Commuting a good way to get fit ?

If you only ever stick to the same routine your fitness will tend to level off rather than progressing. Your body becomes efficient at doing the same thing over and over, and you're not asking your body to do any more than it's used to doing. If you want to progress rather than maintain you need to vary your programme a bit and demand a little bit more from your body. E.g a couple of journeys a week, try and do sprints where you are pushing your body hard for short periods of time, then recover, repeat, etc
But hey, riding 5+ days a week is commendable regardless!

John Scott said:

I have been cycling for 2 yrs now and have slowly got fitter and fitter by riding 3 evenings a
week(about 15-20 miles a time) and riding 30-40 miles a weekend. Now recently I have started
riding to and from work, 10 miles each way, 20 a day, 3-4 days a week, replacing the evening
rides. Now I do tend to go flat out for the 10 miles to and from work, we do have showers at
the office.

Do you think I will be able to maintain my fitness progress just commuting instead of my evening
rides ?Bearing in mind that I'm replacing 15-20 mile rides with 2x10 mile rides.

What fitness goals do you have? Commuting that much by itself will get you pretty fit, you might
want to top it up a bit if you really have a goal in mind. We've always done the bulk of our riding
on our daily commute, but last year topped it up significantly in advance of he transrockies.
Looking at your schedule I can't see the switch from evenings to commutes as making much difference.

You could do a longer route on the odd evening commute home. It's what I used to do whe I had a 10
mile in & out journey, doing anywhere from 20 to 50 home. (That was 12 years ago, its now 32 each
way, so sadly I share a car, but sometimes I cycle home the 32, & even both ways on the very odd
occasion).

Anyway, just increase the distance gradually, say an extra 10% per week; you'll soon be doing loads.
(More than me, I must get out now & leave the 'net alone).

Niv.

"John Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been cycling for 2 yrs now and have slowly got fitter and fitter by riding 3 evenings a
week(about 15-20 miles a time) and riding 30-40 miles

a

Quoted message said:

weekend. Now recently I have started riding to and from work, 10 miles

each

Quoted message said:

way, 20 a day, 3-4 days a week, replacing the evening rides. Now I do tend to go flat out for the
10 miles to and from work, we do have showers at

the

Quoted message said:

office.

Do you think I will be able to maintain my fitness progress just commuting instead of my evening
rides ?Bearing in mind that I'm replacing 15-20 mile rides with 2x10 mile rides.

Thanks, John

Start to increase your weekend rides to 40-50 then 60 including hillier routes and every now and
again do a longer one like 75-80 miles. Set a goal for the end of the Summer such as an organised
100 mile if there is one that is convenient for you.

"John Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been cycling for 2 yrs now and have slowly got fitter and fitter by riding 3 evenings a
week(about 15-20 miles a time) and riding 30-40 miles

a

Quoted message said:

weekend. Now recently I have started riding to and from work, 10 miles

each

Quoted message said:

way, 20 a day, 3-4 days a week, replacing the evening rides. Now I do tend to go flat out for the
10 miles to and from work, we do have showers at

the

Quoted message said:

office.

Do you think I will be able to maintain my fitness progress just commuting instead of my evening
rides ?Bearing in mind that I'm replacing 15-20 mile rides with 2x10 mile rides.

Thanks, John

"John Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote

Quoted message said:

I have been cycling for 2 yrs now and have slowly got fitter and fitter by riding 3 evenings a
week(about 15-20 miles a time) and riding 30-40 miles

a

Quoted message said:

weekend. Now recently I have started riding to and from work, 10 miles

each

Quoted message said:

way, 20 a day, 3-4 days a week, replacing the evening rides. Now I do tend to go flat out for the
10 miles to and from work, we do have showers at

the

Quoted message said:

office.

Do you think I will be able to maintain my fitness progress just commuting instead of my evening
rides ?Bearing in mind that I'm replacing 15-20 mile rides with 2x10 mile rides.

Thanks, John

For general aerobic fitness have you ever considered running as well as biking? I reckon I get far
more fitness value from 40 minutes running at
7.30 minute miles than I do than I do riding 20 odd miles at (what a quick calculation tells me)
must be an average of about 13.5 mph on my bike (MTB on the road). Both of these are what I find a
naturally pleasurable pace for each activity. I've never used one of those heart rate monitors but
I know I don't get out of breath biking. Don't know how fast I'd have to be going to produce the
same heart rate as I get running but it wouldn't feel natural and I doubt I'd want to keep it up
for long. What does anyone else find?

Andy

"Andy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

for each activity. I've never used one of those heart rate monitors but I know I don't get out of
breath biking. Don't know how fast I'd have to be going to produce the same heart rate as I get
running but it wouldn't feel natural and I doubt I'd want to keep it up for long. What does anyone

else

Quoted message said:

find?

I find cycling is much easier and more pleasurable than running, even at high heart rates, and you
go a lot further for the effort!

Rich

The great advantage of using commuting to get fit is all the time you gain by combining exercise and
commuting. Think of those who commute by train or car and then have to spend time in the gym or
whatever. mike

"John Scott" <[email hidden]> wrote in message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I have been cycling for 2 yrs now and have slowly got fitter and fitter by riding 3 evenings a
week(about 15-20 miles a time) and riding 30-40 miles

a

Quoted message said:

weekend. Now recently I have started riding to and from work, 10 miles

each

Quoted message said:

way, 20 a day, 3-4 days a week, replacing the evening rides. Now I do tend to go flat out for the
10 miles to and from work, we do have showers at

the

Quoted message said:

office.

Do you think I will be able to maintain my fitness progress just commuting instead of my evening
rides ?Bearing in mind that I'm replacing 15-20 mile rides with 2x10 mile rides.

Thanks, John