mrodgers

Since I assume most here in this section of the forums are here for exercise, I'm wondering how you all go about daily riding.

Do you ride 7 days a week? Do you ride every other day? Perhaps you ride for a few days and take a day off? Are you riding for a set mileage or set time limit?

I want to get an hours worth of riding in daily. I don't have much more time than that even on the weekends since the kids are just getting to the point they can stay home without me. My wife usually works weekends and evenings during the week when I get home from work. This Saturday she didn't go in until late so I got an extended ride in of 18 miles (felt fantastic) but normally I ride 12 miles which takes me an hour.

Last week I rode 5 days straight. That was too much without a break. On the 5th day, I was exhausted at around mile 9 of my 12 mile ride. Because of school starting and the open houses, I didn't ride for 2 days after that 5th day. Friday I was back on the trail and I felt great having 2 days of rest. I've been doing this biking thing now since July 31st.

I rode Friday, the extended ride I mentioned on Saturday, and yesterday. I figured I'd take tonight off and ride 3 days starting tomorrow. That seems like it would be a good thing to do, ride 3 days and take a day break.

What do you folks who are doing this for exercise do?

SammyJ 

I would love to ride every day, but working 7 days a week, and other issues I can't. I find that riding every other day can be managed. Sometime I get two in a row. Bottom line, I want at least 3 times a week for aerobic conditioning.
I hope this helps.
And don’t forget to enjoy the ride!

LabRat2k3

I take the zen a approach, listen to your body it will tell you when it needs rest, how fast to pedal, and what gear to be in. After all riding a bike is about finding balance.

kingsqueak

Depends. If you pushed hard the day before and you are stiff and saddle sore, take a break. If your legs are just a bit stiff but not sore, have an easy light pace ride. It all depends on the way you are riding. If you are out of shape you may want to ride alternating days to recover.

Also a good number of people are clydes without being fat...I'm a clyde whether I'm 270 or if im at 215, which puts me at athlete level body fat. Some people are just full grown size.

LabRat2k3

Having said that, I am still getting my body disciplined. Some days when I listen to it, it says let's stay on the couch, eat Doritos and watch TV. On those day we do extra miles. Ideally I like to get at least 45 minutes in, 4 to 5 days a week. This month that hasn't really happened as much as I would like, but I still figure any time I spend getting fit on my bike is less time I spend getting fat on the couch. I do try to find some activity to do on days I can't ride, I go for a walk with my son, play tag, or soccer, anything to get my heart rate up for 30 minutes or more.

IBOHUNT

IMHO, it all depends on how hard the rides you do are. Some folks can ride 7 days a week and there are those that ride a "hard", "harder", "hardest" on consecutive days then need to take an active recovery day where active recovery is ridding stupid slow, just on the verge of falling over.

When I say hard, harder, hardest I mean that you are really taxing your systems on the 3rd day to the point of exhaustion e.g. VO2Max sessions, Hill repeats

Root around in the Training and Nutrition section https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...-amp-Nutrition

There are current threads about:
Recovery Time
Fatigue,
Does training the same every day have diminishing returns

Bill Kapaun

IF you are still rapidly gaining fitness, I'd ride "some" every day.
I think that even "a ride around the block" still helps a lot from reverting back on your off/busy days.

MRT2

Since May, I have tried for one longish ride on the weekend, usually anywhere from 2 1/2 hours to 4 hours, and a couple of shorter rides during the week, usually from 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. That is a big time commitment, but I also work out at the gym 3 to 4 times a week.

Take your kids with you. This is when they will become bike riders, or not. That is what I have been doing with my son, who is 12. I started off years ago jogging alongside him on his tricycle, than later, riding slowly around the neighborhood with him (maybe 3 to 5 mile loops), then eventually, packing sandwiches and riding with him 4 miles out to a park and playground. Then that morphed into rides along the bike path to the next town over for frozen custard. (around 15 miles) This year, he has ridden several 30 mile rides with me and with his mother. Physically, he can do more, but mentally, 2 hours and change on the bike, plus a break for food, drink, or entertainment is about his limit.

ill.clyde

It depends.

