Getting cycle fitter

[LarryDuff]

Is the only way to get fitter for cycling and to be able to ride for longer, to get out on the bike and ride or can you help your legs by doing some sort of weights exercise?

 

[MattHB]

IMO by far the best way is get out and ride, or turbo, or at least exercise bike.

It's not only about muscle size it's about getting the body familiar with the movements, particularly if you're clipped in and circular pedalling. No amount of pumping iron can do these things.

I'm not saying it won't help, but why not just get out and ride?

 

[LarryDuff]

I am getting out, just wondered if there was anything else I could do to supplement the miles

 

[montage]

hilly miles

 

[vickster]

Into a headwind!

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Thoughts of an old ''returnee''....

If you'd said ''How do I get faster?'' some other gym training or turbonastics might have been in the answer. As you spoke of longer, I'd say that learning to rest on the bike - while still going forward, of course - is very important. It always astonishes me that when I make a mental effort to relax and get into a ''steady progress'' frame of mind, I find that I've conserved enough energy to get past the harder bits and that keeps me going longer.

It feels a bit like cheating if you're looking for the all out way but it works for me. However, I think you'd have to be on a bike to do that.

 

[Keith Oates]

Being on a bike is the best way IMO but doing some core exercises helps in riding for longer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[Ruary]

Im just starting out but so far the only gym stuff I've found of benefit is core work, although I'm considering doing some shoulder exercises to strengthen them up for longer rides.

 

[ColinJ]

Cycling is best, but I found hill walking useful too. I have a steep hill just behind my house and a friend works in the village at the top. A couple of years ago I wasn't doing much cycling but regular brisk walks up the hill to meet her from work definitely improved my fitness.

 

[GrasB]

Is the only way to get fitter for cycling and to be able to ride for longer, to get out on the bike and ride or can you help your legs by doing some sort of weights exercise?

A fair amount of improvement be done with tabata intervals which is very time efficient way to increase your cardio fitness & also when done on a bike also have a nice effect of increasing your instantaneous. That said you'll still need to go out & actually do longer rides to translate the benefits of tabata intervals into endurance, but the number of endurance rides needed will be reduced.

 

[MattHB]

Resting while moving is something that I REALLY need to master. I get to 2.5 hours and Im so achy I feel like my shoulders are made of concrete

 

[ColinJ]

Resting while moving is something that I REALLY need to master. I get to 2.5 hours and Im so achy I feel like my shoulders are made of concrete

Sounds like something is seriously wrong with your position on the bike for that to happen so quickly. I have had sore arms and shoulders when cycling but it usually takes 5 or 6 hours to start, and I've done many rides of 12-14 hours and not had any problems.

I find that climbing steep hills is the thing that really stresses my upper body, from the pulling hard on the bars.

 

[italiafirenze]

Miles in the legs is just about all that will make any difference to your stamina. You only have to look at a few pro cyclists to realise big muscles don't have much to do with the ability to ride long distances.

Technique and cardiovascular endurance will come with practice. Take the hour you would've been in the gym and do a short fast ride, the more time on the bike the better.

 

[Furkz]

a summer of cycling outweighs a winter of squatting in the gym. well for me it did anyways

 

[MattHB]

a summer of cycling outweighs a winter of squatting in the gym. well for me it did anyways

And infinitely more enjoyable IMO