Anyone else here trying to put on weight?

Kwak's skinnier than me

I used to be a cycling freak when i was younger (before i had a driving licence) i would easily cover 100 miles a week and in summer when i brought the racer out, i would be covering that in a weekend. Sadly i gave the racer away (It was very old but i changed a few parts to make it useable) and the mountain bike has now been in the garage loft for too long. Ive brought it out recently but its got no suspension and the seat seems to be very hard which puts me off. Also i find that using the mountain bike feels alien after being used to riding the motorbike with its wide seat and bars for so long. Maybe if i bought a new seat it might tempt me to use it again.

On the subject of fixed trainers, i toyed with this idea years ago as i was considering joining a club. They seem to be a good idea however ive never tried one. Do they simulate road riding or do they just feel like another exercise bike?

Originally Posted by robchester

On the subject of fixed trainers, i toyed with this idea years ago as i was considering joining a club. They seem to be a good idea however ive never tried one. Do they simulate road riding or do they just feel like another exercise bike?

Turbo Trainers give a much closer ride to road than any gym exercise bike. You normally a better feel on the fluid models compared to the mag variants iirc. And of course been on your road bike develops the muscles exactly as they will be used on the road. I've got a Tacx Imagic which at least stops me from been bored - tho I still prefer to ride outside.
As with any turbo the bike is fixed into the frame, stopping it from moving under you. A set of rollers doesn't do this, and it's as close as possible to road riding without been outside. Rollers really help with pedal style smoothness and balance, but a turbo makes a more effective training tool, especially if you have a power meter available.

Having also just read the last few pages I would like to say.

Fizz - Lookup your local CTC club, as their rides are more social that some of road clubs.
Also what sort of cadence are you spinning at?
It's normally recommended to spin about 85-95rpm as it's most efficient target rate for you legs/lungs/muscles etc and doesn't break your knees. If you've not got a cadence meter and want one, check geargurl on ebay and get a Cateye Astrale 8 - it's wired but it works all the time, and it's the cheapest price around. I've always been a spinner (Armstrong style) rather than grinder (Ulrich's style) and can now comfortable ride at 100rpm, meaning lots of little pushing lots of times a minute, big honking efforts are left to the hills.
Aldi have been selling a rather useful HRM/watch that can help with setting and riding within your HR zones. Most of the Triathletes I know use the Karvonen method, which used the working heart rate (i.e Max HR - resting HR). For early season stuff and base millage it best to work in Zone 2

You'll sometimes hear people talking about zones numbers or level numbers - they're the same thing :

%hrate (karvonen)
below 60% recovery
zone 1 60-65% recovery and warming up / down
zone 2 65-75% long steady endurance / aerobic rides
zone 3 75-82% aerobic power development, long intervals or tempo rides
zone 4 82-89% lactate threshold training, medium length intervals or racing
zone 5 89-94% above threshold training, short intervals and short races
zone 6 94% and above sprint and power work

Karvonen is the (% of (MHR-RHR) + RHR) system of calculating percentages

Note that Max HR on the bike will be about 5bpm less than running

Right: back to Lee's thread.

Hate to hijack your thread Lee, but I wanted to ask the others for some advice.....

I've not been able to work out since July - problem with neck - and hopefully will find out what the cause is soon (bloomin' NHS). So I have lost any muscle definition, and am completely untoned and unfit.

Can you provide me with some advice as to how I should start training again, what sort of routine, and food wise, anything that I should avoid or start eating plenty of?

Oh, and just in case, I'm female, 5"10, currently weighing in about 10.5 stone.

Once you're giving some down the gym you could try taking Creatine, I did this last year and put on half a stone in a week, mostly water mind but it really boosts your training (drink loads of water)
Dont try to gain a lot of weight too quickly tho, after 5 days of stuffing myself I completely lose my appeitite and it all goes off again.
Go to the gym and slowly add more calories, a handfull of nuts is good, and Brazil nuts put lead in your pencil. Keep it healthy and give yourself plenty of time.

JB
Sorry this was a response to rubberduckofdeath, if you're have problems with your neck, I would get this sorted before doing anything more than a good walk.

Em. Hey Trickywoo. Listen, I would stay well away from the likes of creatine etc for your rehabing. Just eat reasonably. I would also probably stay away from the weights room, unless you properly know what you are doing.
I went from being fairly fit (100 miles per day on the bike or 10 miles running) to zero (broken ankle) and then had to do some rehab.
The first thing to do is talk to a pro. And by pro I mean (no offense Dr Rich) a decent sports physio. She will give you some ideas about what to work on. I rate good sports physios slightly under Jesus WRT their healing powers.

For me rehab started with walking. Simply going for walks down the canal. Then on the sand dunes near me on the beach and balance exercises. At that time I started hitting the pool. (Luckily I lived near one.) Swimming, and messing about in a pool is very good. Then I eased my self back into cycling in and out of work, a few miles. Then upped the mileage and added a tiny bit of running here and there.

I had torn up ligaments / broken bones in my ankle. I don't know much about necks. I would imagine that they are fairly different, thus the trip to the physio. The important thing is (and this is hard for me) is to listen to your body. Let it tell you when you are damaging it.

Originally Posted by rubberduckofdeath

Hey guys,

Right, I've tried to get more protein into my diet, here's yesterday:

Breakfast: Porridge & a protein shake
Mid morning: Roast chicken sandwich on oatmeal batch bread
Lunch: 3 rashers lean bacon, 2 eggs, 2 slices of oatmeal bread toast and a yoghurt
Mid afternoon: Roast beef sandwich on oatmeal batch bread and an apple
Pre-workout: Protein shake
Post-workout: Spaghetti bolognese
Mid evening: 3 oranges
Before bed: Protein shake

Today's similiar, but more variation - not as many sandwiches!

Lee.

protien after workout not b4
space the oranges out the day
there is no veg
swap bacon for tuna

IMO

ASDA SMART PRICE TUNA 21p

Originally Posted by rubberduckofdeath

knocked the potatoes on the head so as not too eat too many carbs at night

Out of interest, why would you not want to eat too many carbs at night?