Is turbo-ing supposed to be this painful?

[peliroja]

I am going hard in my 40 minute interval sessions (using a DVD called Race Day with Robbie Ventura) and I have honestly never felt so knackered and lightheaded.

Am I pushing too hard? 

[Ariadne]

Probably not - spinning is fantastic, but really, really hard work.

Then again, are you well enough yet to be pushing yourself that hard?

[mike]

Oi, i thought you were poorly?  If youre not back to fighting fit, why are you doing such a hard session? Hmm???


But yes, they're supposed to hurt.  

[peliroja]

I'm sure I'm better now.  My throat has gone, and I rested over the weekend. I am sure I'm fine.

[teethgrinder]

Aren't you having trouble with your lungs or a throat infedtion?
Watch it, you could do some damage and set yourself further back.
Might be worth seeing a doctor before you do some high intensity training.

But feeling dizzy (for a little while) and knackered sounds about right. You must be working hard!

[peliroja]

I was having trouble with a chest infection and sore throat, but feel better now, honest.

[teethgrinder]

I'm sure I'm better now.  My throat has gone, and I rested over the weekend. I am sure I'm fine.

It might be worth giving it a little while, just to be on the safe side and to let your immune system make a recovery. Training lowers your immune system, so if you're not fully recovered, you might get it back again. You will also be more prone to further illness.
My tandem partner on PBP put in a huge effort for the last 80km (we both had to, to finish in time) when he was sick. The end result was that he was plagued by illness for months to follow because his immune system never recovered and he got one illness after another.

[peliroja]

 

OK, I will take it easy for a little while then.

How long is a little while?

[woollypigs]

I really do hope that you can help me with telling Peli that she should rest, it was hard work to keep her off it yesterday.

So Peli please listen to them and me, TAKE IT EASY !!!

[teethgrinder]

Listen to woollypigs.
He cares about you!
A little while? I'd say about as long as you've had the chest infection. It takes a very long time for your immune system to make a full recovery. I've heard that to recover from a 100 mile race, you'd need at least a month for your immune system to recover. Getting plenty of sleep helps. Sleep eprivation lowers your immune system.
You may feel good, but you may not be fully recovered. Just give it a week or maybe even a fortnight. Just to be sure. You're most likely OK now.
BUT!
If you are not, you could be doing yourself harm and instead of getting fitter and stronger, you'll be going backwards and making yourself worse.
If you really want to start training again, at least see a doctor who will know more than me and see what they say.
Try PMing or pinging hellymedic.

[Sergeant Pluck]

Far too soon for all-out turbo sessions. As I am sure you well know.

I have no idea why you do it.

But I am going to give up on this advice now as I think I am just repeating myself.

[Wendy]

Intervals this soon after being sick?  Loopy girl, no more at all!

I'm not sure you should even be doing slow gentle riding for short periods yet.

[peliroja]

  OK. Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will start being sensible.  I will stop for the time being. I just feel very frustrated at being so unfit all the time.

But Sgt Pluck, you have no room to talk, riding a hilly 80km on top of a chest infection.  OK, OK, you're fitter than me. I will be sensible. I promise.

[Sergeant Pluck]

I'm no expert on this, and I stand to be corrected, but in my own experience nothing knocks the immune system out like a combination of inadequate build up, strenuous training sessions, poor recovery and limited rest. Does any of that sound familiar? 

I understand your frustration - but the reality is that your perception of your fitness is distorted and I am confused as to why 

Look at how you did in the Alps, and on any recent forum rides. You're generally fit and have great stamina. Fact.

If you want to improve on that the answer lies a structured training programme with proper attention to nutrition and rest. And that takes up more time than you have available in your life right now.

I think the important thing, for me, is not to be super-fit for short periods - that's never going to happen for me - but to try and stay reasonably fit over long periods so I can enjoy my cycling: go on forum rides when they come up, go on the odd Audax, and do my own pootling when the need arises.

I am currently in training for Teethgrinder's Saturday ride by eating healthy food and getting plenty of rest.

