Estimating Calories Burned
- Thread starter Augustine
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TheBoyBilly
New Member
- Location
- Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
Jimboalee is a font of wisdom and knows his stuff, but in this case I think the information is maybe little too advanced for fitness beginners like Mike and me. I use the PolarPersonalTrainer website to give me guidance with workout plans etc which revolve around three heart-rate zones (i.e. 60-70%, 70-80% and 80-90%) I use the low zone for warm-ups/down and long-ish low intensity fat-burning rides and the other two for my intervals. It seems to work for me. I have no idea (well I didn't until Jim enlightened me) about co2/o2 etc. Even Lactic acid is a bit of a mystery to me. But all I'm trying to do is get rid of this excess weight I am carrying about and generally improve my health.
That said, I do enjoy Jim's posts - I even think he could write a book - and hope he doesn't take this personally.
Bill
That said, I do enjoy Jim's posts - I even think he could write a book - and hope he doesn't take this personally.
Bill
Bayerd
Über Member
- Location
- Marsden, Huddersfield
Jimbo certainly is a font of wisdom, he's helped me understand how much I'm burning on a session, how much to eat etc..
I lost 4 stone in weight last year and improved my fitness no end at the same time. Basically all I did was to ride more or less every day, slightly increasing the distance every couple of weeks or so, but always making sure I was riding as hard as I could for between 1/2 to 3/4 of an hour each session. In the beginning I was always out of breath, and regularly had lactic acid build up in my legs.
Now that I'm fitter I currently ride about 60 miles a week spread over 5 days out of seven. I rarely get the leg burn or get out of breath, but I guess I'm now at a stage of maintaining my current fitness level.
My advice would be to forget about HRMs, just go out with the aim of getting out of breath and get your legs burning, be out for at least 1/2 an hour a day, you'll soon see a difference.
It's after this that other choices start creeping in, ie, where should the next challenges lie? Distance? Speed? Racing? all of them....
I'm currently at this dilema, and not really where to turn to next, probably join a club I guess, the thing is, would I be accepted on a souped up BSO?
Tip.
Supplement your cycling with some jogging or a speed-march. This will tone the abdominals and obliques.
Also do some rowing. This will tone the spine and traps.
Too many novice cyclists neglect the midriff, it doesn't get much demand on a bike. In the same vain, the spine muscles support the weight of your torso.
Cycling trainers prescribe 'The plank', but this is Isometric. Rowing is Isotonic where intensity is more or less constant but the spine moves its entire range. The rowing machine can however, be adjusted to high level to strengthen the dozens of muscles connecting the vertebae.
Strain ONE muscle in the Lumbar region and it keeps you off the bike for weeks. Its not just that muscle, all the others stop in sympathy, and its painful.
Supplement your cycling with some jogging or a speed-march. This will tone the abdominals and obliques.
Also do some rowing. This will tone the spine and traps.
Too many novice cyclists neglect the midriff, it doesn't get much demand on a bike. In the same vain, the spine muscles support the weight of your torso.
Cycling trainers prescribe 'The plank', but this is Isometric. Rowing is Isotonic where intensity is more or less constant but the spine moves its entire range. The rowing machine can however, be adjusted to high level to strengthen the dozens of muscles connecting the vertebae.
Strain ONE muscle in the Lumbar region and it keeps you off the bike for weeks. Its not just that muscle, all the others stop in sympathy, and its painful.
TheBoyBilly
New Member
- Location
- Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex
jimboalee, I don't think my joints are up to jogging at my current weight. I will give the rowing machine a go next time I pop down to the gym however. Other than that what other exercises would you suggest for the upper body? I know I am going to struggle with new trousers soon as it is only the, ahem, larger waist sizes that go over my thighs. It has always been a bit of a struggle getting strides that fit. 
Bill
Bill
jimboalee, I don't think my joints are up to jogging at my current weight. I will give the rowing machine a go next time I pop down to the gym however. Other than that what other exercises would you suggest for the upper body? I know I am going to struggle with new trousers soon as it is only the, ahem, larger waist sizes that go over my thighs. It has always been a bit of a struggle getting strides that fit.
Bill
Chin ups with a knee crunch, with 5lb ankle weights .
