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How Out-Of-Shape Were You When You Started Cycling?

83K views 368 replies 201 participants last post by  uberculture 
#1 · (Edited)
The thought: As I anticipated getting my first bicycle in several decades at age 49, I figured I'd start out slowly...like making an 11-mile circuit on the local country roads around my home, here in the rolling hills of Kentucky.

The reality: Riding the first time from my front gate to my rear fence (about 1200') with a good deal of it being a good up-hill grade, I had to stop after about 200' and was huffing and puffing like crazy. Had to stop 2 more times before I made it the entire 1200'. When I came in the house, I was huffing and puffing for an hour!

Fast-forward about 2 weeks of doing that routine....I still have to make two stops...but don't huff and puff nearly as bad, and am breathing normally when I get in the house.

My goal is to be able to do that ride without stopping to rest...then I will venture to ride a little on the street (Like the 3/10ths of a mile to the church just down the road). Maybe by spring I'll be able to do the 11 mile circuit?

I am pathetic! Wow! I wanted a bike largely so that I'd get some much needed aerobic exercise....I'd say I should have gotten it a few years ago. Was anyone else this pathetic? (Granted, if I were still in relatively flat Long Island and NYC, I'd probably be able to ride at least a few miles....)
 
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#355 · (Edited)
I started riding for fitness and fun after my arch decided I couldn't run 45 minutes a day six days a week. This happened a few years after college, and while I was trying to get the arch to recover I went into the stage that many high school athletes have when they get to college and quit playing. Soft body syndrome kicked in and I gained about 15 pounds of performance sucking lard.

The numbers aren't impressive, as I still weigh about the same amount I did as a lard*ss (6'3" @ 185ish), but I'm a stronger rider and stronger in the weight room by a long shot.

To Steel City : I'm a long way from having grandkids, but one of the things that I've always thought would be productively amusing is to take munchkins fishing by bike (presuming it's shore/dock fishing). Three 5" PVC tubes zipped tied to a rear rack, a 6-pack sized cooler on the rear rack with snacks and water, a few miles from the house to the river/lake/pond etc; doesn't that sound like a great weekend day? Or if you're retired, Wednesdays, all summer long while the grandkids are out of school?
 
#357 ·
I'm too tired to care about it. But yeah, I try too keep spinning in my sweet spot. I mean it's constantly changing with the terrain. It would be interesting to see what the turns actually are.

I call this cycling through the hills "boom and zoom."
 
#358 ·
I'm too tired to care about it. But yeah, I try too keep spinning in my sweet spot. I mean it's constantly changing with the terrain. It would be interesting to see what the turns actually are.

I call this cycling through the hills "boom and zoom."
Absolutely. Cadence should change based on conditions. That's why I mentioned a 'range'. The range is somewhat personal, mine being in the low 90's to low 100's, on average.

As far as seeing what the 'turns' actually are, you can get a cheap, wired computer with cadence and see. Or, just count pedal rotations for 15 seconds (times 4). But as you mentioned, because cadence changes with terrain, I suggest using a computer.
 
#360 ·
First of all I would like to thank those of you that took the time to either comment or PM me regarding my start into cycling. Froze helped me get into a training regimen that is very doable is working well. Most all of you had concerns about my heart rate and sucking wind from my 2 mile jaunt. Let me enlighten you what has developed from original post post on Saturday.
I went to my LBS Sunday afternoon and ordered a Sigma BC 1909 HR/cadence monitor. I felt that there is a need knowing both cadence and HR & the price seemed reasonable at $65. I explained to the the sales clerk that I did a few laps around the housing development where I live and thought that I was gonna die. He asked where I lived and when I told him he proceeded to tell me that he is from my area and that if I continue to ride there I can most likely do more harm than good. As it turns out my"rolling hills" neighborhood course may challenge an experienced rider let alone an out of shape newbie. So I will be training on the GAP trail - it is table top flat.
Early Monday morning I was fortunate enough to speak with my family doctor's PA to help me calculate a good max HR based on my testing last month. From there we built my 5 HR zones.
I am currently using a pulse/ox monitor to get my HR - stick your index finger in and you get your pulse oxygen and HR. Not the best device but better than nothing. The PA feels that i misstated my recovery time based on the test data she has in my file. I am now good to go - no reservations.
Froze had me modify the Training for the Century Ride to start out slowly. the first week consists of riding 23 miles over 6 days. The shortest distance is 2 miles, the longest is 9 miles. Froze suggested that I maintain about 10 MPH and find a gear that would get me close to 75 RPM and not worry about time. I rode 2 miles yesterday and today.I was not winded, my HR was in my level 1 zone. I probably could have gone a lot further but I am following good advice by starting slow and working my way through the schedule.
There is a big difference riding on a flat trail that's for sure!
Here is a snapshot of my training schedule. I should have much better control over my training results starting next week. My cycling computer should be in the shop Friday.
Thanks again to all of you. Yinz quite possibly may have kept me from getting seriously injured or worse! There obviously is a right way and wrong way to start training with a bike. You guys saved me from myself!!
Screenshot by Lightshot
 