And I listen to my legs

Yesterday I did 55 miles. I knew there was no way I was going to commute today. I might ride tonight, but I doubt it.

Tomorrow I'll get back to commuting (24 mile round trip). Generally speaking when I'm training hard or putting down base miles I ride six days a week if my schedule allows.

During the winter, I ride the trainer six days a week

krobinson103

Ride every day. 15-30km of commuting during the week
and one 12 hour plus ride in the weekend. Also use the bike for shopping. After last weekends 200km
11 hour 1500m climbing effort I had to take a day off the bike. Any less, I'm good to ride every dayfor 2 hours or so. Though the Korean summer heat didn't help or the facttbT I rode all night and into the morning.b

epiking

+1 on the "Zen" approach. I ride daily, 2-3 times a week I will ride in an EZ mode, with only light effort and occasional intermediate work load for brief periods. One does need to recover from training type efforts. Also important is to recognize a warm up period at the beginning. I don't feel bad if I take a day off occasionally as well. Have Fun.

JerrySTL

Usually things like work, other commitments, weather, and life in general will keep me from riding every day. Sometimes I just don't feel like riding and I listen to my body. When I'm about a month from a half marathon, I start to halfheartedly train for it and that cuts into riding.

However I did go 13 days straight riding earlier this year.

MattFoley

I bike commute, so at a minimum, I ride 5 days a week (15-20 mile r/t, depending on the route I take), but add in shop rides, leisure rides, and errands, I usually do about 150 miles a week, with one day off due to weather or general busy-ness. I find that taking a rest day really isn't necessary if I do two things, A) take it really easy every couple of days (usually days after shops rides), keeping my HR as low as possible; and B) get to bed earlier than normal at least a couple nights a week. I find that this has about the same affect as taking a day off.

Jarrett2

I'm a newbie so I don't know what's right, but here's what I did last week:

Tuesday - 20.63
Weds. AM - 20
Weds. PM - 8.03
Thursday - 20.04
Friday - 26.65
Saturday - 26.65
Sunday - off

Minus the PM ride, that's somewhat typical for me these days. Sometimes my Saturday ride is 30-40.

I missed three days in a row a week or two back and paid for it as soon as I got back on the bike. I like to ride a little everyday if possible and try to take one day off a week if any.

Black wallnut 

I'd like to ride every day. I formerly rode every day. Since last winter I have not been riding every day. I still ride more days than I don't ride. Some weeks I put out several short hard efforts on each ride, sometimes none. I do not really have a pattern other than LBS group rides on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Spring 2012 I rode nearly every day. Spring this year I rode at best about every other day or so it seemed. My fitness improved both years over the season. I think when folks are starting out fitness riding the most important things are to make it a fun habit thereby making it more likely they will continue riding. Keeping it fun to me means lots of base work before adding intensity or longer duration. You will know when it is time to increase when after a ride you feel like you have not done anything and your rides suddenly take less time or effort for the same distance or speed.

Taking your children with you for a ride is a good way to keep the pace down on "non-ride" days and still get a bit of activity. I often take my 7 year old on rides up to 12 miles. He has a ball.

lolguy

I usually ride 3-4 days during the work week (17-20 miles), one run day, one longer weekend ride (usually 30+) and golf the other weekend day. That said, you've got to listen to the body. Took off two days in a row last week as I just felt sluggish.

cafzali

I think many of us fall into this camp. I enjoy my riding, but am realistic about what I can do in a given week with two kids, one of whom is a 1-year-old.

To me, the best way to approach this is ride whenever you can and push yourself as hard as you can when you get a chance. I was on a group ride yesterday that was slated for 40 miles. OK, no problem. What the ride leader didn't say was there would be 3,000 feet of climbing in it, so I pushed myself too hard at the beginning and once the long 7 percent climbs came, I was out of gas. But it was still a great ride and gave my overall fitness a bump.

