Originally Posted by
digibud
One might say that just about everything you do outside of the 20 or 30 most strenuous minutes of your ride , is pretty much just fun time for you. Put it in or don't put it in but you're strength and fitness are dictated by the level of stress you put your body under for those high effort minutes. Longer is fine...burns calories, is fun and one learns from simply having more time in the seat etc etc, but in terms of fitness, it's the max effort that's the golden goose.
I find that to be very interesting and very important - especially for the people that ride for fitness and that's not a small part of the over 60 crew.
I go out for a couple of hours on most rides and I do those rides at a pace that means I can finish the rides. Speed and effort means nothing to me providing I can keep the effort in a "Working Zone" for most of the ride. That means HR at around 75 to 80% and rarely below that but with the occasional exertion up to a higher level. There is no way I can keep effort at 90% or higher for those two hours. I work hard on those rides but I also take time to enjoy the roses but also ensure that I put in some real effort at times.
But Time at the gym is where I work hard. Whether it be on the Cardio Vascular or spinning class. BUT only for an hour at a time. Start off gently at the 75% Heart rate and build on that. I know I will be fit when I hit that 100% mark 45 minutes into the 1 hour session. So far I have only hit 95% at the end of the hour once. Still plenty of fitness to find.