How quickly can you lose cycling fitness?
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- Опубликовано: 27 июн 2024
- How quickly can you lose cycling fitness?
If you have spent time off the bike for any reason you may be wondering how much fitness you might have lost. Wonder no more because I can tell you!
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As someone who is over fifty, close to 100kg, has a plastic knee, and enjoys a drink or several, I don’t think it’s really possible to loose any significant fitness in less than two weeks. Psychologically, you may feel less able after a short hiatus, but personally I feel rested and rejuvenated if I have a break not exceeding 2-weeks
Yes!!!! Came here to say exactly this,.. Mind you all my parts are intact.. I do alot of fitness in the gym around cycling. Especially core work. I doubt if I'd struggle even after having a year off!! Haha
You can't lose what you haven't got.
sometimes I think losing fitness has more to do with age than inactivity. My dr says ppl my age should try to be as active as possible. She really believes if a person stops moving then aging catches up quickly. Tough to play catch up when in the 70's.
I have a bumper fun book of reasons why my fitness drops rapidly. Life gets in the way and thats fine😅
don't worry about it Leonard, you've got good base fitness so after a few smashy rides and it'll come back for you....what a top uncle you are though - doing things like that with your nephew is worth more than time on the bike :)
Got back on the bike this week after not having ridden for seven months my fitness was not to bad been out four times this week have done an average of 20 miles on each ride must admit wouldn’t have got back to riding if I hadn’t seen your posts thanks 👍
There are a gazillion factors in play here. For me, if I'm at average fitness, a two-day break won't matter, but a four-day break yields a noticeable change. My initial energy will be higher, resulting in a faster start. But my endurance will be down, so I will get fatigued more quickly.
That quick?
@@jollygoodvelo Yes, that quick. I'm 64, about 78.5 kilos, but should be 74. It goes away fast. People with whom I ride wouldn't notice, but I do.
Distinct lack of potholes there Len. Round North Herefordshire we'd kill for roads like that. I don't find I loose it that quick. 3 weeks off and I can feel it.
It's not just the fitness dropping off, the downtime usually comes with a bit of weight gain, double trouble!
Isn’t it!
You'll bounce back quick with a few rides. I notice I can go through a short break like this and the first ride or two is hard, but then fitness comes back. If I take a few weeks or months off or low effort, it takes much longer to get back to higher fitness. Always great watching your videos!
I wouldn't get too hung up on being in the big ring or small ring. If I have to use the largest gear on the rear cassette I always go down the cassette 3 or 4 gears and drop into the small ring to avoid stretching through chain. It also keeps everything much smoother. Try to avoid big cog on the back combined with large chain ring.
I used to climb to a very high standard. This required a somewhat anal approach to training, eating and leisure. What was always surprising was how I felt after a two to four week rest break in the autumn. Mentally I felt physically weak but my desire to climb was restored. Physically I was barely 5% below strength and flexibility. In short, a month off will be all in the mind if you don’t go crazy and decide to live on pies & cake for every meal.
Our temperature today was 48C, and I put my bike away for the remainder of the North Texas summer. It's simply too damned hot to ride. I'll ride vicariously through your videos, Leonardo, so ride in good health.
Glad you had a good time with your nephew in Prague; welcome home!
In my experience, the fitness goes down much faster than the muscle strength. After such a break I have to watch the heart frequency very careful because it can go up high while the muscles don't give a signal when it's too much. On the other hand, fitness also comes back fast, so nothing to worry.
It seems to be coming back fairly quickly.
Great update! Prague is a lovely spot for a visit. In regard to fitness, having a 10 day break is going to feel like strong fresh legs for me and it could just be my psychological mind state rather than physical feeling but I find I am ready for anything after that sort of break from the saddle.
I just had 10 days in Ireland and was lucky to have two rides there. The first Irish ride was only a few days after a 200k audax and legs/body were still fatigued. Somehow the 2nd ride in Ireland which was just another 2 days on and I was super strong again and enjoying pushing up some hills.
