Preparing for cycling - especially after injury?

beahealthybee

Hey there everyone!

I want to be an cyclist and hope to lose weight/get in shape that way. I had a shoulder injury over the summer that caused me to be off my bike til now. I went to PT but haven't really done my stretches/exercises religiously....well, spring's coming up and I want to get my body prepared for biking. I finished PT a couple months ago and they told me to continue on my own.

My plan: Do my stretches every day, some basic strengthening exercises, and the basic weight lifting exercises a few times a week to make my body limber/build back muscle that I lost and then some. This is while logging food every day/drinking water, etc. Then after 2 or 3 weeks (longer if my shoulder needs it), I'll start biking (weather permitting!).

So here's my question: is it silly/stupid to try to have a steady stretching/yoga and light weight lifting regime before even thinking about cardio? It's my hope that this will prepare my body for actually working out....but will this do anything for me? Will it help me get back on the bike?

Additionally, do you guys have any resources for me?

Thanks!
B.

adam1885282

If you have a PT I'd say do whatever your PT tells you to do. But you didn't heed that advice!!

Personally, I think stretching is way overrated. The best way to get good at cycling is by cycling. Start slow and increase your mileage a little each week until it's where you want it.

That said, cross training is vital to being a great cyclist. Core strength is underrated like stretching is overrated.

Good luck, and have fun!

beahealthybee

If you have a PT I'd say do whatever your PT tells you to do. But you didn't heed that advice!!

Personally, I think stretching is way overrated. The best way to get good at cycling is by cycling. Start slow and increase your mileage a little each week until it's where you want it.

That said, cross training is vital to being a great cyclist. Core strength is underrated like stretching is overrated.

Good luck, and have fun!

Thanks! Forgot to mention - I finished PT a couple months ago and they told me to continue on my own.

TheBigYin

If you're going to stretch, stretch AFTER the ride, not before - at least that way your muscles will (or at least should) be warm.

Basically, just start nice and easy, short ride, and increase the duration by no more than 5-10% each time - ride every other day initially, then when you get to say a couple of hours at a ride (or whatever you consider to be a reasonably worthwhile ride), stop increasing the duration and ride 2 days on, 1 day off for a while. If it's a bit tough do 2on,1off,1on,1off then try going back to 2/1 patterns - it'll come. Then step up to 3 on 1 off, 2 on 1 off. It's all about gentle and progressive load increase.

And don't forget the days off - you don't get better/fitter on the days you train, you get better on the days you recover.

Doesn't mean you need to be completely idle on the non-riding days, just don't use the same bits you use on the bike (cardiovascular system and your legs - so no running on rest days - do strength/core exercises by all means) As you ride more, you'll find the bits that ache at the end of a ride - they're the bits you need to work on on the off days.