Am I an idiot?

[DBourne]

Well this week I decided that I should start riding a bike to get fit.

The blokes at work are mad-keen cyclists so I said to myself I would ride around work for a while, then join them on the trail.

Anywhoo.. my brother in law lent me one of his bikes this morning. So I got up @ 5:50am. Drove to work, (in cycle gear, work clothes were in a bag) and rode around work.

Now to say I am unfit is a nice way of putting it. So I was buggered almost at even the thought of having to peddle!

I managed to do a few laps of a little circuit I constructed in my head which resulted in about 25-30min of cycling.

Only now, my legs are rooted, im sitting @ my desk an hour early and thinking "god that was silly.. you're an idiot"...

so I thought I'd put on my emo hat and ask ffau if I'm an idiot for doing this?

[SB076]

Nah its all good, you will be sore for the next few days, but you just need to get back in the saddle and peddle - your body will slowly get used to it and it will get better and better - til you can do the distance comfortably

[WAR40T]

yes, yes you are. IMO. riding your bike would not only would be good for your health (unless you had a heart attack) but you could save a few bucks in fuel in the process. good on ya for doin it.

[pertuan]

No pain, no gain as they say.

Any new exercise will take its toll in the first week or two. But after that, it gets easier and your fitness will take a quantum leap. Keep at it, its good for you.

[xbgs351]

Good stuff. You will notice big improvements very quickly.

[King Nothing]

Good stuff! I started a fitness thing as well last week, I went for a 40min walk/jog/run last Friday, I'm pretty unfit and pushed it way to hard. Man I was in pain until Tuesday. I couldn't walk down stairs, struggled to stand/sit, all that. You think it's bad now, wait until tomorrow. Finally managed to do it again last night, took it a bit easier and I'm nowhere near as bad this morning, in fact I'm going again tonight. Already lost 3kg!

Anyway keep at it, your body will get used to it and you will be thankful for it in the near future.

[Powdered Toast Man]

Yeah just keep at it and you will adapt. The problem then is if you want to improve your fitness further you will have to keep pushing harder so you will always be in a little pain after. The advantage is once your fitter you will recover much faster so the pain will last less time.

[blueoval]

I recommending a warm up/stretch immediately before and after you ride your bike. This will reduce the pain your feeling. You probably have a big build up of lactic acid in your muscles.

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by blueoval

I recommending a warm up/stretch immediately before and after you ride your bike. This will reduce the pain your feeling. You probably have a big build up of lactic acid in your muscles.

Stretch after not before. Stretching cold is not a good idea. Warm up by riding slowly.

[JAYBA]

Originally Posted by xbgs351

Stretch after not before. Stretching cold is not a good idea. Warm up by riding slowly.

who told you that?

[xbgs351]

Originally Posted by JAYBA

who told you that?

Coaches, physiotherapists, magazines etc.

At a minimum wait until you are sweating before doing any stretches, but when cycling stopping to stretch isn't all that practical.

[4Vman]

Originally Posted by xbgs351

Coaches, physiotherapists, magazines etc.

At a minimum wait until you are sweating before doing any stretches, but when cycling stopping to stretch isn't all that practical.

Yep, a proper gradual warm up is imperative before any stretching...

[FlipXW]

Keep at it mate, Cycling does absolute wonders for your fitness.

For starters have every second day off as rest. Tomorrow you will feel very sore in the legs, and your gouch will die if you sit on the seat again. Over say the first month you should aim to be riding a little further everyday. After a while you will adapt, you will no longer pull up feeling sore, sitting on the seat wont bother you, and the best bit is you will start to feel and look great.

[X000BOSS]

mate go to k-mart and spend 25 bucks on one of gel seats covers. that will be a little nicer on your bum.

[3vXT]

Nope not an idiot. I have a shiny new pushbike in my shed (just one of those subway bikes) that i've not yet gotten on as i don't want my neighbors to see me. You've got bigger balls than me.
I have been thinking about some 2am 'batman runs' around my suburb though

[DBourne]

thanks for all the replies.
and thanks phil for giving me a heads up on the gouch.. i was thinking " this will hurt next ride"

i really wanna get my own bike as this one has a few issues (gears jumping, front brake constantly on, seat doesnt stay still). but hopefully i stick at it

[InTrail]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

i really wanna get my own bike as this one has a few issues (gears jumping, front brake constantly on, seat doesnt stay still). but hopefully i stick at it

If you seriously want to stick at it, get a better bike ASAP. A poorly maintained/riding bike will be a disincentive b4 you even get on the saddle.

