Luke Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Ok, I'm running 5k once, twice a week. Mtb 15-22 miles once a week. How do I improve my mtb fitness so I'm quicker in general and especially up hills. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 How do I improve my mtb fitness so I'm quicker in general and especially up hills. Like that Check out Mountain Bike Strength and Cardio Training Tips and Programs - some great stuff on there w.r.t. MTB fitness etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveP Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Road biking makes me fitter. MTB is more fun. Road is more aerobic and applies directly to MTB climbing. My friend found that a HRM was useful, he found that he wasn't working as hard on his MTB as he thought. Group riding is helpful. I ride with a group, sometimes quite big and varied in fitness level. Often there is somebody who is fitter/has-a-lighter-bike. Chasing them up a hill makes it interesting. If you are a similar level then just hang back at the start and go for it! Strava - if you are on lonesome then you could try this on your local route. Only helps as a post-ride-analysis. Racing? All sorts of racing is possible. Due to the time of the year cyclo-cross must be an option. Mud - saps so much energy/speed. If you can ride through the winter you will come out of it fitter/stronger. The best thing I have ever bought is good lights. It allows me to ride all through the evening no matter what time of the year it is. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanG Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 27 minute run today, 3 miles. I am liking the cooler weather, less sweat and can move faster. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forresthills Posted September 11, 2012 Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Mook, what do your circuit training and boot camp session involve or are you going to cover that sort of thing in your Q4 program? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 11, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2012 Q4 programme, mate Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Having not done much real exercise in the last 15 years i'm slooooowly starting again, bike ride once or twice a week for 30 minutes to an hour. I've noticed after a couple of weeks it is getting slightly easier, still not sure about the knee though, going to go for a ride tonight (having rested it for the last 5 or 6 days) and see how it feels tomorrow. As for 6lbs in 6 weeks. Pah. Having just gone to the eat less and do a little bit of exercise diet i've lost 6.25lbs in 13 days.* *I suspect a fair bit of that may be water now I have to try and keep it off by building up my general fitness Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaveP Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Don't mash your gears, so choose a relatively easy gear and aim for 60+rpm. possibly as high as 90rpm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 I got the gears sorted on it at the weekend (I only had a small proportion of what I should have had and was missing most of the lower gear combinations) so I can at least knock it down a few and have a slightly easier pedal even if my legs do look like something out of a cartoon as they fly around. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 12, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 If you want to use biking to get fitter, then pedalling flat-out on downhills and on the flat is an excellent way to get there, then load the gears for uphill - stay seated for as long as you can, only getting out of the seat for serious climbs (watch what they do in the Tours). The important thing is to keep your legs loaded - always pedalling some load, rather than spinning round too fast, or you risk buggering your knees Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 So you're saying I should have stuck with the knackered gears then? It's pretty flat where I am so i've been going at a reasonable (for an unfit overweight person) pace on the flat, and as you suggest I only tend to stand up if my speed drops off too much when going over a bridge or the like. I've just remembered i've got to go to a neighbourhood watch meeting this evening so going to have even less time. I've just had a look on map my ride and planned out a 7.5 mile ride which i'm going to aim to do in 45 minutes, if I can do that I know i've made a little bit of progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted September 12, 2012 Report Share Posted September 12, 2012 Did the 7.5 mile ride tonight just got back in. These endorphins you speak of, are they the things that make you go BUZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ after you've stopped???? It started pissing down with rain about 10 minutes from home so i'm soaked, I learnt that wearing glasses when cycling into driving rain isn't much good for visibility. Also need to tweak my front dérailleur as the chain was rubbing very slightly on the two large cogs. Good news is that I did the cycle in 40 minutes which meant I averaged 11.25 mph. Very pleased with that as it only included 2 20 second stops for a gasp of air and a glug of drink. Am I allowed a beer now? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Am I allowed a beer now? Nope Try increasing your overall road speed to 15mph. That's a decent target to be aiming for and very realistic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I opened this thread. Phew, that's me done for the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 You are a shadow of your former self! In your day mate you could have done all Mook does in week in a day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 He already does Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 You are a shadow of your former self! In your day mate you could have done all Mook does in week in a day! In my day I carried Vulcan bombers (yes, plural) whilst lapping people like Mook and doing my 15th triathlon in a day. I did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 And then you woke up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tipex Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 And then you woke up Exactly, nice to see you joining the Python spirit, being a northerner, he'd have licked t'road clean wii is tongue an all, before he even woke up in't morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewNiceMrMe Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 I think I ate 3 Mooks once. Breakfast, if I recall. I don't do these things now. Been there, done that, got the scars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stooH Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Nope Try increasing your overall road speed to 15mph. That's a decent target to be aiming for and very realistic Well I did. Just the one. 15mph, are you having a fecking laugh? that's going to kill me. Very realistic - not. Have you seen the size of me? On the plus side I lost another 2.25lbs last week so 7.25lb in 2 weeks now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 No, not having a laugh - and no, don't try and do it straightaway I average between 12.5 and 14 on an off-road MTB race - road stuff is easy, esp round your neck of the woods. Get your arse across to the Purbecks and do some decent hill climbing Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Road stuff is easy? Now now Mook, let's not have handbags about whose chosen sport is harder than the other. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mook Posted September 13, 2012 Author Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Road stuff is easy? Now now Mook, let's not have handbags about whose chosen sport is harder than the other. That's not what I meant Actually, they're bloody closely matched, it's just the distances that are very different - 120K sportives versus 40-50K MTB. Reckon it's more about the hours Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew Posted September 13, 2012 Report Share Posted September 13, 2012 Rowing; now that must up there with the most demanding of them all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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