Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

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iMad
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Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby iMad » Tue Jan 03, 2012 1:02 pm

Hi all, new here so question time for all you old hands.

Facts: I'm 66 yo, 20kg overweight and haven't cycled for over 20 years. I bought a Trek Hybrid about 7 weeks ago and have chalked up almost 500km. I love the bike and seem to be doing OK (except everyone goes by me like I'm standing still). I've dropped about 12kg since I started and hope to get the balance off over the next 6-12 months or so. I live (and ride) around Noosa Heads in QLD and anyone that's familiar with the area would know that it's very hilly with few easy rides of any duration. This morning I did 25.5km at an average of 19km/h and was quite weary when finished. I rode the hills south of here the other day for 16km and was completely devastated.

So my quandary is about the best way to approach a sensible training regime. Each time I speak to someone I get different opinions. One friend told me to cross train... cycle one day and swim or walk on the others. My son-in-law (triathlete) reckons I should be constantly challenging myself on hills to build strength (hence the ride with him the other day). He recommends one day hills, next day easier on flat. Then I read this article about base training http://www.cycling-inform.com/general-t ... -a-cyclist and even though I'm not preparing for the Tour de France, it sort of made sense. My son-in-law doesn't agree at all and still reckons hills is the answer.

OK at my age, my best years are behind me physically and with an extra 20kg to cart around I realise I won't be doing any tours just yet. But I just have a yearn to try for the (old farts) cycling bit in the Noosa Triathlon later this year. Right now it's a dream but I know with the right programme I might just manage it.

Any ideas?

Thanks
Tony
There are only two types of cyclist.
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.

Ken Ho
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby Ken Ho » Tue Jan 03, 2012 3:19 pm

Mate, just keep doing what you are doing.
You are getting great results, and I believe that you can't argue with results.
You are still base building, and getting great results in your weight loss, which is far more important to your general health than athletic achievements.
Well done !!!
You have officially become your parents.

iMad
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby iMad » Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:36 pm

Ken Ho wrote:Mate, just keep doing what you are doing.
You are getting great results, and I believe that you can't argue with results.
You are still base building, and getting great results in your weight loss, which is far more important to your general health than athletic achievements.
Well done !!!
Thanks for the kind words Ken
Problem is I'm a pretty compulsive sort of bloke and when I make my mind up about something that's it. I'm enjoying my rides as I'm going but I hate the damn hills!
I find that after a 12-16km hard ride with constant hills (hard for me that is... others on road bikes go whizzing by) I come home and want to die. I can barely move.

I was wondering if I might be attacking them prematurely... before I'm ready. That's what the article on base training was saying "do long distances at 75% of MHR for some months before attacking the mountains." (I really liked that idea :-)
I will keep going though, it's just that I have no idea if what I'm doing is right.
Cheers
Tony
There are only two types of cyclist.
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.

Waldo
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby Waldo » Tue Jan 03, 2012 4:57 pm

iMad wrote: I find that after a 12-16km hard ride with constant hills (hard for me that is... others on road bikes go whizzing by) I come home and want to die. I can barely move.
Hey Tony, sounds like a little of a competitve fire in there somewhere?
You mention you are riding a hybrid, so fair chance someone on a "proper" road bike and carrying equal fitness level would go "whizzing" past let alone someone that's been clocking up the kms for years. Don't worry about them go at your own pace and keep doing what you have been, may be a road bike in your future??
Congrats on progress so far, just don't overdo it, keep it challenging and most importantly fun.
Cheers,
Waldo

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RonK
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Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby RonK » Tue Jan 03, 2012 6:29 pm

You are riding a hybrid and are dismayed that roadies are whizzing by? Really? Don't you think there is a reason why they are riding road bikes?

You really do need to get your head around hills, they are a fact of life, especially in your area. And I agree that to come to terms with them you need to keep riding them.

I'm only a couple of years younger than you and also carrying a spare tyre, but spent last week at Noosa and rode the Tinbeerwah circuit every day for four days. You need to pick a route like this and keep riding it regularly so you can see the improvement over time, but yes you do need some easier recovery rides in between. The David Low Way down to Coolum and back is a lovely rolling ride on a fast smooth surface and ideal for a recovery ride. Just get out nice and early before the traffic.
There are other flat rides also - Boreen Point is another. And for a longer ride over mixed terrain turn left instead of right and ride through Pomona and Cooroy. There is one hill where you might have to walk a bit (I do) but the rest is all rideable.

