How to keep fit on reduced time

[Stonechat]

Due to wife's health issues I am currently cycling less
I returned to cycling in 2013, and last year did 100 mile sportive

Typically I would cycle two longer rides 2 - 4 hours a week and one shorter session

Now I am currently doing one 2 houir session and one shorter session.
I will probably get a turbo but am wondering what I can do to minimise loss of fitness
Should I be doing intervals?
As I am riding shorter rides, I am tending to ride a little harder .
Not sure how long this will bebut will probably get a turbo. It will be easier to fit in a number of 1 hour sessions on the turbo, even if I make them harder.

I am 63, and at the peak last year I was averaging 15.5 mph over a 50 mile ride with a couple of good hills in.
Speed is currently probably a bit lower. I did a fair bit of hill work in January (Strava climbing challenge).

My aim is to keep enough endurance for a sportive and to raise speed a little.

Any ideas? Recommendations for a turbo? Not expensive

 

[pclay]

Do a Google search for HIIT. Double the training in half the time.

 

[Citius]

Do a Google search for HIIT. Double the training in half the time.

It's not quite as simple as that. If it was, nobody would ever do any other type of training.

Turbo would certainly help, but by the sounds of it you don't need to be doing any high intensity stuff necessarily - just steady 1hr tempo sessions would probably be useful - as many as you can fit in.

 

[Rob3rt]

Do a Google search for HIIT. Double the training in half the time.

Bollocks.

 

[The Jogger]

Read the book by Dr Michael Mosley,fast exercise. Get Fitter, Stronger,And Better Toned In Just A Few Minutes A Day. High Intensity Training.

And ignore the bollocks above.

 

[Citius]

Read the book by Dr Michael Mosley,fast exercise. Get Fitter, Stronger,And Better Toned In Just A Few Minutes A Day. High Intensity Training.

And ignore the bollocks above.

You're suggesting reading a general fitness book aimed at a sedentary population, even though the OP has already been specific about his (cycling-related) goals and the time he has available? Why?

 

[buggi]

I know nothing about this sort of stuff but I did notice when I was without my car for a month i lost some more weight. I think it was coz I had to do things like go to the shops on my bike. So I would say incorporate your cycling into your daily routine as much as possible, even if its a mile trip to the shops. The extra mile here and there will soon add up.

I would recommend you get the cheapest turbo possible for the following reasons....

Mine cost £20 off eBay. It's just a big standard one where you used your gears to increase/decrease intensity and it does the job just as good as an expensive one.

You will get bored within a week and probably start to resent it. They are great at first but you soon realise that you'd rather be out for an hour in the freezing cold than spend 10 minutes in your mind numbing piece of equipment. Earphones or a Sufferfest DVD may help relieve the boredom.

 

[Rob3rt]

I can assure you, having ridden on a turbo for hundreds of hours (on average about 2 hours a day), cheap turbos do not do the job as well as a more expensive one.

 

[The Jogger]

You're suggesting reading a general fitness book aimed at a sedentary population, even though the OP has already been specific about his (cycling-related) goals and the time he has available? Why?

Citius the book is aim at all ages and all level of fitness, I'm not sure we're you got the sedentary from.

 

[Citius]

Citius the book is aim at all ages and all level of fitness, I'm not sure we're you got the sedentary from.

The book is aimed at short cuts to low level fitness for the general population. The OP specifically wants to retain cycle-specific fitness. I'm just a bit confused as to why you think a book aimed at getting people off the couch and into the gym will be any use to him, when he has already been specific about his training goals and requirements.

 

[The Jogger]

I'm currently reading the book and maybe you should read it so you won't be so confused.

 

[sight-pin]

I can assure you, having ridden on a turbo for hundreds of hours (on average about 2 hours a day), cheap turbos do not do the job as well as a more expensive one.

Interesting......What is the difference do you think then apart from cost, and more whistles?

 

[Sharky]

As a fellow 60 something, what you are doing now seems fine. There are always difficult weeks, so set your self a rock bottom minimum of an hour per week and on the good weeks do as much as you can, but always factor in recovery time. It takes longer now. As you get nearer to the big challenge rides, just a little increase in distance, but if you did it last year you'll find it easier this year.

Good luck
Keith

 

[Rob3rt]

Interesting......What is the difference do you think then apart from cost, and more whistles?

A more 'road like' feel, this is a rather subjective thing, and IME no turbo feels like riding on the road really, but due to various factors e.g. flywheel inertia, mode of resistance etc trainers will feel dramatically different and this can influence the outcome/effectiveness, for example by altering how much power the rider can produce in various scenarios.

More expensive turbo trainers also tend to have more stable and "realistic" resistance curves, meaning the increase in resistance with increasing speed is repeatable (allowing you to gauge progress etc).

Then there are other factors like volume, stability, robustness, warranty...

All without even considering some of the nice features that an expensive trainer may offer.

I am not suggesting people need to pay top dollar for a turbo, but again and again I see people recommend buying the cheapest trainer possible with various justifications, such as, you will be sick of it in a week etc, well maybe those that are getting sick of the trainer are doing so because they bought crappy trainers and are trying to ride the trainer in the same way they would ride outdoors, i.e. aimlessly!

 

[Citius]

I'm currently reading the book and maybe you should read it so you won't be so confused.

The book doesn't interest me in the slightest, because it is a mass-market general fitness book and contains nothing specific to anyone who is interested in improving or maintaining fitness on a bike. The fact that it contains HIIT-based workouts does not, by default, make it relevant.

In any case, the OP is already way beyond the level of that book - although you may not be, to be fair. Something like 'the time crunched cyclist' would be more useful, but you've probably read that already.