Getting started cycling! Complete newbie!

[spudnik]

I have dusted off ye olde trusty steed and managed to log a few miles this weekend. There is still quite a bit of snow and ice on the ground here but I just toodled around some side roads where I could (mostly) avoid it and only managed to wipe out ass-over-teakettle on ice once (but even then it was still so much fun to be on the bike that I didn't really even mind.)

I just did several short bursts, no longer than 20 or 25 minutes each, around the neighborhood. Mostly because my butt's in no kind of biking shape and I want to ease in, and even that amount left me pretty spent as I'm significantly overweight and very out of shape. But so much fun all the same. Nothing beats a bike on a sunny day, truly.

So far: I'm MUCH hungrier, quite ravenously so, much more than whatever measly calories I burned in 20 minutes of Extreme Leisure Riding. It could just be the fresh air doing it too -- it has been a loooong winter. I would love to find a biking plan similar to couch-to-5k for jogging...I am reading a lot of contradictory things about long rides vs interval training, whether to eat before a ride or not, etc. So still figuring it all out, but it sure is fun getting out there.

[vgpedlr]

Cycling is brilliant. No better way to get outside, see the sights, and cover some ground at the same time. Don't confuse yourself with interval training or the other fancy programs. Intervals are actually kinda dangerous on a bike because of the necessity of dealing with more environmental factors for safety. I'm a big fan of the Maffetone Method. It is safe, effective, and very enjoyable. All you need is an inexpensive heart rate monitor and you're off. Subtract your age from 180 and that is your upper limit for training. Ten beats below it is your minimum. Stay within that zone and enjoy! For example, for a forty year old, their training zone would be 130-140 bpm.

It is very compatible philosophically with this WOE, which is ironic because Maffetone himself advocates a low carb diet. But his explanations of aerobic exercise are excellent.

[spudnik]

Thanks VP!! That heart rate training zone method seems the most straightforward and intuitive. And yes, sprinting (especially when there's still ice on the ground!) is fairly risky. Seems better to keep that for the trainer/stationary. A couple of specific Qs for you if you have a moment (not urgent!)

* Have you used a trainer for keeping up with it in really terrible weather? I poked around a little and it looks like the cheapo magnetic ones burn out pretty fast. I don't have a few hundred bucks for the swankier one so wonder if the cheapo one is worth it for the short term, or if I'm better off with a gym membership.

* FOOD! My body is definitely informing me that I am ravenous after riding, but I keep reading everywhere that this is a known pitfall of cycling for weight loss. Are people experiencing that just bc they are loading up on typical high fat food/booze after rides? I want to learn more about the whole glycogen/fat burning/replenishment process and how to really maximize fat loss -- if there are reliable books/blogs on the subject I'd love to look them up. Of course I know how Durianrider feels about it all.

*insert imaginary happy bicycle emoji here*

[vgpedlr]

Happy to help.

1. I do use an indoor trainer from time to time. I hate it. Like most cyclists, I ride so I can be outside, not stuck like a hamster. I have an inexpensive fluid trainer by a discount American brand called Perfo Mande and it works fine. Since I do triathlon, if the weather is bad, I run. Plus, the bad weather in California is pretty restricted seasonally, so I take a break in the winter. If I were you, I'd go for the gym membership, since that's a lot more versatile. A lot more exercise options for ugly days. Trainers are really for serious cyclists who must keep up sport sp civic fitness and need to use their own bike for proper fit.

2. You can do a search of my posts in this subframe and see what I've written in the past. There are also reflections on my blogs regarding fueling. Where people get into trouble is being overly concerned with fueling. Thanks to hype from the sports nutrition industry, people try to copy the protocols of pro athletes when they are not all applicable to regular people. People obsess over pre post and during workout fueling when it is almost never important. It applies to the pro who must train, recover then train again multiple times a day. That does not apply to regular person exercising for fitness. Just use your regular meals. The best time to eat is after a workout. The body has become somewhat depleted, so it will make great use of th ncalories yountake in. I always try to schedule my workouts it's so that my next meal is within n hour of finishing. For a workout lasting an hour or less, you don't need anything, not even water, unless it is really hot. I train on water alone for all workouts 2 hrs or less. Once you reach about 90 minutes, you may run into glycogen depletion and a need to trickle in some calories as you go. It depends on the individual, how fit they are and their diet.

Hope this helps.

[spudnik]

Also compatible with my intuition on things -- it definitely seems like people overcomplicate the food piece! And for the moment I have a very cheap gym membership, so even though I kind of hate the gym that seems like the way to go at least in the short- medium-term. Thank you sir!

[Thrasymachus]

Just get on a bike and ride, that is all you need to do as a complete novice. Just about any riding, unstructured or not, will improve your current cardio level. But yeah eventually when you know you are "all in" maybe after a few months of consistent riding you should get a cycling computer with a heart rate monitor, or a cheaper wrist based heart rate monitor.

I have made so many posts complaining about how hard it is for me to gain and maintain weight in this forum. I used to hover around 140-150 something pounds(64-68 kg) for a long time at a height of 6'1(about 1.8 m) which made me so skinny I felt uncomfortable and self conscious when swimming. But now I figured out the likely culprit. I was in an anaerobic state too much due to my love of biking and not an aerobic state, which prevented me from being able to maintain a good bodyweight. Using a heart rate monitor and the Maffetone method I have bulked up without even lifting weights, when in the past I used to lift weights and still have less bodyweight than I do now. But you are not at the point where that is something to worry about. I am just sharing my experience so you can learn. I starting cycling again back in 2010 and I didn't really make progress or improve, because I didn't train properly or use any methodology. I just simply rode and that could be nowhere and left me stagnant. So eventually when you know you are really into cycling you should invest in a heart rate monitor, because getting faster at the same heart rate will allow you to make progress, use less effort, go further in less time, all while being less sore and overall enjoying cycling more.

[sharonbikes]

I echo what others have said. For now, just get some time in the saddle. I am also a HUGE advocate of training with a heart rate monitor - I have both a wristband and also the POLAR bicycle computer so I can watch my heart rate without having to look at my wrist. But, if you don't want to invest in gadgets - just get out and ride. Challenge yourself to ride a little faster and a little farther and build up your fitness and confidence.

You may want to look around and see if there are some group rides you can join in on - either weekly rides or charity rides which offer SAG support (water and snacks and mechanic) and routed courses. Once you have some time in the saddle on your own, finding others to ride with will help with your fitness, is fun and you will learn all sorts of fun stuff! Look for a local bike club or go to a local bike club and see about beginners rides. Welcome to the pedaling club! Nothing finer than time on the bike!!

Sharon