Best way to increase fitness and stamina for women

[disorganisedmum]

Disorganised mum,

Unless you are on steroids or blessed/cursed with a lot of testosterone, don't worry about big muscles: it's not going to happen. Men put on muscle way more easily than woman.

I used to squat about my body weight (eg 60kg+ on my shoulders) and I never got thigh muscles I could see, mores the pity. I just got strong, which is never a problem.

Find an exercise you enjoy, and can keep doing in the long term. One that works into your routine is best. eg for me at the moment it's commuting, so it's free.

I'd suggest you put both your boys in a trailer and attach it to your husbands bike. Then the 4 of your can cycle together, and with that extra weight, you'll both get a good work out.

Lol,thanks for that.My boys are 6 and 4 and a half and quite big/tall for their age.The thought of either of us pulling them in a trailer does not fill us with joy!However,they have their own bikes and ride without stabilisers so we do go out as a family.I tend to go out very early at the mo,about 5am to get in a decent ride before my hubby goes to work although it was so bloody windy this morning I only managed 10 miles.

 

[Wonder Wheels]

[quote="]

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 [/quote]

I got sore knees when I first started cycling, it was all because I didn't have my seat set high enough. That was a horrible feeling, my left knee felt like a constant pain. It was a sickening/throbbing one, almost like my left knee wanted to pop out the socket. Guarenteed you guys know more about why. I adjusted my seat height and the pain gradually went away.

Sorry for failquote but lets face it " 6 and 4!" year old kids prolly laugh at our cycling issues Disorganisedmum, at least you can teach them. Unlike the dog walkers that I regularly have to skid/avoid. Am I the only one that dogs seem to walk in front of on purpose? They are so dopey but no matter what I do, I always have to brake unless it's one of the sheepdog types who can make their dog juggle with a whistle.

 

[lulubel]

I agree with the comments about muscle building (or not, in our case, as women).

When I was losing weight, I took a lot of measurements to get a realistic impression of what was going on. As long as I was in calorie deficit, the measurement around my thighs kept decreasing. Once I went onto maintenance calories, the decrease stopped, and I noticed a very slight increase (about half a cm) in the measurement of both thighs over the next 6 months.

The important thing is to look at your body properly. When I look down at my legs, my thighs look very chunky and heavily muscled. When I actually stand still and look in the mirror, I realise they actually look slim and lean.

 

[Browser]

As far as knowing which gear you are in, I assume your bike uses the combination brake lever/gear shifts common to most modern road bikes? If so there will be (I think) a clear plastic window on their tops with an orange plastic indicator inside them? The indicator moves across the window to show which gear you are in on front and back. The left-hand lever controls the front gear shift, the right-hand one the rear. Just to confuse the issue, the higher the gear you are in on the front, the bigger the sprocket the chain is running on, whilst on the rear it is the reverse (high gear = small sprocket).
On my bike the (Shimano Tiagra levers) indicators go from right-to-left low-to-high. It's a case of find yourself a quiet stretch of road or a turbo trainer and play with the gears/shifts until you are familiar with what does what.

 

[black'n'yellow]

not all levers have these indicators - SRAM doesn't, Campag doesn't and 105-upwards doesn't. Knowing the actual gear doesn't matter anyway, as long as the gear feels right for the circumstances and you are not cross-chaining too much...

 

[lulubel]

not all levers have these indicators - SRAM doesn't, Campag doesn't and 105-upwards doesn't. Knowing the actual gear doesn't matter anyway, as long as the gear feels right for the circumstances and you are not cross-chaining too much...

Neither does Sora. I think it's only Tiagra that has them.

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Neither does Sora. I think it's only Tiagra that has them.

The cheap STI 2300 sets have them too,one of the Dolce models has these

 

[disorganisedmum]

The cheap STI 2300 sets have them too,one of the Dolce models has these

Yes my Dolce which is the entry level model from last year has the markers.After reading all the advice on here and other info and getting out on my bike I feel I'm getting the hang of the gears esp up hills.Managed about 8mph up a reasonbly long,steep hill (no idea of gradient) so quite with myself.I'm just trying to work out a "training" plan of sorts.How many times a week,how many rest days.Also want to fit in some kettlebells and a pilates class.My ultimate aim is to do some long distance rides like London-Southend kind of thing.If anyone has any advice,will be very welcome.