[NicDiesel]

@creadinger 29042 wrote:

And wouldn’t life be extremely boring if we knew exactly what the weather would be all the time? Sheesh. That’s part of the fun…

Apropos of nothing, but this applies perfectly to baseball too.

[NicDiesel]

@KLizotte 29007 wrote:

Lastly, as the weather cools you will probably find it easier and more comfortable to be outdoors biking or doing anything physical for that matter. DC’s summers make it hard work for everyone.

Oh yeah, I only did maybe one ride a week for most of July and August due to the heat. I’m pretty driven and boneheaded but I knew 200 extra pounds + insane humidity and heat + strenuous activity = recipe for disaster. Bring on the fall!

PotomacCyclist wrote:

But you may also want to add a moderate strength training routine. It doesn’t have to be hardcore, but it should include some core work and compound exercises (multi-joint) that work the large muscles like the quads, hamstrings, hips, glutes, back and chest. Do what you can and learn proper technique.

I actually started working with a personal trainer a few weeks ago (I’ve been weight training since December) to get some pointers on form and to add some additional exercises into my routine. Here’s a quick breakdown of what I do the three days a week when I hit the gym:

Cybex machine (5 minute warm up)

Upper Body
Curl-Rows-Overhead Press [one after another] (55lbs) 10x10x10 (2 sets)
Bench press (150lbs) 10x9x8x5
Balance ball Flies (70lbs) 10x9x8x5
Back Cable Flies (100lbs) 10x10x10
Front Cable Flies (60lbs) 10x10x10
Lat Pulldown (150lbs) 10x9x6
Tricep Cable Extender (80lbs) 10x8x8

Lower Body
Incline Leg Press (630lbs) 12x10x6
Calf Raise (135lbs) 10x8x8
Body squat (24lb bar) 10x10x8
Dips (70lbs) 10×10
One leg squat (35lbs) 10×10
Standing Cable Stretch [hamstrings] (20lbs) 10×10

Core
Leg raise crunches (flat backed) 10x10x10
Balance ball crunches 10x10x10

I haven’t gotten to the point where I spend a day at the gym on one area, but I’m working toward getting there. Right now this takes about two hours from start to finish and I do it three days a week whenever I’m not traveling, sick, and/or injured. I’d really love to get to the point where I’m spending an hour at the gym working on a specific body area (i.e. legs, back, chest) and an hour in the saddle doing laps.

Right now I’m just happy that I’m getting into a groove with hitting the gym and hitting the bike. I always keep in mind that I didn’t get to 500lbs (my heaviest weight) overnight, so undoing it is going to take a while. I’m ready for the challenge, just have to get into the groove.

[NicDiesel]

creadinger wrote:

Anyway, I certainly do not want to be discouraging, but maybe just say that missing an annual goal isn’t the end of the world and in fact if you kill yourself to do it, you’ll likely ruin at least part of next year too.

If I don’t hit 2,500 miles in 2012 I’m not going to be disappointed, trust me. Just getting on a bike in January and riding the half mile to work when I started has been the biggest success I’ve had in a long time. I agree with you completely that burning yourself out to meet a goal is not only destructive to growth as a cyclist but also detrimental to the progress and recovery I’ve made over the past three years. When I get mad because I have to take a break 45 minutes into a ride I remind myself that not that long ago I wasn’t able to walk 100 feet, fit into a regular airline/stadium/restaurant seat and would have laughed had you asked me to ride a bike 10 feet. It’s all about perspective and progress.

@GuyContinental 28952 wrote:

Perhaps as you are building up to a goal you might want to think of subjective goals for hours in the saddle or even calories burned vs miles.

No doubt, right now I’m just trying to get in as much time as I can riding. If you have any recommendations as to sites, people, or books to checkout to build a good cycling training plan I’m totally game. I have “Ride your way lean” and like it but I’m still in the “let’s just try to ride 20 miles without taking a break” step and not quite ready for the 15×15 action.

[NicDiesel]

@Dirt 28926 wrote:

I keep an eye out for signs that I’m working too hard. Tracking my waking heart rate helps. If I find that my heart rate is elevated first thing in the morning, that means I’m not getting enough rest. Another sign is that my legs don’t warm up and put out power for my morning commutes. Having one off day isn’t necessarily a sign of a problem. Having 2 or 3 in a week is a sign that I need more rest.

My goal this year is to hit 2,500 miles and right now I’m at 1,200 miles so I’m going to have to put in some serious saddle time (~100 miles/week) to make that. One thing that’s been difficult is staying healthy – not having an immune system tends to sideline me for days at a time if I get a simple cold/infection and being this large inflammation and strains and sprains happen far too often. It’s getting better thanks to my diet improving and my body recovering faster (thank g-d) but it gets frustrating taking time off just to be safe when you’d rather be out there racking up the miles.

@Dirt 28926 wrote:

I probably answered more than you asked. Hope it helps.

Not at all, that was really helpful. You actually answered another question I was going to ask – outside of being tired/run down how do you know when your body isn’t getting enough rest? Obviously lugging around 150 extra pounds makes it hard for me not to feel tired after doing what most would consider short rides (~20 miles) but I’m finding I recover much faster now then I did when I first started riding back in February. I definitely need to start paying attention to my waking heart rate though. Regardless, I really appreciate the feedback!

