Which is better for increasing strength and stamina...

Discussion in 'Health' started by Torrent77, Jul 26, 2017.


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  1. Torrent77

    Torrent77 Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Dave
    Just mulling a few things in my head. But what would be a better training regimen?

    Here is a little back story. I'm on blood pressure meds and its really messed with my fitness. So I'm in the slow slog of figuring out how much I can push and increase my fitness. Yesterday I was comparing notes on pre med and post med rides and I just want to see if you guys have any ideas on which method would be better.

    Option A turtle mode
    Ride steady and consistent and keep heart rate between set goals (I think between 120-130BPM)
    At this rate I can do the floop in about 1hr 30 to 40 mins without stopping to rest.
    This regimen would include trying to pick up the pace as my fitness increases.

    Option B rabbit mode
    Ride quick and fast and rest without a set BP goal.
    At this rate I can do the floop in an hour, but I would need a few days to recover.

    I'm hoping I can stick to something so I can start riding with you guys in a group setting. Solo riding is nice, but I miss the comradery.
     
    Danmtchl, mike, Faust29 and 2 others like this.
  2. DangerDirtyD

    DangerDirtyD iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    CA
    Name:
    Chicken Nugget
    Current Bike:
    2018 Guerrilla Gravity SMASH
    A little bit of both options should help. Also, go to your nearest Greek Church and join the folk dance group. If you can last longer then the fiddler, you can ride with anyone.
     
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  3. Obsidian

    Obsidian iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    Costa Mesa
    Name:
    Obsidian
    Current Bike:
    27.5 Intense Tracer
    Definitely B.
     
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  4. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    I dunno about you, but 120- 130 bpm heart rate wouldn't get me very far.... Rabbit mode doesn't actually increase your stamina, or do much for your overall fitness. Somewhere between those two - shoot for 1:15 on the FLoop.

    Slowly increase your pace week to week. Get on a trainer the days you can't take the bike out. Jog. Take @Faust29 's method and use an elliptical. Et cetera, et cetera, ad infinitum. :thumbsup:

    And let me know when you're hitting the FLoop...I'll join. :)
     
  5. Voodoo Tom

    Voodoo Tom MTB Addict

    Location:
    Castaic
    Name:
    Tom Kokkinakis
    Current Bike:
    Mango one, black one, Ti one
    I'd vote option B for sure simply cuzz it's more fun. Based on the limited number of times I've worn my heart rate strap I'm not sure it's possible to ride my bike and keep my heart rate in the 120-130 range. As for group rides I'd say be selective and join in anyway even if your fitness isn't were you want it to be. Riding your bike solo all the time gets monotonous and it's fun to be with the guys.
     
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  6. Sidewalk

    Sidewalk iMTB Rockstah

    Location:
    The road is where I call home
    Name:
    Josh
    Current Bike:
    N+1
    Mix of A, B, and C.

    A, followed by a B, then a C, back to A again.

    C. isa recovery ride. Which is riding with no goal, just comfortable cruise.

    Regardless, more hours are better hours. "Time crunched training" is half ass. If half ass is all you have, then do more B.
     
  7. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    First thing I'd say is to check with your doctor about limits. Take along a printout of your heart rate on rides... Can't hurt to double check.

    I'm certainly no expert. I only know what worked for me to go from barely surviving 5 mile rides on flat ground to surviving the occasional all day death march... Like you, I was partially motivated by having the fitness to join group rides, and explore trails farther from the house. I rode alone 99.9% of the time the first couple years back.

    Like @Sidewalk mentions above, if your goal is to improve your fitness, a mixture of approaches is best. I started back in 2011 with zero fitness and grossly overweight, and just started riding. 5 miles was about my max for the first couple months. I can't tell you how many times I attempted the Live Oak climb in O'Neill with my Diamondback's 22 x 36 gearing. Gradually the rides got longer. I remember having my wife on standby when I went for 10 miles! :eek: But I got to the point that I could pedal slowly for a couple hours...

    I hit the wall at the "35 mile" mark, and wasn't improving any. This was about the time I discovered intervals. Short bursts with short cool downs... For me, the last climb to the top of Vista (200 yards/150 feet) was perfect. Up, down and repeat... 8 or 10 times, pegging the heart rate each time. I also added the wrinkle of a harder gear each time. In an hour, I could get a more intense workout than 3 or 4 hours of slow pedaling. The results came pretty quickly. I actually have a few areas that I still practice my version of intervals.

    @Runs with Scissors mentioned the elliptical. I have one in the house, and use it once or twice per week, usually on a very high resistance setting. Same with the stationary bike. It's good to mix things up... If I were truly serious about losing a few more pounds or training, though, I would throw the road bike into the mix. I just have too much fun on dirt, and I have a fitness base now that lets me do the rides I like.
     
