Fifty Plus (50+) - How to get in shape to ride?

I am 54 just lost 50lbs bought my first bike about 2 weeks ago. I started ouy riding a 12 mile greenway near home. I can do that without to much trouble. My neck and but get tird first. Will that get better as I ride more? How is the best way to build up for long rides? Thanks for your help.

tntom

Congratulations on the weight loss! That's great. I am a neophite at riding too but I ride three to four times a week and started out this summer by riding 12-15 miles each time and then on one day I would add about ten percent to my longest distance. Two weeks ago I made my longest ride ever of 53 miles and felt great when I finished.

Just ride and keep stretching your limits and soon you'll be amazed at how much you look forward to a quick 25-30 mile ride.

Good luck.

Find a big hill. Hammer up it. Puke your guts out. Coast back to the bottom. Eat some pie. Repeat until desired results are achieved or you stroke out.


Seriously, welcome to the over 50 "I'm going to get fit if it kills me" club. There are many proud members here. It's taken me about two years to begin to reach decent fitness levels. YMMV.

[QUOTE=tntom;4962865] How is the best way to build up for long rides?/QUOTE]


ride

Progressively increasing your rides in terms of time and distance with rest days included (maybe one or two a week). Since you are a new rider, you've got lots of conditioning to go through. Your neck and seat discomfort should improve if your bike fits you properly. If you're doing 12 mile rides after two weeks, you're off to a good start. I'd shoot for at least one 15 mile and one 20 mile ride next week, with two 12 mile rides thrown in. Maybe go very easy with the pace on your ride the day after the 20 mile ride. It may actually take a year or two of consistent riding before you develop cycling muscle memory and fitness. But, as I've said, you're off to a good start. Just keep progressively increasing things and you should be fine. Finally, if you're three more weeks down the road and still have aches and pains, consider having an experienced rider check your bike fit and/or have your local bicycle shop (LBS) check your fit. Happy riding and welcome to the 50+ forum.

So we're not going to tell him about the Ride Your Age thing just yet, huh? :D

So we're not going to tell him about the Ride Your Age thing just yet, huh? :D

Be nice, now!

Spend more time on the saddle. It's your motivation and determination that will make you ride distances. Always enjoy every ride no matter how difficult it is. I thought I was fit and healthy when I got on the bike two years since my form of excercise was brisk walking. I was wrong as I could hardly pedal after 2 miles returning home. Ride, ride and ride and soon 30-40 miles will be normal distance to you. Welcome to the 50+ club.

Ride continually longer distances at increasingly faster speeds as fitness permits.

I started riding two years ago. First few days, a five mile ride seemed like an eternity. Now, I regularly ride five, six hundred miles a day, no problem. Just stick with it! :D

I started riding two years ago. First few days, a five mile ride seemed like an eternity. Now, I regularly ride five, six hundred miles a day, no problem. Just stick with it! :D

:roflmao::roflmao::roflmao: TDF next year.

I started riding two years ago. First few days, a five mile ride seemed like an eternity. Now, I regularly ride five, six hundred miles a day, no problem. Just stick with it! :D

And at 30 MPH. A vintage Levi, you are.

And at 30 MPH. A vintage Levi, you are.

On platform pedals, I might add.

I started riding two years ago. First few days, a five mile ride seemed like an eternity. Now, I regularly ride five, six hundred miles a day, no problem. Just stick with it! :D

Do not attempt this unless your bike is WHITE, or you have a magnet on every spoke :D

My first ride was last year, 3.5 miles and I collapsed in my driveway. Yesterday we did a 40 mile ride with the last 5 miles being in a severe thunderstorm. It was more fun than a barrel of monkeys.

did someone say smoething about Ride Your Age?

did someone say smoething about Ride Your Age?

Thought that was kept quiet.

By the way tntom- What pie do you like?

Do not avoid hills. Embrace them. Attack them. Leave them whimpering in your wake as the pathetic nothings they are.

[Conversation with the wife on a ride yesterday: Her: "Why am I pedalling and you're coasting?" Me: "I'm in a different gear." Her: "Well, tell me what number gear you're in so I can start coasting." Me: "There aren't any numbers to tell you." Her: "Why do you always do this to me? You know there's a gear where I can coast just like you are, but you won't tell me what it is."]

On platform pedals, I might add.

and a 15 mph headwind on a 10% hill. :)

On platform pedals, I might add.

with:
EPO
New blood
HGH
a little meth
lots of Viagra
testosterone injections
12 pieces of pie a day
and various and sundry other enhancers.

5-600 miles a day is no problem at all.;):D












Heck, that kind of mileage is hard for me on my BMW motorcycle:eek:

First, congratulations on your weight loss!

