# What's a good workout?????



## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

Ok guys lets please not over think this one. What distance would a NON BIKER consider to be a good workout? OK specifice ,a 35 year old male is average shape. On a road bike over varied roads. Some hills, nothing crazy... 

Exercion level from 1-10.. 5, I guess. So what distance??? 10 miles?- 20 Miles?, 30 miles.....100?????

For a non runner, 3 miles is considered a "good" workout... mens health mag....


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## Alan Ross (Mar 2, 2002)

Muaythaibike said:


> Ok guys lets please not over think this one. What distance would a NON BIKER consider to be a good workout? OK specifice ,a 35 year old male is average shape. On a road bike over varied roads. Some hills, nothing crazy...
> 
> Exercion level from 1-10.. 5, I guess. So what distance??? 10 miles?- 20 Miles?, 30 miles.....100?????
> 
> For a non runner, 3 miles is considered a "good" workout... mens health mag....



35 miles with some hills at about average 17mph.


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## Muaythaibike (Oct 26, 2007)

WOW higher than I expected


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## Alan Ross (Mar 2, 2002)

Well for me its half a hard workout which would be 75 miles with a few big hills mph at about17...YMMV


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## beantownbiker (May 30, 2002)

Alan Ross said:


> 35 miles with some hills at about average 17mph.


i disagree. Get on your bike, ride until your heart rate is at about 70-80% of maximum. Look at your speed, maintain that speed for 20 minutes. Then warm down. If you find your heart rate rising, slow down. 

Or ride so your heart rate is 40-60% of max, hold that for 1+ hrs. Good workouts are subjetive and personal. Because Alan above can do 35 miles at 17mph, does not mean that is the best workout for you. 

I say start with 30-40 min rides and work your way up to 1,2,3+ hr rides (if thats your goal).


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## david462 (Jan 3, 2008)

ok guys hes asking about a 35 yr old male in average shape who NEVER rides.

35 miles at 17mph? i dont think so. thats 2 hrs if he goes that fast and thats even too long. so your way off the mark i think.

i would start out riding about an hour. no one starts out at 2 hrs and does 35 miles in that time. and dont even aim for a certain average mph. thats dumb. really dumb. i would just ride at a reasonable intensity for that hour (with a proper warm up/cool down).


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## davidka (Dec 12, 2001)

Try not to think of a ride duration as miles but instead use time. You will need to plan a route but there are many variables that can cause a ride of a given distance to have dramatically different levels of difficulty (wind, heat, cold). If you don't ride much then just go out and ride for a half hour or more, however hard or easy you'd like to. When getting started in riding something is better than nothing and the most important thing is to enjoy it. This way you'll want to do it again and again. Before you know it, you'll start a new thread called "What's a good target time for my first century?"


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## _velodoc_ (Dec 26, 2007)

I know a lot of "non-bikers" think that 5-10 miles is a good ride.


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## Doctor Who (Feb 22, 2005)

An hour's worth of riding, which for a non-cyclist will likely be 14-17 miles depending on terrain and overall aerobic shape of the rider.


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## Guest (Feb 4, 2008)

Alan Ross said:


> 35 miles with some hills at about average 17mph.


Take almost any unfit couch potato of their sofa and trying to do that would probably kill them.


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## rbart4506 (Aug 4, 2004)

When I first started biking, many moons ago. I use to think riding around the perimeter of the urban core of my town was a good ride. I believe the total distance was about 15km's and it took about an hour to do. I was impressed I could actually go that far.....

BTW that was when I was about 30 and in average shape, had just lost some weight by brisk walking daily...


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

The reality....Any ride you finish and feel good about.

There is no definitive distance or speed. It all depends on the individual, what kind of shape they are in "good" means many things to many people. For some it's 10 miles covered in an hour....others it's 20 miles covered in an hour.

The simple fact...just ride, enjoy it and if you have specific goals in mind....then go from there and work toward them.


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## benchpress265 (Nov 7, 2006)

If your a beginner I would build up to 30 to 40 miles. Start out at 5 miles then 10 miles to you make it up to 30 or 40 miles. 40 miles is a really good work out and a couple hours on the bike. Try to include some hills if possible. You could probably do this over a month or two.


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## 99trek5200 (Jan 26, 2007)

To illustrate what a "good" workout can mean to different people, here is an excerpt from an E-mail I got from one of my riding mates over the weekend:

" ...I'm thinking lots more shorter but more intense intervals this year and hill repeats til our eyeballs bleed. OHHH YEAHHH!!"

