Building speed... Does it come naturally?

[Nigelnaturist]

Not quite sure what you mean.

I know you weren't, its not always so easy as @vickster says. Its just that when you can't exercise weight can be an issue and diets can be funny things, I can eat like a horse sometimes and really doesn't matter what I eat, 6ft and 12 1/2 st or there about.

 

[screenman]

I know how easy putting weight on is, but once it starts to go on then the quicker we stop the better.

Do you disagree with that?

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I know how easy putting weight on is, but once it starts to go on then the quicker we stop the better.

Do you disagree with that?

Not at all, I have had to have a couple enforced weeks off this year and Aug did very little, I have put a few pounds, but I don't fret about it as I know when I start to pick things up a little it really is a none issue but thats me, I am more concerned about the benefits my mental health gets from cycling, I have been quite suicidal these last 6 weeks or so, part of the reason my mileage dropped in Aug and the last two weeks didn't help stuck in bed for virtually the first week, and I managed to get out yesterday and felt so much better, still a long way to go.

 

[Andy Jeffery]

Hi Started last Oct. My average was 12.5mph. Since then I joined a friendly club and tonight's run of 27 miles came in at 19.1 mph. I'm still fat but have lost a little weight. Week clubs rubs are fast and furious weekend ones are slower so I get to look up and around. It really does not matter how fast you go what's important is to enjoy cycling. Who cares how fast it is as long as your having FUN and are SAFE.

Cheers Andy

 

[Nigelnaturist]

@Andy Jeffery best I did over a month was just over 17mph all be it on a bike weighing over 12.5Kg, but I average around 16 these days, but on strava I am as fast as some of the local guys riding £3,000 bikes.

Edit Revise that weight weighed the bike today just under 16Kg's guars, rack, saddle bag and rear bag with a few bits in, and I set a couple of up hill p.b's

http://www.strava.com/activities/196645054/segments/4629134932
http://www.strava.com/activities/196645054/segments/4629134914

 

[jefmcg]

isn't the fat burning zone completely debunked? You may burn a higher percentage of fat at a slower rate, but at a faster rate, you burn more total calories and more absolute calories from fat. And you boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories at rest.

The higher intensity is burning more calories and more calories from fat.

This seems like quite a good explanation

 

[bpsmith]

isn't the fat burning zone completely debunked? You may burn a higher percentage of fat at a slower rate, but at a faster rate, you burn more total calories and more absolute calories from fat. And you boost your metabolism so that you burn more calories at rest.

The higher intensity is burning more calories and more calories from fat.

This seems like quite a good explanation

Makes sense. If you were to spend the same time doing the exercise.

If we assume that we were to cycle until our energy was used, and take your 300 calorie example as being what's available, then we would cycle 1.5 times as long.

If you were able to cycle 1.5 times longer at the slower HR, then your fat calories burn would be 180, which is significantly more than 135. In fact it's 33.33333% more...

 

[Joshua Plumtree]

It's comparatively easy to spend all day in the saddle on a Saturday at those lower numbers (60-70 mhr); try upping the heart rate figures even a little and it becomes much harder.

Five hours at 200 calories = 1000, now try maintaining those higher figures for 3 hours - even if you could, still only be 900 calories and , according to your chart, burning less fat as a percentage.

 

[Big_Dave]

I'll try and simplify it the best that I can in laymans term. The body stores enough carbs for around 90mins of exercise I think is 400g area, In fat burning mode 60%mhr, the body can easily break down fats and turn it into carbs which means you can just plod along all day, as you get into the threshold mhr limits the body cannot break down the fats quickly enough so uses existing carbs/proteins already circulating in the body, as you are burning more carbs than your body break down from fat, the 400g store depletes rapidly, this is where the problems start, the body cant break down the fats quickly enough, while the fats are being broken down they are in acidic state, in threshold mhr limits the acidic fats get transported around the body, this is when you feel you legs burning, and you feel like crap, and your legs ache for days after.

 

[Nigelnaturist]

I'll try and simplify it the best that I can in laymans term. The body stores enough carbs for around 90mins of exercise I think is 400g area, In fat burning mode 60%mhr, the body can easily break down fats and turn it into carbs which means you can just plod along all day, as you get into the threshold mhr limits the body cannot break down the fats quickly enough so uses existing carbs/proteins already circulating in the body, as you are burning more carbs than your body break down from fat, the 400g store depletes rapidly, this is where the problems start, the body cant break down the fats quickly enough, while the fats are being broken down they are in acidic state, in threshold mhr limits the acidic fats get transported around the body, this is when you feel you legs burning, and you feel like crap, and your legs ache for days after.

This is as likely to be muscle repair, because I can work at 80-85%mHr and not ache not an exhaustive table and needs a little refinement.I take my MHR as 183 as this has been recorded a few times.

 

[Big_Dave]

This is as likely to be muscle repair, because I can work at 80-85%mHr and not ache not an exhaustive table and needs a little refinement.I take my MHR as 183 as this has been recorded a few times.
View attachment 56756

I was trying to point out the effects of the fat burn rather than muscle damage side Nigel, I think acid build up has an effect on how the muscles feel post ride and the muscle recovery, yes there is muscle damage, I should have been clearer sorry

 

[Archie_tect]

It all depends on how much time you cabn spend... I can only get about an hour of cycling in every 2 or 3 days- so for me going as fast as I can [if I feel like it!] makes sense.

 

[ColinJ]

Try cold porridge, sounds horrible tastes fantastic and satisfied the munchies.

That's actually something that the farm workers used to do years ago. Put slabs of it in their piece box. Lol.

My mum told me that they had a 'porridge drawer' in the family croft. Her granny used to make a drawer of porridge in the evening and her uncles used to cut off porridge slabs next morning, wrap them in brown paper and take them out into the fields for their breaks.

 

[ColinJ]

That table is WAY low! Low intensity cycling burns more like 400/cals an hour and high intensity probably 600 - 1,000 cals an hour.

 

[vickster]

Presumably depending on the individual however?

Personally, I go for 30-40 per mile, so at 13-15 miles an hour average, 400-500. I can't imagine how I'd get to 1000 an hour!