I also think that heavy walking trips also ultimately help with as some strength training but I think it might be different for everyone. I know for now I am happy with the feeling I get of having fresh legs after an extended break. Weight is my major issue though, I do put on the lbs on a holiday.
Good on your nephew, I’m sure he had a great time
From Oz … just had about 3 weeks off thanks to various factors including winter! Ugh! The work of ‘getting back’ is ahead …. Envying your glorious weather!
The weather here will turn again soon.
Normal service has resumed here in the UK. Pretty cool wet and a bit windy right now. I really don't know how the bbc are going to push their usual global boiling nonsense for this month. Apparently we had the warmest spring ever this year😂
Even professional sports have a break between seasons. Allows the body and mind to have a break and recover. Bit of walking, gardening or whatever to keep ticking over and fitness should pick up again when you’re back on the bike. Life’s to be enjoyed.
Great film Leonard,couple of rides you’ll be back on it.great you do those climbs in the big ring,I run a compact set up now,up until a year ago I was on 53/39 so much better now previously I never got out the 39!!!
Hope you enjoyed your trip,my son is into his fitness but not a cyclist but I’m trying to convince him to cycle the Normandy beaches.
I’ve only recently been able to climb in the big ring.
Another great video Leaonard. I did not ride much in the winter and am only now just getting my cycling fitness back again. Won’t be leaving it so long next time.
Personally I think a rest is really beneficial for me and people like your self, we are not professional athletes we do it because we enjoy it, any fitness you may lose you will soon pick up again with in a couple of weeks, looks like a nice ride where abouts in the UK are you? 🚴🚴
I’m in Hampshire between Petersfield and Portsmouth.
Nice area spent a few years in Pompey in my Navy Days 😊, keep up the videos 🚴🚴
You may loose some fitness but your muscles don't suddenly drop off. I think leg muscles take a while to build up but once you have them, they are with you unless you stop cycling longer term.
@@CrossHandsRider That fits with what I am discovering now.
I often do 6-8 week work hitches, and even though I can keep fitness levels reasonable through hotel gym, I do find a I get “man pain” for the first couple of rides. After that, all is good.
Maybe instead of wording it" losing fitness" perhaps go with "delayed my progession" instead..cross training with walks and hikes and weights help me keep my legs/balance in tune ( i hope), diet is always a challenge but if i were to give any other advice is" be careful what you tell yourself, you just might believe it" ..enjoying cycling is my main goal overall these days🙂... keep up the effort, its never a waste to try👍
Well, sir, you are looking strong 💪 though. Good ride
"Time to get it all back" That's what I've been telling myself. I rode my road bike twice this week and it actually felt good. I do still like riding my ebike, but it's time I rode my road bike more.
That’s what it’s all about, Dan!
I suspect you’d get it back within a week. Part of it is just getting the rhythm back. Once that happens it’s like a sudden increase in fitness.
I was off the bike for 5 days during the course I was teaching. To get fitness back fast I’ve ridden my heavy fat bike every day since Sunday. Feeling pretty good on it now.
@@chrisconnors7418 it doesn’t take long.
It has more to do with desire than fitness. Being off the bicycle for one day and your desire drops drastically to get back on the next. Even going out for just 1km a day will keep the desire going. Unfortunately my bicycle as developed this attitude where it will scream dirty words at me every 10 minutes or so all night long if I don't take it riding that day. So... I do have some incentive to go riding every day, especially if I want to get a good nights sleep in.
for me, speaking as a younger and a bit slimmer (dont take me wrong please :-)) person its most likely a mental thing. When I cycle one of my 100km routes, it's around my city, designed for a quick come back home if the weather changes to rain and so on. There is always that one spot where it's feeling "hard", technically spoken: it isn't. No Ascending no nothing. It's around the middle of the tour. (The route is designed moving outside the city to the east, bit north, then west, bit south and back to east). If I left the middle spot I feel like: was there something? For me as a guy who lives in a flat area it's the same for wind. Sometimes I don't give a f*** :) sometimes it's feeling hard, more like struggling (like 7-8-9 bft of wind), next day, same wind... yeah, lets goooo!! Psychology is an enemy sometimes
Psychology is half the battle indeed.
