[Red Liner]

I have only recently started cycling.

Initially had a ton of pain in both my knees.

That reduced to just my left knee.

I started doing ITB exercises because the pain caused by years of hiking in the mountains with heavy packs and bad shoes seemed very similar to ITB knee pain.

I had a case of the flu last week and hence couldn't go out riding to check if the pain or inflammation has come down since beginning these exercises and slowly ramping up my mileage.

I had started with about 20k, then upped it to 30, then 40 and then like a madman jumped it to 90 and i couldn't walk for a week thereafter. Lesson learned and the next one was 40 again. I will probably do 30k and allow my body to slowly ramp up as opposed to shocking it for the next trip.



Maybe this thread can be a point where we can hear from experienced cyclists and orthopaedics on how they cycle longer distances, what they did to get there, and how pain can be managed, discuss different products that could help with this and such.

I am indeed very keen on clocking 100k. Since I did 90 and know what that felt like, this time my slow mental and physical ramp up should help.

[ebonho]

In my experience with ITBS, it put me off my bike for half of 2018. There is really no quick fix. Physio deep fascial massage and manipulation. Exercises. Rolling. Stretching. Electrical stimulation. Bike fit. All of that helps. But it still is a significant amount of time before you can ride and put pressure on the pedal without pain again. The golden rule across cycling regardless of injury is ramp up slowly. 10-15% every week. The weekend ride should not be more than twice the distance of weekday rides. And in general the weekday to weekend volume split should be 60:: 40 or 65 : 35. Riding weekend to weekend might work, but usually at two extremes of the rider spectrum. Complete recreational uncles or retired ex racers. All in between would need some sort of volume in the week running up to the weekend. Or keep it relaxed, like 30 or 40 km breakfast ride.

[IshaanIan]

First of all makes sure your legs are nearly stretched when the pedal is at the lowest 6 o clock position, try keeping a cadence (pedaling rpm) of over 80, and check out this youtube channel called knees over toes to find exercises to strengthen your knees and hopefully make them more durable

[Mi10]

Will share based on my limited experience

First and foremost, all type of sports need Strength training and conditioning training as ongoing activity ! There is no shying away from it. It can be as simple as body weight exercises or proper power lifting. Never ever skip it - as this is the foremost reason for people to get injured.

Some sports are essentially power sports and some are more around endurance lines, so we need to understand the need and tweak the strength session accordingly.

Secondly, Agility or suppleness of muscles is extremely important (applies even to day to day activities) Again depending on the sport you need get the balance right between Strength and Agility. For a sport like badminton or TT, importance on Agility is more than say power sports like Tennis, Football, etc..

Specific to Cycling, one needs a lot of Core and Lower body workouts. Again depending on the focus area (Track / Crits / TT / BRM / Casual riding) the Intensity will vary! The Upper body / Torso needs more flexibility work too.

Core, Glutes, Hamstring, Adductors are of prime importance and need at least 2 days a week of Strength training. Shoulder, Triceps and forearms would also need focussed strength session atleast once a week.

once the base is built, then it is about incremental upgrades to these sessions. Hence it is important to stay patient when you take up serious cycling.

Hydration, Pre-workout and post workout nutrition forms the next part. What you eat before a 20 km fast ride and before a 90 km easy ride makes a lot of difference. While important not to overeat or overstuff, the right nutrition is a must for effective performance. Simple thumb rules like hydration every 20-25 min , Protein (in whatever form) after hard rides / workouts form an integral part of the rest-recovery cycle of your body.

Also, good sleep / rest aids better performance and reduces the risk of injury. Sore muscles give away quickly - so if you are not in pink of health, take it easy. Any pain, important not to carry it, spend time to diagnose it.


Never overreach in mileage - It happens so commonly in running and cycling - dude just runs couple of 5kms and tries to run a 15 km! Like many things in life, gradual, slow build up will last longer and is more effective. Always plan your rides (distance / speed), and try not to cross them often (it is ok to do sometimes). Sure it is always tempting to break free, but resisting this temptation for a larger cause is what matters.
Aim for quality of ride than quantity or speed. Both distance and speed are output parameters and will eventually come if one focusses on process. Focus on right posture, right fit, right cadence. Be patient and results will follow!

Personally I would never go on a ride if it is out of reach within my current scope of training.
Ideal goal should always be more mileage, more speed, less chance of injuries!

This pic below would give an indication of what I am talking about. For the same 90 min ride, see the speed and effort (HR) between Jul 2020 and Jul 2021. I have covered close to 7500 kms in this one year!




