How did you build your fitness?

gettingto65

Hi,
I'm about to join a gym and am looking to increase my general endurance fitness.
I'd love to give HIIT a go but at this stage I am far too unfit for this.

How would you recommend getting fitter for a very unfit person just starting out? I'm planning on just walking and cycling and building up my time/resistance as I go. But time wise, how long should I wait between upping my time etc? I don't want to not push myself or push too hard. I have no clue how to tell how much is too much.

Thanks!

usmcmp

Get in and see how it goes. For running you could follow something like Couch to 5k. Fitness would also include resistance training and there are lots of free programs out there for that.

lorrpb

Walk, cycle, and begin a strength routine. TRX is awesome and very adaptable to your fitness level. I started walking 1 mile with multiple rest stops and increased as I was able. Your body will tell you when it wants to do more, but you should be able to add at least 5 minutes every week. Just take it slow and easy, while still challenging yourself. There is no reason to go crazy, hurt yourself, or get so sore that you feel discouraged. I don't think it sounds like you are ready for running yet. You should be able to walk 45 minutes with no stops before you think about C25K.

cwolfman13

gettingto65 wrote: »

Hi,
I'm about to join a gym and am looking to increase my general endurance fitness.
I'd love to give HIIT a go but at this stage I am far too unfit for this.

How would you recommend getting fitter for a very unfit person just starting out? I'm planning on just walking and cycling and building up my time/resistance as I go. But time wise, how long should I wait between upping my time etc? I don't want to not push myself or push too hard. I have no clue how to tell how much is too much.

Thanks!

I started out just walking (Sept 2012)...did that for a couple of months and then started a C25K program and signed up for a 5K...a couple of months later I joined a gym and started lifting with Starting Strength while continuing to run on non-lifting days. Nine months or so after I started (May 2013), I went to maintenance having reached my goal weight wise and started training for a sprint triathlon using a novice program I found on-line. I was injured while training and couldn't participate in the race, but along the way I discovered a new found love of my bike. I bought myself a CX bike for versatility sake in August 2013 and dabbled in cyclocross a bit that fall...dropped running completely and started riding and lifting full time with a little swimming here and there.

In December 2013 my dad passed away from a widow maker that was correlated with his type II diabetes. In his memory I signed up for my first cycling endurance event, The Tour de Cure which is a fundraising ride put on by the ADA. I found a 100 mile training template on-line and started training in January for my ride in May and raised over $2,000 along the way. In March of 2014 I was on a training ride and was in an accident...I was thrown over my handle bars going 20+ MPH and severely sprained both of my rotator cuffs and was sidelined for over a month. Due to the loss of training time I opted to do a 1/2 century rather than the full. When the ride came around in May, I was still in some pain but I wasn't going to let my dad down...I pinned a picture of he and I together on my Jersey and hit the road. I cried a lot during that ride.

I fell in love with road riding during my training and proceeded to sign up for and train for more endurance events...mostly fundraisers for various causes. In the fall of 2015 I decided to invest in a carbon road bike being that was the bulk of my riding and continued doing 2 or 3 endurance events annually. Last summer (2016) I was signed up for and training for a time trial series...my first USAC sanctioned event. During my training I suffered a herniated disk but still participated in one of the races of the 4 part series...it was too painful and I ultimately ended up sidelined yet again with 8 weeks of physical therapy...all said and done, I wasn't really back on my bike full time until this past December.

I lost a lot of my fitness with my time off, but I've been working things back up over the last couple of months. I will have my first endurance race in June as a cat 5, so that is what I'm training and working towards currently. I will also be signing up for the time trial series this summer as I'm a little irritated that I couldn't complete the series last year. I will also likely be doing a for fun tour ride in September and will cap the season in late October with the Day of the Tread which is a fun ride I do with my wife and kids annually.

Moral of the story...just start working...set some goals...train towards those goals. I'm a big proponent of following structured programs...left to my own devices I tend to do too much. It's a crazy, wild ride, and there's no telling where your journey is going to take you. There will be hiccups and set backs along the way...they're all a part of the grand adventure.

singletrackmtbr

To me, whatever you choose, it's a good idea to learn what you can do and what you think you can do. Learn about Perceived Rate of Exertion and start using it. I like the Borg scale but there are a lot of other methods.

Once you know your 6,15,or 20 it will make it easier to tailor your program and effort levels to get results. Good luck!