I'm a newbie too. 12 miles is a great start! As other have already said, adding a little mileage every week and pushing a little harder (not overdoing it, but not coasting either) will build your fitness without leaving you burned out or exhausted. I've read a lot about building a base mileage of about 500 miles before beginning to push it with speed and hills, but you know your own body. Like wrafl, my other exercise was brisk walking and after I began cycling in March '07 I found muscles I never knew I had. Consistency, at least 3-4 miles a week, and adding a few miles weekly, and appropriate rest days each week have led to noticeable weekly progress in my rides, sometimes by leaps and bounds (the latter most noticeable after 1-2 days of no riding at all).

Thought that was kept quiet.

By the way tntom- What pie do you like?

ANY!

What I found helpful was finding a speed I wanted to maintain that got me a little out of my comfort zone. Yours may be 13 or 14 mph or whatever. What you want to do is maintain your pedaling cadence the entire ride, don't coast and just maintain a minimum speed - keep working. Find that speed or heart rate that is making you (work) sweat and keep it going. You will get fit if you continue to increase your miles and speed.

A heart rate monitor will help a lot. Good luck

Every once in a while, go for a short, very intense, strenuous, fast, etc. ride. That can sometimes be accomplished by being surprised by a big doggy.

Every once in a while, go for a short, very intense, strenuous, fast, etc. ride. That can sometimes be accomplished by being surprised by a big doggy.
:lol:
My ride last night was fast and furious trying to keep ahead of drivers slowing behind me in the right-turn lane (why isn't everyone at home on Sunday evening???). And the big t-shirt I wore acted like a parachute as I pedaled hard into the headwind. I felt like a kid out there but my heart rate did NOT recover quickly last night, for the first time.

ANY!

Any pie is fine- You'll be able to do it when it comes up.

I am 54 just lost 50lbs bought my first bike about 2 weeks ago. I started ouy riding a 12 mile greenway near home. I can do that without to much trouble. My neck and but get tird first. Will that get better as I ride more? How is the best way to build up for long rides? Thanks for your help.

tntom

Well, folks have posted most of the good advice and asked most of the important questions (pie is key), so I'll throw in my $0.02 worth--although it may not actually be worth that much. :p

First advice: Your seat is too low. (Actually, when we started out, nearly everyone's seat was too low)
First Question: What type of bike (road, mountain, hybrid, comfort, touring, etc) and what brand...inquiring minds want to know. That way we can all advise, make fun of (pick one) your efforts.

Congrats on the weight loss, by the bye and extra congrats on choosing bike riding to keep it off--it has worked for me. 12 miles is a really good distance--most of us were proud of 5 when we stated. Keep at it and keep posting; we always welcome new cannon fodder. Welcome to the 50+ (and we are not geezers--except for DeeGee--yet).

ANY!


Well, an "ANY" response will get you up a 1 mile 6% grade.

However, a "Blueberry Pie" response would get you up a 5 mile 10% grade.

The kind of pie you eat while riding is the single most important factor in riding success.

And don't let anyone tell you that you have to "ride your age." What is really important is to "eat your age" - in pie slices, that is.

Digital Gee is our resident expert in pie-eating. How do you think he rides 500-600 miles per day?

The kind of pie you eat [B]while riding is the single most important factor in riding success.
While riding? :eek: Do you hold a little plate with one hand and eat with the other while you ride hands-free? Do you convert the pie to a gel pack? ;)

While riding? :eek: Do you hold a little plate with one hand and eat with the other while you ride hands-free? Do you convert the pie to a gel pack? ;)

How did you know? You are omniscient!

The kind of pie you eat while riding is the single most important factor in riding success.



Hey Denver, I know for a fact you ride a DF, and you can't possible eat PIE and ride. I, however, ride a civilized bike, and being in a reumbent position, I can eat pie while riding with NOOOOOO problem.:D

Kudos on losing 50#

As has been said before, all you need to do is ride - a little farther and a little faster each week. I lost 45# by running, started out with 18:00 miles and worked up to a 4:30 marathon. The rule of thumb (for runners anyway) is keep your increases to about 10%/week.

A nice book for the relative beginner is Ride Fast by Eric Haar. The easy-to-follow program will, I think, tone you up, get you going faster and/or farther without lots of complex charts and without beating your body to a pulp. Good luck.

Like everybody else says, it's time on the saddle.

Down South we like MOON PIE. :) (banana is the best) Easy to eat on the bike!

I'm 58 and if I lost 50 lbs I would weigh 90 lb:o

Congrats on the new bike and your new health.
The sore neck should get better as well as the rear end UNLESS your bike is not set up correctly in which case it might aggravate these problems. There is a lot of info on bike fit which you can find on the web. Most of the fit info is for racers and fast riders so keep in mind what you are looking for.

