Workout question

[nightwing_38116]

I need someone to give me some advice on an effective cardio routine using a stationary bike. I am looking to build endurance and "wind".

[NPMantis]

Hey,

Well Cv is a very personal thing but what I usually do is a quick 10 min warm up on the bike, slow speed and low resistance then stretch, etc. Then sit back on it for 30 mins, don't do the same throughout try to alternate the speed or resitance (interval training).

Eg.
- The first 5 mins normal speed and resistance.
- Then go fast for 1 min and normal for 1 min for the next 10 mins.
- Then high resistance for 1 min, normal the next for 10 mins.
- The last 5 mins at normal speed and resistance.

Hope this gives you some ideas, if not try searching google.com, or perhaps have a look on www.testosterone.net - they usually have some interesting articles on there.

Good luck!

NPM

[12345]

How seriously do you want to take it?

If all you want is endurance then there is nothing wrong with going a steady pace for a long time. If that is what you are after then you can forget the warm up and stretch - you are going at a steady pace (something you can hold for at least 30 minutes) and you really do not need to warm up for that.

As NPMantis says you could do interval training which will improve you ability to operate above your anaerobic threshold (if done hard) and to recover from it.

In running a lot of people recommend doing 4 minutes raised pace 4 minutes easy jog repeated as a training technique - not sure if that would relate to cycling.

You should be aware that the most common injury (not caused by falling off) in cycling is knee trouble caused by pushing too high a gear - in other words not spinning the pedals fast enough. I always find that on a stationary bike I want to push too high a gear compared to a real bike. Beware that if you do a lot of bike work pushing a high gear (high resistance) you may be opening yourself up for injury. That said cyclists are often doing many hours a week and I doubt you would do that in a gym - if you are just doing a couple of half hour sessions a week you could get away with pushing anything you like.

Personally I much prefer the open road - cycling or running - to a machine but I do use both. If you really want to get fit then there is only one way to go and that is the real thing. You might think about using a heartrate monitor and working out routines based around that - so you have an objective measure of how hard you are working. This is probably taking it a bit far though unless you are actually training for a race.

I think running is a quicker way to build endurance but it is harder on the body.

[Qi dup]

My first suggestion is to go get a real bike! Stationary bikes are the worst. I used to have to ride them al lthe time after I hurt my knee and that was the hardest part of the recover, riding those **** bikes. But that's just me, I remeber my dad used to love them. So hey, if that's what you got an you want to gain soem endurance, then your my hero, because I just can't do it. I can't believe the excersise I used to get as a kid just spending hours and hitting jumps and stuff, it was a good time. I agree with the above comments about interval training, it's well documented and seems to work real well. I also like jumping rope and just beating the hell out of the heavy bag. Runnings to hard on my weak girly knees. But you didn't ask me for all that ****in ****, so just go with what 12345 has to say.

I used to watch 'Rocky' a lot too and then wake up at 4:00 in the morning and run. I even had a racket ball and black fingerless gloves. I loved those **** gloves:( :)

[NPMantis]

LOL.

Nice reply.

I love Rocky too, but did you have a dog collar on your wrist?!

It's a truely inspirational film.

[12345]

As far as running goes if you fancy it but find you get niggling injuries I would recommend going to a proper running shop and getting proper running shoes. The important bit is getting them from a proper running shop. Tell them the injuries you get and in my experience they will have you in bare feet manouevering your feet and ankles, looking at the wear pattern on your existing trainers (so take them with you) and will diagnose what sort of shoe you need. Of course you could get all this done by a podiatrist and/or use gait analysis equipment to do it too - either way a running shop will be able to suggest someone that specialises in runners.

The downside is that you will have to fork out full price for a pretty expensive pair of running shoes. In the UK you will pay 60-80 pounds most of the time. But in my experience it is worth it. If you still get injured then about 100 pounds gets a podiatrist to take a cast of your feet and ankles and make up some specialist shoe inserts to help correct any problems. The worst case scenario is they will tell you to take up another activity because you are damaging yourself - but that's worth knowing in itself.

I know Pavel in Power to the People implies that thick cushioned running shoes can cause injury - well maybe but in my experience that is not the case -but if you believe him just buy some racing flats and see how long you last. Very light runners with well conditioned legs who are lucky enough to have good legs and ankles may be able to do distances in these shoes but most people are better off with something with more cushioning.

I say all this because I used to run in a pair of Adidas New York - I thought they were running shoes but in fact they were retro trainers with a thick soft heel and no support to speak of - result I got injured all the time. I now run in Adidas Supernova and am injury free - OK I am not a serious runner but I clock up between 10 and 25 miles a week which is enough to make it worth paying for good shoes.

[Qi dup]

Originally posted by 12345
As far as running goes if you fancy it but find you get niggling injuries I would recommend going to a proper running shop and getting proper running shoes. The important bit is getting them from a proper running shop. Tell them the injuries you get and in my experience they will have you in bare feet manouevering your feet and ankles, looking at the wear pattern on your existing trainers (so take them with you) and will diagnose what sort of shoe you need.

Deffinatly a good idea. I have low arches:(