Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Early Morning, or Late Afternoon?

Question,
I am currently training for a century ride, but I am also training to loose weight.
I have a cycling coach that has put me on a 1 hour regiment.
I asked him this question and he said it did not matter. I just wanted to get others opinions.

My time limits me to either a early morning workout, starting about 6am or a late afternoon, around 6pm.

Which time would be better for both weight loss and training?

I can stand to loose about 20lbs.

I have always been told early mornings are the best. But I just wanted to see.

Thanks.

For me it would be morning but with no bearing other than I prefer to ride in the morning. I would however wonder why you are doing 1 hour training sessons for a 100 mile ride?

One hour seems a little low to me also, but I haven't road a century yet. I try and mix up 20 mile rides and 30 mile rides every 3rd day, I mix circuit training on the of days. I like to ride in the morning so the day dosn't get away from me and I end up not riding.

20-90 mins in the morning on an empty stomach per Andy Pruitt

http://www.wtcycling.com/BonkTraining.html

check it out...I'm shedding pounds pretty quickly and doing it twice a week.

Chad

1 hour a day most days is fine for training for a century. You only need to add 1 longer ride a week to build up your base in the weeks before the event. I prefer to ride early (that is noon for me), it seems to boost my energy for the rest of the day.

I don't know about the scientific, biological best time, but in Florida, it's got to be morning! It's cooler, and it doesn't rain. I've given up competing with the heat in the afternoon. I add miles to my morning commutes, and limp home in the afternoons.

An hour a day is a great base, but you need a long ride every week, too, right? You should be slowly adding on 10 percent to the long ride every week, until you get to 50 or 60 before the century.

The reason I only doing an hour is because I am in the Coast Guard and I am stationed on a ship that is currently out to sea for a few months.
I brought my bike with me and my trainer so its all set up. (Its not easy riding in 15 ft seas but it makes it different)
Because we are working 24/7 at sea my free time is normally limited and I get about 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening to work out. I am overweight and the CG says I need to loose about 20lbs. So that is why I am asking what is better for weight loss.
My coach for the training ride has given me a 1 hour regiment that is kicking my butt right now so i dont think only riding for 1 hour is really going to impeed on anything.
I have always heard that morning is better for working out cause it burns your calories all day.
But somone recently told me that night workouts are good to because it burns the calories that you ate throughout the day, and makes you snack less at night.

I've lost weight doing both, day and night. Doesn't matter as long as I avoid junkfood and RIDE my bike.

1 hour rides 2 or 3 times during the week then a 3-4 hour (60 miles) ride on the weekend does well for me while prepping for a century. I'll usually a 40 miler on Sunday too.:D

The reason I only doing an hour is because I am in the Coast Guard and I am stationed on a ship that is currently out to sea for a few months.
I brought my bike with me and my trainer so its all set up. (Its not easy riding in 15 ft seas but it makes it different)
Because we are working 24/7 at sea my free time is normally limited and I get about 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening to work out. I am overweight and the CG says I need to loose about 20lbs. So that is why I am asking what is better for weight loss.
My coach for the training ride has given me a 1 hour regiment that is kicking my butt right now so i dont think only riding for 1 hour is really going to impeed on anything.
I have always heard that morning is better for working out cause it burns your calories all day.
But somone recently told me that night workouts are good to because it burns the calories that you ate throughout the day, and makes you snack less at night.
Well I will just shut my mouth. You are working harder then I am I'm sure. I have heard many different theory's on "kick-starting" your metabolism. my opinion is that is all they are. work when it is most comfortable for you.

Thank you for your service to our country. CG is often the least recognized service branch, and I feel you are the most vigilant, again thank you.

i didn't read any of the post here...
AM should be best for you... figuring you slept for 6 hours... that is 6hrs with nothing to eat when you ride in the AM your body would have to grab from reserves to get fuel... i.e.burn fat...
.
I vote AM for sure...

Ride whenever you want... If riding early in the morning is good for you than... ride in the morning; otherwise, ride in the evening.

Burning more calories than you consume is the best way to lose weight...

Everybody is a little different. I prefer to ride 4-5 days per week, with one full-rest day and one to two days where I cross-train with some other activity (weights, elliptical trainer, hiking, etc.). I've found that the combination of resting and cross-training helps prevent injury (especially IT band and knee-tracking issues for me).

As for when I ride, I prefer both mornings and afternoons. It all depends on my schedule and commitments. I agree with others that limiting yourself to just one hour is questionable. You will probably be in the saddle for six or more hours during your century, and getting used to 2+ continuous hours in the saddle is the "hard part" for most people.

One way that I've found to sneak in more riding time, is to get up early and lay down a 2-3 hour ride before work (start before dawn, and I have a shower at work), and a 1-2 hour ride during the afternoon before dinner. The morning ride does start my metabolism, and it is easy to lay down lots of slow-to-medium speed miles while my mind is still almost asleep. The afternoon rides are more about speed and fun (and dodging traffic). When I split my rides like this, I like to do a long ride with some hills on the weekend. I like to be able to do 5 hour rides, once or twice a week, with no ill effects 3-4 weeks before the century. That way, I get to enjoy myself during the event.