And if you really expect to match pace with the roadies you will have to invest in a decent road bike.
Cycle touring blog and tour journals: whispering wheels...

iMad
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby iMad » Tue Jan 03, 2012 7:36 pm

RonK wrote:You need to pick a route like this and keep riding it regularly so you can see the improvement over time, but yes you do need some easier recovery rides in between. The David Low Way down to Coolum and back is a lovely rolling ride on a fast smooth surface and ideal for a recovery ride. Just get out nice and early before the traffic.
And if you really expect to match pace with the roadies you will have to invest in a decent road bike.
Thanks Ron
Holy cow!!! the ride from Noosa Junction south along David Low Way is where I was the other day suffering pain beyond description (well, maybe not that bad, but!)

Certainly you get a downhill run each time you climb but we did this after already tackling a few hills. I certainly wouldn't categorise it as "recovery ride"
I call a recovery ride basically flat ground with only a few hills. The ride to Coolum in the early bit is ALL hills, rolling I admit.

I've taken good advice here and I will include that ride maybe a couple of times weekly to see how I go. There's no doubt I've improved markedly since I began but my knees (both with arthritis) scream blue murder when I push uphill. My son-in-law has sent me a page on cadence because he claims I'm loading the pedals too much with too slow a cadence. Could well be.

Anyway thanks again all.
Tony
There are only two types of cyclist.
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.

duds2u
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby duds2u » Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:24 pm

iMad, congratulations on joining the rest of us outside.
I'm only a little younger than you and took up cycling about 18 months ago and know and ride the roads you are talking about regularly. Just give yourself some time to build your base of fitness and enjoy the journey. The best advice I could give is ride with a few guys who will challange and motivate you to continue to get ''out there".

From what I've found, the hurt doesn't go away, you just get faster for the same amount of hurt. As for hills, when you think you have conqered David Low Way, theres a little hill in Coolum accessed by Grand View Rd. The name says it all. :twisted:

Enjoy the ride.

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PawPaw
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby PawPaw » Tue Jan 03, 2012 9:55 pm

imad, do you also take financial advice from your son?
Unless he is a medical professional, ignore him.

I'd recommend you talk over your training with your GP, and if you were my father I'd make you get a stress ecg.
If your GP cannot give you clear guidance, go and see a sports physician. There's a few around the Sunny Coast.
In the mean time, stay away from hills. It is inappropriate for you to be putting your cardiovascular system under so much strain so early in resuming exercise, especially after a lifestyle that saw you gain 30kg of fat.
Get a heart rate monitor and have your GP or sports physician set you some goals and progressions.

In the meantime, advise your son to read up on cardiac arrhythmia and arthritis.

You may also want to get a bike fit from someone who understands the limitations of an aging body. The sports physician may be able to help. Your son and bike shops are unlikely to.

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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby greyhoundtom » Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:06 pm

PawPaw wrote:imad, do you also take financial advice from your son?
Unless he is a medical professional, ignore him.

I'd recommend you talk over your training with your GP, and if you were my father I'd make you get a stress ecg.
If your GP cannot give you clear guidance, go and see a sports physician. There's a few around the Sunny Coast.
In the mean time, stay away from hills. It is inappropriate for you to be putting your cardiovascular system under so much strain so early in resuming exercise, especially after a lifestyle that saw you gain 30kg of fat.
Get a heart rate monitor and have your GP or sports physician set you some goals and progressions.

In the meantime, advise your son to read up on cardiac arrhythmia and arthritis.

You may also want to get a bike fit from someone who understands the limitations of an aging body. The sports physician may be able to help. Your son and bike shops are unlikely to.
+1000 Absolutely essential to get the old ticker checked out FIRST, and make sure that the bike is set up to minimise pressure on your knees.

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RonK
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby RonK » Tue Jan 03, 2012 10:58 pm

iMad wrote:Holy cow!!! the ride from Noosa Junction south along David Low Way is where I was the other day suffering pain beyond description (well, maybe not that bad, but!)
Hehe - well after a few days riding the Tinbeerwah circuit it feels like an easy recovery ride. :lol:

An alternative is to take the Sunshine Motorway - it's flat and smooth, and you can cycle the first part from Noosaville to Peregian Springs. There is a short section of motorway, about 500m or so that you are not supposed to cycle, but I've used it to return to the David Low Way at the roundabout just south of Peregian. Then head back along the David Low Way, it's easier heading north.

For climbing, reps of Gyndlier Drive would be good, and there were plenty of riders doing just that last week when I was there.
iMad wrote:There's no doubt I've improved markedly since I began but my knees (both with arthritis) scream blue murder when I push uphill. My son-in-law has sent me a page on cadence because he claims I'm loading the pedals too much with too slow a cadence. Could well be.
Speaking of recovery rides you are not doing yourself a favour by competing with your triathlete son-in-law when you probably should be having a recovery ride. I suggest you get a bike computer with cadence and a heart rate monitor and work out a program of rides to cover all the heart rate zones, including recovery - there is plenty of literature available. He is probably right about your cadence, you should aim for an average 90 rpm, but it will take time to build up your aerobic threshold enough to achieve this. You've only been at it for 7 weeks, you really need to build up some miles in your legs. Yeah, I know about arthritis - my knees are not so good either, and I find it absolutely essential to maintain a good cadence so they are not overloaded.