I just started riding last year and am in my mid 40's. Starting out I would say my 12 mile route taking 45+/- minutes (16 mph) was a "good" workout, but not a killer. It had some hills. I remember the first time I did 25 miles at 18 mph. I thought I would die. By the end of the summer I was doing 30+ at 20mph with greater ease than that first 18 mph ride.

Start easy and listen to your body. A heart rate monitor is a good thing to help monitor your effort.


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## turk0017 (Jul 18, 2007)

I have to agree with the crowd that says start at an hour and work your way up. Time is much easier to work with, and much more meaningful than speed or distance.

Example: I have a ride that I do routinely that is 13 miles up hill, then coming back is 13 miles downhill. It takes a little over an hour out, and about half an hour coming back...distance is the same, but workout is not...go by time, not distance.


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## Eric_kenney (Oct 26, 2006)

Muaythaibike said:


> Ok guys lets please not over think this one. What distance would a NON BIKER consider to be a good workout? OK specifice ,a 35 year old male is average shape. On a road bike over varied roads. Some hills, nothing crazy...
> 
> Exercion level from 1-10.. 5, I guess. So what distance??? 10 miles?- 20 Miles?, 30 miles.....100?????
> 
> For a non runner, 3 miles is considered a "good" workout... mens health mag....


1. ditch the mens health.
2. think in terms of time not distance. your body knows time not distance.
3. 1hr or more on the bike. (Of course it depends on what your training for. Just to be "in shape"? 1hr or more should do a "good" job for that.)


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## Claudio14 (Jan 25, 2008)

*My first Ride last Saturday*

I just purchased a Specialized Allez Double and I went for my first ride Saturday. It was 45 degrees and the wind was 10MPH. I went 14 miles in about 50 minutes. Where I ride has some hilly roads. I am 6'0 200lbs and 34 in what I thought was in decent shape. I felt it was a good work out!


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## buck-50 (Sep 20, 2005)

I'd start with some short rides (1/2 hour or so) to get used to your bike. Once you're comfortable and have it pretty well dialed in and your @$$ no longer hurts after 10 minutes, you're ready to go longer. 

If it was me, I'd suggest not getting a speedometer yet. If you've already got one, take it off. Rather than pushing a speed, find your own pace. Get a Heart rate monitor- that'll give you far more useful data than the speedometer. 

Start out just finding your own pace and enjoying the ride. Make cycling enjoyable first, then make it hurt. If you do it the other way round, yer gonna associate your bike with a world of pain and yer gonna start hating it pretty quick, then you'll end up like this guy- http://forums.roadbikereview.com/showthread.php?t=120472

The only other thing to remember is to ride your own ride, not someone else's. Don't get frustrated about getting passed, just ride. unless you've got a number pinned to your jersey, you aren't racing. 

Good luck!


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## Chain (Dec 28, 2006)

For a couch potoato, 8-12 miles would be a good workout, depending on what type/style of bike. That distance on a mtb, or hybrid would take an hour to an hour and a half. That would be good ride. On a road bike you could probably expect 10-12 miles before their butt would hurt too much. If you are looking to get them to do it more than once, then go shorter, make it more fun and keep the pain to a minimum. No need to go from zero to 60 miles in a weekend and never do it again.

edit... reason for the shorter miles, is the newbie probably won't have a bike that fits properly, most likely a lower end bike with a gel tractor saddle or a rock hard saddle. Either will make a long ride uncomfortable for the newbie.


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

It depends entirely on what your objective is. What do you want to improve? Sprinting? Climbing? Decending? Stamina? Speed? Those all use different work out techniques. If you can be more specific about what you want to do, you'd get better suggestions.


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## david462 (Jan 3, 2008)

Mr. Versatile said:


> It depends entirely on what your objective is. What do you want to improve? Sprinting? Climbing? Decending? Stamina? Speed? Those all use different work out techniques. If you can be more specific about what you want to do, you'd get better suggestions.


it sounds like he just wants a workout. you know, to get/stay in shape and be healthy. hes not asking about racing or getting faster on a bike or anything like that. probably just wants to do something different besides running to stay fit. im sure he doesnt care about climbing, sprinting etc on a bike. maybe if he gets into cycling more but those are probably not on his mind rigiht now


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## Slim Again Soon (Oct 25, 2005)

*Too much -- take it easy*

Man, what you guys offer up for a beginner would do me proud on my best days!

