Hot answers tagged fitness
23
Rob, you are correct that a heavier bike will give you a greater fitness benefit over the same distance.
The only real counter-point I have is that the most effective bikes for fitness are the ones that get ridden. So, if some reason a lighter bike would more fun or appealing to you (while still be a "good enough" commuter), than a lighter bike could be a ...
12
Advice in book Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald goes something like this, paraphrased:
Yes, training without carbohydrates will train your body to use stored fat better. But your capacity to train will go down (not enough fuel!), and net result will be less improvement.
It references this study, which compares two groups of athletes on hi-carb and low-carb ...
12
I would think some sort of a tricycle would be the best choice for you, probably a recumbent.
Something like this is the first thing that comes to mind:
You lay in a reclined position and pedal with your feet in front of you. These come in several variants, from fully reclined (such as the above) to more upright.
There are also numerous variations of ...
8
There are a number of reasons you could be cramping - if that is, in fact, what it is.
You are not properly warmed up before exerting yourself
You are exceeding your limit of fitness
You are not properly hydrated
You have not eaten enough food to fuel your ride
Without additional information it's really hard to diagnose something like this, but those are ...
8
Because fast is fun, and exercising for fitness is often not fun. Faster is funner. :-)
Or in more 'justifiable' form:
Making your fitness activities fun makes it more likely that you'll continue doing them, and gain the fitness you want.
A lighter and more responsive bike is definitely more fun, therefore if you're serious about fitness, you may want a ...
7
Unfortunately, I don't feel able to talk about food QUALITY, since even "vegan" can mean a lot of things these days, and this understanding varies from person to person. Just to illustrate, I'm not sure to suggest cheese, honey, milk and eggs, although I do find these to be excellent heavy-fuels for cycling.
Now what I do feel sure to advise, being an ...
7
If you are looking to use your bike primarily as a commuter, then I don't think it's neccesary to get a Road bike meant for fitness cycling or racing. I'd recommend getting a bike that is going to a) meet your needs as a commuter and b) is built with quality components.
What are common needs or wants for a commuter?
Mounts for fenders - to keep you drier ...
6
There are going to be dozens of opinions on this, so keep in mind that I'm only talking in generalities:
Don't get too caught up on what type of terrain you're on, flat, uphill, downhill, etc. As long as you're exerting yourself on your bike, try to take deep, steady breaths, breaths that seem to go clear to your stomach. Try to focus on keeping your breath ...
5
One thing not mentioned is that lighter bikes are more expensive, and have higher margins than cheaper bikes. Also the higher priced, bikes tend to have higher margins, why sell you a $200 bike and make $10 profit when he can sell you a $500 bike and make 50, or $2000 and make $1000 profit.
Lighter bikes also last a shorter time - getting back to the shop ...
4
For novice riders I've proposed that you target your cadence to be about twice your respiration rate. This is more to encourage higher cadence, without being too "clinical" about specific RPM numbers, but it also discourages rapid, shallow breathing. (And rapid breathing actually reduces your ability to absorb oxygen.)
Most forms of cycling involve ...
4
You may want to ask your question here.
It's a fairly active forum.
There are so many options, such as this and the cycles you see here.
4
Exercise is fuelled by a combination of carbohydrate and fat. In theory, if you exercise while your body is deprived of carbohydrate it will become better at utilising fat for energy.
I know some running coaches advocate this approach for marathon training:
Any carbohydrates ingested will be used by the body for fuel, and we don't want this. We want to ...
4
Good points in the other answers, the one bit that I would add is that if you do want it also for "fitness", that somewhat implies that you will be doing some sort of group riding in the future. Here's where the lighter, sporty bikes come in.
While going 60 miles on a heavier bike will undoubtedly be more of a workout on a heavier bike, you aren't going to ...
4
Try to figure out where the local racers do their training. Ask your local bike store if they operate any training groups and if there are any racers in the group. Go out with them on training runs to see if you can get a feel for where you stand in terms of fitness. My LBS has rides once a week, and there are some racers that show up for that, but I ...
3
I agree with the others: your weight is not that much of an issue for a decent quality well under $1k bike. I'm 175lbs now, but when I first started riding at 360lbs I rode a Specialized Big Hit Mountain bike. About $1,600 and overkill for the on-road riding I did.
I now use a simple Trek Hybrid, and love it.. no clunky clumsy mountain bike.. (unless of ...
