Training & Nutrition - what is the bare minimum to maintain?

i suppose it would vary for each person, but what is the bare minumum amount of training you can do before you lose your fitness level? to sustain, so to speak.

for example - if i train for 3 months nearly everyday, then taper off for the winter, how many days would i need to train during the winter to keep my level fairly constant.

you loose fitness very rapidly, and return to sedentary at an alarmingly nasty rate. assuming that your winters are as long as they are in the UK (say a few months) and you're talking of only training for days over that period, you'd be completely detrained, and your fitness would be barely above sedentary levels.

ric

At what level? Maybe you never got anywhere after 3 months, so maintaining would be easy.

Or, maybe, you live such a clean life, you need nearly nothing to maintain a high-level.

Mr. Stern, is mistaken, various training adaptations degrade at different rates. So no professional would make a statement like - "you [loose]sic fitness very rapidly......"

Generally adaptations that result form anerobic training efforts are lost faster than those that are developed from aerobic activity. That means - you lose "speed" at one rate, and you lose "endurance" at a different rate....

Nothing etched in concrete here but you can cut back the number of rides and length of rides but do not cut back on the intensity of the rides.

Hi,
ever consider spinning classes in the winter?

This is just me, but I used to notice that I'd lose some muscle mass and run out of breath sooner after about 4 to 5 days of doing absolutely nothing.

I'll agree with MustangSTeve, after 5 days off the bike I'm back to huffing and puffing. But I got back into shape pretty quickly. After a whole winter I don't know, I spent 10 whole winters, and summers too, before I got back into shape this year.

Keep up a regular indoor trainer schedule and you'll be at least somewhat better off. I've set mine up and have been on it once so far, but I got lucky and was able to get outside after work twice this week and still have tomw (sunday) to go on a long ride. But the days are getting shorter, so it'll be indoors or nothing from here on out after work, with whatever weekend rides I can get in. Hopefully this will be enough to keep me from starting at zero again in the spring.

Maintaining high intensity, or capacity during your workouts is the key to preserving any kind of fitness.

As long as you perform at least a small part of a workout at "full out" on a weekly basis you should keep much of your ability. Likewise, if you go for at least one "longer ride" per week, much endurance can be retained.

But, again, the other side of the fitness story has to do with how well you practice good health habits in other areas like diet, rest and daily stress reduction. Living well, makes workouts more beneficial.

Hi,
ever consider spinning classes in the winter?


yes! i'm going to take some classes - a lot of people have suggested them.

If it isn't icy and the temp is above 20 F, it's possible to ride pretty comfortably for about 60 to 90 minutes with good booties, gloves, facemask, etc. For indoors consider getting Spinerval dvd's for intensity training. By spring you won't have a lot of base or volume developed, but you won't lose much fitness over the winter either.

I keep up the commuting and plan on doing more "training" style rides this winter. I find the cold air makes an extra challenge for your respirator system which I believe has made me a stronger rider.