Man I am so out of shape. I have quite a bit of extra weight on me (5'7", 212lbs - 215lbs) and since it's uncomfortable to run at this point, I opted to get a bike. Much easier. Here's the problem though. Since I've been sitting at a desk everyday for the last 10 years, my legs have gotten weak. I can bike on low resistance for about 5-6 minutes. Sometimes I can do maybe 10 min. It's not that I get winded or tired, it's more that my legs just are weak and give out. I just need to build endurance. What's the best way to build my endurance at this stage?
Bicycle endurance: help a couch potato out!
- Thread starter salazch12
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Endurance starts with mental toughness. To build endurance you must push yourself beyond your limits.
Hey, you have to walk before you can run. You've taken the first step, so the rest will come easier. I don't know about you, but I find it easier to bike outdoors. Changing scenery and fresh air help to keep your mind engaged, and that helps distract you from your legs getting fatigued. I would imagine there would be some lovely open flatland around SLC. It may also help to start with just small trips; down to the convenience store for milk and such, then maybe a little further, perhaps in your search for antique stores to pillage. 
Personally, that's one of my favorite stress relievers. Good luck my man, and keep up the good work!
Personally, that's one of my favorite stress relievers. Good luck my man, and keep up the good work!
Bikes are fine but an elliptical will afford you a better workout as you are using upper body members also. Beginning last January I started a routine of 1-1.5 miles on the Livestrong 8.0 elliptical about 2-3 days a week. I began slow, about 3-3.5 mph. Mileage is now 2.5-3 miles 3-4 times a week at 4.5-5.5 mph. Cholesterol (134) and triglycerides (126) are significantly lower. Lost about 30 lbs. in the process also. Only diet change was to cut back in carbs, no matter what they were-bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc. Note I did NOT say "omit", just paid attention to what I was consuming. So now I'm 6'1"..216 lbs. 195-200 is the tonnage I feel best at and I don't think it will be all that long until I'm there.
Diet is actually the simple part. Just start following a menu similar to one recommended for a Type II Diabetic (uncomplicated). Those guys have known what's going on for years and if you look around a little, there is a cornucopia of tasty stuff out there. Couple sensible chow with portion control and dude....you'll have that Charles Atlas thing going on quicksmart.
Plus, you can read, watch TV, or listen to music on an elliptical without worrying about Barney Grope turning you into a hood ornament.
Diet is actually the simple part. Just start following a menu similar to one recommended for a Type II Diabetic (uncomplicated). Those guys have known what's going on for years and if you look around a little, there is a cornucopia of tasty stuff out there. Couple sensible chow with portion control and dude....you'll have that Charles Atlas thing going on quicksmart.
Plus, you can read, watch TV, or listen to music on an elliptical without worrying about Barney Grope turning you into a hood ornament.
I weigh more than you and I am an avid cyclist and runner. You're not going to like the answer, but I'm going to give it to you anyway:
Do it longer than 10 minutes. Your body 'gives out' when it's around 30% tired. Which means you can actually go about 20 minutes beyond the 10 you're all tuckered out at. Not only can you do that extra 20, but you also have a little left over in the gas tank. You just need to do it. And keep doing it. And then notice that the 30 minutes is now 45, is now an hour... and so on. There's no magic trick here or anything, you just keep doing it.
While it seems like losing weight will help you, not really. You can sit around and lose weight, but I bet you anything that if you stop cycling today and lose 20 lbs, that when you hit that bike 20lbs lighter you are still going to die at 10 minutes. Start cycling, going the 30, 45, 60... is what gets you in shape, builds endurance as you call it, not losing weight. If you want to lose weight, that will happen as you increase what you do on the bike. Don't put the cart before the horse, or nothing will happen.
Exactly . You have to decide that you will NOT quit. This hurts but it doesn't hurt enough to make me quit.
I had a spinal injury years ago. All better now but it took some dedicated rehab to overcome. I went a bit of an expensive route and bought an electric bike to build myself back. Specifically I bought one that did not have a throttle but had a pressure sensor in the bottom bracket (pedals). The more pressure on the crank, the more juice to the motor.
I couldn't ride it like a moped, I had to put in effort to go. But the motor's help made all the difference getting up the hills. After 15-16mph the motor would cut out and you were on your own until you slowed down (such as climbing a hill). After a while I moved back to a regular bike but I still use the Ebike as a grocery hauler.
My bike is a Panasonic but they are not sold in the US. Kalkhoff makes bikes with the same Panasonic running gear but with their own frames, and are sold in the US.