One of the reasons I love my Garmin so much is I can go out on a hard group ride and explore new territories without worrying about getting ditched, if it's not a no-drop ride. If I don't have the gas, I tell the group to drop me and that I'll find my way back.

LongT

Mon through Thursday I ride about 24 miles a day. I take Friday off. Sat. and Sun. I try to take longer rides. I'm up to about 50 mioles per weekend day. Hoping to increase to 60 miles this weekend. I am training for an MS150 the end of September.

If something comes up or I don't feel like it I don't ride and don't let it bother me. I let my body tell me how hard to ride when I do ride. I tend to not follow a rigid structure when I ride, like intervals and such.

Bill

Bill

MikeRides

Last month I was riding every day, a minimum of 14 miles(<1 hour) per day. Fitness wise it was great, I was feeling the strength in my legs and felt great on my first half century. But for some reason August has been more of a lazy month, riding a total of 10 days, and I've pretty much made excuses to not ride (rain, family activities, waking up too late on the weekends, etc).

Mr Sinister

I would be the wrong person to ask this question to, but I feel like throwing in my 2 cents. I have now taken a whole 3 days off riding since the start of summer. Some days it was a mile (1 time, trying a new winter beater I am fixing) or 2, other days it was 50 plus. I just like to get out and ride at least 2 miles a day.

Mr Sinister

I know the feeling, August has been my lazy month too. Its just like at times I don't even want to look at the bike, never mind ride it.

2 wheeler

Being an over 60 clyde, I take an occasional day off. My body tells me when it's time. If I don't take a rest day when my body needs it, I'll be miserable on the next ride I take. Then I take a rest day or continue a downward spiral. If I keep pushing when tired, I'll for sure get sick and I've had some bouts with a fatigue type sickness that kept me off the bike for over a month.

Everyone is different, so the answer isn't the same for everyone.

mrodgers

Well, 4 days this week including my longest ride yet on Saturday which I felt great so I kept going until my rear end told me to turn around. I didn't think I was going to ride yesterday as it was first day back to school with the kids. Wife was off work though so I went. It is suppose to rain today and tomorrow so I didn't expect to ride these 2 days. I felt last night I wasn't going to make it very well in the legs but went anyways.

Yeah, my speed was definitely way down and the exertion was way up. I thought I'd just ride a short ride but went my 6 miles to the tunnel and back anyways. Not as bad as last week on my 5th day, but by mile 10 I just wanted to be back at the car. I'll at least rest tonight. I'd like to ride Wednesday and Thursday and have stuff to do Friday because Wifey is on a rare Friday night off work. That way I'm not wore out for Saturday, which she's on a rare weekend off also and want to ride a different trail that is all uphill, though not a huge elevation change. It's just all uphill for the 24 mile length. That way I can ride as far as I can on the uphill, then turn around and have all downhill for the ride back. This will go across the Allegheny river on a huge really high and really cool bridge as well as a tunnel and many other small bridges that cross a creek multiple times.

I guess the more than 3-4 days straight will come eventually as I've only been doing this since the last day of July.

ill.clyde

Don't forget, there's no shame in taking a day off, or even doing like Mr. Sinister and riding a mile or two around your neighborhood, or riding a bike with your kids (those are some of my favorite rides ... smiles instead of miles!).

You don't want to loathe your bike or your time on it .... so don't burn yourself out. Listen to your body

Shepp30 

I ride when I get the opportunity and if it isnt raining...usually 4 or 5 times per week. I always feel the need to get a hundred miles per week and that is always the goal, sometimes it happens, sometimes it isn't even close, but I don't sweat it. Your body will tell when to take a night off. I had ridden 20 miles Friday, 40 miles on Saturday, and 20 Sunday as well as worked around the house all weekend. Yesterday, I was beat and needed a break, so I took one, with rain forecasted today and this evening it might be Thursday before I get out again, as I have golf league on Wednesday's.

Typically however, I am usually forced to take a night off...weather, children, better-half, golf league etc - it is not often that I have time and don't ride.