As you increase your mileage do it in small percentages. Don't go from 12 to 25 to 50 to 100 in three weeks. Find out what kind of recovery works best for you.

Check out the riding clubs in your area and see if they have rides that suit you. If you increase the fun that you have with riding you'll be more likely to stay with it longer and off the sofa.

No pie for me thanks. I'll just have the flourless chocolate cake.

Like everybody else says, it's time on the saddle.

Down South we like MOON PIE. :) (banana is the best) Easy to eat on the bike!

Don't forgit to wash it down with an Aruh See.

My oh my.

How do you "just loose 50 pounds"?

Anyway just listen to the feedback from your body and do as much as is comfortable. Gains in cycling fittness are slow.

I have a 2008 Giant FCR 1

Like everybody else says, it's time on the saddle.

Down South we like MOON PIE. :) (banana is the best) Easy to eat on the bike!

I have EATED a few moon pies here in EAST TENN.

Congrats on getting back on the bike and losing weight! That's terrific!

You can improve your performance a couple of ways. If you have a lot of expendable income, then hire a personal trainer, a registered dietitian, and a masseuse. Share with them your goals and follow their advice. Report your progress here so we can share your progress.

Another way is to do what you're already doing: Riding often, increasing distance, speed, topographical challenges (aka hills). Report here for advice and encouragement.

Join a cycling club and go out on their group rides. Talk to experienced cyclists and find out what worked for them. Report back here so we can tell you that we told you so :D, or wonder why we didn't try that technique sooner.

Either way, be sure you're enjoying yourself -- because if it isn't fun, it won't be done. :)

How do you "just loose 50 pounds"?

That is a good question. So, how did you do it?

You may want to try weights to make your arms and back stronger. Curls, tricep extensions, shoulder/military press, lat pull-downs and bench presses. Some jogging mixed in, and/or stepping machines is very helpful.

The abdominal muscles are important too. Try working your way up from 25 sit-ups.

I have EATED a few moon pies here in EAST TENN.

Is that the past indicitive?

As I recall, the simple past is: I dun ate a moon pie.

The pastplueperfect: I dun bin bein' eatin' a moon pie.

welcome to the 50+ forum and congrats on the major weight loss!!
As many have said, time in the saddle is the best thing you can do. As for riding longer rides, I believe that will come along for you, but it shouldn't be an essential element right now.
If you have gained confidence on a set riding route you might want to continue to push yourself on that route. If you are riding it at 12 mph avg., work to get that up to 14 mph. When you reach the point where the ride is less than 30 minutes, you need to lengthen the ride so as to have a good exercise workout of 40+ minutes.
Is there a section of the ride which is uphill and you find difficult. Focus on that section as a way to improve push a little harder on it every time until you find yourself seemingly cruising to the top and wondering how you ever felt it was difficult.
Enjoy the forum, you'll find a lot of pie fanatics and even some good advice now and again.

That is a good question. So, how did you do it?

L A Weight loss started about Jan. 1st. 261lbs now 207 my goal is 200 but now want to go to at least 190. Feel so much better. But I know I will never keep it off if I don't do something and so came the bike.

That really is terrific! Good luck in keeping it off. Enjoy the rides and take your time. Enjoy the view. It is a ride you are after not a race.

On my monitor, these two posts show up one after the other. It's almost like the answer to the question is the post below:

Just ride. Mix it up: distance, speed, hills, intervals. . .or just go spinning. Practice: cadence, form, hydration, calorie intake. Tweak [dial in] the geometry of your bike. Stretch. Take a day off. Do other stuff; hike, run, gym [UGH! to the last one, but it helps]. Did I mention stretching?

Congratulations on the weight loss!

I started riding (again) around Christmas. I felt real good if I could do six miles. I always rode out to a church three miles from my house, stopped for a break and rode back. I kept that up for a few months and got better. As I progressed I added a few miles here and there . . . nothing big. It wasn’t too long until I was riding twenty miles a day four days a week.

The other day I passed that little church parking lot close to the end of a twenty-five mile loop. I just smiled.

I started riding (again) around Christmas. I felt real good if I could do six miles. I always rode out to a church three miles from my house, stopped for a break and rode back. I kept that up for a few months and got better. As I progressed I added a few miles here and there . . . nothing big. It wasn’t too long until I was riding twenty miles a day four days a week.

The other day I passed that little church parking lot close to the end of a twenty-five mile loop. I just smiled.

I love this type of story. It reminds me of the "inch by inch" measurement of success.

Just ride and enjoy yourself. As time goes by and you build up your stamina you can then set goals.
But always remember, the fun is in the ride.