Biking kicks my *kitten*

Nertak
Nertak Posts: 34 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I do find it hilarious i'm making this thread while a "is biking really exercise" thread is live right now. Didn't want to derail that thread though.

I just bought a bike and dear god did biking kick my *kitten*. I wanted to do a 5 mile trail and back. Ended up having to turn around early, and had to rest twice along the way. One rest was 30min plus of me unable to catch my breath. The trail wasn't flat but for every hill i had to climb I also had a downslope. So i figure that should have counteracted it?

I'm 5'10 male, 29. I weigh 224 pounds. I know i'm obese and that i'm new at it but I really never thought biking would be so hard.

Any advice?

Thanks.

Replies

  • Weezoh
    Weezoh Posts: 171 Member
    You're about my height but a lot younger and lighter than when I started; Keep at it, in a flat parking lot if you have to, and you'll improve quickly.

    Make sure you are on a bike that fits you. cycling underwear or shorts might help, but if you're fatiguing more quickly than your nether-regions complain you just need to get your wind up.
  • DMarkSwan
    DMarkSwan Posts: 56 Member
    Stick with it. You'll make some quick progress starting out. Shift down to easier gears so you are spinning the pedals a little quicker without applying a lot of force. It's evil, but going back down a hill does not counter act going up it. The time you spend going up is much longer than the time going down. So more of you time is spent at high effort (and going slow) with your rests being shorter in duration.
  • Nertak
    Nertak Posts: 34 Member
    I got the bike from a dedicated bike shop. Its a Canadale quick 6 and it was measured for me by an employee there. How often would you recommend I go biking? like everyday or should I have "rest" days where I walk or something instead?
  • dbmata
    dbmata Posts: 12,950 Member
    I do find it hilarious i'm making this thread while a "is biking really exercise" thread is live right now. Didn't want to derail that thread though.

    I'm laughing that someone actually took my comment as literal.

    Boggles me mind!
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
    I started there two. Now I've twice done AIDS/LifeCycle and a couple of centuries (100 mile rides). I got better pretty quickly. It's a fun way to exercise. And it come with snazzy outfits!
  • ashenriver
    ashenriver Posts: 498 Member
    Is your seat at the right height?

    I just discovered this yesterday, I raised my seat and riding became worlds easier.

    Your seat should be high enough that your legs are almost fully extended while pedaling. Your feet should not be able to touch the ground while on the seat.
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
    I got the bike from a dedicated bike shop. Its a Canadale quick 6 and it was measured for me by an employee there. How often would you recommend I go biking? like everyday or should I have "rest" days where I walk or something instead?

    Did they fit you? If you start riding a lot then a "professional" fit will do wonders. It takes a couple of hours, but they adjust all sorts of things.

    As for how many days to ride - it depends on how hard you're riding. If you're commuting or just easy riding then just keep going. If you get back from a ride feeling like you just climbed the Alpe d'Huez then I'd say relax a bit.
  • iggyboo93
    iggyboo93 Posts: 524 Member
    What a timely topic for me. Just got on a bike after a 10 year hiatus. Rode 3 miles with a family friend who is helping my daughter learn to ride a bike. He brought a tandem so my daughter rode on the back of his bike to get comfortable with the idea of biking. I followed behind in the hopes that I would be inspired to start riding with my kid and exercise. Words cannot describe the pain in my backside area from that hard thin seat. I will take fire belching hemorrhoids over this any day. My calves are still twitching. My shoulders are aching. And worst of all, I almost had a head on collision with a little kid on a bike because I wasn't used to steering quickly. We'll be riding again tomorrow - the kid is excited to try it again...
  • cowbellsandcoffee
    cowbellsandcoffee Posts: 2,975 Member
    Just stick with it.

    Fun is just around the corner. :bigsmile:
  • sharonKay65
    sharonKay65 Posts: 93 Member
    I know this isn't really advice, but your post brought a smile to my face, because I too recently decided to add biking to my activities, my first ride lasted less than 15 minutes, and there was a couple of times, I was beginning to think I might really die before I made it back home. :wink: I got back, and nearly passed out in my chair!! Grant it, I am 49 and have not ridden since I was a teenager, but I didn't realize how difficult it would be, with me being out of shape. Anyway, I hope it gets easier for both of us!!
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
    After doing AIDS/LifeCycle I took most of June off. Got on the bike on Saturday (cuz TdF, right?) and wow...I just did 20 miles, with 2 big hills that I've done a few times before. They were much harder than I remember. You lose strength and stamina fast, I think.
  • mkollenb
    mkollenb Posts: 8 Member
    I know you can do it. I started biking almost now 5 months ago. I have lost 41 pounds total and I bike 12 miles to work & 12 miles home total of 24 miles a day. Bike along the canals and you will enjoy it so much. It's great fun!!!!! I know I am not at my weight loss goal but I like the fact that biking seriously will get you to your goal.
  • Birder155
    Birder155 Posts: 223 Member
    My boyfriend made a few adjustments for me on the bike before it became comfortable enough to ride for longer distances.
    The biggest and best change was angling the handlebars differently. Also, the seat height so that my legs are nearly fully extended and the seat itself. My bike came with a small, hard seat and my BF changed it out for a wider, softer one for my biggish butt. :laugh:

    Getting my patootie used to the ride takes about 2 weeks of riding.

