commuting to get in shape?
 

I am starting to road bike to work and it will be 10 miles each way. The last time I rode a bike was 4 years ago, so I’d need to work up to it a bit. I’m 23, 5-11, around 210 lbs, trying to get closer to 185-190. First, how long would it take to work up to being able to ride 10 miles (sweat isn’t an issue because I can shower at work) and also, is 20 miles a day and then some on the weekend enough to get in good shape? Thanks guys.

Shouldn't take more than a couple of weeks, as young as you are. Just take it easy to begin with and let your body adapt.

As for getting into shape, that is very subjective. 20 miles a day is an improvement over 0 per day.

Start with the commute and after you adjust, increase mileage/effort as necessary to meet your goal.

10 miles is nothing really. Just give yourself extra time in the beginning. I dropped 20lbs my first year commuting (I have a 10 mile commute as well). I started out at a granny pace, chatting the whole way with a neighbor who also worked in the city. Now, a season later, I ride alone and try to beat my last "personal best" and arrive covered in sweat (26 minutes is the new time to beat). I have a gym in my building so I hit the showers when i get there.

yea, almost any 23 year old should be able to cycle 10 miles. you may be slow at first, but its not going to kill you, or at least it shouldnt.

give yourself plenty of time, go slow for the first few weeks and dont knock yourself out so you wind up hating it. good luck!

Listen, n00b -- the first several months, compare yourself only to yourself. If you start thinking that in two weeks you should be riding 50 miles a day with an average speed of 25 MPH you'll suck the joy out of this in no time flat.

Most posters here make up their times anyway.

Enjoy the rides. If you crave more, go on some local club rides. Then crush the local club riders, start racing, go to cat 1, compete in RAAM, give pointers to Lance, and so on, and so forth.....

Believe you me, it's an excellent way to lose weight. You won't get into race shape this way, but lose weight you can. I did. I was in almost the exact same situation (even similar weight and height). I lost 20 lbs over the course of about four or five months.

Basically, I rode about 13 miles each way to work and back for a total of about 26 miles, and I did this four days a week. I did group rides during the weekend. I stopped eating a huge amount in the evening; I cut my dinner portion in half. I didn't mess too much with my lunch portion, though I would eat less if I wasn't that hungry. I lost a steady one pound a week. You can do it faster, but you must suffer some hunger then; more than two pounds a week is pushing it. At one pound a week you don't really suffer hunger pangs at all.

So it is possible, and very easily doable. Just don't expect to get in shape in a matter of two or three weeks. It's a lifestyle change you are after, not a one time weight loss push. The key is to be consistent and not skip out on the commutes; anything less than three or four times a week doesn't really do anything for you; and to not increase your eating.

thanks for all the encouragement, and i am quite the noob at this.

i am really excited and my bike will also be in good shape within a couple weeks and hopefully ill be in good shape in a couple months.

thanks guys

Cycling 20 miles a day 5 or 6 days a week will make a huge difference in your fitness after a few months. Don't worry about the total mileage; just get on the bike at least 4 to 6 days a week.

Don't forget to take some days off.

I would not expect to be able to do this every day for a week the first week. Take a day off after day one, then see how you feel after day two. If you don't feel up to it, don't beat yourself up about taking another day off. Make 2 days in a row your next goal. Ignore the HTFU crowd. There's plenty of time for that.

Great advice - I should have added that in my post.

I had taken a long break from cycling, before starting up again and had been riding pretty steadily (100 + miles/week) before I started commuting. Still, I found 20 miles a day more challenging that I thought it would be to do it *every* day; something about doing two 10-mile rides a day is a bit more difficult than 1 20-mile ride.

Now I vary my commutes quite a bit - if I ride a lot on the weekends, I take it easy on Monday and Tuesday. Then I pick one or two commutes a week to ride pretty hard -- on a heavy bike, carrying a lot of stuff, it's a pretty good workout.

I'm not commuting (yet) but went from 2.77 mi to 10.8 mi rides in about a month with 10 days off in there as I replaced my front brakes. This is from not riding at all for more than 10 years. Looks like I'm settling into about 3-4 rides a week as I get used to riding, traffic, etc. I've got 20 years on you so you should be able to get it done faster I'd think.

Do it.

Check out commuting forum for help.

I have a 10 mile each way commute. It will make you stronger, even if only doing it 2 or 3 times/week supplemented with weekend rides.

Riding to commute is a great way to get in shape for commuting! :thumb:

I started commuting 13 miles each way to work basically from nothing. This will definitely get you into better shape.

Just give yourself time to adjust and listen to your body. Going 0-100 miles a week will be hard on you. Not too hard, but I found that I had to ease off at times to keep minor irritations from becoming big problems. You can push through muscle soreness and generally feeling tired, but don't try to just toughen up and ignore things like tendonitis or saddle sores or else you'll be taking some serious time off.

The biggest thing I had to be wary of: personally I can't ride that many hours a week without bike shorts - not for padding, but to minimize irritation and for moisture control. Whatever solution you decide to go with, just keep those factors in mind.

While slower, weaker, and fatter than 99% of all riders on the Internet, my own experience is that commuting 20 miles a day, 3 to 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year, gives me a solid enough base that pretty much any recreational ride I want to do on the weekends is pretty straightforward. That would include long rides in the mountains, or centuries with 10,000+ feet of climbing. Again, I am almost certainly going to be the slowest, ugliest, and most Fredliest rider in the Century, but I will finish, and I will be back on my bike Monday morning.

As a former couch potato, my own experience is that commuting actually did get me in shape for more than commuting.

Commuting tastes great and is less filling.

At 23, you're gonna be fine. Just find a pace that works for you over the 10 miles. Welcome back to bikes.

Agree with the advice above. Just turn the pedals and don't worry about your pace at first. Don't be afraid to take a day or two off. I'm sure the weight will fall off without any changes to your diet, but after you've gotten used to the increased activity start taking a look at your diet to improve your nutrition. You may actually need more calories, but high-quality calories.

Good luck, and welcome!