Training advice for beginner

opinion guy

So I got myself a bike early December under back to work as my piece of junk old bike died. Anyhow on account of the cold I haven't used it much but I've decided I need to start doing a bit of training. Just for general fitness/weight loss really at the moment - I do have vague notions of doing a triathlon at some point but not soon.

Anyhow - I've never trained on a bike so I'm not really sure whats the best way to go about it. Wondering if people might have some tips on how to structure training (I couldn't find any stickies or anything on the topic)

michael196

get urself the winter long leggings and a few layers, including a base layer or 2, a good quality water and wind proof jacket, helmet, gloves, shoes , lights maybe also, water bottle and cage fitted and off you go.

get a cycling computer fitted also, fairly basic, measure distance and speed, bring spare tubes and pump and tyre levers to get the tyre off with . bring some cash ( emergency food) , some biscuits ( fig rolls are good, dont give u belly cramps), and bring a mobile phone.

Music IPOD. MP3 / radio is optional on ur own but never in a group.

head off then and measure ur distance that you can travel before becoming tired or energyless. say aim for 25 miles round trip

then the next day try increasing ur distance.

eat and drink regularily , starting a piece of food with in first 30 minutes or so.


Long steady distance: (LSD) ; will build up ur basic aerobic fitness, and this rate will burn off the fat layers.

if its ur birthday upgrade to a heart rate monitor , and train according to ur heart rates.

Join a club at any stage ( even immediatly) and learn how to ride in a bunch / group. riding with a group increases ur mileage. it is much more sociable, than being out there on ur lonesome : less effort over a greater distance and lots of free advice, greater sense of achievement also in a group, coupled with the faster movement of a group versus on ur own.

but overall concentate on building up ur distance, and if u can comfortablly begin to hit 50 miles and are still alive after the event, then u have come a long way. keep building ur distance and as you approach 80 miles , then consider participating in one of the sportives.


getting from scratch up to 50 or even 80 miles could take most of this year, depending upon ur time, time on saddle etc

overall , enjoy, get out there and see ur countryside, take in the scenary and get the bottom half tan on ur legs and arms over the summer.....

look at 'mapmyride' to figure out some routes, or 'bikeroutetoaster' or 'ridewithgps'

if you are dublin based check out sally gap, wicklow gap, shay elliott or if you are outside dublin, be prepeared to include some hills in ur spins, even if you are walking up the hills. The downside is the reward.


consult with your bike shop if you experience any pains in ur back, ur knees, ur thighs, arms or anywhere, These pains can be sorted out by adjusting ur bike position and ur bike shop where u purchased can provide a good starting point to help sort you out. quite normal starting off untill you find a comfortable poistion on the bike by adjusting the saddle height etc.


ur aim is to be able to comfortably ride along , pain free for whatever length of time u are on the bike.

if you have cycling shoes and cleats, talk to the bike shop about shoe and cleat position and releasing. ( safety issue).

be aware of creams to use ( Sudocream even) on the padding in the cycling shorts to prevent skin irritation , where skin directly comes in contact with the shorts padding ( I put that fairly descretely and clearly I thought people !!!! )

get on your bike

Well written and nice read

macnab

Stretch before each ride, consume about 1 litre of water per hour taken in regular small sips. Wear good padded shorts. Use your gears, try to maintain a regular leg speed ie 90 rpm. Take it easy to start off, avoid injury. Build your distance up each week, start at 20km then increase each week. Learn about nutrition, carbs for energy and protein for recovery. Spend about 50 euros on a heart rate monitor, polar are good or garmin if you have a healthy budget. Cycle day on day off to let your body recover.

ednwireland

get used to riding without a radio or earphones
better to hear traffic behind you imo

opinion guy

michael196 wrote: »

be aware of creams to use ( SMA even) on the padding in the cycling shorts to prevent skin irritation , where skin directly comes in contact with the shorts padding ( I put that fairly descretely and clearly I thought people !!!! )

errr....SMA......????

michael196

it was 05:17 am towards the end of a 12 hour night shift: I meant sudo cream ......


dont be moaning at me :D:D