Getting fit over the winter, pointers?

I'm a sports development officer - with a background in sports therapy and strength conditioning. I work quite closely with local cycling clubs to deliver performance related training info.

Keep the advice coming then Pistaboy!

i find running builds CV fitness and strips fat off me much more quickly than cycling does. but then i find running pretty fucking easy compared to most people, so i can understand why a lot of people prefer cycling.

blankface if you've been doing a fair bit of heavy weight work i imagine you're not the most nimble of distance runners? prolly better to start with the bike, and maybe chuck in some swimming.

I do go to the gym 3 times a week but 100% heavy low repetition weightlifting is what I do.

fuck yea. i love this stuff.

if you want to lose body fat please dont forget your diet.. not go on a diet, but what you put in your body on a daily basis. that stuff above is great for size and brute strength but unless you are doing a lot of posing too (body build style), the stamina will lack.

very important is not to overtrain. you can either train hard you can train long, but not both (to any real excellent degree). if you dont give your body time to not only recover, but to overcompensate you will end up feeling shite---overtraining.

overcompensating is this: when you exercise hard, your body and muscles become depleted in ways. you need to give them time not just to get back to where they were before, but to beyond the point they started. this is an simplification by the way.

go ride lots, but make sure you rest and eat properly and sleep too. listen to your body, and realise that if you are gonna beast yourself on your bike in a way different to what you are used to, its gonna hurt some. dont go crazy with exppectations.

running builds CV fitness and strips fat off much more quickly than cycling does.

true but its higher impact on joints and hurts more (doesnt have to be if correct technique is used, but mostly people dont run in a natural correct way) and less fun.

true but its higher impact on joints and hurts more (doesnt have to be if correct technique is used, but mostly people dont run in a natural correct way) and less fun.

as i said, it's easy for me, but i know why other people don't like running. it does get you fucking fit though!

I cant stand running, i find it extremely boring. great advice though!
Im gonna definatly stick to cycling.
Possibly a longer ride on the weekend (2-3 hours steady but fast pace) to build stamina.
then 2 shorter more varied rides in the week with a bit of interval training to build sprinting.
Hopefully this is a good balance as I realise its hard to achieve both!

that sound good?

I'm gonna go against the habit of a lifetime, and not just take the piss but offer some advice (don't say anything, I'm upset enough).

As well as all the good training advice above it's very important to have a good healthy diet as well.

If you're really serious about it best to consult a professional who can give you a weekly diet plan. Either through your GP or maybe they offer that service in your Gym?

If you're doing heavyweights in the Gym the best thing you can do is balance this with sessions on the bike (as is in your general planning). If you're doing heavyweights I'm guessing you wanna bulk up on muscle. And as you've found out this does nothing for stamina. You can't expect to completely offset this with time on a bike. So you'll need to compromise and decide if you want lean and mean or walnuts in a sack look (Wiggins or Hoy). Either way time spent on the bike will be beneficial. But Pistaboy sounds like the best bet for detailed advice and training plan.

So, Get on your bike and ride!

fuck yea. i love this stuff.

if you want to lose body fat please dont forget your diet.. not go on a diet, but what you put in your body on a daily basis.

Snap.
As in beat me to it :(

@badtmy yea fair enough, i wish it was easy for me. i can do it but i do find that it sucks fun wise. and yea, it does bumpup your fitness nicely. and for me, in a way that cycling doesnt do much anymore.

bad luck archo, you didnt take the piss and got beat to the advice given... (insert winky face emoticon here)

I cant stand running, i find it extremely boring. great advice though!
Im gonna definatly stick to cycling.
Possibly a longer ride on the weekend (2-3 hours steady but fast pace) to build stamina.
then 2 shorter more varied rides in the week with a bit of interval training to build sprinting.
Hopefully this is a good balance as I realise its hard to achieve both!

that sound good?

sounds like a great start.

bad luck archo, you didnt take the piss and got beat to the advice given... (insert winky face emoticon here)

Ha, That'll learn me.
Won't be making that mistake again
(insert sad face emoticon, a bit like this :( Actually exactly like that).

oh and another good thing to do and helpp keep an eye on things... check your resting heart rate as soon as you wake up, (literally, open eyes, realise you are awake, check heart rate). do it three times a week on the same morning for a while. hopefully you will over time see a drop in the average rate. actually its nice to see how your rhr (resting heart rate) changes over time and is an indicator of illness, poor digestion of heavy food the night before etc etc blahdiblah.

take a look here for heart rate info fun nonsense.

Yeah I need to measure my heart rate properly.
Can anyone suggest a cheap and accurate way of doing this?

with a cheap and accurate heart-rate monitor.

i just measured mine - i lay on my back for a couple of minutes and got it down to 43 (but it was sitting about 46-47). not bad, considering i haven't been training much for the last year.

the other way is, of course, with a watch and placing your finger over your pulse. count how many beats in a minute ;)

the guardian army fitness program.

Getting fit over the winter, pointers?
You talking to me? I'm already fitter than you'll ever be...

The Guardian has an army?

Do they look like this?

The Guardian has an army?

Do they look like this?

What, cross?

Miffed!

Getting fit over the winter, pointers?
You talking to me? I'm already fitter than you'll ever be...

yellow wee stain on the floor