Hope this helps.

For me to loose wieght it's all just a matter of putting the fork down, staying away from junk food and doing intervals which the trainer is very well suited for.

1 hour a day most days is fine for training for a century. You only need to add 1 longer ride a week to build up your base in the weeks before the event. I prefer to ride early (that is noon for me), it seems to boost my energy for the rest of the day.

^^^

This is the best reason to ride in the morning, just avoid high traffic.

You will increase your metabolism and burn more fat.

This may very from individuals but generally when I start my day with a brisk workout before breakfast I feel sharper mentally and physically during the day.

Maybe you can try both and make up your own mind. People do tend to be wired differently plus it should depend on your shifts also. If your working dog watch then you might want to work out in the evening but that would basically be "at the start of your day" i.e. your morning work out.

^^^

This is the best reason to ride in the morning, just avoid high traffic.

You will increase your metabolism and burn more fat.

he's on a boat...lol.

Chad

This may very from individuals but generally when I start my day with a brisk workout before breakfast I feel sharper mentally and physically during the day.

Maybe you can try both and make up your own mind. People do tend to be wired differently plus it should depend on your shifts also. If your working dog watch then you might want to work out in the evening but that would basically be "at the start of your day" i.e. your morning work out.

+1.

I also notice that if i work out in the morning, I'm more attentive throughout the day as well. That's somethign to factor in. You'll get the exercise you need plus you will be more productive during your daily duties.

he's on a boat...lol.

Chad

Great... now that song is stuck in my head...

I like early morning because my kids have evening activities. I live in Tucson and it is cooling in the morning. Traffic can be lighter in the early morning. The down side of that is that some drivers assume that the are the only one up and around, so the traffic rules do not apply. Many walkers and runners like to go in stealth mode (am or pm), so I stay alert.

You could do both, think of the evening ride as burning off dinner.

The difference in loose and lose: When you lose weight, your clothes get loose.

The difference in then and than: then is sequence; than is alternative. Then is A followed by B. Than is A instead of B. "I'd rather eat chocolate than hang" is completely different from "I'd rather eat chocolate then hang."

Where do you store the bike ?




The reason I only doing an hour is because I am in the Coast Guard and I am stationed on a ship that is currently out to sea for a few months.
I brought my bike with me and my trainer so its all set up. (Its not easy riding in 15 ft seas but it makes it different)
Because we are working 24/7 at sea my free time is normally limited and I get about 1 hour in the morning and 1 hour in the evening to work out. I am overweight and the CG says I need to loose about 20lbs. So that is why I am asking what is better for weight loss.
My coach for the training ride has given me a 1 hour regiment that is kicking my butt right now so i dont think only riding for 1 hour is really going to impeed on anything.
I have always heard that morning is better for working out cause it burns your calories all day.
But somone recently told me that night workouts are good to because it burns the calories that you ate throughout the day, and makes you snack less at night.

Well I want to thank everyone for their input.
I also want to thank the person who said "im on a boat" because now I have that song stuck in my head.

I just want to say that when I was home, I rode about 20 miles 3 times a day and 60-70 miles on sundays, so its not like I did/am not training for a longer ride. My current deployment status just only gives me a short time to workout.

Reading this bonk training is interesting and feeds into what I have always read on working out early morning on an empty stomach. When I was in high school my soccer coach use to make us do that and I was in some lean shape.

I think though for my situation it will become a mixture of both, with a focus doing in the morning as much as possible. But I will have some night workouts in there as well.

And just to add as a side note. I dont ride in the streets anyways, and I am from Florida and I much perfer a morning ride because of the heat and rain. I am fortunate enough to live near a 60miles paved road and a 11 mile paved loop so I have never had to ride in the street, so that never was a factor.

Thanks again for all the input. Keep the ideas flowing!

Where I am at geographically, I prefer morning rides for the following reasons, in no particular order:
1) less wind;
2) fewer airborne bugs on the routes I use;
3) fewer joggers/cyclists/cars/folks on the routes I use;
4) it tends to be cooler (mid-60's this morning, how great is that).

However my work schedule is changing effective next week, and I will be forced to cease morning rides except on the weekends. So I'll probably go back to afternoons when the weather cools off, but for now, late afternoons/early evenings. But I always have to get my permission slip signed first by my better half... that's another reasons crack-of-dawn rides were great for me, as everyone else in the family was still in bed, so it caused minimal interference with the daily routines.

Whatever works...

good luck with the bonk training deal...I really was skeptical on trying it, and now after 2 week or so of mixing it in 2-3x a week it's been great...I also feel damn strong on an empty stomach and can keep quite a high pace without pushing it into the panting zone.

where are you from in Florida?

oh and what kind of vessel are you on exactly? pretty lucky to have enough room for a bike and trainer, what's your rank as well if you don't mind me asking?

oh and

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtboQ8AZl4k

Chad

Well I have my bike set up in our laundry room lol.
There is 2 reasons for this.
1. Our workout room is directly below our Turbid water tank (The water tank that mixes all our unirne with the chemicals before we dump it) so the workout room smells like piss all the time (sorry for the graphic description). And honestly I hate going down to that space anyways.