I'm in this same fitness dip due to too much lazing around. The fitness can come back quicker if we push hard for a few rides in a row.
@@AlanJames I think that’s all it takes sometimes
Life has a habit of getting in the way. You'll get it back. Prague has a great tram system! - but you've got to watch out for them, they don't give way. They've got mad acceleration up those hills!
My nephew certainly kept his eyes out for them.
4 weeks
Nice bike that Bianchi 😊
Thanks. It’s got a very similar colour scheme to a Bianchi but it’s actually a Trek.
For me it's really quick.
The same for me. 3 days and I feel a burn on my lungs I don't get if I cycle every day. I always push hard though. ❤
When you say you are in the big ring, what cassette ring are you in?
I’m in my lowest gear (28)
What a shame you never let your fans know. I'm English but live in the mountains of Czecb Republic, I would have come and got you and introduced you to the mountains of Liberec. Here there are some great climbs (as they say in Liberec, it's either uphill or raining).
@@Jharries1971 That’s very kind of you but I didn’t have a bike or even a spare half hour to go cycling. Maybe next time?
You are not the only.... I look at a cake and gain weight. I look at a pint I gain weight. I just keep getting back on the bike and enjoy every pedal stroke! Keep pedaling my friend.
@@hondasaurusrex6998 Enjoy!
Would anyone in chat kindly know if Zone 2 training would help get the fitness back for cycling?
It certainly will but it takes a while
I honestly feel like I lose fitness if I go more than 3-4 days without riding. And it's gotta be riding; walking or jogging don't offer the same benefit, to me at least. I know it's irrational but it's how I usually feel.
Walking will only get you to a certain point but I’m also convinced that it won’t help for cycling
Depends on genetics. You can take take a years break and not lose much… depends what your bench mark is. And overall shape. And what else your doing instead
What you def lose is the ability to sit in the saddle without getting tired on the bottom
...well looking at Strava you did 3 PR in hills so I dont think you lost 50%..... But in Strava points you lose a lot in 2 weeks....
The PRs might be down to not riding that route that frequently.
I do think your base level of bike fitness is strong enough to take some amount of time off
@@JeffOehlsen Even now I think it’s coming back.
Zone 2 guiding a self propelled brush mower and clearing land should sustain endurance and heat tolerance. At least I can pop into the house should heat get too much to bear. Summer is no longer cycling season here. I'll know if I'm right around September. Global warming.
The key word is 'enjoyment.' Without it, I don't really see the point in engaging in any activity, work being the most important one, since we spend a majority of our lives slaving away for money. The same goes for cycling, but, for me, it is dependent on the weather. I loathe riding in cold and wet conditions, so over the winter months I simply do not ride as often. In fact, I can easily go a fortnight off the wheels without any noticeable downturn in performance. If anything, a break of this length renews my enthusiasm. The only thing I would say is that I have never regarded myself as a competent climber, so I do struggle more with the longer ascents after a prolonged break.
Lucky you. Most people HAVE to do things they don't necessarily enjoy.
@@peterwillson1355 Luck has nothing to do with it, and no, you don't HAVE to do things you don't enjoy. You, like me, live in a country where opportunities to change one's life for the better can be made.
@@cycleholic58 So you enjoy everything you do?
My guess, in 3 days off the bike, one starts to lose.
Sounds about right.
You can get fitter by getting a real bike ( mountain bike)
Stop holding traffic up,and denounce your homosexual tendencies by stop wearing lycra!
Oh, Spartacus. Anything you say big boy.