[TomWilson]

I'm 45 years old and a month ago I began working out after having health issues related to my weight. I'm currently 220 lb., but a month ago I was at 231 lb. after joining a gym to ride a stationary bike and work out with weights. I still have about 40 lbs to go.

I started commuting to work by bike on Monday of this week and I'm really loving it. I'm only riding 4 miles a day, but its something.

Boy I thought the 30 minutes on the stationary bike at the gym would have prepared me better for cycling, but my legs are very sore today. I guess I theres more to biking then I currently know, but I loving learning new things so I'm committed to becoming a genuine cyclist.

The truth is until last month for the past 12 years I've lived a relatively sedentary life. Which is pretty strange since I spent most of my life as a active outdoorsman and worked out with weights and went dancing often. That seemed to change after I got a job that keeps me chained to a desk. Anyway I'm probably doing better then I think, because I often hold myself to unreasonable standards.

All tips will be appreciated.

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[StephenH]

Welcome to the forum.

Tip #1: Keep at it.

On the being prepared for cycling...it may just be conditioning. It seems to me that the things that can make easy cycling harder in a hurry are 1) having your seat too low and 2) going up hills in too high of a gear. With the seat adjustment, you'd ideally have your leg almost straight on the downstroke. It's sort of like walking; you can walk all day in a normal walking position, but bend your legs down several inches and you won't get far. With the too-high-of-a-gear, you'll tire your legs out excessively on one hill and then be too pooped for the next one, so you downshift and spin and gradually get where you can go up in higher gears.

Cyclist in cold climates seem to do a lot of stationary bike riding (by various names, no one calls it that). I don't know how they work things, but they presumably set up the bike to pretty much simulate what they're used to when riding. If you've been doing a stationary bike and a real bike is harder, that's likely the issue.

[dahoss2002]

You're almost exactly where I started at 2 years ago.... 44, 5'9", and was about 225-230 . 8 miles was a real workout. Like Stephen said, "Keep at it"... Also, try not to burn yourself out to where you hate riding. Steadily increase your miles and if you have the time, try a local bike club.

[Bill Kapaun]

Gear down 1 gear lower than you think.
SPIN instead of pushing hard!
It'll get better FAST!

[Zin]

Welcome to the adventure!
In addition to the comments already posted, which I totally agree with, you may also want to make sure your bike is adjusted correctly for proper fit. Fit issues can cause a LOT of pain and fatigue.

[st0ut]

Welcome I got back on my bike at 36 when i was 240 38 and down to 210.