3
Kibbee's suggestion is a good one. You should feel comfortable on a fast group ride...one that has a pace range of 35-40 kph. YOu should also be able to handle surges in speed and intervals of speeding up and slowing down. You should feel comfortable in a group of riders. I'm not just talking about being able to ride in a paceline, but also feel comfortable ...
3
While I agree with the existing answers there is something about a relaxed geometry heavy commuting bike that means it feels 'right' to pootle along on it daydreaming on the way to or from work. On the other hand a lightweight racer seems to want to go fast. I know this is entirely irrational but I like meandering through London on a Boris bike, but the ...
2
Ultimately you want a bike that you will enjoy riding. An over-heavy bike is clumsy to ride, and a super-racer bike is uncomfortable for most people, so somewhere in-between is usually the best choice.
I'd actually encourage starting with a relatively inexpensive (perhaps used or maybe borrowed) bike, until you get a "feel" for riding and decide if you're ...
2
Whenever I do longer morning rides or races, I make sure to eat oatmeal that morning, it's got lots of carbs and provides me with enough energy (non-sugar energy) to make it to our destination where i can have an energy bar/muffin/whatever to refuel for the ride home.
Definitely look at your nutrition in the evenings too. Carbs that you eat will carry over ...
2
Beer.
Well, some other stuff too. Mostly you should be eating carbs, and fruits, grains, and nuts are good for those. If it's warm & you're sweating a fair amount you need to get extra sodium and potassium. Some protein is advised, along with a moderate amount of fat, but nuts and beans can supply these.
In part your "low energy state" will correct ...
2
Late to this party but some good reading here!
There are a couple of jewels in this thread. The math guy proving the weight of the bike might help 2-3% is priceless. As an overweight cyclist, when someone passes me going up a hill and they do frequently, a 10% increase in my speed wouldn't help me keep up. I'm doing 7, their doing 12, you figure it out.
...
2
I've experienced some of the issues you've described when I started increasing my activity level. Your low energy level concerns me a bit as I found this was an indicator that I was getting insufficient nutrition (in my case, mostly calories) to sustain my activity level. I would be less concerned about the weight loss as long as you are not losing muscle ...
2
The exact food shouldn't matter much.
What does matter is the composition. Typically, recovery food should be 4:1 carbs to protein. Depending on amount of exercise, 150 - 300 calories.
This assumes that you've done proper nutrition during the exercise. During exercise you will want mostly carb calories. If under 90 minutes (which I assume yours is per the ...
2
I found it very helpful to include some fats and protein to my diet to help curb the hunger, not just plugging in carbs. I don't subscribe to the school of too much of any one thing, a good mix of carbs, fat, and protein is what I look for to keep me full and have longer lasting energy. Simple carbs seem to just put me in to a sugar crash shortly after ...
2
There is always the hand crank option. I've ridden with a guy who was riding one of these and he was flying.
1
I ride mornings in a fasted state and i believe it has helped, not just in terms of weight but also endurance. This type of exercise should not be high intensity just moderate. There is a scientific study that looked into this it was referenced in this NY Times blog article: ...
1
There's a few different kinds of bikes you could try. A charity called Wheels for Wellbeing in London has a list of some of them on their website, including trikes, recumbents, and handcycles (as suggested by other people here), the Veloplus (a bit like a trike that you can use to also carry a wheelchair(!)), and side-by-side tandems if you'd like to ride ...
1
Position can have a huge effect on the intensity of a workout. The relaxed upright position of a beach cruiser, for example, makes it difficult to have an intense workout. Some commuters enjoy a relaxed position and low intensity, while "fitness" commuters seek high intensity. The position of a road bike makes it very comfortable to ride at a fast pace and ...
1
What sort of foods do you eat before/after biking to ensure that you are in high energy state all through the day?
Beakfast! Beakfast Beakfast Beakfast! Water! Lunch!
I'm vegetarian. I want water, bread (or toast), fruit, salt, something on the bread, soup or stew, a muffin or two, a burrito for lunch, snack in the afternoon, chocolate soy milk in my ...
1
you should get as light a bike as possible. they tend to go faster. when you go fast, cycling is more fun. when it's fun, you will do it more. when you do it more, you get fit fast. it's also more expensive to get a light bike. when people spend lots of money, they tend to use their bikes more. and you'll look so much more awesome when you get fit if you ...
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