Struggling with Mountain Biking
Lastchancetochange
Posts: 146 Member
Hi finally today we could go out. So I've gone to do some Mountain Biking. My issue is as soon as we start to get some inclined trails my heart rate goes up very fast to 176 or 170 aprox and basically I have to stop because I run out fo breath. In normal roads i'm fine but it's very frustrating to get tired so easily when the hills start.
I lost 7 kilos ( 16 pounds ) in the last week but still have 18 ( 40 pounds ) of overweight.
Any suggestions on how to improve this stamina ?
I lost 7 kilos ( 16 pounds ) in the last week but still have 18 ( 40 pounds ) of overweight.
Any suggestions on how to improve this stamina ?
3
Replies
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Have you got suitable gearing for the inclines and are you trying to keep your pedalling cadence up on the climbs?
(If you try to power up grinding away at low cadence you will quickly exhaust yourself....)
How to improve stamina? Cycle more - build up the duration steadily, long low intensity rides builds a base of stamina.
Ultimately to get good on hills you have to ride a lot of hills but to be OK on hills just needs proper technique and reasonable fitness levels.
PS - you lost 7 kilos in a just a WEEK?
Why? How?3 -
Have you got suitable gearing for the inclines and are you trying to keep your pedalling cadence up on the climbs?
(If you try to power up grinding away at low cadence you will quickly exhaust yourself....)
How to improve stamina? Cycle more - build up the duration steadily, long low intensity rides builds a base of stamina.
Ultimately to get good on hills you have to ride a lot of hills but to be OK on hills just needs proper technique and reasonable fitness levels.
PS - you lost 7 kilos in a just a WEEK?
Why? How?
Thanks for the tips. I lost 7 kilos in 3 weeks and a half. Im doing keto and intermitting fasting.1 -
1 - make sure you have proper gearing for the terrain, and then make sure you use those gears.
2 - ride more. The best way to get better at riding is to ride.
3 - make sure you are reasonably well fed/nourished/fueled and rested.5 -
Most mountain bikes are geared so you can practially ride them up a cliff (slight exaggeration) it sounds like you're trying to grind it out going uphill. Slow down and use the appropriate gears (it's not unusual to feel the extra exertion on inclines, FWIW according to my Garmin my HR hit 183 this morning but my average on a 20km ride with 45m of climbing was in the 130s)1
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Also, GCN on YouTube regularly has videos on this topic. Here's one...
https://youtu.be/9Y54EVBB180
But a search for "gcn uphill gear" (without the quotes) will get you a bunch of others.1 -
All good tips above. As someone who's lost about 80lbs since I started this two yrs ago, and can easily go another 40 (like you), there is a constant, well, "struggle" is the common term, but I'd prefer prefer some other word, don't know what, but you get my drift I think. Gradual increase in capability/distance/incline/effort, proper gearing and riding technique, etc. is the way forward.
Don't know your age, but I found Joel Friel's book, "Cycling Past 50" to be full of good training tips and background. If the "... Past 50" part isn't relevant, he has a number of well-regarded cycling training books published, including "The Mountain Biker's Training Bible," which I haven't read. "Gradual" doesn't necessarily mean "straight-line increase" as Friel points out. You can have varied training efforts.
I came back into cycling 2 years following decades away (I was a road tourer until my sedentary career and "Dad years" came to predominate). Seriously overweight, physically in terrible shape, age-and-weight health issues, I felt the need to change *something* and I was inspired to ride again by my daughter. I retired slightly early and got doing it. Everyone has a different path and goal, but generally speaking, it's an activity for the long haul, with gradual results. I have some underlying issues that cause hills to never be my friends, but I can cope with them much better these days than previously. Be sure you have medical clearance. You'll also find that dropping a few pounds is much better than dropping big bucks on some ultralight tech to shave a couple of grams off the bike (that's something you'll do because, well, it's fun to spend on things, LOL). Also, keep in mind the old saying, "you can't outride your fork," meaning that dietary modification/moderation is a key part of the program. I put on a bit of muscle mass to counterbalance somewhat for fat pounds lost.