2. our Laundry room is where the 2 other exercise bikes are set up. Normally I ride with a couple other people doing intervals. Right now what I am doing isa 10 min pace at 100rpm then I do 1 min of hard as I can, then 1 min rest, then 2 mins hard as I can, then 2 mins rest, then 3 mins hard as I can, then 3 mins rest. 4, then 5 etc etc. You get the idea, up until 1 hour is done, then 10 min cooldown.

I am on a 210' Cutter, which may not seem like alot, but its a fairly good size ship, we are normally out for 60 days at a time. And to answer your question about rank I am currently and E-5 waiting on my orders for OCS school (crosses fingers) I will find that out in January.

I have plenty of room for the bike, and recently the weather has been good that I just take the bike and the trainer up to the flight deck and workout there. Its nice to it there because I can watch other people work out, kinda like a gym. Alot of people Box, or UFC , or run on the flight deck. Some people lift weights out there, things like that.

There is plenty of room on the ship to ride.

Ahh.... all this time I was picturing you on a carrier riding up and down the deck...

20-90 mins in the morning on an empty stomach per Andy Pruitt

http://www.wtcycling.com/BonkTraining.html

check it out...I'm shedding pounds pretty quickly and doing it twice a week.

Chad


Interesting read. Thanks for the link. With hot Arkansas summers I can kill two birds with one stone. Lose some pounds and avoid the hottest part of the day. I may have to give this a try.

Everybody is a little different. I prefer to ride 4-5 days per week, with one full-rest day and one to two days where I cross-train with some other activity (weights, elliptical trainer, hiking, etc.). I've found that the combination of resting and cross-training helps prevent injury (especially IT band and knee-tracking issues for me).

As for when I ride, I prefer both mornings and afternoons. It all depends on my schedule and commitments. I agree with others that limiting yourself to just one hour is questionable. You will probably be in the saddle for six or more hours during your century, and getting used to 2+ continuous hours in the saddle is the "hard part" for most people.

One way that I've found to sneak in more riding time, is to get up early and lay down a 2-3 hour ride before work (start before dawn, and I have a shower at work), and a 1-2 hour ride during the afternoon before dinner. The morning ride does start my metabolism, and it is easy to lay down lots of slow-to-medium speed miles while my mind is still almost asleep. The afternoon rides are more about speed and fun (and dodging traffic). When I split my rides like this, I like to do a long ride with some hills on the weekend. I like to be able to do 5 hour rides, once or twice a week, with no ill effects 3-4 weeks before the century. That way, I get to enjoy myself during the event.

Hope this helps.

So... I'm just wondering how long a guy has been riding 4-5 hours per day... and is still a clyde??? I mean 60-80 miles per day would eclipse my clyde status (225 lbs now) in about 3-6 weeks. I dunno, maybe you're 6'10" and 201 lbs and 5 percent body fat. If you have been doing this training regime for more than a year, it would seem that your 5 hour rides would be centuries as opposed to a training ride 3-4 weeks before a century. Most of the guys that I know that train 4-5 hours per day have no problem at all completing a century in 5 hours... and some of them can probably do it in 4 hours. I dunno... just saying that 4-5 hours per day might be overkill for a century.

Hey Coastie, former Navy here (Submarines). Do you guys do a 3 or 4 shift watch rotation? We always did a three shift rotation so setting a time for anything was difficult. Throw in a few drill sessions and scheduling went out the torpedo tubes pretty quickly.

We had a stationary bike back in the lower level of the Engine room. On one West-Pac a Ping Jockey and I decided we were going to race each other across the US. We got a map, picked our route, and marked off our mileage each day. It sort of helped having a goal you could track since sitting there looking at the bulkhead was kind of boring. So maybe talk to your QM's and see if you can get some kind of chart or something, or see if they can keep track for you and try and ride to somewhere. Since you have a coach and a routine your distance may be less due to intervals and zone work, but it's cool to see how far you got.

We'll get to the Coast Guard and Bubbblehead jokes later:D

For the record, he is on a ship. Submarines are boats. If it floats it's a ship/target. If it sinks on purpose it's a boat. I don't know why.

Interesting...I've never heard of Bonk training before. I cannot break the 200lbs barrier. I'll try this for a while.

Interesting read. Thanks for the link. With hot Arkansas summers I can kill two birds with one stone. Lose some pounds and avoid the hottest part of the day. I may have to give this a try.


Interesting...I've never heard of Bonk training before. I cannot break the 200lbs barrier. I'll try this for a while.

let me know how it works for you guys...I was pretty skeptical at first but I find myself able to push a faster pace, without getting winded/panting and just feel better on the bike when I do these rides...I keep it to under 30 mi and no more than the 90 mins, I have a perfect loop for it:love:

I already have a fast metabolism but this makes a big difference in how I feel during the day.

Chad

Regarding Bonk Training, is the coffeee necessary? Can I have a Diet Cola? Or just water?

I live out in the country and see a lot of people out running, jogging walking and on their bikes at all times during the day and night, I think it comes down to personal preference. I like to ride my bike in the a.m and go on long walks in the p.m. but thats just me.:)