And by all means consult your physician before you go too far - an exercise stress test is a good idea...
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iMad
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby iMad » Wed Jan 04, 2012 11:45 am

PawPaw wrote:imad, do you also take financial advice from your son?
Unless he is a medical professional, ignore him.

I'd recommend you talk over your training with your GP, and if you were my father I'd make you get a stress ecg.
If your GP cannot give you clear guidance, go and see a sports physician. There's a few around the Sunny Coast.
In the mean time, stay away from hills. It is inappropriate for you to be putting your cardiovascular system under so much strain so early in resuming exercise, especially after a lifestyle that saw you gain 30kg of fat.
Get a heart rate monitor and have your GP or sports physician set you some goals and progressions.

In the meantime, advise your son to read up on cardiac arrhythmia and arthritis.

You may also want to get a bike fit from someone who understands the limitations of an aging body. The sports physician may be able to help. Your son and bike shops are unlikely to.
I hear you loud and clear.
What I didn't say was that I have had a personal trainer for 6-7 of those years (she was unable to stop me eating or drinking) but pushed me quite hard. Since then I've been a member of a couple of gyms and have done quite a bit of work on a stationary bike. It's really only the last 10 months (since I quit my gym in protest to the unpleasant temperature in summer) that I've been completely sedentary.

My GP knows what I'm doing and is fully supportive. He didn't suggest a stress test or anything, I think because he was aware that until quite recently (about 10 months) I was working 3-5 days a week at the gym.
I guess at my age no-one can be sure about their ticker but if I was to continue the way I was going in the past 10 months I'd have finished up 150kg or more and a basket case.
Cheers
There are only two types of cyclist.
Those that have crashed and those that are about to.

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trailgumby
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby trailgumby » Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:01 pm

Your SIL is by the sound of things an accomplished recreational athlete who's been at it for a few years. I was talking with one of my brothers in law over Christmas, who is also a relatively new cyclist of about 3 years (albeit one of those leg-shaving latte-sipping roadie types :wink: ) and we formed a common view that it takes about 2 years before your body is reasonably well adapted to the requirements and is comfortable with a decent training load, including hill work. This seems to be consistent with stuff that I've read elsewhere and have heard from other "serious" cyclists.

Given that you've been riding for all of seven weeks, perhaps your SIL has forgotten what it was like for him when he first started. The body needs time to adapt, such that when first starting a new form of exercise the first 8-16 weeks are spent training to train. That is, getting used to the new pattern of movement and strengthening up in the appropriate places before applying anything like a training load.

I'd still suggest a proper heart test just to be safe - you don't have a spare you can just plug in if the original fails. For now, staying with what your'e doing and having appropriate days off and regular recovery weeks is the go. You can tell your Son-in-Law that you're base building :wink: ... because that IS what you're doing.

If that doesn't stop him offering unsuitable advice then you know he's no coach and listening to he would do for himself will not lead you anywhere good, because you're not yet in the right place. That will coem with time. The art of good coaching is providing advice that is appropriate for the trainee rather than fitting the preferences of the trainer.

Alternatively, perhaps you might like to invest those savings from the ceased gym membership in proper cycling coaching.

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PawPaw
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby PawPaw » Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:46 pm

iMad wrote:I hear you loud and clear.
Cheers
OK imad. thanks for new info. Keep in mind riding a bike on roads around traffic and on hills is a completely different scenario to a stationary bike.
It is very easy to spike your BP and HR outside.....and I get the impression the gist of your original question is that hills are tiring you and hurting your knees like you have never experienced before including your gym sessions.

If your GP hasn't given you objective guidelines, I'd see a sports physician and get a stress ecg. Or maybe you are underselling to your GP the intensity of what you have been up to.
Last edited by PawPaw on Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:48 pm, edited 1 time in total.

gabrielle260
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Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby gabrielle260 » Wed Jan 04, 2012 2:46 pm

There's great advice here from Pawpaw and Trailgumby... As hard as it is for some of us guys to take it easy, I would strongly recommend you don't try to keep up with your SIL and just ride your own pace. The majority of well respected cycling coaches (Friels, Carmichael and others) recommend beginners do 2 full seasons of base building. Given that, don't expect too much straight away - above all just enjoy your riding!
Disclosure - I'm a former level 2 cycling coach and spin instructor - I let my quals lapse 12 months ago!

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foo on patrol
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Re: Best Training Regime For An Older Newbie?

Postby foo on patrol » Fri Jan 06, 2012 8:51 pm

Another thing too remember is.......don't ride hard every day! :idea:

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