I ride flat pedals, "because." However, I found that bar ends, now somewhat "unfashionable," help with my uphills because I can use more upper body effort effectively to assist in the climbs. I ride about 50/50 on-road/off-road, 80/20 paved/unpaved, don't do "shredding"/tricks/jumping/etc. on the trails - I like getting into the outdoors and exploring as a vital component of exercise.
Sorry to ramble on. This is obviously one of my "soapbox" topics. Good luck and good riding!
3 -
All good tips above. As someone who's lost about 80lbs since I started this two yrs ago, and can easily go another 40 (like you), there is a constant, well, "struggle" is the common term, but I'd prefer prefer some other word, don't know what, but you get my drift I think. Gradual increase in capability/distance/incline/effort, proper gearing and riding technique, etc. is the way forward.
Don't know your age, but I found Joel Friel's book, "Cycling Past 50" to be full of good training tips and background. If the "... Past 50" part isn't relevant, he has a number of well-regarded cycling training books published, including "The Mountain Biker's Training Bible," which I haven't read. "Gradual" doesn't necessarily mean "straight-line increase" as Friel points out. You can have varied training efforts.
I came back into cycling 2 years following decades away (I was a road tourer until my sedentary career and "Dad years" came to predominate). Seriously overweight, physically in terrible shape, age-and-weight health issues, I felt the need to change *something* and I was inspired to ride again by my daughter. I retired slightly early and got doing it. Everyone has a different path and goal, but generally speaking, it's an activity for the long haul, with gradual results. I have some underlying issues that cause hills to never be my friends, but I can cope with them much better these days than previously. Be sure you have medical clearance. You'll also find that dropping a few pounds is much better than dropping big bucks on some ultralight tech to shave a couple of grams off the bike (that's something you'll do because, well, it's fun to spend on things, LOL). Also, keep in mind the old saying, "you can't outride your fork," meaning that dietary modification/moderation is a key part of the program. I put on a bit of muscle mass to counterbalance somewhat for fat pounds lost.
I ride flat pedals, "because." However, I found that bar ends, now somewhat "unfashionable," help with my uphills because I can use more upper body effort effectively to assist in the climbs. I ride about 50/50 on-road/off-road, 80/20 paved/unpaved, don't do "shredding"/tricks/jumping/etc. on the trails - I like getting into the outdoors and exploring as a vital component of exercise.
Sorry to ramble on. This is obviously one of my "soapbox" topics. Good luck and good riding!
Thanks for all the info and tips. I'm 41, I'm overweight since I was 18, had a knee injury and 30 kilos in 1 year. I've never had stamina for cardio, running I would get the stomach aches so I never really did it. Now I can't run for the injury so bycicle is my cardio option. I don't get stomach aches but I do lose my breath as soon as uphill starts.
So anyhow starting to work on this.
Lets see how it goes.3 -
Also, GCN on YouTube regularly has videos on this topic. Here's one...https://youtu.be/9Y54EVBB180
But a search for "gcn uphill gear" (without the quotes) will get you a bunch of others.
Thank you, that's great!1 -
For myself improving my cardio, cross training. Nutrition and hydration. And like others said ride as much as you can. I have dropped 26 lbs in the last few months and it's made a difference as well. Just in the last few weeks with quarantine I've seen improvements in both my road and MTB just because I've been able to ride more.4
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Climbing in dirt is hard! But, at least it's fun, too! Just keep at it, resting when needed. You'll get much better fast.2
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If you are getting short of breath when exercising, you may have what doctors call out-o-shape-itous. It’s pretty common and takes a few months to cure.4
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For myself improving my cardio, cross training. Nutrition and hydration. And like others said ride as much as you can. I have dropped 26 lbs in the last few months and it's made a difference as well. Just in the last few weeks with quarantine I've seen improvements in both my road and MTB just because I've been able to ride more.
That's good advice, it's definitely tiring so I guess it should build up.
0 -
@Lastchancetochange, if you're not already doing so I suggest tracking your rides in Strava. It's a great way to gauge your improvements on trails you frequent.2
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@Lastchancetochange, if you're not already doing so I suggest tracking your rides in Strava. It's a great way to gauge your improvements on trails you frequent.
I use it but what do you mean?0 -
allother94 wrote: »If you are getting short of breath when exercising, you may have what doctors call out-o-shape-itous. It’s pretty common and takes a few months to cure.