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  8. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    I presume you've had a stress test by your cardiologist since you got the BP med. Plus one on consulting him/her.
     
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  9. Torrent77

    Torrent77 Well-Known Member

    Name:
    Dave
    Thank you all for your wisdom! I'm going to mix it up for the next few rides. Ideally I'd like to keep my BPM above 150, but I found that I pass out unexpectedly and sweat profusely. I'm hesitant to go back to see the Doc since it took me a few months to adjust to the current meds, but maybe switching to something else is whats needed.
     
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  10. mike

    mike iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Western US
    Name:
    Mike O
    Current Bike:
    HT, FS
    Aye. Advice from MTB pals is a good reference, but no sub for your heart specialist's recommendations. Don't let a past experience with healthcare keep you from pursuing the care that will increase your life quality.

    FWIW, I went on Lisinopril and had no issues with it whatsoever. I broke some PRs since I was prescribed. Since then my dose has been lowered twice, and I probably will have it eliminated altogether (based on the trend and numbers I'm seeing).

    Cheers, @Torrent77.
     
  11. HBkites

    HBkites Well-Known Member

    Location:
    Huntington Beach
    Name:
    Sharone
    Current Bike:
    Why S7, Revel Rascal, Spark RC
    Don't pass out riding!!!!!! (falling sucks)

    Try to find a natural way to control you BP and get off the meds (when possible).
    Try lowering your BMI.
    Riding solo requires lots of discipline. Find a fast group to ride with, and focus on chasing faster guys.
     
    Danmtchl, Faust29, mike and 1 other person like this.
  12. UPSed

    UPSed iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    Simi Valley
    Name:
    Ed
    Current Bike:
    Niner Jet 9 RDO
    I ride with a heart disease myself. Cardiomyopathy. I am on a couple of medications, one being a a low-dose blood pressure medication. The first brand I tried caused a lot of weird symptoms. Very low blood pressure and extremely high pulse 2 hours after riding. For whatever reason my cardiologist at the time told me to keep taking them. I disagreed and ultimately went to a new cardiologist. Good decision on my part. The new doc prescribed a different medication with the same dosage. Did the job it was supposed to and no side effects whatsoever. If your meds are not working for you maybe ask to try something else? To add I was told 150 should be my max heart rate. It works for me as I've only ever pushed 80% anyways.
     
  13. Runs with Scissors

    Runs with Scissors iMTB Hooligan

    Location:
    West Anaheim
    Name:
    Mark Whitaker
    Current Bike:
    Giant XTC with pedals
    That's my story on every ride...:whistling:
     
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  14. scan

    scan iMTB Rockstah

    Name:
    fran allas
    Current Bike:
    Scott Spark
    That is really NOT good.
    Emphasis on this!!

    Option A for sure. And check with the MD on exertion level, HR recommendations.
     
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  15. Faust29

    Faust29 Moderator

    Location:
    irgendwo
    Name:
    B. Bunny
    Current Bike:
    I gots some bikes.
    :eek:

    That's not something that should be ignored. If I were in that boat, I'd talk to the doctor to see how far I could push the plumbing and gaskets.
     
    mike, Danmtchl, HBkites and 1 other person like this.
  16. mtnbikej

    mtnbikej J-Zilla

    Location:
    Orange
    Name:
    J
    Current Bike:
    SC Chameleon SS, SC Hightower
    This is gonna go opposite of what everyone else has told you....

    To get faster, you gotta start with a strong base. Start with longer steady/slow miles. This may be flatter rides, less climbing. Build up the base miles, this will make you stronger. Once you have a strong base, then you can start throwing in the harder and shorter efforts to make yourself faster.

    I know for me, I spent a while doing longer and longer rides at a casual pace. Once I was really comfortable with them, I began to push the pace.

    Crawl-walk-run-sprint......you gotta start somewhere.

    I asked my doc about max HR's when I was put on BP meds....was basically told that unless I was getting dizzy/light headed or feeling like I was gonna pass out, I was good to push it. Riding the SS, my HR is always gonna be high. I have placed my own limits on how high I will allow it to go before I back off.
     
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  17. brian1031

    brian1031 Newbie with Hope!

    Location:
    Santa Clara CA
    Name:
    Brian Clive
    I do the same thing with jogging and working out. I need to build my endurance first then when I'm comfortable with the steady pace I'm going to gradually add distance (jogging) and sets (workout). My goal is not how fast I can do it but how long I can go with it.
     


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