tpelle

I'm 62 years old and I ride for exercise and recreation - I'm not training for a race or anything like that. My question is this: Is it better to ride, say, four times per week for one hour each, or is it better to ride once per week for four hours? (I know. Somebody will answer that it's even better to ride four times per week for four hours each. But this is a hypothetical question, and since I asked it I can set the rules.)

CbadRider

One hour four times a week is better than four hours once a week. You will get stronger by exercising more often during the week.

overbyte

https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-li...e/faq-20057916 says:
I've read elsewhere that very vigorous exercise such as heavy weight lifting sessions by a serious bodybuilder require 3 to 4 days between them for muscle recovery, but mild to moderate sessions such as those the average person would do only require 1 or 2 days of rest between them for muscle repair and recovery.

fietsbob

your circulation and heart , vs making muscles bigger .. Fitness felt vs appearance ?


you live in the hills? or is it flatter where you are going to ride ?

Wilfred Laurier

when i ride once a week
which happens more often than i like
every ride feels like it has been months since i pedalled

but if i ride every couple of days
i feel like i am getting stronger

mcmoose

Just to be a troublemaker, I'm going to suggest riding 80 minutes three times a week. First, if you try for four times a week, you're likely to miss one of them. Second, the extra 20 minutes on the ride gives you time to warm up and cool down while still getting an hour of moderate aerobic activity.

The main thing, of course, is to keep it fun so that you keep riding.

tpelle

I live in rural Kentucky. The only things flat around here are the surfaces of the ponds.

My intention is to just keep active and improve general health, weight loss, etc. Bicycling is the only form of exercise that has held my interest, but I do find it to be hard to find time. I work full time, and my wife babysits the two grandkids for our daughter and her husband - she's a surgical nurse and works 12-hour days 3 to 4 days per week. By the time they get off of work and pick the kids up, my wife is ready for some help straightening up the house, etc. If I told her I was going to take a hour-long bike ride right after supper.........I guess my average speed would improve because she'd be chasing me with her Mazda.

John Redcorn

I'm sorta riding for or about to start riding for fitness myself. 36 year old, got my 1st bike since I was a kid around christmas, and have done a bunch of 10ish mile rides on trails and 2ish mile rides in neighborhood with the kids.

I'm really not ever feeling myself breathing harder except on hills, I do sweat a bit when it's over 65 degrees or so but it's almost like I'm putting not much more effort in than walking a bit quick. I used to run and the difference between running and walking is easy to know where you're at. I want to kick it up a notch biking but can't find a middle ground on the bike, it's like I'm barely giving any effort or I'm trying to go as fast as I can and wearing myself down really quick. Would a speedometer help me do that? Have a goal to do x mph faster than normal?

A lot of times now I'm using a gps logger on my android and after the ride using the logs to draw graphs or maps at GPS Visualizer to see my speed at certain points/times. But if I had a speedometer, I could see right then on the bike I'm doing 12mph and I should change that to 14 or something.

tpelle

I have my bikes equipped with cyclocomputers. I keep the displays set, usually, to display cadence as the main display, with either distance or speed as the secondary display.

I think that cadence is important, and never drop below 60 rpm. I find myself getting into the 90's a lot. I just adjust my gearing to stay in the 60 to 75 range mostly.

BlazingPedals

My HRM book says the intense rides need to be short -- an hour or less. They're for building aerobic capacity; but you still need longer rides to train for strength and endurance.

So the correct answer is All of the Above.

jon c. 

I split the difference and do a few hour long weekend night rides and a two to three hour weekend ride.

But generally would agree with those who think more often would be better.

Null66

You are dead right!

Lifting recovery depends upon intensity, pattern followed, recovery factors, and personal characteristics.

Different goals have different patterns.

I use an upper/lower, push pull split. Upper/lower on different days, but push/pull on same day. Before I decided my primary exercise would be riding it was Mon/fri upper, tues/thurs lower... This is a common split for strength training.

I have had recovery issues when I tried a similar schedule riding. The symptoms were quite different then lifting would present.

Anyone have schedule/recovery suggestions for endurance exercise?

I tried to be as disciplined with sleep and nutrition. However, I did underestimate carb requirements...

Looigi

You might want to read "Cycling Past 50" by Joe Friel. It's pretty hard-core and race focused, but provides a lot of good information about the principles of training, nutrition, and the related effects of aging.

fietsbob

didn't the coal-companies level off some of those hills to get to the coal seams?

Null66

THANKS!
Next book purchase.

tpelle

That's more in Western KY. I'm up in the very North close to Cincinnati, Ohio. All we have is hills.

Garfield Cat

Ride often but not to the point that you always feel tired afterwards and want to take a nap. Not that naps aren't good. But over working your body is not good either. Body conditioning is a dynamic thing. As your body gets used to the demands, it will change. If you try to hurry that change, your body will react and you will feel it.

Machka 

Work up so that your cadence is between 80 and 90 rpm. Low cadence, like what you're doing can be hard on the knees.

Machka 

As for the rides ... mix it up.

5-6 days per week consisting of ...

-- 1-2 longer rides
-- 1-2 medium distance rides
-- 1-2 short, hard rides (intervals or hill climbs)
-- at least one shorter, easy recovery ride

spdracr39

I ride every chance I get whether its 3 miles around the neighborhood after dinner or planned rides of 15 - 25 miles three times a week. More is better unless your body says otherwise.