Two Months to Fitness!
 

Help! My boyfriend is taking me on a trip to Moab!!! with him this spring, and I feel so unready!!

What should I be doing? I only have 2 months 2 prepare. I ride every Saturday with my friends (all girls yeah!!) but kind of slow. Oh and I also have a spinning class once a week. But that doesn't seem like enough!! I don't want to be left behind on trails, plus we will be there for five days, which means five back to back rides.

What is the best way to get fit in 2 months? Does anyone know of a plan online I can print out and use? Or maybe a good book about it?

Hmmm. Not much time, but then again, you aren't starting from scratch. I'd say your best bet is to spend some time on the bike at least 6 days a week, which probably means a trainer this time of year. For the first month, don't go hard, just be consistant, no more than an hour a day (apart from the class and group ride). Use the spin class and weekly group ride for the work-out aspect. Second month, incorporate some harder efforts, to build strength and anaerobic capacity, but no more than 3 days a week (including spin class and group ride). Keep riding at least 6 days a week, but go easy between work-out days so you recover. You will make faster progress undertraining than overtraining. Good luck, and regardless of how successful your preparation, enjoy Moab. He will probably want to go out and hammer some of the slickrock. Decide now to be cool with that, be sure he knows it, and you'll both have a better time.

You'll be fine, any weight you can lose between now and then is a plus. Be sure to pick up additional Intimate apparel and if it suits you, check out a tanning salon for several sessions before leaving.

Above all, keep in mind, why you were asked to come along, and act accordingly when the time arises.

What you need to know about this trip isn't in any "training plan" or book.

Just dump the BF and me and you will take a trip to Paris instead. Problem solved. :D

Seriously, make him become your coach and trainer, spending more time riding with you and getting you used to the type, duration and difficulty of the riding he expects to do.

I guess you've never heard of the Kama Sutra.

he, he.

It sounds like this is some sort of test. Is this a vacation or the Tour de France? How long have you been dating? If you get dropped, will he drop you? Inquiring minds want to know!

If you are really serious, you could buy Joe Friel's Cyclist Training Bible to develop a two-month "Impress Boyfriend" training plan, which requires at least investing in a HRM to train at the correct intensity. You probley have time for a a short base phase, a build phase, two-week peak, then the 5-day "race".

Touchdown! The right solution at so many levels.

Well... two-months is enough for two macrocycles. Joe Friel's book is good at introducing this concept of periodization in training (don't do every single ride the same). Also check out Carmichael/Armstrong's book as well as it goes into more detail in getting maximum-fitness.

You'll want to incorporate these types of rides during the week on different days:

1. sprint build muscle-strength. These are 100% all-out screaming bloody-murder efforts of 30-45 seconds. Go as fast and as hard as you can for as long as you can. Only stop when your legs fall off. Then get fully recovered in between and do another, and another. About 10 is good, then go home.

2. intervals are sub-maximum efforts of 90-98% lasting from 1-5 minutes. Go at a steady pace harder than you can maintain for a long time. In fact 1-minute intervals are just slightly lower-effort than an all-out sprint. A 5-minute interval is like 90% of maximum-effort. As with the sprints, by the end, your heart-rate should be maxed-out 100% and your legs should burn like someone poured sulfuric acid all over them.

3. tempo & hillclimbs builds the aerobic system. These rides are typically right on the edge of going anaerobic.

These three types of rides in a week are much higher intensity than you're used to. But they are what's required to get you into maximum-fitness in the 2-month time-frame. On your weekend rides with the girls, make that an LSD/endurance ride of around 2-hours.

Chris CarMichael plan, it is a great book for nutrition and getting in shape. search it one Amazon.com.