Why aren't I getting fitter? Why isn't it getting easier?

HarrietSabre

Heya,
I've been cycling every day now for about 3 months - I do 25+ minutes a day on fairly flat ground. I also go to the gym maybe once a fortnight. I know this isn't a lot and I don't change my routine much (except to add walking or cycling time) so I'm not expecting to get EXTREMELY FIT, but it's not getting any easier. I think that cycling is actually getting HARDER as time goes on, and I turn up every day for work after 15 or so minutes of cycling absoloutely boiling and so warm and can't breathe... I'm not obese, probably BMI of 25ish, maybe a little less.

My thoughts are -
something wrong with the bike - it might be really difficult to ride? my friend has got a new one and he says it's no effort at all for an hour of cycling (and his endomondo says he goes at 12mph or more for the whole thing!) and he hasn't done exercise in 10+ years
something wrong with me - what can i do to help?

help me either way? any avid cyclers know how to improve my bike? any fitness fanatics know how to improve my lung capacity?

junipearl

I biked to work and back every day all summer - and did the trip most weekends for fun as well.

I found that when I was forced to take a few days rest due to weather, I came back much stronger!
Your muscles need time to recover.

#1 thing to check is your tires - that's the easiest fix and can make a HUGE difference in how easy the ride is.
If your tire pressure is fine, try your friend's bike for a day and see if it is any easier? If it is, take your bike in to find out what is wrong with it.

Cyclink

To quote a classic: It never gets easier, you just go faster.

25 minutes per day is not a lot. It is enough to see some basic health benefits, but with a total of about 3 hours a week, it's really not enough to see performance improvements. It's not even enough to work in a few intervals (allowing for a warmup and cooldown). You would be better off to ride an hour 4 times a week so that you can get a more intense workout.

It's possible that you have a brake pad or something rubbing on your bike. If you can pick up the bike and spin the wheels, they should roll for quite a while before they stop. If they roll fine, then the problem is probably not in the bike (assuming the tires are not flat).

Are you having problems with other exercises, like running or weight lifting?

If you're that warm, is it possible that you are overdressed or under-hydrated? How is your diet? (are you eating enough to actually fuel the exercise?)

scottb81

Have you had your iron checked. Low iron levels could cause you to feel very weak in endurance exercises because it lowers your red blood cell count.

Spatialized

To quote a classic: It never gets easier, you just go faster.

25 minutes per day is not a lot. It is enough to see some basic health benefits, but with a total of about 3 hours a week, it's really not enough to see performance improvements. It's not even enough to work in a few intervals (allowing for a warmup and cooldown). You would be better off to ride an hour 4 times a week so that you can get a more intense workout.

It's possible that you have a brake pad or something rubbing on your bike. If you can pick up the bike and spin the wheels, they should roll for quite a while before they stop. If they roll fine, then the problem is probably not in the bike.

If you're that warm, is it possible that you are overdressed or under-hydrated?

This.

Sounds though like you need rest days.

HarrietSabre

It's not the brakes, that's the first thing I checked.
I might need more iron/protein in my diet to be honest, I don't eat extremely well. I usually have a rest at weekends because it's primarily a mode of transport, but I generally walk at least an hour both weekend days - it does depend. I'm not really trying to get extremely fit, I just want this mode of transport to be easier for me because it's terrible. Underhydration and overdressing might be a problem, wore a light jacket today instead of my big winter coat and it did seem a lot easier.
I haven't done running in about a year, I might add this in 2-3 times a week for about 30 minutes to see if this is also difficult.

Thanks for the advice, I might also go and get my bike checked...

Any other suggestions about what to do for exercise?