#361 ·
I am new to biking, 24 years old and last year I was 20 stone/280lbs/127kg after selling my car and riding a littl commute back and forth to work 4 miles/4 trips a day I am down to 13 stone/280lbs/127kg. My longest rides to date are only about 15 miles due to i am a chef and dont get much time to ride. I still have the same bike i have had since 2011 which is a claud butler 2011 scimitar DD MTB which isnt ideal for inner city.
I am about to purchase a new bike myself.
When i first began I would get home or to work after a sprint all sweaty out of breath and legs like jelly. Now it doesnt even phase me. I know donw even stop once on my 15 mile rides only when im finished do I stop and drink or take a rest.
Cycling has been exactly what the doctor ordered.
 
#362 ·
Hi all.


This thread is highly motivating.

About 8 weeks ago I got rejected for insurance due to my weight. I am 5'10" and was just over 335 lbs. I decided to join a gym and started the Les Mills RPM classes. I thoroughly enjoy them and can now do the full 45 min class without stopping compared to only 5 min when I started. I now weigh 325 lbs.

I was having so much fun that I thought hey if I can do this class, then maybe I should start cycling and decided that next year June I will be doing the London to Brighton charity event which is 56 miles.

Well to do this I first needed a bicycle, and just took possession of one today. I thought it would be easy as all my memories of riding a bike when I was in my teens seemed like it was so easy and I never struggled with anything. Boy was I wrong.

I left the bicycle shop and decided I will be brave and cycle home from there as it is only 4 miles. By the time I got 3 miles down the road, I thought I would need to give up and call the wife to come and fetch me and thinking I can never do this event next year, but I persevered and made it home a little out of breath with painful legs.

I am hoping that it gets easier and that I do not have to feel like an idiot on the road with these other cyclists passing me like rockets looking like its the best thing in the world for them. When do I get to feel like that?

Well I guess there is only one way to find out and that is to keep trying and trying which is my intention.

I will keep everyone updated as to how my progress goes over the next year up until I get to ride the London to Brighton event.

Maybe I should even start blogging my progress.

Happy cycling all.
 
#363 ·
After I retired.... sitting at home and smoking cigarettes just wasn't the retirement dream I had imaged. I went to a hypnotist and for $200 she helped me quit a 35 year smoking addiction. For an additional $200 she would have helped with diet suggestions.... but I didn't figure I'd need that. A few months later I was heavier than ever before.... and uric acid was causing serious foot pain. I couldn't walk any distance at all.

Driving home for the store one day I saw a used bicycle with a for sale sign... along the roadside. I immediately realized this could be a solution. Pedaling might be easier on my feet... and bicycling would at least get me outside for some fresh air.

The next day I began with a ride down to the local convenience store for a cup if coffee. I pedaled my fat, old, wheezing self the less-than-a-mile trip. The trip was great. The wind was in my face drying the sweat and leaving a salt crust. I had fun!

I parked my bicycle on the sidewalk in front of the store and nearly fell when I dismounted. My legs were like Jello.

In the four years since that first ride I've bought a few bicycles. I now own three road bikes. I ride about two thousand miles a year. From time-to-time my legs my be sore... they are never like Jello anymore. I've lost over 70 pounds... and am in my ideal weight range with a BMI of less than 25. My feet cleared up almost as quick as they started hurting and I returned to walking for exercise (I also jog a little too). I don't consider cycling as my exercise. Cycling is what I do for fun.
 
#365 ·
I enjoy reading these stories, so I think it is only fitting to share mine.... Although it doesn't start with two wheels!

In Late October of 2010, I was 26 and just a touch over 280lbs (5' 10-11"). I also had a 40mg per day BP medication. I saw the info-mercial for P90X and secretly ordered it. I told my wife about it, and she said "that won't work!" It arrived on November 6 2010, and I got started. Day 1 was chest and back. It was humbling that a 26 year old couldn't do a standard push-up. If you are familiar with the program, then you know day 1 is all push-ups and pull-ups. I pushed through, modifying what I had to so that I could make it through. After "phase 1" (one month), I had dropped 30 pounds and could actually do a push-up or two from my toes. Still couldn't get a pull-up.

By the end of the 90 day program I was doing over 90 push-ups in that exercise, and even a few pull-ups. I felt great and had lost 60 pounds in the 3 month program.

