What tips do you have to get fitter on the bike?

@obelexxus2672

Жыл бұрын

For me the best tip is missing: Bike with friends. It doesn't matter if you ride with friends who are way slower, or the opposite friends who are way faster. It's only important that friends are involved at all. Why with friends? Because you are more motivated to ride a bike with friends and you probably ride longer than you would, if you're alone on the ride.

@DOI_ARTS

Жыл бұрын

Don't get stuck on your comfortable gear, gear up and soldier on. Remember "No pain, No Gain"

@kevjh.45

Жыл бұрын

get a trainer... even a non smart one. That way if you have a plan and the weathers bad, you can still do basic miles and include sprint intervals.

@eddmorrell90

Жыл бұрын

Stop watching videos on KZread and actually get the bike out lol

@slydawgg

Жыл бұрын

Change/mix up your route(s)….our bodies get use to repetition.

today at 13 I will be doing my first 20km race!

@Thomas-ml7lv

Жыл бұрын

Good luck bud

@azocs_

Жыл бұрын

Nice I did my first 200 mile race and im 13 too, it’s lots of fun and good luck :D

@hamdann.

Жыл бұрын

@@azocs_ nice job, I'm like the weakest kid in the block

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Nice one! Have a great time!

@hamdann.

Жыл бұрын

@@gcn thanks for the support!

Sleep is the most overlooked aspect of training I believe. Most serious trainers know how to eat, how to train their sport, but even for people who know about sleep it can be hard to nail.

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Very good one Ed - rest is so important!

I’m retired and have been riding for two years. Cycling with my friend who encouraged me to dust off my old 10 speed and a group of friends really helped to get me started. Also, the Strava App on my phone has logged every ride since I began and the goal setting function is really great. Now I’m riding the mighty Giant Defy Advanced Pro 3 and having the time of my life. If anything, I’ll probably need to dial back the enthusiasm to avoid injury. Thanks for an excellent video … I enjoy your content … ride on!

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Thanks, great to hear you're enjoying riding again!

@GrenvilleMelonseedSkiff496

Жыл бұрын

@@gcn PS: Forgot to mention Zwift and my Elite Suito trainer … never imagined I’d be cycling all through the winter here in Canada … that’s a game changer for me … riding consistently all year long … amazing!

@chrisround5122

Жыл бұрын

Along as you rest and get your nutrition right, don't worry about injury pal. If you get an injury your body will recover quicker because of your fitness. The likes of us just get out there and make the most of what many others are missing. Keep up the miles and take care and enjoy 👍😊

Ive started cycling to work 3 weeks ago with my mtb, everyday(5days) 14km back and forth (total 28km) and I really started to love it. Now im saving up some money for a road bike to cycle even longer routes, outside of commuting to work.

You might be able to get fitter quicker. BUT it comes at a cost. Muscle strength and fitness improve fairly quickly. But ligaments take a lot longer to get strong enough to handle prolonged efforts, if your start from scratch. If you put on too much intensity, or time, too fast, you risk getting injured. For instance if you plan on riding a longer race/challenge (more than 150 km), you need at least 2 years for your ligaments to be strong enough for the effort. So trying to get fit faster, can be a problem. And it can also be a problem for middleaged and older people, because they need more recovery between sessions. You simply have to supercompensate correctly to get optimal benefit. People often think, that if they train harder, they will get better benefit. But it can actually render them less and less fit, if they do not get enough time for recovery.

@aminburke2459

Жыл бұрын

Very sound advice bro, your right on point with this.

@carlos_casadogarcia

Жыл бұрын

But also depends on age as I feel that 150km could be done if prepared at 16, whereas a 45+ year old person might take a lot longer as their body does not grow and repair as fast as it used to

@pericofantasias

Жыл бұрын

@@carlos_casadogarcia Actually, the opposite is often true - it’s usually harder for a 16-year-old to cover 150 km than it is for a 50 or 55-year-old person who’s been used to cycling all his life, as it is my case now, and was my case when I was 16. Kindest regards.

