Best way to increase fitness and stamina for women

[fossyant]

Easy. STRAVA.

Heh heh

 

[MattHB]

Try Pilates. It's a great way to increase core strength and if you get a good teacher, they'll help you balance the rest of your body against your cycling gains.

Stay away from these horrid mass-murder sports centre sessions though. Find yourself a proper exclusive practitioner. You shouldn't have more than 5 in a class and they should be able to mix mat work with equipment work.

Then just go for it on the bike knowing you have everything in check. Your weight will come down on its own. I've followed this plan and lost nearly 3 stone since last October, gone from 5 mile rides to having just completed my first century with room left in the tank

Good luck and let us all know how it goes!

Pilates is also great for pulling the tummy muscles back in after child birth too. Lots of mums attend classes with my teacher for exactly that reason.

 

[lulubel]

If you want to build stamina, you just need to cycle for longer. Your body will gradually get better at it and more used to it. I generally measure my rides by time rather than miles because I have limited time to cycle, and the terrain and my average speed over a ride can vary a lot. I can find myself averaging 16mph on one ride, and 13mph on the next, depending on where I go. It doesn't really matter, though. Do what works for you.

Some people, as you've seen, will tell you to do other types of exercise, and some will tell you to just cycle. I'm one who just cycles and (combined with a sensible diet) this has enabled me to get down to 7st7 at 5ft2. Cycling has given me strong legs, but my upper body is pretty weedy! Whatever you do - and especially if you don't do any other exercise that involves stretching - it's important to get into the habit of stretching after rides. It will go a long way to help prevent injuries as you increase your time in the saddle.

It's OK to go out without breakfast if it works for you. (It's never worked for me!) Or, have something easy to digest like a banana or smoothie - make it up the night before and leave it in the fridge - before you go.

Personally, I eat loads of starchy carbs (bread with everything) because they're great for keeping your body well fueled, and make cycling longer distances easier. You also need carbs after long rides to refill your glycogen stores, which will have become depleted during the ride.

 

[disorganisedmum]

If you want to build stamina, you just need to cycle for longer. Your body will gradually get better at it and more used to it. I generally measure my rides by time rather than miles because I have limited time to cycle, and the terrain and my average speed over a ride can vary a lot. I can find myself averaging 16mph on one ride, and 13mph on the next, depending on where I go. It doesn't really matter, though. Do what works for you.

Some people, as you've seen, will tell you to do other types of exercise, and some will tell you to just cycle. I'm one who just cycles and (combined with a sensible diet) this has enabled me to get down to 7st7 at 5ft2. Cycling has given me strong legs, but my upper body is pretty weedy! Whatever you do - and especially if you don't do any other exercise that involves stretching - it's important to get into the habit of stretching after rides. It will go a long way to help prevent injuries as you increase your time in the saddle.

It's OK to go out without breakfast if it works for you. (It's never worked for me!) Or, have something easy to digest like a banana or smoothie - make it up the night before and leave it in the fridge - before you go.

Personally, I eat loads of starchy carbs (bread with everything) because they're great for keeping your body well fueled, and make cycling longer distances easier. You also need carbs after long rides to refill your glycogen stores, which will have become depleted during the ride.

Thanks alot for that Lulubel,I'm finding it hard to work out the best way of organising my rides with other forms of excersize i.e., which are best for weight loss.How many times a week do you go out if it's your main form of excersise?I have been told to stay away from starchy carbs as I'm tend to put on weight round my tummy and hips and I bloat alot.Christ,it's a real minefield!

 

[lulubel]

Thanks alot for that Lulubel,I'm finding it hard to work out the best way of organising my rides with other forms of excersize i.e., which are best for weight loss.How many times a week do you go out if it's your main form of excersise?I have been told to stay away from starchy carbs as I'm tend to put on weight round my tummy and hips and I bloat alot.Christ,it's a real minefield!

On the weight loss forum I use, the most common response to the "which exercise is best" question is whatever exercise you enjoy, and will keep doing on a regular basis. That's why I cycle - because I enjoy it. (I also enjoy running, but have pretty much accepted I'm never going to be a regular distance runner because I keep getting injured.) I cycle 6 days out of 7, usually for 1.5 hours, with one longer ride a week of about 3 hours.

Carbs and bloating. This is complicated, and there's a lot of misleading information out there. Very few people are actually intolerant to gluten. Usually, what we think of as "bloating" is being stuffed because most people have a tendency to eat over-sized portions of things like pasta, potatoes and bread. Carbs have got a very bad rap in recent years, mainly due to the popularity of diets like Atkins, but the only carbs you really need to avoid eating too often are refined (white) carbs. Wholegrains are a fantastic source of slow-release energy.

