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HEALTH AND FITNESS: SPRING BACK INTO ACTION
Katharine McCoy
May 4, 2009
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Like a bear coming out of hibernation, spring is a time of renewal for many road riders. Depending upon the climate where you live or your ability to discipline yourself to hours of indoor spinning it may have been a while since you looked at your bike with excitement instead of duty. It is in the long, warmer days of spring and summer that many cyclists remember why they took up the sport to begin with. The problem is that for those who ride simply for this pleasure their fit and strong bodies that they had attained by last fall may have become flabbier and lazier.
Most of us know the feeling of taking a break from our riding for time, weather or health restraints only to feel like we are starting over. It can be completely frustrating to have your mind remember so clearly how fit you used to be yet your body seems to be in a state of amnesia. The good news is that no matter how hard it may seem to get back in the saddle, your muscles do remember and with a little will power and effort you can once again be riding at your pre-hibernation state.
1. Don’t rush it - One of the biggest mistakes a rider can make is going out to hard, too soon after a break. Your first couple of weeks out is not the time to kill yourself with intervals, climbs and centuries. The only thing that is likely to happen if you do that is that you will get injured or so wiped out that you will have to take even more time off. Start slow. Remember you are not going to be able to jump back right where you left off. Be patient both mentally and physically. Make sure to keep your heart rate monitor with you. For your first few rides back stay in your moderate to easy pace. If you monitor your heart rate and stay in the 65%-80% range you will begin to build back up your muscles and your lungs. When you begin to feel that you have recovered your base you can begin to add in sprints, intervals and longer rides.
2. Eat Right - Make sure that you are giving your self enough healthy food. It can be tempting if you have put on some weight over the winter to cut way back on your food intake. But if you think that an ultra-low calories diet is going to help you get back in shape you are wrong. Cut out the junk food and watch your portions, but still give your body the energy it needs to get back into training mode. If the majority of your diet is fruits and veggies, high quality protein and healthy fats and grains will help you to begin to lose the weight but give your body the energy it needs.
3. Cross-train - Do strength training. Lifting weights can shed some of your winter bulk and help your strengthen the muscles that have begun to atrophy. Core workouts, squats and upper body strengthening can all help to not only strengthen your muscles fibers but to help you avoid injury by over training muscles that have been left unused for a while.
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