Black wallnut 

I've read the same advice written by others. What is curious to me is that those giving such advice know their distance and speed.

Some folks cycle to lose weight or gain health. Sometimes those same folks enjoy it so much that it becomes much more than simply exercise, sometimes not.

MacNasty

Plus 1. Watch what you eat..........ride at a pace that makes you want to ride all day.

JohnJ80

Completely specious with today's bike computers. I don't pay attention at all to my average speed, but in my training log with 7 years of data, it's recorded there with the rest of the stuff I don't look at either. If anyone asks me what my average speed is/was, I can look it up.

J.

Black wallnut 

Right John but you are also not starting your post with your stats and ending saying to not pay attention to such stuff. If you don't look at all the data in your log what is the point of having a log? Do you have minions pouring over the data and flogging you if you slack?

JohnJ80

Because I'm not going to waste the time editing it out. My computer keeps track of just about everything that is possible to keep track of. Just because it's there doesn't mean I'm going to study all of it. In my case, I'm primarily curious to see how my mileage stacks up annually and to see how many feet I climb. No special reason, just curious.

J.

Black wallnut 

Makes sense. Your post was sounding that you were not reading any of the data that you have compiled. There is some data I don't bother to look at as well. I don't focus on average speed but I do notice it.

JohnJ80

That said, I'm an engineer so given the opportunity I can definitely obsess over numbers.

J.

FrenchFit 

Great posts Null66. One of the reasons I've curtailed my riding is how much (dangerous) effort I had to put into every ride to feel like I was accomplishing anything lasting...and it simply stopped being fun. Been running intervals since. Nothing wrong with 30 mile 10mph rides for fun, but don't expect much to change...other than adding saddle callouses.

Null66

Biologically speaking Intervals are awesome! Running, well if your body can take it.
The health benefits are dumbfounding and the flood of new studies seem to reveal more and more benefits..

Depends upon your goal. Low intensity exercise has great health benefits. Just not weight loss. Except for long duration (greater than 4 hours) low intensity, that has been shown to be second best at fat loss (not weight), especially visceral fat which is the fat with the most negative health consequences.

Even just going out for a toddle improves a number of very important things such as:
mood
blood lipid
and a little thing like lifespan
more important in my opinion
number of well days. (lifespan minus days ill)...

As more data comes in, all nearly all activity is good. They are even figuring out who and why extreme endurance events cause negative events.


I find it interesting that on this forum, weight is the main concern not health.

For health, nearly all riding is good. If health optimization was the concern I think people would be far more impressed by just how much good they were doing for themselves. By far the biggest gain is by those who go from inactive to any level of movement, even better if they continue to do it.

That's why I try to be extremely positive on those first 1,2 12, 20 miles threads, as these people have done a world of good for themselves and for everyone that cares for them.

Willbird

Health is my number one goal :-).

Society wise there is a perception that thin=fit and fat never=fit, I think we all know this is not strictly true. Yes being fat is unhealthy (but studies keep changing their mind about how much, and how and why).

I am dead sure I could cut from where I am now (250) to my general goal (150-160) without doing a lick of exercise other than work, I have done it before. I have also exercised at times to 80% of the level I am doing now and NOT reduced my intake, and possibly increased it to maintain an over weight but more fit condition.

This time around is the first time I have put the two things together to this extreme, and I am really liking it, enjoying the positive effects of BOTH things at the same time, who could want anything more :-) ??

Another bug in my bonnet is how so many methods of rating "exercise" give ZERO credit for vocation, the guy who rides an elevator to the 10th floor and sits in his office chair all day, then does 30 minutes of cardio after work, and the Brickmasons tender who mixes and delivers 2,000 lbs of mortar up and down 30' of scaffold, then goes and does 30 minutes of cardio are DEAD equal as far as Blue Cross Blue Shield are concerned :-).

My 8 hour work day is 6000+ steps and 160 feet of stairs minimum, some nights I bet went to 400 FEET of stairs :-). If the fictional office guy with his 30 minutes of cardio after work had to FOLLOW me for 8 hours he would probably drop dead :-). In one work area I wore a pedometer for a week straight and I was never under 10 miles in an 8 hour workday.

I know exercise philosophically is supposed to be "effort you are not required to do today" more or less...so maybe that makes sense, but devices like the Fitbit IMHO do a better job of tallying up actual activity levels than writing down how much you worked out OUTSIDE of work.

Bill

Null66

There are interestingly odd and conflicting studies on work activity's effects on health.

Some show that work activity improves health.
Studies definitely show that inactivity (i work on computers) have profoundly negative effects on health.

Some studies show those that are active at work live no longer then others who are in active.

It is likely that social factors (like income, physical risk, chemical exposure, access to health care and such) offset the positive effects of workplace activity.

Insurance is based upon actuarial risk, so the workman is subject to serious overuse injuries, falls, etc. Where as the desk jock (such as myself) might get carpal tunnel if not aware, or maybe a paper cut. In addition social and class factors come into play...

Willbird

My ten mile nights looked like this, it was pretty nuts really :-).

Take the front door off your house (that is what my employer makes).
Place two tables (use the 4 folding chair per side tables)at waist height one at your front and one at your back, about 6 feet apart :-).
Lift the entry door over your head and flip it 180 degrees while walking the 6' and then lay it on the other table.
A. Do this 100 times
B. Then grab a roll of 24" stretch wrap and wrap around and around the table legs...8-10 wraps will do
Repeat A and B 4-5 times...also include jumping on and off a fork truck 16-20 times....waking to the bathroom which is at least 1/4 mile away, walk in and out of work twice at 1/2 mile, then twice at 1/4 mile (because you moved the vehicle up at break time.

Total 10 miles walking, 500 reps lift/flip the entry door, 500 reps lifting the section you cut out where the window bolts in, 20 reps of wrapping the stretch wrap around the stack of cutouts, 20 reps packing out the finished entry doors, 16-20 reps of getting on and off the forklift :-).

Circuit training more or less :-).

Bill

Null66

And full body lifts, I've dealt with outside doors some... Not one of your a days worth in total. But good ones are heavy...

They ideas they had while trying to explain while they didn't find the improved health associated with activity while at work.

Willbird

we actually make fire doors filled with concrete too, but nobody lifts 500 of them a shift, they run 75-125 lbs depending on size