    I agree with going in to an easier gear to start with. If you ride regularly you'll be amazed how quickly your strength and lung function improves.
  • canadianlbs
    canadianlbs Posts: 5,199 Member
    I just bought a bike and dear god did biking kick my *kitten*.

    i want to thank you for this, sincerely. i bought the first adult bike of my life 11 years ago, with happy expectations of a second childhood and all . . . you just reminded me about the first time i set out to ride to the grocery store five or six blocks away. dude, i like to teh died. and it took me forever to get myself properly habituated . . . granted i was fighting anaemia and a big rheumatoid arthritis flareup at the time, both of which just make you want to sleep under the nearest big bush. but still. bikes look easy, but they use the biggest muscles in your body. and that uses up oxygen.

    whenever i start out to go back to bike commuting after a layoff, here's what i tell myself every time: the first four weeks are your plan. expect nothing during those weeks. just do it and get through it, and if you still want to quit after that . . . well then you can quit. but do the four weeks. it takes me about that long to get myself and my legs reconditioned to where riding gets to be fun.

    but it is really fun. truly and really, it is. put in four weeks if you possibly can, and be kind to yourself while you're doing it. after a while, you start getting the feel for it - not only do you start getting stronger, but you also start to build up the sense of how to use all that energy efficiently, so you're not just flailing and thrashing and tiring yourself. i hope you do have the same experience, because honestly, once it stops hurting . . . there's nothing like the feeling of being on a bike. it's the closest thing to getting to fly that there is.
  • zenhiker2014
    zenhiker2014 Posts: 84 Member
    Just wanted to echo those who said to use easy gears to start. I don't know if you're 'mashing' in a tough gear or not but I see people doing that and it will definitely wear you out. Use a gear you can spin comfortably. So what if it means you don't go as fast. Speed will come with time.
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    I second the idea of having professionals fit your bike to you, since you don' t know how to do it yet.

    I'm 50 now with all kinds of weight and orthopedic issues. However...

    In my 20's I did sprint-length triathlons and trained for tin-man length (but never competed--the training is what gives benefit anyway).

    Back then there was a concept called "LSD"--not the drug, but "Long Slow Distance".

    The idea was that when starting out road biking after a long haitus, you needed to do about 1000 miles (! not all in one session) of long, slow distance over flat terrain, using your target heart rate zone (web search if unfamiliar) to guide your exercise intensity.

    Only after completing your LSD would you have enough aerobic capacity to start doing hills, wind-sprints, and all those other sorts of exercises that build speed for competition.

    Frequency of your exercise depends on how much time it takes to recover. if you have over-trained, your resting heart rate in the morning, in bed, before you get out of bed, will be 10% higher than usual. This indicates you should take the day off.

    Exercise doesn't build fitness--it sends the signal to your body to do repair and upgrade work on your tissues during the rest periods between the actual exercise periods. This is why it is important not to neglect rest between exercise sessions. How much rest you need depends on age and fitness level, which is why the resting heart rate criteria is nice as it is self-adjusting to your unique body.
  • 7elizamae
    7elizamae Posts: 758 Member
    I am not obese and ride my stationary bike almost every day. You'd think I'd hop on a bike and hum along happily with happiness, right?

    Well, no. I borrowed my teenage son's bike yesterday for a real-outdoor-bike-ride the other day. (Both my tires were flat as I have not ridden my own bike since last summer.) His bike has a lousy rock-hard seat and low-ish tires. My lady parts were KILLING me :noway: and I almost quit 15 minutes into the ride.

    So, yes, biking can kick one's actual *kitten* -- regardless of of fitness level or weight.

    Tomorrow I'm bringing my own bike in for a tune-up and a nice cushy old-lady gel seat. I'm determined to make outdoor biking work for me.

    Get a better seat, make sure everything is adjusted properly and the tires are inflated well and get out there again. Be sure to let us know how it goes!
  • LAT1963
    LAT1963 Posts: 1,375 Member
    I forgot about seats.

    There are guy seats with grooves down the middle to avoid compressing certain nerves that you probably would prefer not to damage.

    There are also extra wide seats for women because our pelvises are wider than men's, and there are extra wide seats for each gender to help obese riders.

    You may have to start with a wide seat then switch to a narrow one if you are a man because the wide one may start to hinder full range when you approach your ideal weight.
  • Loralrose
    Loralrose Posts: 203
    It might be you... or it might be the bike. Here's a few things that might make your next ride easier:

    1) pump the tires up! There's a pressure range printed on the side of your tires, inflate them to the maximum pressure rating.
    2) Make sure your brakes don't rub on the wheels. Spin each wheel slowly and watch the brake pads to check. If they're rubbing take it in to the shop.
    3) Set the seat height so that your leg is fully extended at the bottom of the pedal stroke
    4) Use a lower gear when starting or going uphill.

    If none of that works, that's okay. Keep riding. A lot of times it takes about 100 miles to "break in" your bike. After a hundred miles or so you will notice it is MUCH easier to ride ;)

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