@AndyG73

Жыл бұрын

Indeed - as a 'midlifer' (48), I feel I need 3 days, maybe even 4 between long/more challenging rides, especially as I've only really been back on my bike for a year, essentially starting from scratch having not done much since I was at college in my early 20s. My knee tendons and ligaments, particularly the latter (and esp. in my right knee which suffered some nasty football-related injuries when I was at school) suffered a good amount of soreness/pain if I went too far/on a more hilly ride, but a combo of slowly building up, decent rest, food and swmimming has helped no end. I used to wear knee supports on both knees and could only manage about 20 miles (about a year ago) before my knees gave out. Now I can mage 3x that amount and only need the knee support on the right knee, which just gets a bit sore (the left being fine) and can be managed by taking a couple of ibuprofen tablets during the ride. Decent rest and drinking milk (preferably sem-skimmed or full fat) as a recovery drink really helps reduce the overall recovery period. Last year I could only manage a 15-20 mile run once a week or two. Now I can manage (just) a 60 mile run followed by a 20-25 mile one after a 3 day rest or one of the latter up to three times a week with a fair wind.

I got fitter on the bike by doing a fixed training plan on Zwift. I did the longest plan they had on there and as soon as the weather was less amenable, I went for it. 13 weeks later, I had certainly upped my game on the bike. FTP up, VO2 max up, resting HR down and weight significantly down. I don’t feel the need to keep on pushing so hard as I’m a middle aged bloke who isn’t turning pro any time soon! I just really enjoy my riding now as I can get up every hill around where I live now and even when I push it, I recover from the effort more quickly. Happy days 😊💪🚴‍♂️

You might want to show this to any presenters attempting the Tour Des Stations! Perhaps on a budget bike.

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Bit late for that! 😂 🤦

I did a perfect Cafe stop yesterday. I'm working hard on my Cafe stops and they're definitely getting better 😉

Thanks Conor and crew...

Speaking of setting realistic goals, are you sure that you want to beat Hank on a sprint ? 😁 More seriously you are absolutely right about goals, for beginners like me they are essential. And I tend to lose focus sometimes. Or to take on a new goal before the previous is achieved. My first goal when beginning to ride more, was to be able to go from my house to my dad's (120km cross the Monts d'Arrée in Britany). I have note done it yet but already done a 130km loop (less D+). But as my goal is not a loop, it requires more planning, like leaving clothes to change, and doing it on a day before my dad plans a trip that passes by my home, so he can lift me back. I don't see myself at the moment doing it back and forth on 2 days. Or I'll do it with a few days at his place to recover and then I'll come back home on the bike. My "end" goal is to be able to ride all day and do it again the next day, for a week.

Look for stronger riders to ride with. They will help you push the intensity of the ride. Also, have a weekly and/or monthly ride you do that you can measure over time to show improvement. Finally don't be afraid of vintage tech. Commuting on a 2x6 Peugeot with downtube shifters made me feel like a cheetah when it was time to whip out the light and aero summer road bike.

Lots of zone 2 riding and utilising difference cadences is the goto for getting initial fitness gains imho.

I can certainly attest to gradually working up to longer and/or more strenuous rides, combined with shorter ones and decent rest (and diet) in order to improve fitness. When I got back in the saddle during 2021, despite doing what I though was a good amount of walking and a bit of swimming, I just wasn't up to the job of rides outside of my area. I could barely make it up the only two (safe) roads out of my town as they are both quite steep for the 'beginner' - I hadn't ridden 'seriously' (regularly) since I was at university (25+ years ago) and me practically passing out at the top of either hill showed me I was still seriously unfit. I was also unable to complete my 'regular' holiday trail ride (I hire a bike) which is on relatively easy, flat terrain but is 37 miles long. As such, I worked up gradually by upping the walking (frequency, pace and distance), swimming and supplemented this with cycling around my town weather-permitting (I'm a fair-weather cyclist who does so just as much for the scenery as for the fitness/thrill of the ride) by gradually increasing the speed, number of laps (it was boring!) and frequency. This paid off in 2022, as I can now get up those two hills fine, and am now able to make rides up to 60 miles, including some rather hilly bits along the way, as I managed yesterday. I just have to make sure I don't overdo it by going out too often, especially for the longer/more challenging rides. My family were a bit concerned that me losing 7lbs was not good when I already was on the 'trim side', but I've felt a lot better physically over the time I've been back on the bike, despite all the pandemic worries, etc over the same period. I suspect I've lost some fat around the waist and gained some muscle (likely mostly on the legs), more of the latter recently. My asthma seems to have improved as well. I found that in the winter / periods of bad weather, the swimming helped enormously to keep my physical conditioning up. This included resistance training via vigorous running in the water as well as both longer swims and short sprints. Just a shame that swimming isn't as cheap as it used to be (almost double the price it was about 10 years ago, even before all the recent inflationary 'issues').

