Cycling & Fitness/Weight loss

Agent J

Hey all 1st time posting in this forum so forgive me if similar has been asking already. I skimmed the last few pages and didn't see it there.

Something i am trying to get into the habit of is cycling into work. I used to cycle a lot back in the day and have made a few trial runs but im trying to get into a regular pattern of it. And the fact i stepped on the scale and seemed to have put on about 3stone(I'm not kidding... I wish i was) over the last 3months or so is kinda making me reassess everything.

Couple of things

Male
Mid 20's
18stone
5' 10'

Now i work in dublin city centre and live in maynooth. Its about 25km and currently taking me about 1h50m.

Currently i am aiming for cycling in one day and back the next. I wouldn't be able... well i could but feel i shouldn't attempt a return journey on the same day at the moment.

How good is cycling as part of general diet/fitness/weight-loss program?
Any obvious pitfalls about cycling i may not be aware of?

By the time i get into the city i have a bad case of the shakes. What type/kind of food/drink should i be aiming for before or after? ( I keep a 750ml bottle of water on me and drink occasionally enroute)

Any other hints/tips or suggestion reguarding cycling in?

Any help is appriactaed.

danyosan

Agent J wrote:

Hey all 1st time posting in this forum so forgive me if similar has been asking already. I skimmed the last few pages and didn't see it there.

Something i am trying to get into the habit of is cycling into work. I used to cycle a lot back in the day and have made a few trial runs but im trying to get into a regular pattern of it. And the fact i stepped on the scale and seemed to have put on about 3stone(I'm not kidding... I wish i was) over the last 3months or so is kinda making me reassess everything.

Couple of things

Male
Mid 20's
18stone
5' 10'

Now i work in dublin city centre and live in maynooth. Its about 25km and currently taking me about 1h50m.

Currently i am aiming for cycling in one day and back the next. I wouldn't be able... well i could but feel i shouldn't attempt a return journey on the same day at the moment.

How good is cycling as part of general diet/fitness/weight-loss program?
Any obvious pitfalls about cycling i may not be aware of?

By the time i get into the city i have a bad case of the shakes. What type/kind of food/drink should i be aiming for before or after? ( I keep a 750ml bottle of water on me and drink occasionally enroute)

Any other hints/tips or suggestion reguarding cycling in?

Any help is appriactaed.

Been talking to a guy in work who has cycled for years. To combat the shakes, he swears by a bottle of lucozade sport, instead of the water your drinking.

mikemac

It's a good idea, fair play

Maybe check out the cycling forum also and they might have some tips

Maybe after a few weeks or when you feel up to it, you could attempt a return cycle on the same day and I'd recommend you do this on a Friday so you can take a break over the weekend and also traffic tends to be lighter (but not buy much) on Fridays

rubadub

When I started cycling to work (20kilos ago), it took me 60mins, I was so unfit I had to walk some of the way. Now I am down to 20mins. As you cycle more you get fitter, but also as you loose weight you are carrying less weight so the cycle is easier. Your return trips can be at your own pace as you have no time to get there at

How good is cycling as part of general diet/fitness/weight-loss program?

Just cycling is good, especially if overweight, it is low impact. I find it more interesting than walking because I can go to different places, miles away.

But cycling to work is an excellent option. You are cycling with a reason, it is not easy to give it a miss (esp if you have no car). People can easily give the gym a miss if they are not in the mood.

My round trip takes about 40-45mins cycling, in a car it would be 50-100mins, on the bus it would be 120-160mins. In the car I would have to leave earlier since I dont know what the traffic is like, same for the bus, and there is waiting time for the bus, and the walk to and from the bus stop.

It is not just that time I am saving, it is killing 2 birds with the one stone. I have far more free time to myself. Say I wanted to exercise 45mins a day, and drive, then I would spend 60mins in the car, and 45mins on a bike at home/gym, that is 105mins in total. If I cycle to work I have an hour more free, not just the 10-20min saving rather than driving. AND I save on all the expenses & hassle associated with a car.

Eat a decent breakfast before heading out.

ali.c

eh when i cycle into work its 16km it takes around an hour and i would normally lash a 1.5scoops of ram back as it means my muscles are suitably recovered for the journey home.
If you are adding in that much excercise from scratch have a good look at your diet. Make sure that you are eating well and that you have adequate protein and carbs etc to make sure you dont get run down. Also take a multi-vit too

Johnny Storm

Agent J wrote:

Any other hints/tips or suggestion reguarding cycling in?

Be very careful cycling at roundabouts (get off and walk is my advice).
Have a back-up plan so that occasionally if its p1ssing rain/windy/snowing you dont feel forced to cycle. What I'm getting at here is that you need to enjoy the cycle or you wont keep at it.
The first time I ever cycled to work my legs were so knackered I almost fell down when I got off the bike. There were noticeable improvements after only a few weeks.

Agent J

Thanks for all the tips..

Backup plan.

My normal route in is to take the train in. Maynooth is well serviced in that reguard. My problem here is that once i start it's the city centre or bust!
Well not really. When i was trying a test run about a month or so ago i blew a tire about 8km or so in and my pump didnt have a compatable connector. So i had to walk back home and take a train. Lesson learned to always have a working pump and spare inner tube with me.

