motivation for training?

[Ev]

Hey all,

Over the last few years the amount of riding has decreased due to uni, work and generally just not having the time or cash required to maintain this beloved sport of ours. With this general lack of riding came the inherent weight gain..
Late last year i managed to begin to find the time and money (new job) to be able to start riding again regularly, but my fitness is extremely sub-par at the moment.

Now i have an old roadie in the garage set up on an indoor trainer, as well as a basic home gym/weights set begging to be used, but i just cant seem to motivate myself to actually use them.
I really want to get on them and try bring my fitness up to a competetive level once again so i can re-start racing, but everytime i go down there to do something, i decide i would just rather work on my bike, or watch a dvd or something..

Now i don't want to join a gym, because frankly it will be wasted money - i just wont use the membership..

Have any of you suffered this lack of motivation in the past? What brought you out of the slump and back into a regular training routine? I really need to get past this as i'm really suffering fitness wise on the bike...

Any suggestions would be of great help!

Also, can you recommend any training regimes to bring up my fitness quickly ad well as gain core strength?

Cheers guys,

Ev

 

[jham66]

A new bike always helps for me.

Other than that entering an event gives a good short term goal. See your local bike shop about group rides too.

 

[rye_bear4]

Motivation

It's always good to have a mate ecouraging you to push that extra mile. keeping up with a faster rider always helps me become a better rider.

 

[Ev]

Thanks for the input guys,
It's not so much a lack of motivation to ride. I'm probably more motivated than ever to ride, the problem is moreso a lack of motivation to put in some miles on the roadie and improve my fitness..

I've got an awesome crew that i ride with so i've always got someone to try keep up with, but i need to get stronger and fitter in order to get faster from this point, and i need to be doing more than the weekly shuttles/push runs in order to pick this up... Like getting up early to punch out some miles on the trainer - this is where i'm struggling..

 

[gregb]

Could you put the trainer in front of the telly so you can crank out some miles while watching your favourite shows?

And +1 for enter an event.

 

[Morgan123]

Could try getting a gym membership? If you're stingey enough it won't take long to get fit . Trainer in front of the telly would help a fair bit, might do that myself.

 

[Stef]

Dude, try and enter an event in a few months that you want to do well at. Then schedule a realistic plan to build on. In your case start with 3 hours on (hour sessions) the roadie each week to get your base going. Leave a note near your bed when the alarm goes of you can read "the mega avalanche won't ride itself!) or something. Remind yourself when you think of bailing that you'll feel soooo much stronger after you do it everytime!

Goodluck

 

[harmonix1234]

I find that having one day in the weekend as a 'justf#ckin'doit' day helps.
This way you can mentally prep yourself through the week for it rather than trying the old spur of the moment go downstairs and stare at the trainer, turn around and go upstairs again.

Getting up early really helps too. I find I can get in a huge ride in between about 6:30am and 10:30am and then you still have the rest of the day to do all your normal stuff and it eliminates the 'I don't have time / Should be doing something else' demon on your shoulder.

But most of all, the biggest inspiration for me to excersice is to go a different route when road riding.
Go down a road you have never been down and see where it goes, and then just keep going.
You can get a massive amount of clicks under the belt when distracted/stimulated by new scenery and fresh corners.
Try getting off the trainer and actually hitting the tarmac. It's a lot more stimulating, you will get a better work out, and have more fun.

This is all just what works for me.

 

[GravityJockey]

I find the thing that keeps me on the bike is social rides with friends and the guys from the local bike shop. rather than just sitting in your garage you need to get out and do it.

Thats why we mountain bike... cause we enjoy geting out there and seeing what we can do on our bikes.

So have a yarn on here to some local riders or go see your lbs and see if they have a shop ride and get out and ride

 

[el~rio]

I find the thing that keeps me on the bike is social rides with friends and the guys from the local bike shop. rather than just sitting in your garage you need to get out and do it.

+1

Road riding isn't so boring if your in a group, plus if you know there's a group ride on at Xam you know you have to be ready by then, helps me get motivated anyway.

Try not to think of it as training , rather just riding.

I like the idea of the quotes beside the alarm clock as well.

 

[Cypher]

I use positive and negative factors to get me going.

Positive factors are the rewards you give yourself for achieving your goal. Like a new toy should you make the grade. Also I use props to help me get out there and doing stuff - like my heart rate monitor - I love the stats.

Negative factors need to be used with care so it doesn't take over your life and become unhealthy. I find reading women's magazines really make me want to get out and train. Also competition with a mate can help - it needs to be someone who you are close to in fitness and style. Trying to compete with someone who just outclasses you is a bit de-motivating, but trying to beat your mate who rides at the same speed as you up the hill works every time for me.

Again, be careful with the negative motivators - a little bit of guilt and shame can work really well - to get you off the couch, but you don't want it to ruin your friendships or make you neurotic. You need to keep it in perspective and make sure you have stated your goals clearly

 

[eyes]

Not in any particular order:

1. Weekly club or shop ride - if it's too slow, then pick out some speedsters and organise another ride on a different day - or continue riding with them after the scheduled ride.

2. Enter an event - force mates to enter, beat mates, feel good. This in turn encourages mates to get fitter! They beat you next time - this pisses you off, start loop again...

3. New bike - or if not that, new wheels or something sweet.. For me this was recently a new helmet...

4. Go do some more aggressive trail riding or light DH. This will get the juices flowing. I find when my fitness is lacking I go on a bang out screaming ride, have a few stacks - destroy a rim or two, crack a frame - or something you feel alot better. Dominate the trail, launch the XC bike into the AIR! Do some tricks like a flattie or a whip, this will help you 'potatoe chip' the said rear wheel of your bike making you feel ALIVE!

 

[PINT of Stella. mate!]

Get a hold of a shitload of new music. Slap it on the ipod and use training rides as an excuse to escape from the daily grind with a storming soundtrack.

Use the exercise bike for cranking out intervals and sprint sessions.Nobody ever wants to waste too many hours on a machine that takes most of the fun (ie getting from a-b, wind rushing through yer hair, cutting through traffic etc) out of it so why not use it for what it's good for: cranking out short yet demanding and satisfying sessions that can't be done on the road - it's damn near impossible to rip out 8second full speed sprints every 12 seconds when you have traffic lights, hills etc to contend with.

Get vanity on your side. It won't take long before your legs start to feel like they belong to some sort of mad cyborg and you'll even start to delude yourself into thinking that they look that way too. Use your new-found narcissism to encourage you into further training, (warning, this may eventually lead to waxing, tanning salons and tight t-shirts...)

 

[easo78]

If you have the time, equipment, you are healthy and you want to do it, you have no excuse not to. If you want to be fitter then getting something you want is your motivation.

When you have done it you will feel good about doing it and next time you think about not doing it remember how good it felt to have done it and use this as further motivation to do it again... if that makes sense!