Overtrained or what?

[Jani]

Hello Guys!
I'm interested in how much distance should someone absolutely new to cycling start to ride and how often?

I started a bit more than a month ago and I usually ride 25-27 kms (with the speed of 12 km/h average on mountain bike) with a rest day afterwards. Today was my rest day but I thought to go to the nearest shop by bike..My heart rate increased a lot and I had to stop because I couldn't do more and my legs were a bit tired too (I know my heart is healthy, is it possible I overtrained myself?)

 

[vickster]

How old are you and how fit generally? If healthy, those distances every day don’t sound excessive unless it’s all uphill or proper off road

If you think you’re overdoing it, do less. Do you warm up and down properly? Do you stretch afterwards (all leg muscles, neck, shoulders, lower back etc)

 

[Jani]

How old are you and how fit generally? If healthy, those distances every day don’t sound excessive unless it’s all uphill or proper off road

If you think you’re overdoing it, do less. Do you warm up and down properly? Do you stretch afterwards (all leg muscles, neck, shoulders, lower back etc)

I'm 31, not a sportsman. Which means I didn't exercise a lot recently. I do uphill rides a lot. I don't stretch or do warm up.

 

[lane]

I think its unlikely you are overtrained. You might be going down with a cold / virus thing. Have a few days off and a rest it won't do any harm.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

Interesting podcast by the coaches of TrainerRoad. (I wish I could find it now) The consensus was that ‘overtraining’ was an overused diagnosis by amateur cyclists and is actually a very rare occurrence. In reality they even seldom come across overtrained pros.

Rather, they talk about TSS which is training stress score. Some cyclists can handle more than others. I liked the analogy one coach used: Training makes you slower; recovery makes you faster.

There is a lot of science involved in training and it is well worth listening to the TR podcasts if you are interested. Explanations here are beyond my scope.

 

[vickster]

I'm 31, not a sportsman. Which means I didn't exercise a lot recently. I do uphill rides a lot. I don't stretch or do warm up.

Try stretching, warming up for the first few km and down for the last few

 

[Kajjal]

Best to listen to your body and remember when you are off the bike your body is recovering and building its self up for next time. A days rest between rides is beneficial.

Also remember to eat properly as people often go on a diet at the same time as increasing exercise and starve themselves of fuel. This will just make you at best sluggish and if you are unlucky more likely to pick up colds etc.

 

[lane]

Yes I believe that overtraining is a quite serious condition that can take a long time to recover from. Whereas insufficient recovery really just means that you are not optimising your training - a far more common issue.

 

[si_c]

Also worth bearing in mind is that if it's a very hot day you heartrate will go up and you will fatigue quicker.

 

[Alan O]

I also think your biggest problem might be not enough rest. You've only been doing it a month so you're nowhere near full cycling fitness, and a single rest day is not enough for your muscles to recover and build their strength.

This might sound silly, but I recently had a forced 3-week layoff due to illness and injury, and since I've resumed cycling I've noticed a significant step up in my ability.

 

[Jani]

Also worth bearing in mind is that if it's a very hot day you heartrate will go up and you will fatigue quicker.

Yes it was a hot day to me..

 

[Jani]

I also think your biggest problem might be not enough rest. You've only been doing it a month so you're nowhere near full cycling fitness, and a single rest day is not enough for your muscles to recover and build their strength.

This might sound silly, but I recently had a forced 3-week layoff due to illness and injury, and since I've resumed cycling I've noticed a significant step up in my ability.

Yes you may be right

 

[Jani]

Yes I believe that overtraining is a quite serious condition that can take a long time to recover from. Whereas insufficient recovery really just means that you are not optimising your training - a far more common issue.

Maybe I should get more rest between rides.. One day is just not enough for a newbie like me

 

[Jani]

Best to listen to your body and remember when you are off the bike your body is recovering and building its self up for next time. A days rest between rides is beneficial.

Also remember to eat properly as people often go on a diet at the same time as increasing exercise and starve themselves of fuel. This will just make you at best sluggish and if you are unlucky more likely to pick up colds etc.

Yes. It makes sense. Thanks.

 

[Jani]

Try stretching, warming up for the first few km and down for the last few

I try to pay more attention to it.