No need to spend a fortune either. Plenty of quality name brand bikes are sold after only a year or 2 with hardly any use. I'm sure in Sydney you'll find plenty of good options on the second hand market.

[FlipXW]

Originally Posted by SgtBourne

thanks for all the replies.
and thanks phil for giving me a heads up on the gouch.. i was thinking " this will hurt next ride"

i really wanna get my own bike as this one has a few issues (gears jumping, front brake constantly on, seat doesnt stay still). but hopefully i stick at it

No worries .

Yes if you want to stick at it I highly recomened getting your own gear. Riding a bike as you described would be very frustrating i'd imagion. If you get your own bike you can set it up to suit you, and also get the right size bike for you. I also recomened a pair of clip shoes. If you keep at it soon you will riding 50km a day.

I picked this one up brand new about a year ago for $1200. And the shoes wern't to expensive either.

[Fev]

i used to ride alllll the time with my mates a few years ago, 1 of my mates was almost top in the state for Downhill and crosscountry mountain biking. we used to ride through the cumberland state forest, make trails, use existing trails and sometimes go off into the bush and find cool stuff..

havnt ridden for say 3 years now.. i just like driving my car so much better!!! and i sold my bikes 2 months ago lol

[Duke]

Sergeant Bourne!,
I spend up to 2 hours or more in the gym nearly every day - and pain is my friend, my only friend - get used to it Pilgrim and get back on that damn saddle! That's an order!

Seriously though, you're to be congratulated for taking the plunge and making an effort. Enjoy the pain, it's your indicator that your body is working toward a better you.

Well done and keep it up!

[Sourbastard]

Originally Posted by Duke

Sergeant Bourne!,
I spend up to 2 hours or more in the gym nearly every day - and pain is my friend, my only friend - get used to it Pilgrim and get back on that damn saddle! That's an order!

A day without Duke Cramping, is like a day without sunshine!

[FPV GT40]

Originally Posted by Duke

Sergeant Bourne!,
I spend up to 2 hours or more in the gym nearly every day - and pain is my friend, my only friend - get used to it Pilgrim and get back on that damn saddle! That's an order!

Seriously though, you're to be congratulated for taking the plunge and making an effort. Enjoy the pain, it's your indicator that your body is working toward a better you.

Well done and keep it up!

What could you possibly be doing training for 2 hrs plus a day in the gym???

Must be a lot of standing around, scratching your balls and perving not training

Come to the gym with me and I doubt you will want to train any longer than 20 minutes, if you last 30 minutes without puking all over the gym floor you are ready for the Australian Olymic team. : _2:

And I doubt that after 20 minutes you will be back the next day, as it will take you at least 1-2 days before you will dare step back into the gym

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by FPV GT40

What could you possibly be doing training for 2 hrs plus a day in the gym???

Must be a lot of standing around, scratching your balls and perving not training

Come to the gym with me and I doubt you will want to train any longer than 20 minutes, if you last 30 minutes without puking all over the gym floor you are ready for the Australian Olymic team. : _2:

And I doubt that after 20 minutes you will be back the next day, as it will take you at least 1-2 days before you will dare step back into the gym

I agree, 2 hrs is total overkill. Even the pro bodybuilders only do about an hour.

[Duke]

Originally Posted by FPV GT40

What could you possibly be doing training for 2 hrs plus a day in the gym???

Must be a lot of standing around, scratching your balls and perving not training

Come to the gym with me and I doubt you will want to train any longer than 20 minutes, if you last 30 minutes without puking all over the gym floor you are ready for the Australian Olymic team. : _2:

And I doubt that after 20 minutes you will be back the next day, as it will take you at least 1-2 days before you will dare step back into the gym

Warm up sets, timed pauses, submaximal lifts, maximal lifts and depending on the routine I happen to be doing, heavy lifting can easily take 2 hours plus.