Strength training off the bike will definitely help you on the bike.

Started cycling as part of comuting to work,my first couple of rides was an absolute nightmare (3.5km) 3months later 20k and feels great,thinking of getting a proper road bike, atm using mtb and really live it

@faultyalternator8313

Жыл бұрын

Trust me it’s the best thing you can do! I bought my first road bike half a year ago and did 102 miles a few days ago and loved every minute! I did this all on a £140 bargain of a bike I got off Facebook

@AdamsLTFC420

Жыл бұрын

defo do it, I made the change recently too

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

That's awesome to hear Krzysztof!

Thank you

Awesome video guys enjoyed it

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Thanks Matthew!

Brilliant! Hey can you pleeease make 2:55 - 3:03 a KZread short? It would help spread bicycling as a tool for long-term recovery plus get more good peeps on bikes. Thanks Connor! You have the PRETTIEST bicycles on the crew btw. (Well Dr. Ollie's Unicorn Blood bicycle is pretty too.)

are SPD pedals on a roadie also a get fit quick tip? Gravel 4 eva

New bike? Looks nice!

Ok. Lads. I’ve had LOTS of Joint medical Issues. Bid Issues for me getting back too my bike!!!! I bough an electric bike from the US. It’s got mainly 5 gears. I’ve had mu front set made smaller. On the same hill, it really made a difference. My bike is one of the Babymakers from the US. It then transpires, the bike was made and built In Spain. So at the theme it had to fit EU standers???????? We had already left the EU months and months before I got my bike,. I must have waited 18 months for this bike. Do I still have too minimise this bike????? I’m registered disabled,, cos of my left foot drop!,,,, I’ve no power in my left hip to stand up on the pedald🎉what do you recommend. Before this I road my bike, every night I go home from work? It was only a chill session ride for me. But as the back pain increases and then the joint pain, so stand up on the pedals, I knew I had other issues but my back. Had two ops for new hips. It was a Gobsmacking moment for me. Hips are great, still got really crappy knees. But I’d just like too ride my bike.???? So I bought an electric from the states. Too bloody ages too come. But it didn’t say on hills as it said????? These were folks with no medical issues. So I was struggling on some steep rises in North Wales. Had a smaller cog on the front chain sprocket. Made a massive difference on the hills near, my caravan site. But I still don’t know about the EU Limitations for a bike that’s nothing too do with the EU. Limitations??????? Why????? These bikes can keep up with traffic, if the limitations were removed. It was also stop all this cyclist mayhem!!!! They could easily keep up with traffic!!!!! That’s the BIGGEST BUG BERE, WITH. cars and bikes. It’s. So simple too fix. Stop restricting electric bikes. There’s no need for the restrictions, as everyone will be right. PPS. Bike couriers just need what the law tells them they can do. BUT, YET AGAIN, we are not part of the EU, so there’s no need at all to have mph restricted push bikes????? Just get a grip, think about it and it will also stop some ROAD RANGE. IT REALLY ROCKET science, it’s just common science. It’s not difficult. Come on, get your brain in gear. It truly is a NO BRAINER. COME ON YOU BOFFINS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TOO RUN OUR, ILL SAY IY YET AGAIN. OUR COUNTR “NO YOUR COUNTRY, BUT OURS”. You have too listen too What we are telling you??!!!!!??????????