Another popular misconception - We cannot strengthen knees (which are essentially bones). We strengthen the muscles and ligaments surrounding it so that, the impact is not passed on to the bone.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by Mi10

Will share based on my limited experience

Brilliant post buddy. If you can help an old man out with a strength training 2 days a week plan for legs and core, preferably with body weight at Home only, max with a set of dumbells my son uses, I would be hugely appreciative! Nothing too complicated or hardcore please in terms of complicated exercises.

On another note, every time I see 42 km and 11 meters of elevation gain, my eyes just bleed man! Lol

Superb improvement on overall fitness starkly seen in terms of both average as well as max Heart rate .

Bottom line from both our posts is ramp up slow, get strong before you try to get fast, and regardless of new age HIIT and intervals, there is still no substitute to VOLUME.

Pro cyclists, even with the cutting edge techniques and technology, still average 35-40,000 kms per season.

Cheers, Doc

[dragntailonfire]

Originally Posted by Mi10

This pic below would give an indication of what I am talking about. For the same 90 min ride, see the speed and effort (HR) between Jul 2020 and Jul 2021. I have covered close to 7500 kms in this one year!

Awesome to see your improvement. If I may ask, in what specific ways did your cycling improve?

Did you maintain an optimal cadence back then, and is it the same for the latest effort?

Our HR increase when we pedal at a higher cadence (say 90 rpm or so) right, so do you pedal below such a limit? Or did you become more efficient even while pedaling at high cadence, after a year of training? I assume the avg and max HR decreases as we train more and more. Trying to understand how your average HR has decreased, and at the same time, the average speed has gone up. Also, please share the exercises/drills that helped you most to improve.

I was desperately seeking to replace my daily 5v5 football (that i used to play before covid happened) with some activity, and landed on cycling. Got a new cycle in March this year, after almost a year of inactivity. Never knew that I will enjoy it so much, and now I am fully committed to keep riding and improving.

This is a typical morning ride for me, which I do 5 times a week. These are more or less easy rides, as I can do basic workout after the rides without any problem.

Summary:


Charts:


Last week, I completed my first 50km ride. That was a bit more intense than usual rides. My quads were on fire after I reached home, which went on for about 15 mins or so. Then it was all good.

Summary:


Charts:


I do light workout on the same days I ride. 2 days I keep for rest. This is my training plan at a very high level.

Day 1 - Chest and triceps exercises with resistance bands.
Day 2 - Back and biceps with resistance bands.
Day 3 - Legs with dumbbells - Some of the exercises are hamstring raise, basic, sumo and jumping squats, regular and reverse lunges, Bulgarian split squats, archer squats, glute bridge and calf raises.
Day 4 - Shoulders with resistance bands.
Day 5 - Biceps and triceps with bands and dumbbells.

Before these, I do some exercises to warm up, like bird dog, plank etc.

So far, I haven't experienced any lingering pains anywhere. Hopefully this continues in the future as I try to improve my cycling, bit by bit.

Any suggestions to tweak this workout plan is most welcome. I feel like I should incorporate more core workouts. There is also a plan to get a trainer or roller, for cycling on days when the weather is not too conducive.

[yd_gli]

A few have already touched upon the benefits of strength training and how there is no substitute for it. There are some thumb-rules I follow:

- At a minimum one rest day a week. If you're training hard then maybe two.
- Never do the same workout/activity (run,bike,gym) on two consecutive days. Most of us are not at professional levels of the sport and subjecting the body to the same motion day after day is a sure fire recipe for trouble.
- Always cross train. I alternate between running, biking, walking, strength training and spinning.
- Always strength train at least twice a week. Doesn't need to be very complex. Squats, Lunges, Mountain Climbers, Burpees, Jacks, Leg Extensions/Curls, Chest Press, Pull Downs, Planks, Bridges and you should be good to go at least from a cycling/running perspective.
- Always foam roll and then stretch after every run and bike ride. Especially the glutes, ITB, hamstring, quads, shins and the lower back. Does wonders for recovery.
- Run a bottle of ice over the sore areas before you hit the sack for the night.
- Shoes, saddles, bike frames, compression gear etc only help when your body has the base fitness that the workout demands. If your body is not up to it then a bike that fits you to a T will not help either.