Any moron can do drop sets of squats until they puke within 15 minutes. But you see, my goal is to build mass and strength, vomiting doesn't achieve this. Perhaps you should train with me and learn something!

If you think it's overkill - don't do it, if you think I overtrain - it's not hurting you is it? why stress about it. And Boss - if you seriously think that pro body builders spend less than hour in the gym - you really need to get out more or read different books. It might be your opinion, but that doesn't make it a fact.

[FPV GT40]

Originally Posted by Duke

Warm up sets, timed pauses, submaximal lifts, maximal lifts and depending on the routine I happen to be doing, heavy lifting can easily take 2 hours plus.

Any moron can do drop sets of squats until they puke within 15 minutes. But you see, my goal is to build mass and strength, vomiting doesn't achieve this. Perhaps you should train with me and learn something!

If you think it's overkill - don't do it, if you think I overtrain - it's not hurting you is it? why stress about it. And Boss - if you seriously think that pro body builders spend less than hour in the gym - you really need to get out more or read different books. It might be your opinion, but that doesn't make it a fact.

Not hurting me one bit, but unforunatly I been training for over 25 years, including about 15 years of instructing, and a few years of making a living out of it, with trips overseas representing Australia in my choosen sport.

There is no way anyone can train effectively for 2 hours to build mass especially, to build mass very short, and very high intensity work is required abour 2-4 minutes MAX on the muscle group, with a long rest period of at least 2-4 days between workout so that the body will actually get a chance to build mass, training for mass will be 3x20minute workouts per week, probably only twice a week for the beginner, as he will not be able to handle any more than that. Even with that most people will feel like they been hit by a truck most of the week.

The last person I trained gained more mass in 3 months, than what most gym junkies will gain in 2 years of 2 hour daily sessions. and he was training 20-30 minutes 3 times a week and sometimes twice a week, as he would beg me for another days rest,( his wife used to call me and complain as he was too sore to have sex most of the time).

But after about six weeks of training other people in the gym approached him asking where he was buying the growth hormones from (i am not joking).

Like I said after 30 minutes you will be struggeling to drive home, you will not be able to lift your arms to wash your hair, brushing your teeth will be agonising.

Timed pauses, submaximal lifts, maximal lifts and depending on the routine I happen to be doing.....wtf What jibberish, all fancy words, the things you should be concerned about when building mass are are HONEST HARD TRAINING.

Face the facts,

You can either train HARD or you can train LONG, you can not do both!

Hard work builds mass, long work enhances endurance and hampers mass building, you never see huge marathon runners or other endurance athelets do you?

Just my opinion of course, but it does work time and time again.......

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Duke

Warm up sets, timed pauses, submaximal lifts, maximal lifts and depending on the routine I happen to be doing, heavy lifting can easily take 2 hours plus.

Any moron can do drop sets of squats until they puke within 15 minutes. But you see, my goal is to build mass and strength, vomiting doesn't achieve this. Perhaps you should train with me and learn something!

If you think it's overkill - don't do it, if you think I overtrain - it's not hurting you is it? why stress about it. And Boss - if you seriously think that pro body builders spend less than hour in the gym - you really need to get out more or read different books. It might be your opinion, but that doesn't make it a fact.

I've read plenty of interviews with the top pros like Jay Cutler, Ronnie Coleman etc, and many pro trainers too, and a high intensity workout of around a hou seems to be the norm. They say if you need to workout for longer than that you either aren't working hard enough or you're wasting your time. 2 hrs is nothing but overkill.

[falzoony]

well atleast you know you can sleep in till 6:50 now.

[XRated]

Originally Posted by falzoony

well atleast you know you can sleep in till 6:50 now.

Haha best point yet.

[The Yeti]

it will get eaeier with time, thats when its time to lift the bar and go harder

keep it up, it will pay dividends in the bed room

keep in mind 10kg = 1cm :

[TOASTED]

yep definately good on ya, ive been meaning to do this for a while now but lack motivation. as everyone has said you MUST warm up and warm down, well actually you dont have too but it is a REALLY good idea. also definately invest in a gel seat cover they are SSSOOOOOOO much better!