Over Doing it?

[Centy]

Howdy All,

I recently purchased a MTB (Sep 2014) and started riding regularly for weight loss and fitness. My weekly program has gone from a few casual rides a week (20-40klm) to the following.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Wednesday - 5klm run
Thursday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 60-80klm MTB Group Ride
Sunday - 5klm run

I’m 30 years old, tip the scales at 90kg and my fitness has improved dramatically since Sep. I have been considering incorporating lap swimming on my rest days to give my upper body a workout, however over the past week or so I've found myself struggling. My legs don't feel sore, but the endurance just isn't there. I would be interested in hearing your opinions on whether you think this is too much for a beginner...or if this is just a lull experienced by many new to regular activity.

Thanks in advance.
Cent

[ValleyForge]

Looks like good work is being done, but there will be always be times when the mojo goes, you feel like it's too much....

Swap the running for the swimming and blame the summer weather for the mojo-fail. Just a thought.

Also if you are currently losing weight faster than 0.5kg a week, you will feel awful. Nothing bad happening with respect to metabolism, but for most adults difficult to handle fatigue.

[bychosis]

Keep the rest day and do the lap swimming in place of something else.

[macca33]

Any 50-60Km day on a MTB is solid - it takes a fair bit more to push them along that it does a road bike!

We've all had those moments where we feel fatigued and the best thing to do is have a rest day or two or reduce the intensity markedly for a short while to allow your body to recover, then get back into it.

Congrats on the improved fitness / health too!

cheers

[Centy]

Thanks All, glad to know its all part of it.

I'll drop the intensity of my next few rides and swap out the running for the swimming on alternant weeks and see how we go.

Cent.

[gabrielle260]

+1 for all the comments above. My thoughts- you are doing the volume and intensity where nutrition and hydration become significant determinants of performance. In other words it is important that you get those right or else your recovery after each session will be compromised.
Andrew

[Centy]

Thanks for the tip Andrew.

I must admit, I have given little thought to nutrition and the correlation to recovery as apposed to just having the energy to get through each ride. For a 50klm ride, I take two bars, a bottle of shorts drink and a hydration pack with water. This works out to be about 40g of carbs per hour....which I'm going to assume isn't enough.

I guess I need to do some homework

[TheWall]

I have found that taking the odd couple of days break does wonders for my ability to push harder in excercise.

[gabrielle260]

Yes, it's important what you eat and drink before and during your rides. However I mostly meant after your ride and after your runs. I've known plenty of people who get it right on the bike but as soon as they get off it all goes out the window!!

[Duck!]

If your rides are proper MTB rides, that's a pretty intense routine! 50-60km on dirt very roughly correlates to the effort of 100-120km on road.
I would look at dropping one of the shorter rides, swapping a run day for a swim & leaving an extra recovery day.

And +1 to what's been raised about nutrition.

[Centy]

Thanks Guys.

I take your points on the nutrition and is something I'm working on. I have recently had to cut gluten and dairy from my diet, which surprising isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would. I eat clean during the week and tend to get a little loose on the weekends....social get-togethers and so on, but certainly no blow outs.

I actually lost 1.7kg or approx. 2% of my body weight last week, which I suspect had a lot to do with my lack of mojo. Still trying to balance the new diet/exercise combination to allow for slow and sustained weight loss.

[ValleyForge]

Thanks Guys.
I have recently had to cut gluten and dairy from my diet, which surprising isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would.

I actually lost 1.7kg or approx. 2% of my body weight last week, which I suspect had a lot to do with my lack of mojo. Still trying to balance the new diet/exercise combination to allow for slow and sustained weight loss.

I think you have the answer there. I assume there is a "bona-fide" reason for going gluten/dairy free; or is it personal preference?

[Centy]

Thanks Guys.
I have recently had to cut gluten and dairy from my diet, which surprising isn't bothering me as much as I thought it would.

I actually lost 1.7kg or approx. 2% of my body weight last week, which I suspect had a lot to do with my lack of mojo. Still trying to balance the new diet/exercise combination to allow for slow and sustained weight loss.

I think you have the answer there. I assume there is a "bona-fide" reason for going gluten/dairy free; or is it personal preference?

For the most part, its personal preference. Originally it was part of an experiment my wife conducted...(I was the lab rat)...damn that thermy. Now she is convinced I'm intolerant to gluten and dairy and I must admit, I feel better without consuming it, but I'm yet to be properly tested.

[gorilla monsoon]

Howdy All,

I recently purchased a MTB (Sep 2014) and started riding regularly for weight loss and fitness. My weekly program has gone from a few casual rides a week (20-40klm) to the following.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Wednesday - 5klm run
Thursday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 60-80klm MTB Group Ride
Sunday - 5klm run

I’m 30 years old, tip the scales at 90kg and my fitness has improved dramatically since Sep. I have been considering incorporating lap swimming on my rest days to give my upper body a workout, however over the past week or so I've found myself struggling. My legs don't feel sore, but the endurance just isn't there. I would be interested in hearing your opinions on whether you think this is too much for a beginner...or if this is just a lull experienced by many new to regular activity.

Thanks in advance.
Cent

I just want to know where the hell you find that kind of time!

[Centy]

Howdy All,

I recently purchased a MTB (Sep 2014) and started riding regularly for weight loss and fitness. My weekly program has gone from a few casual rides a week (20-40klm) to the following.
Monday - Rest
Tuesday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Wednesday - 5klm run
Thursday - 50 - 60klm MTB
Friday - Rest
Saturday - 60-80klm MTB Group Ride
Sunday - 5klm run

I’m 30 years old, tip the scales at 90kg and my fitness has improved dramatically since Sep. I have been considering incorporating lap swimming on my rest days to give my upper body a workout, however over the past week or so I've found myself struggling. My legs don't feel sore, but the endurance just isn't there. I would be interested in hearing your opinions on whether you think this is too much for a beginner...or if this is just a lull experienced by many new to regular activity.

Thanks in advance.
Cent

I just want to know where the hell you find that kind of time!

The rides during the week start at about 7:00pm give or take (ride for 2.5-3hours). The runs typically at about 8:00pm (run for 30min). Swimming will be done during my lunch break and the weekend rides start at daylight (5:30 - 6:00am) and depending on distance we are generally back anywhere between 10am - 12pm.

This fits in pretty well with my family life. I'm always home for the evening rush with the kids and don't leave until after they're in bed.

Hitting the trails at night is a lot of fun, not to mention cooler.