I'm very out of shape, what I don't know is if I can get in shape. 41 years old, knee severely operated, and very out of shape0 -
Lastchancetochange wrote: »Have you got suitable gearing for the inclines and are you trying to keep your pedalling cadence up on the climbs?
(If you try to power up grinding away at low cadence you will quickly exhaust yourself....)
How to improve stamina? Cycle more - build up the duration steadily, long low intensity rides builds a base of stamina.
Ultimately to get good on hills you have to ride a lot of hills but to be OK on hills just needs proper technique and reasonable fitness levels.
PS - you lost 7 kilos in a just a WEEK?
Why? How?
Thanks for the tips. I lost 7 kilos in 3 weeks and a half. Im doing keto and intermitting fasting.
Keto means you're able to use your aerobic system for energy to get up the hills, but you're not able to use your anaerobic system. This would be a lot easier with carbs because you would be able to produce more power. Climbing is all about power to weight.1 -
Lastchancetochange wrote: »allother94 wrote: »If you are getting short of breath when exercising, you may have what doctors call out-o-shape-itous. It’s pretty common and takes a few months to cure.
I'm very out of shape, what I don't know is if I can get in shape. 41 years old, knee severely operated, and very out of shape
FWIW I started running / cycling when I was about 50 (I'm 64 now) I could barely run around the block without thinking death would be a sweet release. I stuck with it, starting short & slow, and gradually built up my fitness. Ran my first 5K at 53 and since moved on to half-marathon distances and Olympic distance triathlons (if it hadn't been for the pandemic I was supposed t do my first half-irron triathlon next month). Be consistent and don't overdo things...you'll amaze yourself with what you can do.
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Build your base endurance.
Google “building cardiovascular base”
Basically, ride more.1 -
Also, if you’re fine flat it might be your climbing muscles. If you can ride for a while without getting tired, even going fast, then do hill repeats. If you’re just going easy flat then you probably need to work harder (bike faster) to exercise your heart more.0
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If you really want to build climbing muscles, try staying seated while going up a hill (not getting out of the saddle) and pushing through your heels as you extend through the pedal stroke. You can even keep a lower cadence if you want to make it extra hard. This is honestly my favorite.
But it can be injurious if your body isn’t conditioned for it so walk before run0 -
Lastchancetochange wrote: »@Lastchancetochange, if you're not already doing so I suggest tracking your rides in Strava. It's a great way to gauge your improvements on trails you frequent.
I use it but what do you mean?
I like to see my improvements in my times on different segments and by riding some of the same trails that are areas I used to walk that now I don't have to come off my bike for. Some days I think I suck and yet I will have a PR.1 -
Have you got suitable gearing for the inclines and are you trying to keep your pedalling cadence up on the climbs?
(If you try to power up grinding away at low cadence you will quickly exhaust yourself....)
How to improve stamina? Cycle more - build up the duration steadily, long low intensity rides builds a base of stamina.
Ultimately to get good on hills you have to ride a lot of hills but to be OK on hills just needs proper technique and reasonable fitness levels.
PS - you lost 7 kilos in a just a WEEK?
Why? How?
I was thinking he was grinding but that rarely gets ur heart rate up, I usually notice higher cadence = higher HR. Spinning is Winning
Just keeping working on ur endurance and cardio. Maybe even try road biking and hills...trails are can be pretty dynamic, at least on the road you can practice just the climbing and not be worried about the technical side of mountain biking.
Dont overdo it but be consistent, recovery is where a lot of actual progress is made.
And yeah...that weight loss is too drastic..dont starve yourself and expect to get stronger on the bike.0 -
Lastchancetochange wrote: »allother94 wrote: »If you are getting short of breath when exercising, you may have what doctors call out-o-shape-itous. It’s pretty common and takes a few months to cure.
I'm very out of shape, what I don't know is if I can get in shape. 41 years old, knee severely operated, and very out of shape
What makes you think you might not be able to? The knee might limit the activities you do, and your current ability/conditioning will obviously impact what you can do at what intensity, but with consistency your body will adapt, you'll get stronger, and you'll see improvement.0
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