained Engineering Microsoft [My Articles] [My Blog]
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Paul Watson wrote: Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. A *lot* of road cyclists do mountain biking in the off season for just this reason. I have done both for years and I can wholeheartedly recommend a lot of mountain biking to cure that little problem. Besides which you won't get people driving by rolling down their windows and yellowing "Rooaaaddiiiieee" at the top of their lungs. ;)
-
Thanks for the info, Paul. If I may ask; What on earth is a sports gel? I know what a sports drink is but what do you do with a gel and what does it do to you? TrainRight looks interesting, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Basically gels are semi-liquid carbohydrate which is often sold in “single serving” packets. There are some which you can buy in bigger packages and then transfer to little flasks. It saves a little money and then you don’t have to carry the empty packets home to throw away. You squeeze the gel from the packet (or flask) into your mouth and then drink a bit of plain water to wash it down. I typically prefer sports drinks on the bike because they’re a bit easier to deal with, but during the run in a triathlon a gel is better because it weighs very little and you can run with several in your pockets. On the bike it’s often hard to bring enough sports drink with you for more than a couple hours so often the gel is for later in the ride when you might be getting plain water from race volunteers or if you lose one of your bottles – better prepared than not!
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
There are lots of good tips in this book[^].
Jon Sagara Roomier! Brawnier! Versatilier!
My Articles -
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
I don't know any sites but I've just bought myself Cycling Health and Physiology[^]. It's well worth a read. Obviously the answer is to just get more miles under your belt. Like any sport you need to do it more to get better, and you need to ensure you've got a good store of energy in you (or available) when riding. Off the bike, one thing that helped me was gym work. Leg presses, leg curls and leg extensions will all strengthen the legs up to give you more power for the hills. The interval training thing also works a treat: try sprinting up hills then go easy down, then short bursts on the flat followed by medium pace for a while and mix it all up. cheers, Chris Maunder
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Fitness is of course a great plus when bicycling. But what many people tend to forget is that you need a strong psyche as well. Bicycling is quite tedious when you think about it. You pedal round, round, round and round for hours. Where's your mind during that time? :) When you are on the road, try to concentrate on your breathing. Think of your breathing as your metronome. Tick, tack, tick, tack. Sooner or later you will enter a state of mind very close to that of people who meditate. At least that's what happens for me (if I'm lucky). When I'm in that state of mind, I don't feel tired. It's like being the energizer bunny!* *NB: when your carb "batteries" are out, be sure to be relatively close to home. :) -- Weiter, weiter, ins verderben. Wir müssen leben bis wir sterben. I blog too now[^]
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
I know you specifically said you didn't want to become Lance Armstrong, but Chris Charmichael's Food for Fitness had a huge impact on my training.
I can imagine the sinking feeling one would have after ordering my book, only to find a laughably ridiculous theory with demented logic once the book arrives - Mark McCutcheon
-
Does anyone have a link to a good fitness training article/website? Specifically for cycling. I am not looking to become the next Lance Armstrong but I would like to be fit enough to complete an upcoming, March, cycle race of 109km in a reasonable time. Up till now I have just been hitting the road everyday and cycling about. Now I have a cycle-computer though I can start to build up distance and speed in a methodical manner. Level ground I can keep up a pace of 30Kph without much fatigue but as soon as you throw a hill at me my leg muscles turn to jelly and I fall off. I think cardio wise I am fine but muscle wise I need a lot of improvement. Any thoughts on the matter would be appreciated, thanks. regards, Paul Watson South Africa The Code Project South-East Asia Disaster: How you can help Pope Pius II said "The only prescription is more cowbell. "
Please check Google under "Interval training for cyclists" or some such wording. What you need to do is actually build up the ability for your muscles to recover from exertion. Interval training consists of performing an activity at your greatest speed for a while and then slowing down and repeating the process. For instance, you might want to pedal at a furious speed for 2 kilometers, then pedal for an equal amount of time (not distance) at a less-than-normal speed, and repeat the process several times in a single day's workout. As you increase your ability over time to recover from heavy exertion, you might want to increase trhe distance from 2 kilometers to 3, 4, etc. This would help improve your average speed over a period of time since, even if you dismount your bike to rest a while, you would be able to pedal faster once you get back on the bike. Sports drinks are useful as they replace electrolytes lost though perspiration. I believe Gatorade was formulated specifically for football players by University of Florida scientists. But interval training is critical. Hope this helps. :rose: