Cycling Training · Public discussion

Hello from a newbie :)

Started by jrowland96 · · Last activity · 3 posts · 871 views

← Back to Cycling Training

This thread is locked and is currently read-only.

Thread details

What we know about this thread

Original section
Cycling Training
Published
7 July 2005
Last activity
7 July 2005
Original author
jrowland96
Posts
3
Discussion status
Public discussion
Total views
871
Views / 30 days
0
Topics
Bottom bracketsRecovery

The navigation and discussion metadata provide context. Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Showing posts 1–3 of 3
Posts remain in their original chronological order.

Text size
  1. Original post
    jrowland96
    Archived post
    #1

    I posted this as a reply to the bodybuilding thread, but wanted to post separately as well and say hello to everybody, since that was kind of a specific thread.

    Hi all,

    This is my first post, and this looks to be a great board. As an absolute newbie (haven't really cycled since I got my driver's license at 16!) I have a few different questions/comments, so bear with me! hehe Any advice is greatly appreciated. 🙂

    As far as body types go, I'm in a similar boat. 🙂 I'm 37 yo now, and I'm 6'3" and around 250 lbs (34" inseam). I played football in college, and played at 280-300 lbs. so I'm a mere shadow of my former self lol (I'm back to my weight when I graduated HS).

    Age is starting to catch up however... I haven't lifted weights regularly in many years, and haven't worked out (cardio) regularly either. I'm still in fairly good shape for my size, and not too "flabby", but I've put on about 20 lbs. over the past year or two, and I'm getting a bit "softer" than I want to be!

    At my size, running doesn't work well, and my knees and lower back can't handle the pounding. I had a couple of small fractures and a ruptured disc in my lower back, and had to quit playing football at 21 because of it. My back doesn't give me too many problems these days, so shouldn't be a concern for cycling. I want to cycle for general cardio fitness, get back down to 225 lbs. or so, and get some of my muscle tone back.

    I have a Trek 4900 MTB that I must admit, has been ridden one time. :o I got it back in 2002 as a 10 year anniversary present at the company I work for. I received it in the middle of winter, put it together, but was living downtown Chicago at the time, so it basically sat in storage at my mom's house. I just moved out to the boonies, so want to try to start riding. Can I use this on-road recreationally/fitness since it's basically designed as an off-road? If I eventually get into cycling regularly, I'll look into getting a new roadbike or hybrid, but for now, I don't want to purchase something and have it potentially collect dust as well. The tires are flat on it from lack of use, so I'm going to take it to a LBS to have a general tune-up, and get it in safe riding condition. What does that usually run cost-wise?

    I've rambled enough for now, but if you have any recommendations or advice on getting started with the bike I have, please let know. 🙂

    Take care,
    John

    Report
  2. RapDaddyo
    Archived post
    #2

    Hi John,

    Some answers to your questions, mostly based on my personal experience. Since your primary objectives are to get more fit and lose some weight, you can absolutely achieve your goals by cycling. It really depends on how much time you put in on the bike and at what pace. I resumed cycling on 3/20/05 after a long layoff (due to life). I ride 2 hours a day and the first 2 months I rode at a steady 75% of my max. HR. This pace is definitely not very taxing and doesn't require any days off or recovery days. So, it's been only 110 days. My weight/body fat% numbers have gone from 212lbs/28% to 172lbs/19%, and are still dropping. I expect I'll bottom out at about 165 lbs and 12% body fat, pretty close to my former racing weight. I know the weight and body fat% loss are due to the cycling because I didn't change my diet one iota. My body is quickly settling into a cyclist's body, lean and hard but not muscular, sort of like a swimmer's body. I may add some upper body weight work, but this will be purely for cosmetics as it will not help my cycling at all (and may hurt it a little).

    As to your bike, you can ride any bike to get fit as long as it is the right size. Have your LBS check your fit, especially the distance from the seat to the bottom bracket, your upper body position and the CG. Road tires will be smoother, but you can ride all day on asphalt with off-road tires. To pace yourself, get a HR monitor (they are available for <$100) and start off at about 75% of your max. HR. Start off with flat routes -- hills are harder and you could more easily get discouraged and quit. Pick the most scenic routes you can find and enjoy the views. I so envy the guys who get to ride along the Pacific coastline every day! Good luck and enjoy your bike.

    Paul

    Report
  3. Doctor Morbius
    Archived post
    #3
    jrowland96 said:

    I posted this as a reply to the bodybuilding thread, but wanted to post separately as well and say hello to everybody, since that was kind of a specific thread.

    Check the other thread. There are a few responses there as well.

    Report

Keep exploring

Browse the sectionCycling Training Return to CyclingForumsStart at the home page Search discussionsFind another thread

Active in the last 60 minutes

Active in this thread

0 users · 0 guests ·0 bots ·0 total

No signed-in users are active right now.

No known search crawlers active right now.