[NicDiesel]

@GuyContinental 28920 wrote:

Having the right bike fit and set-up makes a huge difference as does a prep routine at home that eliminates thought in the pre-dawn hours (all my stuff is lined up in the hall with a banana and a bike at the end).

Assuming you use one, would you mind sharing what pannier and rack setup you use? I usually have to lug a laptop between work and home (I have two offices) in addition to food and some clothes and need a decent pannier setup.

[NicDiesel]

Right now I’m in group “Z” but it’s great to see how many rides are out there once I can keep up.

[NicDiesel]

Serious question for those of you that put in mega mileage in the saddle – how does your body not breakdown from riding thousands of miles a week for months at a time?

[NicDiesel]

@DaveK 28905 wrote:

Can’t lose with the Coppi ride – meet at Java Shack in Arlington at 8:30 Sunday morning.

Is that an A group ride?

[NicDiesel]

I’ve got a Trek 4300 that I leave locked up at the Pentagram City and Crystal City stops all the time. So far no problems but I do use the Kryptonie Fahgettaboudit Chain.

[NicDiesel]

The main reason I do weight training is to strengthen up my lower body and core which got trashed a few years ago when I wound up in a coma and bedridden for over a month. A secondary reason is that I really, really like lifting weights. Much like with cycling, I can easily see progress from one week to the next and I love the way I feel the days after I have a serious workout.

In regard to Muscle Milk – that’s something one of my physical therapists suggested I try to get in after a serious workout. For 310 calories I get a pretty solid slug of protein (32g) and some things that may or may not be helpful. If I could drink straight milk I’d do it instead but I’m lactose intolerant.

[NicDiesel]

Wow, you have no idea how helpful that was to read. Seriously – THANK YOU!

I was very successful about 15 years ago working with a nutritionist each month doing exactly what you described. I managed to keep the weight I lost (~130lbs) off for eight years before it slowly, and then quickly, started coming back. When I reached my absolute nadir (~500lbs) I was just eating garbage and barely ambulatory. When I got the ok to start exercising after I got sick a few years ago I started out walking and then, after I lost about 20lbs, started using the elliptical and lifting weights to rebuild muscle that I had lost. Cycling was something I loved to do when I was thinner so when I found my old mountain bike when we moved I hoped on and haven’t looked back.

The problem now is that just counting calories (something I do obsessively) isn’t working and it’s obvious that there is no way for me to do this on my own. Forgive my naivete but isn’t “Eat to Live” based on a similar “change the type of food but keep the same food weight” methodology? Regardless, I really appreciate your feedback and will definitely search out “Volumetrics” and HMR.

[NicDiesel]

@DaveK 28622 wrote:

Embrace it! Add some orange cable housing and it’ll look great! I’ll definitely say hi next time I see you.

I was so heartbroken when the wheel guy said the Velocity Deep Vs wouldn’t be strong enough for me and that I should go with the Chukkar instead. I could take paying $400 for a hub to support my weight, not being able to get orange rims was a real gut punch though. Brooks does offer an orange B17 though, at least I can get that to match the tape.

[NicDiesel]

@DaveK 28613 wrote:

4st7lb – is your CC black? I think I’ve seen you at Hains and thought to myself how generally awesome you are. Keep killing it out there.

Yep – I’m usually in a plain white jersey doing laps there on the weekend. I ordered the wrong color bar tape so I’ll be even easier to spot – large guy, white jersey, black CC with orange bar tape. Say hi if you see me out there.

[NicDiesel]

Whew, looks like I’m not the only CC rider violating the “more than a handful of seatpost” rule.

[NicDiesel]

@Tim Kelley 28600 wrote:

My take on weight loss is that in most cases it is simple math of “calories in” vs. “calories out.”

Tis true, which is why I’m so frustrated.

@Tim Kelley 28600 wrote:

40 miles a week is a great start, but you can definitely work up to longer distances!

No doubt, my goal is 100 miles a week but work (read: travel) and injuries keep getting in the way. Up until the weather got too much for me to handle I was doing 70 miles a week commuting to work. Starting next week I’m going to try and do at least 10 miles every day, should be able to make the 100 miles/week mark by the end of September barring injuries.

@Tim Kelley 28600 wrote:

How did you arrive at the 3,000 calorie intake number, and are you certain you’re accurate with that number?

I modified the meal plan that I developed with the dietitian I worked with when I was over 450lbs and just reduced the total calories from 3,700 to 3,000 (which is also in line with LoseIt!). The problem is that even at 3,000 calories I’m pretty hungry throughout the day, especially if I bike to work (and have a banana once I cool down) or did a 25 mile ride the night before (with a banana and two stinger waffles consumed during my break). With weightlifting I don’t experience this as much (I have a Muscle Milk shake right after I lift) but that’s shorter periods of extreme exertion vs. the continuous medium impact of spinning with cycling.

I think one of the biggest issues right now is that unless I’m cycling or lifting out I don’t drink enough water during the day (~2.5L). When I do long rides I tend to drink 4-5L the day before and 6-7L the day of and drink 5-6L throughout the day and at the gym when I lift weight. If I can just get into a rhythm of drinking 6L each day, regardless of physical activity, I have a feeling the weight would start coming off. Still, I’m interested in an feedback or suggestions you all have.

[Author]

Posts