To much riding over exercise?

[gary-trek]

5 miles everyday?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

No.

 

[jhuskey]

I would say that is about right but I would add that you left off the 0 that goes behind the 5 = 50.

 

[Viking55803]

5 miles would be a good warmup for an actual ride. Seriously, it takes me 20 minutes of steady but easy-moderate effort to get warmed up. If time is an issue, a 20 minute warm-up followed by a series of high intensity intervals, say 5 one minute "sprints" followed by 1-2 minutes of rest between intervals and a 10 minute cool-down might be a good conditioning strategy. Do that 2 or 3 times/week with one longer ride and would not be anywhere near "over-training."

P.S. I'm 65 y/o and coming back from quadruple heart bypass surgery 15 months ago.

 

[jhuskey]

Well the heart issue make a difference but you are still young.

 

[gary-trek]

So ignore back pain and keep riding for the fun?

 

[CAMPYBOB]

Is your back injured? Is the cause of your pain old age, a damaged back, poor positioning on the bike, a lack of physical conditioning or something else? Do you stretch before riding? Have you seen doctors? All the usual questions yada yada...

A lot of us 'ignore' back pain. My back was broken in two places by a Camaro slamming into me. Getting older and a life of demanding physical labor hasn't made the pain go away, that's for sure.

We simply choose to ride farther and faster...or at least as far and as fast as we can. Swimming and cycling are two forms of exercise that are fairly easy on the body. As long as you don't have a Camaro run up your backside!

 

[gary-trek]

I'm 17, I think it's because I'm exhausting my back bending down all day either at work or on the bike

 

[RonSwanson]

I don't think it's too much. Back pain is something a lot of people suffer with. It usually is from feeling tired or on the job.

 

[doss]

Add some core work into your daily routine. At 17 without an injury you most likely slouch, and have a weak midsection. Suck it up and put in the miles and time Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[maydog]

You are doing something wrong. Barring injury or physical defect, slow 5 mile road rides should not be causing pain. Go to a local bike shop and chat about the issues you are having.

 

[jpr95]

At 17, you had better get that back thing figured out soon and develop good posture and work/lifting habits NOW. I'm almost 40, and have a pretty strong back (and stomach muscles), but when I do tweak it, it seems to be a little worse every time, and can really lay a guy up. Most of the people I know who are older and have really bad back problems were either really sedentary desk jockeys, or they worked hard, physical jobs with little regard for proper movement. It's not fun to go several days where every time you stand up (or any other movement) a back spasm takes you almost to the ground.

 

[Damien Lee]

There are days when I will walk more than 5 miles, let alone ride. You need to ride far longer distances before you could seriously say that you're getting some decent exercise. I would recommend 15 miles as the bare minimum but preferable more than that. But if you're just starting out and just trying to get a feel for cycling, I guess 5 miles is more than what most beginners would do.

 

[Khatib22]

5 miles isn't too much. I've seen people go around 10 a day and they still want more. It's really up to the rider's time and goals in where they end up.

 

[Khatib22]

You are doing something wrong. Barring injury or physical defect, slow 5 mile road rides should not be causing pain. Go to a local bike shop and chat about the issues you are having.

Definitely agree with you maydog, 5 miles is nowhere near enough to be causing pain. It might be a bike issue or it might be a posture issue, but you shouldn't feel pain in anywhere except your legs (from soreness.)

 

[Uawadall]

I use to either walk or jog 5 miles in each direction to work, it wasn't taxing on my body. on a bike thats less than 20 minutes and I'm just starting to warm up at that point..

 

[Corzhens]

5 miles would be a good warmup for an actual ride. Seriously, it takes me 20 minutes of steady but easy-moderate effort to get warmed up. If time is an issue, a 20 minute warm-up followed by a series of high intensity intervals, say 5 one minute "sprints" followed by 1-2 minutes of rest between intervals and a 10 minute cool-down might be a good conditioning strategy. Do that 2 or 3 times/week with one longer ride and would not be anywhere near "over-training."

P.S. I'm 65 y/o and coming back from quadruple heart bypass surgery 15 months ago.

Gee, I admire you for having the tenacity despite your age. I hope I can still bike when I am 65 and without that heart surgery. And you say that 5 miles is a good warm up for an actual ride. It gets me thinking because that 5 miles is 8 kilometers here which is already a trip in my book. Although I sometimes ride for more than 20 kilometers (and maybe longer on some occasions) my usual riding is about 5 kilometers. And that's a ride already and not a warm up.

 

[AlanManley]

I do 10 miles daily just to and from work. If I go for a ride it's at least 20 and that's only if i am pushed for time.

 

[mpre53]

A fit 90 year old won't wear himself out riding 5 miles a day.

 

[GemmaRowlands]

For me, 5 miles isn't very much at all, however you have to think about your own personal fitness levels before you make your mind up about what's too much and what's right for you. I know that 5 miles would be more like a warm up for me, nice and slow, before I try to build up some speed. But if you've only just started cycling then you might find that it is a little bit more challenging, and something to be aware of. So it is very much down to you as an individual, and you just need to work it out for yourself. You should know how your body feels. If you exercise and feel good then I'd say there was nothing wrong with that at all.