So I figured I'd start a bit of a training log, to share my journey from being fat and lazy to like my once former glory days of a well primed cycling machine. To be honest I don't care if there isn't too much interest this thread is more or less just to keep myself accountable because I am sure most are aware it's easy to slack off at times...
The Very Beginning:
Once upon a time in 2002-2008 I was quite fit, I loved mountain biking and would spend my weekends traveling up and down the eastern seaboard of Australia traveling to various events from Enduros' to 24 hours. I was never ultra-competitive at these events but saw it as an opportunity to ride somewhere different from time to time; I made a lot of friends and rode in countless different places. At the time I was about 85kgs a little on the heavier side for my 5’10” size but a majority of it was muscle mass.
The riding come to an end after an serious car accident at the start of 2009 although suffering only relatively minor injuries considering the severity of the crash, I am still plagued with issues with my shoulder. At the time the financial stresses of not working, etc.. become too much the bike was sold and MTB was never really thought about again.
The New Beginning:
So fast forward a few years, I now have beautiful wife and 3yo daughter and “30” is inching closer day by day… I purchased the dream bike from the glory days back in march of last year after spotting it on eBay (by chance); it remained relatively un ridden until I gave up work at the start of November of last year to pursue a more leisurely lifestyle. Since then I’ve been riding as much as possible and while I certainly still have no ambition to be ultra-competitive I am keen to complete in a few events this year.
I’ve dropped from 107kgs in November 2012 (I was even heavier previous to this) to 96kgs through nothing more than a change of lifestyle, and a little bit of exercise.
My goals
Firstly to get down below 90kgs, improve my flexibility and increase my energy levels; the flexibility and energy levels have improved dramatically since I’ve lost weight and it’s fantastic being able to chase my daughter around and climb on the playground for as long as she desires.
My secondary goal is to complete in the Vic Enduro Series and Wombat 100 (and whatever else) this year, as above I’m not expecting to be ultra-competitive but I’d love to have fun.
My Plan
I’ve formulated a bit of a “training” plan, it’s a bit of a coloration of one of those time saver plans from Training Peaks.com and my own rendition of what I know I can squeeze in… Obviously being a parent, and now working full time again I am pretty time poor; I try to make the best use of the time (for instance on the weekend just gone I head out in the dark with lights on). I’ve been working towards this plan the last few weeks and feel I’ve found a pretty happy medium, but per my header to the post I really need to make myself more accountable to keep on track.
Monday:
Rest because that shit is important!
Tuesday:
Run 3 to 5 kms, the aim of this is to work on general fitness more than anything but running is also good for cardio / endurance base. Runs will increase with distance as the weeks go on, but will probably stop at 10km or so.
Wednesday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (today I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).
Thursday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (atm I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).
Friday:
Run 3 to 5 kms increasing to 10kms or 1 hour Easy Spin on the MTB.
Saturday / Sunday:
MTB Ride 2 to 6 hours, varied terrain focusing on keeping a good tempo and technical skills.
Schedule will depend on whether ride is a longer ride on Sat or Sun or one on both.
So there you have it… Feel free to offer criticism to my training plan, goals or even get stuck into me for slacking off…
I am keen to see the results as the weeks progress, I’m already noticing improvement in my speed on the MTB.
The Very Beginning:
Once upon a time in 2002-2008 I was quite fit, I loved mountain biking and would spend my weekends traveling up and down the eastern seaboard of Australia traveling to various events from Enduros' to 24 hours. I was never ultra-competitive at these events but saw it as an opportunity to ride somewhere different from time to time; I made a lot of friends and rode in countless different places. At the time I was about 85kgs a little on the heavier side for my 5’10” size but a majority of it was muscle mass.
The riding come to an end after an serious car accident at the start of 2009 although suffering only relatively minor injuries considering the severity of the crash, I am still plagued with issues with my shoulder. At the time the financial stresses of not working, etc.. become too much the bike was sold and MTB was never really thought about again.
The New Beginning:
So fast forward a few years, I now have beautiful wife and 3yo daughter and “30” is inching closer day by day… I purchased the dream bike from the glory days back in march of last year after spotting it on eBay (by chance); it remained relatively un ridden until I gave up work at the start of November of last year to pursue a more leisurely lifestyle. Since then I’ve been riding as much as possible and while I certainly still have no ambition to be ultra-competitive I am keen to complete in a few events this year.
I’ve dropped from 107kgs in November 2012 (I was even heavier previous to this) to 96kgs through nothing more than a change of lifestyle, and a little bit of exercise.
My goals
Firstly to get down below 90kgs, improve my flexibility and increase my energy levels; the flexibility and energy levels have improved dramatically since I’ve lost weight and it’s fantastic being able to chase my daughter around and climb on the playground for as long as she desires.
My secondary goal is to complete in the Vic Enduro Series and Wombat 100 (and whatever else) this year, as above I’m not expecting to be ultra-competitive but I’d love to have fun.
My Plan
I’ve formulated a bit of a “training” plan, it’s a bit of a coloration of one of those time saver plans from Training Peaks.com and my own rendition of what I know I can squeeze in… Obviously being a parent, and now working full time again I am pretty time poor; I try to make the best use of the time (for instance on the weekend just gone I head out in the dark with lights on). I’ve been working towards this plan the last few weeks and feel I’ve found a pretty happy medium, but per my header to the post I really need to make myself more accountable to keep on track.
Monday:
Rest because that shit is important!
Tuesday:
Run 3 to 5 kms, the aim of this is to work on general fitness more than anything but running is also good for cardio / endurance base. Runs will increase with distance as the weeks go on, but will probably stop at 10km or so.
Wednesday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (today I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).
Thursday:
Stretching – Working on Core flexibility
Intervals on the trainer / gym, the first week started at 3 Sets of 3 x 30 seconds of Max efforts.
Intervals have increased by 30 seconds weekly (atm I am doing 3 sets of 3 x 2:00 min of Max Efforts).
Friday:
Run 3 to 5 kms increasing to 10kms or 1 hour Easy Spin on the MTB.
Saturday / Sunday:
MTB Ride 2 to 6 hours, varied terrain focusing on keeping a good tempo and technical skills.
Schedule will depend on whether ride is a longer ride on Sat or Sun or one on both.
So there you have it… Feel free to offer criticism to my training plan, goals or even get stuck into me for slacking off…
I am keen to see the results as the weeks progress, I’m already noticing improvement in my speed on the MTB.