Other Ways To Train

philhudson said:

What are the other ways to train without a turbo trainer or on the bike?

what are your goals..? what are you trying to train...?

ric

trying to get fitter for cycling, am going to be doing alot of racing next year!

philhudson said:

trying to get fitter for cycling, am going to be doing alot of racing next year!

then you're best off cycling, as other exercises aren't very transferable. of course if the choice is no exercise or some exercise (which isn't cycling) then the any exercise is better than none. is there some reason why you can't cycle currently?

ric

i dont really have the time seeing it gets dark very early! 🙁

philhudson said:

i dont really have the time seeing it gets dark very early! 🙁

nothing specifically will help cycling, other than bearing in mind that doing no exercise will be much worse, while doing any exercise will specifically make you better at that exercise modality. the transference of adaptations from one modality to another are very poor.

the turbo trainer is the way forward...

ric

ric_stern/RST said:

nothing specifically will help cycling, other than bearing in mind that doing no exercise will be much worse, while doing any exercise will specifically make you better at that exercise modality. the transference of adaptations from one modality to another are very poor.

the turbo trainer is the way forward...

ric

Ric, help required here! hope you can advise me on what is best, over the last few weeks i have noticed that my cycling is deteriating, i'm having difficulty with turning the cranks in almost any gear, the last few days riding has felt like i have been riding on under inflated tyres, and in normal gears riding feels like the brakes are on, my legs feel week and the ability to spin is so tyering.

I'm not sure if its down to energy but over the last 2-3 weeks my appettite has decreased somewhat from some 4-5000 calories down to around 2000 per day, i'm wondering weather there is anything i can use to speed up recoveries since i don't want this to go on for to long, i need to be able to cycle since its it my only mode of transport, and to put away the bike for a few weeks and possibly take to running is probably going to tyre me even more.

any pills powders or potions your could advise that could help me recover that little quicker, or even bring my appettite back on par?

yours greatfully
chris

closesupport said:

Ric, help required here! hope you can advise me on what is best, over the last few weeks i have noticed that my cycling is deteriating, i'm having difficulty with turning the cranks in almost any gear, the last few days riding has felt like i have been riding on under inflated tyres, and in normal gears riding feels like the brakes are on, my legs feel week and the ability to spin is so tyering.

I'm not sure if its down to energy but over the last 2-3 weeks my appettite has decreased somewhat from some 4-5000 calories down to around 2000 per day, i'm wondering weather there is anything i can use to speed up recoveries since i don't want this to go on for to long, i need to be able to cycle since its it my only mode of transport, and to put away the bike for a few weeks and possibly take to running is probably going to tyre me even more.

any pills powders or potions your could advise that could help me recover that little quicker, or even bring my appettite back on par?

yours greatfully
chris

could be anything from glycogen depletion to overtraining to illness, it's very difficult to say. you may need a few days off, you may need longer (from any exercise, not just cycling). are you ill? have you seen a doctor

ric

philhudson said:

i dont really have the time seeing it gets dark very early! 🙁

why don't you buy a quality light system, and ride at night? it is a more fun and feels faster.

yeah thats a good point! I might do!

ric_stern/RST said:

could be anything from glycogen depletion to overtraining to illness, it's very difficult to say. you may need a few days off, you may need longer (from any exercise, not just cycling). are you ill? have you seen a doctor

ric

I have had a number of stomache cramps, and this morning i was overcome with pain and diahorea, guess it is an illness that hasn't quite made its mark, but has certainly had me moving quite fast more than once today.

this has left me feeling even worse than i have been feeling over the last few days. whats the chances of a bug or virus taking a number of days or could it be something other than that?