Really, if you haven't ridden before, 10 miles is probably too far.


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## siclmn (Feb 7, 2004)

The non rider that I know thinks an hour is plenty so that he can then go and pig out at a restaurant. Non riders do not just jump on a bike and ride an average 17 mph.


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## Blue Sugar (Jun 14, 2005)

18 to 20 miles, at 15 MPH if you're lucky. One mile of running works out to about 5 or 6 miles on the bike, I find. Or 4 or 5 two minute intervals at 20, with a three minute rest.


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## benInMA (Jan 22, 2004)

When I first started out around 5-6 miles was what I did for the first month or so? I was riding a MTB with knobbies, not wearing spandex, not wearing bike shoes, etc.. 

Even after years of riding I still find one hour to be a good workout for a weekday. Anything less I feel like I didn't get in a good workout, but an hour keeps me happy.

I like to do long long rides but for the most part it's unreasonable to expect to be able to go any further then 40-50 miles on a workday without a lot of special planning and/or playing hooky.

For the "average" person who might read crap like Men's Health I would expect most of them have never done a cardio workout harder then 15 minutes of light work on an elliptical machine. If you're reading crap like that you probably think cardiovascular exercise is going to make all your muscles shrivel away to nothing if you get more then an hour a week of cardio. WAY too much influence from bodybuilding in those magazines. So an hour on a bike is going to be hard to start. (Reminds me of the WWE reality show.. for one of the toughness challenges they made them ride MTBs up a paved mountain climb, and they were all crying and some of them gave up)


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## Einstruzende (Jun 1, 2004)

Depends on the bike too. When I started riding, I was on a MTB with smooth tires. A good ride was an out and back on a local bike trail, which totaled 14 miles. I could do it in ~55 minutes, and worked up a sweat.

When I bought a road bike, put in about 5000 hard miles on roads, I went back to that trail and did it in 34 minutes. The training and bike made all the difference.


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## physasst (Oct 1, 2005)

*Congrats*



Claudio14 said:


> I just purchased a Specialized Allez Double and I went for my first ride Saturday. It was 45 degrees and the wind was 10MPH. I went 14 miles in about 50 minutes. Where I ride has some hilly roads. I am 6'0 200lbs and 34 in what I thought was in decent shape. I felt it was a good work out!



on taking the plunge...it's addictive, you'll get a lot stronger and faster with time and work. I see the same thing with our tri workouts, when someone new joins and says....."I was a good runner", and then somehow expects that to translate to the bike and pool. Different kinds of fitness.:thumbsup: 

To the OP, I agree with the others here....1 hour is more than enough for someone who is a non-cyclist. There is plenty of time to work up to the 70-100 mile hammer fests. Also, make sure they don't focus too much on average speed, it really only means something locally, and as a ballpark figure, they always say that when you can average 18-19 on your own, you can ride with the faster groups. I think on my first ride I did 10 miles and it felt like a LONG ride......nowadays, I do a ten mile WARMUP for a longer TT.:thumbsup:


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## Howzitbroke (Jun 1, 2005)

When I first got on a bike for a serious ride I was 15 years old and a cross country runner at the time. I was able to do about an 18:30 min 5k as a junior. I went about 4 miles and my heart wasn't even beating but my thighs were wasted. The answer is really it depends. What is your history at 35? What even for that matter is average shape? Go by feel and listen to your body, not someone else's stats for what is "good".


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## Mr. Versatile (Nov 24, 2005)

OK. Since I don't have any info to the contrary, I'll assume you want to increase your endurance, so you can ride more miles more comfortably.

My suggestion is to get your bike squared away 1st. If, as you say, you're new to cycling, find a friend who is a cyclist, or take your bike to a local bike shop & have them help you adjust the seat, handlebars, brake levers, etc. Make sure everything is working correctly. While you're at the bike shop, buy a smallish underseat bag, a set of tire levers, and at least 1 spare tube. You'll also need a CO2 inflator, and/or a pump to attach to your bike. If you do any regular riding at all, the question is not if you get a flat - it's *WHEN*you get one. Have the guys at the shop or your friend show how to change a tire, using the stuff you just bought. OK - I know this is a giant PITA, but as a newbie, you need to realize that in 1-1 1/2 hours, you can ride farther than you can walk in a day. Two last suggestions along these lines. In my underseat bag, I always have a $20 bill, and my cell phone. And water. Always carry water. Even if it's cold, damp, cloudy, or whatever, when you're riding, you're sweating. Not that you're going to be riding so hard you're breathless, but even at a moderate pace, you'll need water.