I took a week off, and then started INSANITY. I lost another 20 pounds or so doing the 60 day program. By this time I was feeling very fit, and decided to go for a run.

I built my mileage up to 30 miles a week or so that year, and would occasionally do 10+ mile long runs on the weekend. Eventually I started having issues with plantar fasciitis. I struggled with it for the last part of 2011, running off and on. I did, however, stick with the elliptical and my 2200-2500 calories a day (40-40-20 macro ratio) of clean eating. After a trip to the doctor in late 2011 (maybe early 2012), I had a "treatment" for my feet, and eased back into running. The PF would come and go, and I would adjust accordingly. At some point in 2012 the doc told me that my issues were caused by fallen arches and he recommended that I trade the running shoes for a bike. I looked at bikes then (early to mid 2012) but had a little sticker shock. I decided I would just limp through with the running.

Fast forward to April of 2013 and I decided I was getting a bike. I bought a 2013 Specialized Roubaix from the LBS, and went out for a ride 2 days later. That first ride was 15.6 miles and I was hooked. Fortunately I had maintained a good level of fitness, so getting started was fairly easy. The next day I did 17. Two days later I did a 30 mile ride with a small group (averaged just over 16mph).

On May 24 I picked up a Mountain Bike. A 2013 Specialized Camber 29er FSR. The next day I did a 10 mile ride on some local singletrack. I fell in love all over again.

Now, I always do at least 20 miles when I hit the road, and 13 or so miles when on the singletrack. I have done a few 20 mile singletrack rides, with 2k feet of climbing. With a family, and business travel, time is the limiting factor. I am fortunate that my family likes the me they met in November of 2011, so they are very understanding.

I have managed to keep my weight off, except for a period early this year where I hopped from country to country and state to state for the entire month of Feb, but I was easily able to get it back in check when I got home. I didn't like the way my pants were fitting.

I know my journey was a little different, but I also know that before I got started I liked reading all the stories I could find that helped inspire me. Hopefully my post does the same for someone else!

Here I am today, in a hotel room missing my bikes. I still run when I am traveling, and I travel allot! But I miss the bikes.
 
#367 ·
Just wanted to say Hello to Everyone here... As I joined today... My story is simple but I am sure not too uncommon...

I was 37 years old... Working two jobs approximately 90 hours a week, trying to make ends meet. I smoked since I was 17, and knew I needed to quit. I finally was able to quit for 6 months, but had gained so much weight during that time. Decided to start cycling as a means to lose weight. When I started riding, I weighed 305-310 lbs. First day was a six mile ride, to the local Saladworks, for a healthy lunch. I made it, but had to stop 3 times on the way to catch my breath. (Thought I was going to die!!!) I eventually made it to lunch, but had to call my ex-gf for a ride home. (I was not going to make it).

From that first day onward, I never stopped. I rode to and from work. Every chance I got, I rode. 3 years smoke free later, I now ride a road bike for charity. Doing my first of two Century rides this year...!!! I have no urge to smoke, have lost 90 lbs, and started my own charity to help other people. I've met countless, compassionate and understanding folks along the way. I've even been told I am an inspiration for some people... LOL... I don't think so though.

Cycling is many things for me.... Exercise, a social network, a club, a charity opportunity... But most importantly... It is fun...!!! May it be as good for you...

TowTruck

Towtrucks-charities - a website for TSquared!
 
#368 ·
I'm luvin this thread. Guess I'll ad myself to it.

I just turned 36, 74 inches at 312 lbs. I bought a road bike last year and rode a bit until I was transferred at my job to a new office. My schedule is back to a point now where I am starting to get out and ride again. I usually do around 7 to 8 miles on my rides. My goal right now is to build up to 20 miles so I can join a local group on their weekend ride.

I enjoy my time on the bike and hope that I someday I can post results like some of you have. I find right now though my toughest part is changing my eating lifestyle. After talking to my wife I am really thinking about going to a nutrionist to help get me started to eating right. I have read a couple of books but to me it is so confusing.

Congrats to all here who have changed their life for the better through biking!!
 
#369 ·
At the supposed end of winter, I bought a used Felt F90 and thought I would be in business... once the trails thawed, I totally wore myself out in eight miles. When I was in college, I would ride the heaviest, cheapest, crappiest bikes to campus daily, so I had no idea why I was getting so tired. (short answer, six years of beer, smokes, and bad food).

I know numbers shouldn't matter, but it took until I cracked the 20 mile mark before I felt like I was making progress. Last week, I rode 5 miles to work, then 37 miles with a group after work. There are plenty of people faster than me, and tons of people that go longer than I can, but I feel like I'm making some progress.

Call it silly, I can't wait until I wear out a tire... I'll call that a milestone.
 
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