I can't see your age in your profile, but I've noticed as I've got older (I'm now 38) that I tend to put weight on around my stomach more now than I did when I was younger. This isn't an issue, though, unless you're eating more than you need and gaining weight overall. If you're taking in less calories than you're expending, you're going to be losing weight, but you'll probably find the last place you lose it from is the first place you gain it, so tummy and hips in your case. It's incredibly frustrating, but the only thing you can do is lose weight overall, and the fat will go from your "problem" areas eventually.

 

[disorganisedmum]

On the weight loss forum I use, the most common response to the "which exercise is best" question is whatever exercise you enjoy, and will keep doing on a regular basis. That's why I cycle - because I enjoy it. (I also enjoy running, but have pretty much accepted I'm never going to be a regular distance runner because I keep getting injured.) I cycle 6 days out of 7, usually for 1.5 hours, with one longer ride a week of about 3 hours.

Carbs and bloating. This is complicated, and there's a lot of misleading information out there. Very few people are actually intolerant to gluten. Usually, what we think of as "bloating" is being stuffed because most people have a tendency to eat over-sized portions of things like pasta, potatoes and bread. Carbs have got a very bad rap in recent years, mainly due to the popularity of diets like Atkins, but the only carbs you really need to avoid eating too often are refined (white) carbs. Wholegrains are a fantastic source of slow-release energy.

I can't see your age in your profile, but I've noticed as I've got older (I'm now 38) that I tend to put weight on around my stomach more now than I did when I was younger. This isn't an issue, though, unless you're eating more than you need and gaining weight overall. If you're taking in less calories than you're expending, you're going to be losing weight, but you'll probably find the last place you lose it from is the first place you gain it, so tummy and hips in your case. It's incredibly frustrating, but the only thing you can do is lose weight overall, and the fat will go from your "problem" areas eventually.

I've also had to stop running for the same reasons,keep getting shin splints.I really enjoy bootcamp (circuit training) and kettlebells as they work my upper body aswell and I also do alot of core work.I'm 35 btw!I would like to get a bit more structure to my training but as my children are on summer hols now I have to ride about 5-6am before hubby leaves for work.I try to leave the weekend free for him to ride as he is also a very keen cyclist.I guess I do need to be more strict with diet AND dore more cycling (yay!) but will that be enough or is it too much?Or am I overthinking-(I have a tendency to do that!!)

 

[re84uk]

hi disorganisedmum. Another Southend-on-Sea'er here.

 

[disorganisedmum]

hi disorganisedmum. Another Southend-on-Sea'er here.

Hiya,where about's are you in southend?What do you ride and where?

 

[re84uk]

I live about ten minutes out of the town centre. I have a Giant Defy 2 road bike and ride most places around here .

 

[Wonder Wheels]

I've also had to stop running for the same reasons,keep getting shin splints

I think this has to do with walking/running on solid surfaces like roads and paths. I walked a hell of a lot in Canada on holiday and got splintified, it was horrible. I'm sure I read that running on unnatural surfaces can actually do damage to your knees/shins etc. Whether it's true or not, I'm not taking the chance. No doubt in thouands of years we'll evolve and have titanium shins and kneecaps but until then, no thanks, I'll cycle instead.

I suppose it amounts to if you jumped up and down on a trampoline for an hour, the trampoline has give and will allow your knees to bend wheras a solid path for an hour makes your knees come to a dead stop as soon as your foot hits it.

That said, most of the "Runners" I pass when I cycle are more like shufflers hehe, they are always sweating buckets and I always think, "I'll see twice the amount of scenery you will"

I think I'm a cycling fanboi

 

[MrJamie]

Sounds good so far Its worth taking measurements rather than relying on weight as muscle gain conflicts with that and weight can fluctuate quite a lot if youre doing big amounts of exercise too. I preferred calorie counting but rather than believing all the numbers I just kept tweaking the amount I was eating until the weight loss was about the right rate - Its very easy to eat more calories than you realise and often calorie burnt calculations are largely overestimated.

I find that when im losing weight with a bigger calorie deficit I dont have the same energy levels to exercise as intensely to work on my fitness, so I have to keep the weight loss slow or just put up with not being as fast as normal and kind of balance the two goals. Diets way more important than exercise for pure weight loss, recently Id been cycling about 100 miles a week and running about 15 miles getting a little faster at both while my weight crept up a whole stone because my diets been terrible

I think this has to do with walking/running on solid surfaces like roads and paths. I walked a hell of a lot in Canada on holiday and got splintified, it was horrible. I'm sure I read that running on unnatural surfaces can actually do damage to your knees/shins etc. Whether it's true or not, I'm not taking the chance. No doubt in thouands of years we'll evolve and have titanium shins and kneecaps but until then, no thanks, I'll cycle instead.

