I Just realized how out of Shape I am!
 

Title pretty well sums it up.
I thought I was in reasonable shape, but now that I have started back biking I realized just how out of shape I have let myself become. I am disappointed with myself, even though I knew I had gained 25-30 lbs more than I should have, I still thought I was in okay Shape. My first ride was around the block about a 1/2 mile, and My knee's, and legs were wobbly and burning when I got off, the day after I rode again, it was a little better, and now I am at the 2 mile mark.

Anyone else realized how bad of shape they were in once they started riding again?

I hadn't turned any pedals since I hung up the bikes back in November. Hopped up on the stationary bike at the gym last week.

Ow.

Apparently, I hadn't used those muscle in a while. :eek:

Of course, it didn't help that the gym got a new bike with a built in heart rate monitor. I just had to see how high I could make the number go. :rolleyes:

It really depends upon the exercise you are doing. I went back to an elliptical machine that I hadn't been on for over a month. Different motion than the running and biking I had been doing and it showed.

Just get back on and ride and you will be back quicker than you think.

Yeah, first time back on my bike since college was bad. It was all I could do to muster a 3 mile loop to the grocery store and back. The good news is that it will get better. Keep at it and soon you'll but putting up the numbers you want to see.

Bau

I laughed when I saw the title of your thread because I had the same exact thought myself in January:D. Just stick with it, it will get better. I have friends of mine that look like there in shape and I challenged them to dust off there bikes and they had the same reaction. One of them hasn't got back on his since then.

I knew I was way out of shape when I started riding again… I thought I would just go for a short ride, about a mile, for the first new ride. At the end of the ride is a fairly steep hill going back to the house (single speed bike)… Long story short, I went to step off the bike, and thought I was just going to keep going straight to the center of the earth….:eek: My legs just about didn’t support me. On the plus side, it gets better the more you ride, and eventually you’ll look back and laugh, like I do now.

That's how I felt!. Don't worry guy's this is not a I'm going to stop thread, this is I am admitting that I am out of shape! But I will continue, as I really do like riding.

But I really appriciate the support.

Jim

Whenever I try to run, I realize how much "biking shape" and "running shape" differ.

you know, i made a similar mistake. I'm in relatively decent physical shape, i lift weights, had been doing some serious cardio training and things like that for about a month solid before i got my bike. Mind you, i had been working out heavily off and on for a few years and have always been strong and fit enough. Well i decided to take a pretty long ride when i first got my bike. 10 miles round trip. possibly the stupidest thing i've ever done. my back was killing me, my sit bones were annihilated for days afterwards and my thighs were on fire. on top of that, i had a sharp stabbing pain in my right knee.

i took a few days off, continued with my lifting and riding shorter distances and now i'm riding like 13miles at a time. still getting in better shape for riding faster and further. I love it.

I shamefully don't exercise much at all. But now that I've gotten back on the bike (even though all I've done are very short ~1 mile rides), I -definitely- feel how out of shape I am.

I took my first ride in about 18 months at work on Thursday, during my lunch break. At the time, I was hyped - I'd recently started posting here again, I was discovering all the old biking websites I used to visit back in the day, you know, it was all new.

So I thought to myself, "Oh, I'll just ride around the parking lot". Then I thought "Oh, I'll just ride to the end of this block." Then I thought, "Oh, it won't be too hard to go *around* this block." So I did.

A little over a mile later, I arrived back at work, broke the bike down and put it in the car, and hobbled my way back into the office. Out of breath. Sweaty as could be. OMG.

Yeah, I'm way out of shape. But I'm also encouraged, because I know that the more I just get out and *do* that, the better it'll become. The farther I'll want to go. The more inspired I'll be.

Today I rode to the end of the street, then down the block, and back. It wasn't even three quarters of a mile, but that's okay - what matters to ME, is that I did it. I didn't just look at my bike and think about how fun it would be to ride, I got out there and I rode!

I need to -keep- that joy :)

Grats on starting to ride again!

"As far as i know, it's illegal to wear spandex or lycra when not on a bicycle or within 10 feet of the one you were riding. please, check your state laws."

or if you have a BMI over 4

LOL. My first ride crippled me. Two years ago I rode around the neighborhood on my new bike (<1 mile) and I came home sore and took a nap on the couch.

Okay guy's your making me feel better now, I just took my ride around the neighborhood and yes I am tired and yes my knees are weak, but I do feel better, plus I added a another 1/3 mile to my routine, and all the while I am on mybike enjoying the outdoors. Hopefully by summertime I will be able to ride the ten miles, but for now I am happy with the baby steps I am taking. Point is I am riding not looking at the bike.

Jim

Hey, you started and that's what counts!! I'm coming up to the month of April which I mark as the date I bought my first road bike: April 2006. Before that I played soccer on a regular basis and "thought" I was in shape. Being in my mid-40s with my ankles killing me to run long distances (ok….3 miles) a friend suggested riding a bike for exercise. Next month will be two years, 40 pounds and miles later. Two years ago a 60 year old women told me not to stop and that she would “slow down for me!!!” Now I’m on a race team and having a blast. Keep up the riding. Step on a scale everyday and never let it go up 7 days in a row without a fight!!!

lol, my BMI is like 35...because BMI is a useless crock of BS. my body fat % puts me in the fit category, yet my BMI says i'm morbidly obese. sucks being short, pretty muscular, and built like a tank. lol

edit: i also just changed my sig a bit so it doesnt read like it was written by a mentally challenged 5 year old. lol

I have been riding my Cannondale pretty much every ride lately and the other night I decided to take the 7300 hybrid out as they were calling for rain. Oh....My.....God. Bike is 10.5 lbs heavier and I felt every ounce of it. I now know why I was having so much trouble on my bridge crossings. When I checked my logs from 2007, I had ridden the Hybrid 675 miles out of my 798 miles up through March, this year I have only ridden a sad 350 miles of which 75 have been on the 7300. Lack of leg strength is killing me. Back to the old training regiment, Trek during the week and Cannondale on the weekends.

I am in the same boat. I started a few weeks ago and I have been worn out since I was so out of shape. It's a little better now and i'm sure it will get better. The other day I attacked a hill that I wasn't ready for with the wind blowing against me. Man did that one hurt!