Riding. OK, now comes the fun part. I have no clue where you live. I'd suggest picking out a flat route, or one with as few hills as possible at 1st. Also, it'd be a good idea to have a distance in mind - maybe 15-20 miles. Do it 7-10 miles out, then turn around. It's a great idea to pick a spot where there are services, e.g., gas station, convenience store, fast food restaurant, etc. for your turn around point. If you need a break, you'll have a good place to take one. Fill up your water bottle, chill for a few min., etc.

I hope none of this sounds condencending. If it does, please know that I don't mean it that way at all. I'm just assuming that you're a novice to riding. If you've never ridden a bike any distance, please be aware of what peices/parts are likely to hurt. Numero uno is your butt. There's a little "getting to know you" period that has to take place. I'm not going to get into changing seats, blah, blah. You'll find out about that later. Your hands might hurt a bit too. Probably not too much. You can vary your hand position easily depending on your disconfort level. Throw a leg over that sucker & ride off. Choose a fairly low/easy gear. When you get started, count 1 every time your left pedal is at the six o'clock position. In a 60 sec time limit, you should be pedalling from 65-80 rpms. As you gain more experience, you'll probably increase that rate. Practice pedalling as smoothly and evenly as you can. Don't rock your hips or your upper body. ractice keeping them as still as you can. Always think, smmooooth. Eyes up - look well ahead - try to ride in a straight line as you can. Want to breath hard? Go ahead. If you get tired, you can always slow up, but when you do, don't stop pedalling. Just choose a lower gear and keep spinnng the pedals at as close to the same rate as possible.

If you're in average shape, you'll probably be able to handle around 20 miles, if it's fairly flat. 

Good luck. Hope this helps you.


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## rollin nolan (Jun 22, 2007)

ride for 20 minutes at 15-17 mph. Then ride as fast as you can for 3 minutes. Recover at 17-18 mph for 5 minutes. Repeat until you throw up.


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## JohnnyTooBad (Apr 5, 2004)

I think you are all forgetting that a beginner's sit bones will be screaming almost instantly. I'd say start off at a half hour of pushing yourself fairly hard. Whatever speed that works out to. Do that for a week or two, depending on how often you get out. Then increase to 45 minutes, then to an hour, knowing that you'll need to slow down a bit as you increase time. Once you get up to an hour, start working on how far/fast you can ride in that hour. Start getting out of the saddle occasionally, as you climb.


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## android (Nov 20, 2007)

There's really three different things. 

Reasonably fit (correct weight with aerobic capacity from running/swimming/etc...) wants to start cycling for whatever reason.

Not overweight, but no aerobic capacity (average guy)
Unfit (overweight and no aerobic capacity) guy wanting to start cycling to get fit. 

Fit guy can get a bike that fits well and start with a few 30 minutes rides a week. This is to build up the butt. Quickly ramp up to 1 hr over about a month as your ability to endure the saddle increases. After about a month, you should be able to move to 1+ hour rides. Depending on wind/hills/weather, the fit guy should be able to average around 15mph on an somewhat average out and back or circuit training route. Fit guy can start more advanced training like itervals, sprints, etc... much more quickly and can work on bringing up his avg speed so he can do groups rides, compete or whatever his biking goals are.

Fat guy and average guy have it tougher. Still should start with a few 30 minutes rides a week, but ramp up time will be over a few months for average guy and could be a lot longer for fat guy. These guys should focus on steady effort to build base fitness and don't need to do so many intervals and hard effort workouts. Fat guy needs to stick with water in the water bottles and not suck down 3 gels on his 45 minute ride. (Seen this happen all to often: sucking down more calories on a ride than burned and then a snack afterward!)

EDIT: There's also "muscle guy". Huge muscles and no aerobic fitness. Works out in the gym a lot. Not really mentioned above because he just bought a new Harley and has no interest in cycling.


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## winmac (Sep 30, 2007)

benchpress265 said:


> If your a beginner I would build up to 30 to 40 miles. Start out at 5 miles then 10 miles to you make it up to 30 or 40 miles. 40 miles is a really good work out and a couple hours on the bike. Try to include some hills if possible. You could probably do this over a month or two.


i agree with this guy, it takes a while to reach the 30+ mile ride...not difficult though, more of a mental thing...except for the hills that is. once you build your legs up it is only natural to see how much farther you can go each time. just make sure you have a good saddle & a spare.


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