And there is no short cut to recovery. I had a grade 3 strain on my hip flexor a few years ago and it took a good six months before I could run/bike again. Sucks, but it is what it is. After those miserable six months, I decided that 2 runs, 2 bike rides and 2 strength training sessions a week were the optimum work load for my body.

[mbilung]

but I want some suggestion as I like both jogging and cycling. I jog a lot and recently I get a little dizzy at the end of my jogs while cooling down. It feels like my head is swimming. Is this normal? I keep myself moderately hydrated throughout.

I have high blood pressure so can I cross train? Cycling and Jogging on alternate days?

[som9729]

Originally Posted by mbilung

but I want some suggestion as I like both jogging and cycling. I jog a lot and recently I get a little dizzy at the end of my jogs while cooling down. It feels like my head is swimming. Is this normal? I keep myself moderately hydrated throughout.

I have high blood pressure so can I cross train? Cycling and Jogging on alternate days?

Is this early morning? Or evening jog?
For an endurance run, what you've described is perfect.
For a casual jog, it shouldn't be always the case. Only in the initial few days, if the person is out of shape.

Some ppl do need a boost before they jog.
Try eating a small snack before hand.
Such as a handful of almonds or maybe one or 2 biscuits (wheat based ones plz)

That helped in my case!

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by ebonho

Brilliant post buddy. If you can help an old man out with a strength training 2 days a week plan for legs and core, preferably with body weight at Home only, max with a set of dumbells my son uses, I would be hugely appreciative! Nothing too complicated or hardcore please in terms of complicated exercises.

On another note, every time I see 42 km and 11 meters of elevation gain, my eyes just bleed man! Lol

Superb improvement on overall fitness starkly seen in terms of both average as well as max Heart rate .

Bottom line from both our posts is ramp up slow, get strong before you try to get fast, and regardless of new age HIIT and intervals, there is still no substitute to VOLUME.

Pro cyclists, even with the cutting edge techniques and technology, still average 35-40,000 kms per season.

Cheers, Doc

1) squats (bodyweight only) , 4 sets of 20 squats each. Go as low as you can.
2) lunges, 4 sets of 20 each
3) calf extension/raises 4 sets of 25 each
4) pushups. 15 per set, do 6 sets
5) if you have a pull-up bar. Pull-ups to finish off 5 sets, each set atleast 6.

The entire routine will take at max 30/35 mins. Can be performed 3/4 days a week to gain sufficient leg and core strength.

[Aloneatma]

Hi,

Was surprised coming across a thread on cycling on this BHP forum, but pleasantly so.

I have been a triathlete since the last 10 years and have had my share of injuries. Turning 50 doesn't help my case at all. So I need to work extra hard to keep my body tuned.

Cycling loaded my core more than anything. Then came the knees followed by the quads and hams. Cross training in the form of running and swimming helped me a lot.

Importantly, body weight exercises are a must to strengthen the core, upper and the lower body.

Cycling demands a robust core and a very strong lower body.

I would suggest squats and it's variations.
Stair climbing
Running
Skipping rope
Leg press (if access to gym is available)


Essentially, the objective is to strengthen the calves as well as the quads and hamstring.

I do a lot of trekking as a form of cross training to improve cardio vascular efficiency.

Finally it's all about lactic acid formation and retention. Long distance cycling is more of your muscles being able to handle the endurance than anything else. Hence, start with 25kms thrice a week. Increase to 30kms after 15 days. So on. The point is sustainability and not just a one off ride.

Load up on carbs the day before a long ride. Carry water with electrolytes for adequate hydration. That's key to avoid muscle cramps and fatigue. Take breaks. Maintain an optimal pace, neither fast nor too slow. Ideally cycle in groups or with a cycling buddy. Helps when riding long distances.

Its just a matter of time before your body gets used to the wear and tear and adjusts accordingly. Listen to your body and it will tell you when to rest.

2 years back I and 2 other buddies did a Pune Goa cyclathon over 2 days. It was a crazy experience but then it's all about training.

Happy cycling. Cheers.

[SS-Traveller]

Originally Posted by mbilung

...recently I get a little dizzy at the end of my jogs while cooling down. It feels like my head is swimming. Is this normal? I keep myself moderately hydrated throughout.

I have high blood pressure so can I cross train? Cycling and Jogging on alternate days?

This sounds alarming. You need to consult a physician / cardiologist, and a TMT may be the best way to find out why the dizziness is occurring.

[AirbusCapt]

Originally Posted by SS-Traveller

This sounds alarming. You need to consult a physician / cardiologist, and a TMT may be the best way to find out why the dizziness is occurring.