I dont have anywhere in between i can set down and leave my bike secure.

Enjoying cycling.

I do even when its raining. I tend to just chuck some music or pod casts on my phone and i almost dont notice the time passing. I have one primary route into the city and 2 other ones which are more scenic but i'd need more time.

"1.5scoops of ram"

Forgive me i'm new to this forum. Is it some sort of supplement? I am wary of taking supplements and such until i get my diet and such sorted out. However if it helps with being able to recover and being able to return same day. i am open to suggestion... I am taking a muli vitamin.

"You are cycling with a reason, it is not easy to give it a miss (esp if you have no car). People can easily give the gym a miss if they are not in the mood."

Well thats not entirely fair. It's very easy for me to give it a miss as i can (and have) just woken up the hour or so earlier, taken one look at my alarm and gone back to sleep and then i have to take public transport in.

"Eat a decent breakfast before heading out."

Whats a decent breakfast? Normally i am just not hungry setting out but when i get into the office i tend to have weetabix,bannana and lucozade sport.

Money Shot

Agent J wrote:

How good is cycling as part of general diet/fitness/weight-loss program?
Any obvious pitfalls about cycling i may not be aware of?

First off, cycling is excellent as part of a general fitness and weight loss program.
There is probably no other way you could get almost two hours of exercise in on a given day. I think it would be a bit ambitious to think about doing the round trip for a while. That would be four hours cycling a day at present speed - you won't keep that up for very long. Concentrate on your single trip - when that's comfortable, you can tackle a round trip.

Totally agree with Rubadub - cycle commuting is a fantastic way to cut time. I mean, people drive home, get their gear, drive to the gym, go on a threadmill or exercise bike for 30 or 45 mins, drive home again. Cycling to work saves you a lot of time, and also a lot of money on a Gym you might not need.

P.S you're right to avoid supplements if you don't need them, and I can't see you gaining much benefit from RAM after your cycle tbh.. just have a decent breakfast.

Dirk Gently

Agent J wrote:

I do even when its raining. I tend to just chuck some music or pod casts on my phone and i almost dont notice the time passing. .

I've stopped using music players while commuting in traffic because it takes away from my awareness of what's around me. You'll find out soon enough from cycling during high traffic times that cars tend not to pay much attention to cyclists and we need to be ultra aware of everything around us.

At the weekend I tend to do long cycles during low traffic times and I do use my mp3 player then for a bit of motivation but if you're new to cycling in traffic I would forget about the earphones.

Agent J wrote:

Whats a decent breakfast? Normally i am just not hungry setting out but when i get into the office i tend to have weetabix,bannana and lucozade sport.

Definitely have something before you leave the house. It will give you the energy you need for the cycle. If you attempt a long commute without any food (fasting from the previous night) it will take you longer and it will be a lot harder overall. You could even have to get off and walk because your energy levels will not sustain you. This happened me a couple of times in the past when I didn't eat before I went on a long cycle and believe me even walking the bike is hard when your legs are like jelly.

ali.c

Money Shot wrote:

P.S you're right to avoid supplements if you don't need them, and I can't see you gaining much benefit from RAM after your cycle tbh.. just have a decent breakfast.

I have found that it when you have to turn around and do it all over again 4/5hrs later it really increases recovery. It depends on the intensity that the OP is cycling (most of my journey on the way is uphill) at but i would say if hes starting out its pretty intensive.

You need to eat prior to leaving the house even if all you can manage is a bananna or whatever, as 2hrs intensive (presuming here) is too much on an empty stomach

Agent J

Again thanks for all the info.

With reguard to music players. I'm used to cycling in traffic... well i was used to it a few yrs ago. I tend to only have one earphone in and i'm lucky enough that with the exception of the quays and the liffey valley/m50 junction i dont tend to be in traffic at all. I'm aware that most drivers pretty much think that they own the road and that bikes have no place on it. To be honest without something to listen to i wouldnt enjoy it nearly as much.

To whomever made the point about it actually saves time.

That is an execellent point, i hadn't considered it that way. To be honest i do have a gym member ship but only ever seemed to use to to use the pool to relax in. The only reason i renew is that my work pays for half of it so it doesnt seem like that much of a waste of money but seriously considering not renewing it when its up. My problem with a bike in the gym is i will not go as far as i would on the road and frankly its boring. I live in maynooth and i can pick a town ranging from 3,6,7,10km away. So a return trip will double that and i have no choice but to return...


The 1st few times i tried cycling this a few months ago my legs a few hours later felt like i had them replaced with cement. Now i hadnt done it in 6 weeks but i cycled 35kms on tuesday, 25k yesterday morning.Today i feel like i have lead weights attached to my legs, it doesnt feel that bad and i will cycle back from work tonight but i just know tomorrow i will really feel it. I dont plan to cycle tomorrow and take it off...Mainly because i want the bike at home for the weekend.

I dont tend to strech out my legs before i cycle. I realise this is a mistake and i should. But is there anything else i can do to avoid that lead weight feeling? I vaguely remember a coach years ago explaining about the build up of lactic acid or some such... Should i be doing a sort of warm down? if so any tips?

Again any info is appriacated