Article DetailsCycling |
| Date Added: February 25, 2008 05:47:27 PM |
| Author: Andy King |
| Category: Fitness: Advice and Guides |
| CYCLING Cycling can be very enjoyable and effective in keeping you fit and healthy, it can be very sociable or competitive. Sociable - riding down country lanes surrounded by beautiful scenery, or on the hills and downs working up a sweat on those hills, whereas competitive cycling could be in races, sprinting in trials. Whatever you choose you can be sure of one thing, it really will help you burn fat trim up, and tone those muscles. First things first lets check out the fit of the bike to the individual, the first concern is to avoid any knee injuries by adjusting the saddle height to the individual - stand astride the tube (crossbar) with your feet flat on the floor, the crotch should be 2 - 3 cm above the bar, more if the sole purpose of you cycling is off-road. So when you are sitting on the saddle your feet should touch the floor - perhaps if you are a confident rider just the front part of the feet is sufficient, get a friend to hold the bike and with your feet in the pedals and one foot in the down phase ( nearest to the floor) the leg needs to be straight, but not locked out, knee problems have been seen if the leg is not straightened during a ride, for the upper body choose a position that is comfortable, do not over stretch and your elbows are bent some, try being in a forward lean position but get the balance right for comfort, also don't forget the more you are leaning forward more work is put on the backside muscles (gluteus maximus), one huge tip here ( particularly for you guys out there) but really for comfort for everyone, get yourself a jelly cushioned saddle !! I can tell you from experience if you plan to spend time on a bike you will need one, most good cycle shops will have them Other items which I suggest you think about are padded cycle shorts and low cut training shoes - this allows free movement of the “ankling” motions of the foot, if you are serious about your cycling then it is important to avoid training shoes that are too flexible under the arch of the foot - the pedal does not directly support the heel during cycling, and so the mid-sole of the shoe should be relatively stiff under the arch of the foot. Clothing should be lightweight and fit comfortably, cycling gloves are very handy during the winter months, and you will be surprised how quickly they freeze going flat-out downhill! One more thing before we go into the training - get a regular service on your bike - nowadays its the norm, if you are a regular rider then be safe, a basic service is going to check your brakes, cables, tyres, spokes, and any moving parts for wear and tear and of course, your friend and mine (not!) Rust. Lastly and most important with all the mad drivers on the road - get yourself a crash helmet, I do think this is essential before you go out on the road, there are some very cool looking helmets out there, other options to get are elbow and possibly knee pads. Training Again as with any exercise program you are going to undertake, get a health check-up with your doctor first if you have not done any physical activity for a while. Fluid intake is very important when you workout so drink some before, during and afterwards. OK lets get riding; there are three different levels of workout Easy, Moderate, Hard. Easy would be cycling on a flat and the gear selection is fairly easygoing on the legs. Moderate might be working on a flat in a lower gear or using an incline and you can feel you muscles working a little harder. Hard would be using a steep incline and possibly having to stand up while riding, all these are variable and when used with different revolutions of the pedals can make an easy ride more like a hard ride and when on a hill (incline) by using a small chain ring in the front can make a hard ride less difficult. In the early stages, simply riding on a regular basis is sufficient, getting use to the traffic, the roads, climbing and descending, cornering, perhaps building up to an hour workout at easy level would improve your cardiovascular fitness by 10 to 30 percent if you were new to cycling, 2 - 3 times per week. To progress further, look at some shorter more intense workouts for example using a lower gear on the flats at a higher revolution for fifteen minutes, (legs are going faster, resistance is easier), or using a incline or hill in a low gear (small chain ring at the front, large at the back) is quite intense and you could be working your heart at 60 to 70 percent of you maximum. To improve from this longer sessions, more sessions, and using more resistance on the pedals (harder gear selection) would be beneficial, a typical training program for this might be: DAY 1 - easy to moderate long ride for 1 to 2 hrs DAY 2 - have a swim DAY 3 - short hard interval training 15 minutes at hard level slow down to recover for 2 - 5 minutes and repeat three times, slow down, and stretch. DAY 4 - rest DAY 5 - moderate workout for 1 hour DAY 6 - brisk walking/jogging/running for 30 - 60 minutes DAY 7 - rest Please remember the program above is for someone who is very fit and has been cycling regularly for six months or more, just reduce the times and intensity for the less active and fit. Stretch out after every workout or why not do Yoga class afterwards, it will help to really improve your flexibility and relax you. Enjoy your workouts have fun, if your not having fun then your doing too much! Happy cycling and be safe! Andy King www.akhealthandfitness.co.uk |
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