Just to add to the sensible advice. This usually happens when you over train. If your heart rate is going routinely over 80% of your peak heart rate, you are over stressing your body. Peak heart rate is 220- your age in years.

[ebonho]

Originally Posted by AirbusCapt

Just to add to the sensible advice. This usually happens when you over train. If your heart rate is going routinely over 80% of your peak heart rate, you are over stressing your body. Peak heart rate is 220- your age in years.

This equation however rarely works for conditioned athletes in regular training.

While peak heart rate (best ascertained over time by monitoring the peaks you hit, usually in sprints up a slip or towards the last third of a short punchy climb) is over stressed by all because it helps to set the zones you train to, wgat is really important for a whole lot of parameters (like your recovery, rest, fatigue, overtraining, illness) is your resting heart rate.

I'm 50. By the formula my peak HR is 170. In reality I hit 183-189, and my resting heart rate is 51.

The formula is simply a guideline for safety for someone completely new and starting off.

Cheers, Doc

[Mi10]

Originally Posted by ebonho

If you can help an old man out with a strength training 2 days a week plan for legs and core, preferably with body weight a
Bottom line from both our posts is ramp up slow, get strong before you try to get fast, and regardless of new age HIIT and intervals, there is still no substitute to VOLUME.

Pro cyclists, even with the cutting edge techniques and technology, still average 35-40,000 kms per season.

Cheers, Doc

Doc, i am no way near an expert to offer advice in strength training, but i just follow simple workouts and focus on getting cleaner and slower. Again i dont use any equipment except for resistance band. Usual moves like variants of Squats, Lunges, Planks, leg rise, push ups, dips, calf rise end with full body stretches.
Key thing is variants - i just added increasingly complex variants as the months flew by.

I agree on the volume part - Volume makes you stronger and improves speed over a period of time. But before one jumps into volume game, i think a clear establishment of goal is important. What is that you seek to gain from cycling is a key question we need to ask ourselves. A Triathelte's take on Cycling will be very different from a BRM aspirant. Similarly a TT aspirant's need will be very different from Casual ride who wants to reduce few kgs. So volume, intensity will come into play based on what you are aiming for.

Originally Posted by dragntailonfire

Awesome to see your improvement. If I may ask, in what specific ways did your cycling improve?

Did you maintain an optimal cadence back then, and is it the same for the latest effort?

Our HR increase when we pedal at a higher cadence (say 90 rpm or so) right, so do you pedal below such a limit? Or did you become more efficient even while pedaling at high cadence, after a year of training? I assume the avg and max HR decreases as we train more and more. Trying to understand how your average HR has decreased, and at the same time, the average speed has gone up. Also, please share the exercises/drills that helped you most to improve.

I just improved my overall fitness, and trained with lot of rigour.
Everything else remind the same.

• Route
• Similar Season
• Same Bike and Components
• Similar Cadence levels (~88-92 RPM)

One needs to find his sweet spot in Cadence and there is no specific number to be honest. It depends on your current fitness level (Indicated by extent of increase in HR), Gearing ratio, Terrain and fatigue levels.

This may not be the most scientific approach, but the right cadence is the one that engages your glute-hamstring muscles while keeping the HR at lowest possible number for a set speed. Too high a cadence results in overspinning increasing HR and triggering extreme neuro-muscular activity resulting is very high joint impact.
Too low a cadence puts extreme stress on muscles (almost like power lifting) and if extended beyond a point, can cause high muscle fatigue or in extreme cases muscle damage.

HR decreases if you combination of Muscle-Skeletal-Fat proportion in body changes. Lower Fat, higher muscles proportion impacts HR in a positive way. This is because for a same weight of Fat and Muscle, the Heart needs to work lot more to keep the Fat cells active with oxygenated blood, while the muscles require a lot less. this is why elite athletes with fat % as low as 8-9% have lot less HR (both in resting as well as during training or races).

BMI is a very low level indicator, i may still be within my BMI and be unhealthy because i carry say 25% fat ! comparatively, i can weigh a little over my BMI and still be tremendously fit, if i have a 19% body fat!

With Right training, Diet and Recovery processes, this can be achieved.

Originally Posted by ebonho

This equation however rarely works for conditioned athletes in regular training.

The formula is simply a guideline for safety for someone completely new and starting off.

Yes Doc, you are right. This method is for those who start off and are looking for HR range to start their training on. 2 months into proper training with HR monitor then it needs to be logically arrived.