I suppose it amounts to if you jumped up and down on a trampoline for an hour, the trampoline has give and will allow your knees to bend wheras a solid path for an hour makes your knees come to a dead stop as soon as your foot hits it.

That said, most of the "Runners" I pass when I cycle are more like shufflers hehe, they are always sweating buckets and I always think, "I'll see twice the amount of scenery you will"

I think I'm a cycling fanboi

From memory theres a couple of different kinds of shin splint type pain and different causes. I think mostly though its just the muscles at the front and front outside of the lower leg arent used much at all walking on the flat, but get used quite a lot in running and run/walking on cambered paths. Most people try to push through it and something gets inflamed, which takes more rest time than people are willing to give it so it keeps coming back, or wearing the wrong kind of trainers for similar effects. IME its really important to take things easy with running, dont try to do too much, dont run if anything still feels a bit dodgy (except normal muscle tiredness) and dont increase distance in huge chunks like you can with cycling.

One thing that always amuses me is that cyclists often refer to getting knee problems running, but speaking to runners they (myself included) initially find knee pain with cycling. I think either way takes some adjusting and already having a decent level of fitness makes people jump in quickly.

Im a fanboi of both, they have their good and bad points

 

[Red Light]

Couple of things to add. For weight loss you need to cycle more slowly so you don't get out of breath. Going for speed and working hard isn't as effective at mobilising energy from the body's fat stores - it takes it from the short term glycogen stores instead which won't help. Other than that don't be too anal about it. Don't ride out on a full stomach and ride for as long as you want to or time will allow rather than trying to shoehorn a long ride into a busy day or rush like crazy to get a certain mileage in. If you can add it in as part of your daily routine - cycling to the shops or work for example, better still. Finally try to add some hills in. They are a good measure of improvement as you find what started as a challenging hill develops into a pleasant pootle over time and you can then take on bigger hills.

 

[disorganisedmum]

Couple of things to add. For weight loss you need to cycle more slowly so you don't get out of breath. Going for speed and working hard isn't as effective at mobilising energy from the body's fat stores - it takes it from the short term glycogen stores instead which won't help. Other than that don't be too anal about it. Don't ride out on a full stomach and ride for as long as you want to or time will allow rather than trying to shoehorn a long ride into a busy day or rush like crazy to get a certain mileage in. If you can add it in as part of your daily routine - cycling to the shops or work for example, better still. Finally try to add some hills in. They are a good measure of improvement as you find what started as a challenging hill develops into a pleasant pootle over time and you can then take on bigger hills.

Thanks so much for all your advice.I've decided to give up on the running as I just don't enjoy it that much anymore.I do a bit at bootcamp and hate it.But I just adore cycling!I do struggle with my diet.Would anyone mind having a look at a rough daily intake and seeing where I could improve?As I said earlier up the thread,I am 5ft 1 and weigh approx 10 stone but I'm very curvy but I want to tone up but also really want to be super fit!!I'm looking at cycling about 5-6 times a week for about 1.5 hrs with one longer ride for 2-3 hours.I also do a kettlebell routine for strength.I live in a pretty flat area but we do have some hills so I've been mixing up long,steady distance with shorter,faster rides and longer rides with hills.Does that sound about right?
For breakfast I usually have porridge with golden syrup or prunes
Lunch;harder now kids on summer hols but usually jacket pot with cottage cheese,salad with chicken or a small bowl of wholeweat pasta.
Dinner is grilled meat or fish and loads of veg.No starchy carbs

How does that sound?Is that going to be enough"fuel" for the amount of exercise I'll be doing?Any advice will be very gratefully received.

Thanks for reading

 

[disorganisedmum]

Forgot to add.I do eat a reasonable amt of fruit and have a protein shake after each ride.

 

[black'n'yellow]

Couple of things to add. For weight loss you need to cycle more slowly so you don't get out of breath. Going for speed and working hard isn't as effective at mobilising energy from the body's fat stores - it takes it from the short term glycogen stores instead which won't help. Other than that don't be too anal about it. Don't ride out on a full stomach and ride for as long as you want to or time will allow rather than trying to shoehorn a long ride into a busy day or rush like crazy to get a certain mileage in. If you can add it in as part of your daily routine - cycling to the shops or work for example, better still. Finally try to add some hills in. They are a good measure of improvement as you find what started as a challenging hill develops into a pleasant pootle over time and you can then take on bigger hills.

We've had this discussion on another thread. For weight loss, you need a calorie deficit, nothing else. 'Fat burning' is one of the most wilfully and conveniently misinterpreted issues out there.

Forgot to add.I do eat a reasonable amt of fruit and have a protein shake after each ride.

You don't need a protein shake after each ride, save your money. A normal everyday diet should be sufficient to keep you riding at the level you ride at currently. See above for calorie deficit though. Also, I'm still not completely clear on what your fitness targets are - can you elaborate?