Static cycling plan for weightloss

FitbitConnor

Hi, I realise this might be a tricky question but i'll ask anyway. Firstly for the last couple of years my lifestyle has been extremely sedentary, no formal exercise at all, barely used my real bike, walked very infrequently other than at work (which amounts to about 6k steps per day) but I have noticed the reduction in strength and stamina. When starting to lose weight/get healthy i decided that regular exercise was definitely going to be part of that but every time i have done it in the past i would try to rush ahead and injure myself then be unable to exercise for a period of time. So this time i decided to start from almost nothing, be patient and build slowly until i find my limits without exceeding them. Something i feel i need to add here is my static bike is not the greatest and i think it might actually be broken. When I increased the resistance on it it is by no means a gentle increment but then the higher you go the smaller the difference seems to be. so i started on lvl 1 for 30 minutes trying to keep my HR at around 120 and it was fine i felt like i had done something but was not aching or exhausted, then i upped it to 45 minutes and gradually included more time at lvl 2 until it was all lvl2 then i started at lvl2 adding lvl 3 etc until i got to the point i am now able to do a full hour at lvl 3 (still keeping my HR at around 120) My goal was to do 1 hour on my bike every day and gradually increase the intensity over time. The difficulty is... one hour on my bikes saddle is not very pleasant lol i think it might actually pinch the blood vessel or something as my lower leg gets pins and needles towards the ends of my sessions so i'm starting to think that maybe either i could do a shorter/more intense ride (Hiit?) or split the ride into a morning evening session?

I think the tldr version is I want to keep improving my stamina/strength and burning around the same calories but don't want to spend more than 30-45 minutes on my bike at the most in one sitting (happy to do 2x30 minutes morning/evening) Once i have lost maybe another 21lbs or so i'll be joining a gym and getting a more varied workout but for the moment i'm so unfit its really not worth the subscription fee and I've had this bike sitting in my house for a while now so i might as well use it! im going to have to do a tldr version for the tldr now...

Can anyone recommend a way to progress from here?

Many thanks, Connor.

RoToQ

I think tabata/HIIT is the logical step to take from here.

Try 30 seconds sprint, 60 seconds recovery spinning and see how that feels. Maybe set a max workout time for 20 mins too. As you progress, cut your recovery by 10 seconds and add to the sprint time.

Have a look on your smartphones app store as there are a lot of decent HIIT apps that allow you to vary the sprint/rest times even in the same workout.

FitbitConnor

awesome i'll take a look to see what i can find thanks for the advice.

TR0berts

Alternate every so often between sitting and standing. I'd think every 10-15 minutes, maybe? You'll still be peddling, but you won't be in the same position for an hour.

sijomial

Get a half decent turbo trainer.
Get a better saddle.
Get cycle shorts.
Stand up cycling intervals to relieve pressure/saddle soreness.
Vary your workouts between long low intensity, intervals and high intensity sessions.

Lastly - get outside!

Edited to add - you have some really nice cycling routes and countryside around Woking.
Get exploring, Surrey County Council and Sustrans.org are good resources.

kcjchang

^ this

RoToQ wrote: »

I think tabata/HIIT is the logical step to take from here.

Tabata? You'll need a power meter and cadence sensor. Intensity for Tabata IEI regimen is at 170% of VO2 Max at over 90rpm. Intensity for Tabata IE2 is even higher, 200% of VO2 Max if memory serves (Tabata found that the additional intensity doesn't buy much).

RoToQ wrote: »

Try 30 seconds sprint, 60 seconds recovery spinning and see how that feels. Maybe set a max workout time for 20 mins too. As you progress, cut your recovery by 10 seconds and add to the sprint time.

These are now being classified as HIT, one "I", as high intensity training (too much popular culture). 30 seconds are too long to stimulate the phosphagen system, 5-15 seconds, which forms the basis of HIIT. The other component is equal or shorter rest to work period.

FitbitConnor

sijomial wrote: »

Get a half decent turbo trainer.
Get a better saddle.
Get cycle shorts.
Stand up cycling intervals to relieve pressure/saddle soreness.
Vary your workouts between long low intensity, intervals and high intensity sessions.

Lastly - get outside!

Edited to add - you have some really nice cycling routes and countryside around Woking.
Get exploring, Surrey County Council and Sustrans.org are good resources.

Thanks for the responses!

That's the goal, I've always enjoyed cycling and would like to join one of the clubs local to me eventually but at the point i started this i was pushing 19 stone and in the worst kind of physical condition i have ever been in. In my mind however i'm still 20 and able to cycle 20 miles without breaking a sweat. So Combining that with my tendency to over exert and injure myself i'm building gradually and once i get down to maybe 15stone i'll think about buying a road bike (those skinny wheels don't look like they could take the 19 stone version of me) and i 100% would look like badly wrapped sausage meat in lycra so that's definitely not happening for a while!

I tried an app for interval training and although i did feel like i was dying as i was doing it and my thighs were burning when i turned the resistance up, i cant really tell if I have done enough? It was set for 20 minutes of 30 second intense (bike lvl 5) 60 seconds rest (bike level 2) I recovered pretty fast after i stopped, maybe i should try another session this evening?

sijomial

Intervals don't have to be short duration and ultra high intensity - mine vary between 2:30 mins and 10 mins for an hour when training indoors.
Partly to mimic the Surrey Hills where 10 minute climbs aren't unusual.

Let's face it - wearing Lycra isn't a good look whatever size you are!

FitbitConnor

sijomial wrote: »

Intervals don't have to be short duration and ultra high intensity - mine vary between 2:30 mins and 10 mins for an hour when training indoors.
Partly to mimic the Surrey Hills where 10 minute climbs aren't unusual.

Let's face it - wearing Lycra isn't a good look whatever size you are!

Haha, indeed! I think I might just be over-complicating things at this point trying to keep track of every little bit of progress probably isn't necessary and just doing as much as i can every day to keep active is plenty until i get closer to my goal weight, pretty much anything i do seems to be shedding the fat pretty well once i get leaner i'll get a bike and a garmin or something and that should do the trick for charting any fitness related progress. definitely like the sound of getting a turbo trainer for those days where the weather is to rubbish though!