I couldn't ride it like a moped, I had to put in effort to go. But the motor's help made all the difference getting up the hills. After 15-16mph the motor would cut out and you were on your own until you slowed down (such as climbing a hill). After a while I moved back to a regular bike but I still use the Ebike as a grocery hauler.
My bike is a Panasonic but they are not sold in the US. Kalkhoff makes bikes with the same Panasonic running gear but with their own frames, and are sold in the US.
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If you can go join a gym and go to a sinning class. Being in a group forces me to work harder and to keep going even when I am tired. Good luck!
- Thread starter
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Sinning class? I love the sound of that. Lol.
There is a lot of sinning going on at the gym! Man, that is funny!
Make it fun.. If it's not something you enjoy, it probably will not last. I struggled at first and would get left behind. I made it a goal to get a little faster each time and in a year, I had no problem keeping up. In the summer I ride around 100 miles a week and can't imagine not riding. Find a route you like and increase every couple weeks, if you can find a club or someone to ride with it can be more enjoyable.
Just stick with what you are doing now. Each week try going a little bit farther and a little bit faster. Once you are able to build up your milage, work on speed. Pace is where you get maximum benefit from riding. I am 62 and 2 years ago I did a 105 mile 1 day ride. Next year I hope to do the 2 day 210 mile ride.
This. Do as much as you can, however little it may be now, but as often as you can. Consistency is the key. I ride every day. Partly because I like it, or at least prefer it to being stuck in a metal tube with a thousand other commuters, but also because it keeps me fit. When I started the ride to work would exhaust me, now it barely raises my heart rate. I am not smashing myself with exercise, but I am doing it every day, and your body just slowly adapts.
Pain is weakness leaving your body.
I think doing something you're committed to is a great way to start. I lost close to 25 pounds by just going on a bike ride every other day after work.
One other thing that I've found helpful is to have a goal to work toward, like a race or a charity ride. I'm someone who needs a goal to stay focused.
One other thing that I've found helpful is to have a goal to work toward, like a race or a charity ride. I'm someone who needs a goal to stay focused.
Don't know your age but if you are upper thirties and on up, check with a doctor before pushing yourself too hard. Once you know the risk factors, exerting beyond the comfort level isn't a bad thing. Just understand the difference between discomfort and fatigue vs pain.
A cardio monitor is a good tool. I seem to recall that 30 - 60 percent of cardiac threshold is where the most fat gets burned which is what you want at this stage. Conditioning and increased capacity will come with repetition. Pushing yourself too hard will just burn glycogen stores. You can train in the cardiac threshold zone for a few minutes at a time a few times a week once the weight is off (but ONLY with doctor's approval). This will increase your capacity for endurance.
Good luck and be safe, and do have fun with it.
A cardio monitor is a good tool. I seem to recall that 30 - 60 percent of cardiac threshold is where the most fat gets burned which is what you want at this stage. Conditioning and increased capacity will come with repetition. Pushing yourself too hard will just burn glycogen stores. You can train in the cardiac threshold zone for a few minutes at a time a few times a week once the weight is off (but ONLY with doctor's approval). This will increase your capacity for endurance.
Good luck and be safe, and do have fun with it.
Interesting following this thread. I guess the appropriate question is, what is your goal? Do you want to lose weight or something else? Pro sports players weigh in at ridiculous weights but it's pure muscle. Body fat content may be 3-5% yet they will weigh 230-250 lbs. are they "in shape"? I think so. I'd certainly follow the advice mentioned earlier; before doing anything dramatic, see your health care provider and take it from there.
I am short. I am heavy. I am 54 years old. I have had three back surgeries. Sounds bad, right? I rode 7,000 miles in 2013. I might do more this year. When I was in my 40s and faster, I weighed less and had some years where I logged 10,000 miles. The majority of these miles have been outdoors.
Get clearance from your doctor. Get a physical. Then just keep pedaling a little farther or faster each time. Rest days are not a sin, but consistency is a huge help. If you can get outdoors, enjoy yourself and the scenery. It's good to be alive. Just keep moving.
Get clearance from your doctor. Get a physical. Then just keep pedaling a little farther or faster each time. Rest days are not a sin, but consistency is a huge help. If you can get outdoors, enjoy yourself and the scenery. It's good to be alive. Just keep moving.
It really inspired me....
I guess I should be more careful with my iPad.
The sinning class inspired me to go spinning class so I had more energy for the sinning class.
