Winter training / getting fitter
Discussion
I need a bit of help deciding what to do with my bike over winter.
I ride to work all year round on my Brompton, but I don't tend to ride as much when it is cold and dark on my road bike, and I think I need to do something about that. I also need to get a bit fitter - my legs are kept working on the 7 miles I ride each day, but my upper half doesn't get much excercise and I am still a little (read: Lot) overweight.
So, to use my bike over winter, would I be better on rollers, or on a turbo trainer on the rear wheel? As I understand it, the rollers take a bit of getting used to to stay upright, which does work out my upper body, whereas the turbo trainer on the rear wheels is just exercising my legs?
Regarding my upper body, is there anything else I can do on the road bike, or am I better off going to a gym? I am not really a fan of the whole gym culture but I need to lose the weight so I think perhaps I should give it a go?
Any advice welcomed!
I ride to work all year round on my Brompton, but I don't tend to ride as much when it is cold and dark on my road bike, and I think I need to do something about that. I also need to get a bit fitter - my legs are kept working on the 7 miles I ride each day, but my upper half doesn't get much excercise and I am still a little (read: Lot) overweight.
So, to use my bike over winter, would I be better on rollers, or on a turbo trainer on the rear wheel? As I understand it, the rollers take a bit of getting used to to stay upright, which does work out my upper body, whereas the turbo trainer on the rear wheels is just exercising my legs?
Regarding my upper body, is there anything else I can do on the road bike, or am I better off going to a gym? I am not really a fan of the whole gym culture but I need to lose the weight so I think perhaps I should give it a go?
Any advice welcomed!
reed wot i roat here I really liike rollers, as much as i can follow trainign programmes like sufferfest, i prefer to do that sort of thing on the road and just do long duration, high cadence sessions on a the rolelrs.
As for other exercises, do whatever will improve your core muscles as discussed on the getting better at hills thread. Running will help the cardio element and go some way to improve you VO2, especially interval training, sprint, recover, sprint etc or you can just smash out a longer run at a steady pace.
As for other exercises, do whatever will improve your core muscles as discussed on the getting better at hills thread. Running will help the cardio element and go some way to improve you VO2, especially interval training, sprint, recover, sprint etc or you can just smash out a longer run at a steady pace.
Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 15th January 11:43
From your post, it isn't perfectly clear what you want. But it sounds like you want to be fitter and slimmer.
To be fitter:cycle more
To be slimmer: eat better
As said, getting out on the road is much more entertaining than using an indoor trainer. But if you just train indoors, I like using a turbo trainer for its ease. Just put some TV on and spin away.
You mention your upper body and going to the gym in your post. Are you interested in being more muscular? If not, then just stick to cycling and eating well.
To be fitter:cycle more
To be slimmer: eat better
As said, getting out on the road is much more entertaining than using an indoor trainer. But if you just train indoors, I like using a turbo trainer for its ease. Just put some TV on and spin away.
You mention your upper body and going to the gym in your post. Are you interested in being more muscular? If not, then just stick to cycling and eating well.
Personally I would buy a decent set of lights and just get out there in the Winter. Firstly it will get you fitter, as the conditions are tougher on the body than the summer and when spring comes you will be in pretty good form compared to all the fair weather riders that come out the wood work.
If you live in an urban area, I used to go out after 8pm and do circuits of the same streets/ one way systems as a type or interval training, flat out for an hour three times a week, I lost weight that way. Cycling in the winter gives you good mental strength for the summer as you have experienced the worst it can get, unlike some that complain at a spring breeze.
As for upper body, I do 2-3 kettle ball/weights/press up sessions a week, I find cycling makes me too skinny and I like some bulk on me. This has also helped with core strength on the bike. If you are over weight I would just concentrate on losing weight first through diet and cardio (cycling) and then work on toning once the weight starts to come off.
I'm not a fan of gym culture either, too many posers having and having to experience blokes drying their nuts with the hair dryer told me the gym wasn't for me. I kitted my conservatory out with some decent weights, mats and a bench for under £100 through ebay
If you live in an urban area, I used to go out after 8pm and do circuits of the same streets/ one way systems as a type or interval training, flat out for an hour three times a week, I lost weight that way. Cycling in the winter gives you good mental strength for the summer as you have experienced the worst it can get, unlike some that complain at a spring breeze.
As for upper body, I do 2-3 kettle ball/weights/press up sessions a week, I find cycling makes me too skinny and I like some bulk on me. This has also helped with core strength on the bike. If you are over weight I would just concentrate on losing weight first through diet and cardio (cycling) and then work on toning once the weight starts to come off.
I'm not a fan of gym culture either, too many posers having and having to experience blokes drying their nuts with the hair dryer told me the gym wasn't for me. I kitted my conservatory out with some decent weights, mats and a bench for under £100 through ebay
Edited by TwistingMyMelon on Wednesday 15th January 12:51
Even if you are out on the bike in bad weather, it does beg the question are you actually training or just riding around in the cold at 3/4 your normal pace but feeling heroic and Belgian?