[gonzo]

OK. Thanks for the advice, everyone. I will start being sensible.  I will stop for the time being. I just feel very frustrated at being so unfit all the time.

Condition your body. Put in miles and miles. Once you've done miles and miles, start changing some of your sesions to fast ones.

If you want to get faster, do miles. If you want to improve your sprint/climbing, do sprinting or climbing intervals.

"Intervals are the icing on the cake and I'm afraid that you're currently short of a cake"

[border-rider]

"Intervals are the icing on the cake and I'm afraid that you're currently short of a cake"

That's a great quote

Very true too.

[Ian H]

...Training lowers your immune system...

That's why I don't train.

Mind you, I had my first cold for several years last week. I only recovered just in time for the Dartmoor Devil, and definitely lacked some of the oomph up the hills.

[Chris S]

"Intervals are the icing on the cake and I'm afraid that you're currently short of a cake"

That's a great quote

Very true too.

Well, it's quite funny - but I'm not convinced it's true.

Intervals are a great way of getting some intensity into a workout programme, which is a very useful way for us lardy types to burn some fat.

I've become much better at climbing hills since doing a weekly 2x20 session.

On the subject of turbo-ing, there was a great quote from Ben Swift in last week's Cycling Weakly:

"I definitely think I managed to lift my pain threshold. I was doing four hour sessions on the turbo and that taught me not to complain when I'm out suffering on the road."

Four Hours??? 

[vorsprung]

"Intervals are the icing on the cake and I'm afraid that you're currently short of a cake"

That's a great quote

Very true too.

Well, it's quite funny - but I'm not convinced it's true.

Intervals are a great way of getting some intensity into a workout programme, which is a very useful way for us lardy types to burn some fat.

The phrase "intervals" means different things to different people

Technically, a couple of 1 minute sections raising the pace in your 30 minute at LSD pace are intervals

However, 2x20 at 85% HRM requires a lot of preparation and previous work to do properly
And if you are a bit under powered from an illness they won't be done properly and/or you will do yourself more harm than good

[ABlipInContinuity]

Peli,

To comment usefully on this, I think I need to know the goals of your training.

I used to have a turbo and did a couple of turbo sessions, but only because it meant I could be at home and not very far from the wife's beck and call in training for my coast to coast.

After that, I couldn't really see the point in turbo training - not for what I was doing. I wasn't racing, after all.

In general, if I want to improve my fitness, I just get on the bike. The more miles I manage to do average in a week, the more miles I can comfortably do in an epic when called upon and the faster I can do them.

I get natural intervals from hills, sprinting through junctions to clear them as quickly as possible, racing past the odd cycle commuter and so on. On a day when I'm feeling a bit rough, it's easy to ignore those little challenges and just ride at a steady pace.

I don't train. Yet cycling home from the City Centre on Saturday I got talking to a club cyclist on the way home from seeing his cycling coach. We rode competitively and after a while he piped up, "Do you race?".

If you are struggling to get out on your bike more, use the turbo, but instead of completing a training DVD aimed at racing cyclists and ironmen, why not just pootle on it whilst watching your favourite soaps? If you are drowning out the sound, you know you are putting effort into it!!!

And the key really is to gradually build it up. I've been cycling with not significant breaks for five years. I think if I was to really train hard, run myself down, and then continue I would set myself back months, even years.

It sounds like you have a decent base level of fitness already. How is your pedalling technique?

I understand how you might perceive that you are not very fit, Maffie does the same. Yet she did 55 miles with me on the Tandem on Sunday, the furthest she has ever been. Even at the end of the ride, she was chomping the bit at the foot of every hill and we even climbed some of the short sharp ones in the large chain ring!!!

Finally, Listen to your partner. He probably can see better than you when you should rest.

Good luck Peli.

[Chris S]

Wise words from The Blip.

Turbo-ing doesn't have to be a balls out interval or ironman session.

I sat on the turbo last night and spun a really easy gear for an hour just to shake down my legs after a slightly hilly weekend on the fixie. I barely broke a sweat - even indoors, but it was just enough.