The other day I was on my beloved stationary bike when a new idea slowly dawned on me; I have a new goal to shoot for. Since I’m a firm believer in not waiting until January 1st to make your life better, I’m going to get started immediately much like I did with writing my second book. Basically, I’m going to build my endurance on the stationary bike to the point of being able to pedal 210 minutes (three and a half hours) continuously, at a minimum speed of 12 miles per hour.
But first, a bit of context. I had previously purchased other workout equipment (a pull-up bar, resistance bands, et cetera) when the pandemic first struck as my gym had closed during that time. While my calisthenics/resistance band workouts had done wonders to maintain my strength levels without the gym, my cardio had greatly diminished as I no longer had access to ellipticals or the heavy bag. I was dead set against going back to that gym, partially due to my love of the newfound monthly savings and partially due to the owner of the gym was a complete asshole and the thought of giving him money made my stomach churn. I then picked up a stationary bike on Amazon for $150 two years ago, as my cardio fitness was sorely lacking, and I was committed to improving it. Being as strong as a freight train is of limited use if you’re wheezing after climbing three flights of stairs or need to sprint for 20 yards, which is a lesson I learned the hard way in my twenties.
When I first got the bike, I quickly found out how much my cardio fitness was lacking. Despite being in the normal range for the Body Mass Index (BMI), and thus being ahead of nearly 3/4ths of Americans, I was only capable of pedaling for five miles at a time. I was appalled at how out of shape I had become regarding my endurance. I then started using the bike more often, frequently getting in cardio sessions before work and my stamina quickly improved. Five miles went from being a punishing endurance ride back then to the post-lifting glycogen burn at the end of a workout now.
As I mentioned in my NostradAmish article, I love football. In fact, I’ll watch countless hours of both college and NFL games in any given autumn/early winter weekend. However, I dislike being sedentary for too long, so towards the end of last season I got into the habit of setting my stationary bike in front of the TV in my living room on game day. During halftime (I don’t need pundits telling me what happened in the first half I just watched), I’d put my workout clothes on, stretch and then mount the stationary bike. Upon the second half kick-off, I would start pedaling. I had worked my endurance to the point where I was able to pedal the entire second half of whatever game I was watching. It was a great way to both enjoy the game and get some extra miles in.
My endurance has improved slightly since the end of last season. My longer rides now consistently pass 90 minutes in length (which is roughly the second half of an NCAA/NFL broadcast), and on a good day I can cross the two-hour mark. Thus, my sights are now set on being able to pedal an entire game from kick-off to the final whistle.
With that said, I’ll certainly need to make some changes, as what got me here will not necessarily get me there. Currently, I weigh 178 pounds at 6’1. While I’m metabolically healthy and this weight is considered in the normal BMI range, this means I’m 10 pounds heavier than the average competitive cyclist. Losing the extra few pounds will aid me in my goal (and has the extra benefit of further irritating my relatives!). Additionally, nearly all of my workout time will have to be on the bike as most competitive cyclists ride a minimum of six hours per week. I currently workout five hours per week, but I make sure to hit all of my muscle groups, as I was previously optimizing for general fitness. However, now that I have a more specific goal in mind, I’ll need to focus less on my glamour muscles (though legs and core will still matter for obvious reasons). I’ll have to tweak my nutrition as well, especially on the bike as a ride like this can easily burn an entire day’s worth of food intake and refueling on the bike would be necessary.
A large part of me looks forward to accomplishing that goal, whether it’s late this season or early next season (as it takes time to develop stamina). This is mostly because ruthlessly striking down goals is the only way I know how to live.
But hey, what do I know? I’m just a “Try-Hard”…
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