A turbo or a set of rollers is not intended as a substitute riding on the road but to supplement it. On the wet and windy nights, I'm not going outside on the bike when I can do something productive on the rollers instead, hence a cheap pair of rollers makes a lot of sense.
A turbo or a set of rollers is not intended as a substitute riding on the road but to supplement it. On the wet and windy nights, I'm not going outside on the bike when I can do something productive on the rollers instead, hence a cheap pair of rollers makes a lot of sense.
You want to get yourself on a rowing machine. upper body workout, core and legs. The fittest I've ever been was a work trip somewhere cold and windy for a few months. 20mins on the running machine then 20 mins on the bike then finishing up for 20 on the rowing machine all Fartlek training, 3 days a week with core and stretching in between workouts.
Use rollers for structured training sessions of around 50 mins or so. They can take you to some dark places that will aid your fitness throughout the winter. Here's one I did on Monday
10 min warm up with 30 sec sprints at 5min and 8 min respectively.
3 minute interval to bring myself up to 93% MHR (your proper MHR, not one worked out by subtracting your age from 220. If I did that my MHR would be 180, whereas in fact it's 194). Once you hit 93%, keep it in that gear and cadence until the 3 mins is up. At which point you transition into...
15 reps of 30-30's (30 secs at 93%, 30 secs recovery).
3 minutes recovery
3 x 5 minute intervals at 85-88% of MHR with one minute recovery between each
5-10 min warm down with stretches.
I guarantee this stuff helps with fitness and because you're on rollers you can't stop concentrating. The time passes quickly. That's a harder session that doesn't need to be done more than once or twice a week but the rule is always the same: warm up well, and then dick around with different sets\activities to keep the mind active. Rollers are great.
10 min warm up with 30 sec sprints at 5min and 8 min respectively.
3 minute interval to bring myself up to 93% MHR (your proper MHR, not one worked out by subtracting your age from 220. If I did that my MHR would be 180, whereas in fact it's 194). Once you hit 93%, keep it in that gear and cadence until the 3 mins is up. At which point you transition into...
15 reps of 30-30's (30 secs at 93%, 30 secs recovery).
3 minutes recovery
3 x 5 minute intervals at 85-88% of MHR with one minute recovery between each
5-10 min warm down with stretches.
I guarantee this stuff helps with fitness and because you're on rollers you can't stop concentrating. The time passes quickly. That's a harder session that doesn't need to be done more than once or twice a week but the rule is always the same: warm up well, and then dick around with different sets\activities to keep the mind active. Rollers are great.
okgo said:
You can of course do all that on a turbo trainer.
Of course. I just find rollers more fun. I look forward to hopping onto them. Riding out of the saddle, for example, really forces you to concentrate, and the time just flies. My broader point was that any form of indoor training is dull if you don't create a structured workout that encourages you to do different things at different points. And seeing as the OP has rollers, particularly if they have resistance settings, he can use them in a fun way and get some real value out of them rather than see them as some sort of novelty.Edited by Joey Ramone on Thursday 16th January 08:26
pablo said:
Even if you are out on the bike in bad weather, it does beg the question are you actually training or just riding around in the cold at 3/4 your normal pace but feeling heroic and Belgian?
A turbo or a set of rollers is not intended as a substitute riding on the road but to supplement it. On the wet and windy nights, I'm not going outside on the bike when I can do something productive on the rollers instead, hence a cheap pair of rollers makes a lot of sense.
Totally agree - whilst it is lovely to get out on the bike, one can't discount how useful a set of rollers/turbo is.A turbo or a set of rollers is not intended as a substitute riding on the road but to supplement it. On the wet and windy nights, I'm not going outside on the bike when I can do something productive on the rollers instead, hence a cheap pair of rollers makes a lot of sense.
Just because someone gets out and rides in the freezing cold etc doesn't necessarily mean it is a tougher workout than doing an intense set on the turbo.
I've incorporated a lot of turbo training recently and it has certainly paid dividends. A bit of variation is key in improving your fitness levels.
I snubbed the idea of a turbo for years, but I've been converted.
I leave mine set up indoors, and use TrainerRoad with the sensors that came with my Garmin. An hour flies by when your focussing on producing a particular power output in intervals (even is it is phoney 'virtual' power), I'm spending longer and working a lot harder than I was outside.
I leave mine set up indoors, and use TrainerRoad with the sensors that came with my Garmin. An hour flies by when your focussing on producing a particular power output in intervals (even is it is phoney 'virtual' power), I'm spending longer and working a lot harder than I was outside.
Just to add, if you you want to lose weight then you need to eat at a calorie deficit. Whether you do that by taking in fewer calories or by burning more by being more active is up to you.
I'd recommend www.myfitnesspal.com if you want to monitor your calorie intake - makes it easy to see how you're doing and helps you develop a way of eating that's sustainable in the long term.
I'd recommend www.myfitnesspal.com if you want to monitor your calorie intake - makes it easy to see how you're doing and helps you develop a way of eating that's sustainable in the long term.
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