What is the best year-round all weather commuter bike you can find at a Walmart or whatever the equivalent of a Walmart is in your country

Did my first 35km yesterday, had a puncture for the very first time. It took an irritating hour and a half as I didn't know what I was doing, but now I'll be prepared for many to come.

@MrKlop6

Жыл бұрын

вы проехали это на шоссейном велосипеде? если да, то это маловато даже для тренировки, но мы все с чего-то начинали

@mahidG

Жыл бұрын

i always bring 2 spare tubes, no time for patching in hot weather🥵

@stevek8829

Жыл бұрын

@@MrKlop6 the distance is only one aspect. The speed is important as well. You can ride hard 56 k (35m) and get good work.

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Got to check out those GCN Tech videos!

Splendid video! Thanks for the tips/reminders GCN/Connor! I am 64 and I find HIIT using hills every other day helps. Check out Phil Cavell's book, The Midlife Cyclist for more tips on maintaining fitness whilst being a middle aged cyclist, Male or Female!

me: "Dear GCN. How do I get fit quick?" Conor: "... hold back, rein the motivation in, keep yourself in check, and don't get too carried away ... whoa, different hill ..." me: "Got it, cheers!"

That dude is sooooo tall!!!

One goal I had was to increase my cadence and hence the aerobic capacity of my engine, making climbs easier at the end. After some time, I looked over my bike, I think I realized the reason why I can't push the pedals the way I thought I could: instead of having a 50-34 crankset, I had a 52-36 crankset and I've been mashing up climbs with a 36-28 as my easiest gears as a total amateur. The goal has since shifted to saving up some money for a proper compact crankset.

@markvanbeers7123

Жыл бұрын

You mean a 11-28 casette?

I improved my cycling by getting fit. Losing 30 pounds makes climbing a lot easier.

The best way to get fit is to be having fun. So ignore anything to the contrary, if it's freezing or raining just stay indoors. Nothing makes cycling less appealing than memories of freezing to death and being soaked to the skin.

@vyas555

Жыл бұрын

I went for a ride in the rain and I throughly enjoyed it. You are right though, one should enjoy the ride.

Wooww 🚲

can you guys make a video about using cycling as cardio for lifting? i think it would make a fairly fun video

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

It's not quite that, but we do have one coming up which pits a body builder against Hank & Ollie in some challenges!

@laplantamichay

Жыл бұрын

@@gcn yooo that's cool! can't wait then

What obea bike is that looks like a enduro bike with that large headtube

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

It's an Orbea Orca in size absolutely massive!

@thatsfixedup2327

Жыл бұрын

@@gcn thank you! It looks so pretty!

2.12 Dizrupt 🤣

Regulate a good diet that gets at least a good amount of vitamins and nutrients without skimping out on carbs but it's too easy to overeat on too much carbs and gain fat And training frequently isn't necessary if you have a busy life, 1-2x a week can do just fine until you find your break to train more

From size 38 pants..im now at size 34...thanks to cycling..hell yeah..

@JimKJeffries

Жыл бұрын

& you doing the work. Well done

@jerseyraindog

Жыл бұрын

I was 40inch 2 and half years ago, now I’m a 32. And switched from an electric to road bike. Loving it.

@gcn

Жыл бұрын

Great stuff Voldemort!

Sometimes I would get so caught up in the ride that I would forget to keep myself properly hydrates and fueled. I would pay the price greatly later and not get the results I was looking for. Your body is a hard working machine that needs fuel like a car.

Wanna get fit on the bike? Ride in groups with people who are really good at this. Ain't nothing like fighting to hang on for dear life in a group of good riders...

Oh man… I gotta train to get fit?

My goal is to not get dropped

Liquid banana protein milk drink. You need to as much nutrition as u can and the only way to do this I’d liquid food😂😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉

Aren’t you supposed to listen to your body. So when you are feeling tired have a rest day?

The bike seems a bit too small for you mate, init?

First

If you want to get fit quick don't use endurance bike! This dude are fast because his using endurance lightweight bike 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