Picture this, you get a stomach cramp and urge, Driving a crane down from 70ft, and over 300m running through the coridor frightening the life out your manager whilst throwing keys at them, "manager shouting don't run" yes right! virtually handing off work collegues and just making it to the toilet, bet i could have beat linford christys 100m attempt as i rushed to the bathroom. with the loudest sigh of relief ..........

does running help cycle traniing?

philhudson said:

does running help cycle traniing?

it's better than no exercise, and of course a good exercise in itself, however, the muscles used are different, and the joint angles and velocities are completely different there's little transfer across to cycling. of course, if you train all winter by running you'll get quite good at running - but you will lose an awful lot of cycling fitness. it's all to do with specificity,

ric

I love the running. I accept that the muscles used are the same but used differently but I would swear by it. I love the turbo as well especially now I have power tap. I know that Kellys team used to use the long distance skiing in the preparation period and look at the number of speed skaters that have made the transition to the bike and have had good success. Rowers also transfer quite good. We had a girl , Sinead Jacobs, who rowed at a very high level (worlds) and also rode the womens world champs in canada so there must be something good happening in these other sports that help the transition....

closesupport said:

I'm not sure if its down to energy but over the last 2-3 weeks my appettite has decreased somewhat from some 4-5000 calories down to around 2000 per day,

How many miles do you normally cycle a week and how hard? How many kcals do you need a day - without exercise - to maintain your weight? Curious to know just because If I were consuming 4 -5000 calories a day on the amount I do per week (90 - 120 miles), I'd be the size of a 'bus...!

morana said:

I love the running. I accept that the muscles used are the same but used differently but I would swear by it. I love the turbo as well especially now I have power tap. I know that Kellys team used to use the long distance skiing in the preparation period and look at the number of speed skaters that have made the transition to the bike and have had good success. Rowers also transfer quite good. We had a girl , Sinead Jacobs, who rowed at a very high level (worlds) and also rode the womens world champs in canada so there must be something good happening in these other sports that help the transition....

i'm not saying that these (and other) sports don't require an extremely high level of fitness (as they do), however, the adaptations that occur don't always transfer as they are specific to the joint angle and velocity at which they're trained. in much the same way as if you took a top Kenyan runner and put him in the Tour de France (etc) he'd take a hammering (but would obviously do better at it than e.g., an untrained person or a much less elite cyclist - e.g., a 3rd cat). that's not to say that the Kenyan runner (or really any top athlete) couldn't train to be a top cyclist (as most likely they could).

The point is, in relation to the OP question, that training in a completely different modality isn't that helpful to cycling.

ric

I agree with your Kenyan analogy Ric but is it just the mechanics of cycling i.e. that on the bike your muscles have a specific range of movement that you want to maximize the power produced at those angles ( or in that range) etc?? Would the running/rowing/skating not have a positive effect on the other systems involved with cycling.?

What in your opinion should the OP do if s/he will not be on the bike ?

Tanx

Gilders said:

How many miles do you normally cycle a week and how hard? How many kcals do you need a day - without exercise - to maintain your weight? Curious to know just because If I were consuming 4 -5000 calories a day on the amount I do per week (90 - 120 miles), I'd be the size of a 'bus...!

i'm a warehouse operative, i'm walking lifting, pulling 7 hours aday I cycle 10 miles to and from work each day, at 23-35mph well except this week which i have been struggling to push out 20mph, i have felt drained and a real lack of energy, i have been throwing in 10-15mile rides each night (mashing / spinning and intervals) upto the last 3 weeks so lets say i have been doing between 150/250miles per week, i have been consuming 4-5000 after longer rides the days following i have consumed even more, calories but i have lost half a stone in the last 2mths this bought of illnes has taken some few more pounds extra, maybe its due to i'm still trying to maintain my job, even though the motivation to ride has diminished and the fact that i'm suffering from possibly an illness..... i'd say around 2700kcal without the rides.

philhudson said:

does running help cycle traniing?

helps the cardiovascular system, so inturn would benefit cycling but mainly maintaining a relatively high fitness level,

philhudson said:

does running help cycle traniing?

With all due respect to Ric Stern and the other knowledgable people here : I
disagree that other types of training don't help cycling.

Maybe it's psychological or perhaps my fitness levels drop dramatically but I find in winter, that with little or no sunlight, that I have to do something in order to maintain my fitness and I find running is very good.
My fitness levels are maintained and I keep my weight in check as well.
It helps to complement the drop in my cycling activity (I get out every weekend during winter - cannot make time to do so in the evenings during the week, in winter.).

OK - I can accept the premise that perhaps running, specifically, won't get to me to cycle up that mountain more quickly : but if I did not exercise during winter, I'd never be able to climb that mountain, come spring.

Ideally, it would be great to cycle during the week in winter but that isn't feasible.
Running makes up for it, in my case.