When I get out on the trails I am there to have fun. I get exercise but it is just an added benefit. To get a real workout I either go to some fire roads where I can go all out for an hour or get on the trainer and make a game of it. Here in the Triangle area of NC I can take advantage of the roads through Duke Forrest. There is enough variation in the topography to make the ride a real workout. However, with time constraints and weather variations the best way to get a real workout is at the gym. I set the stationary bike on manual for one hour and alternate 3 minutes on low resistance (about 120 watts or 500-600 cal/hr) then 3 minutes on the highest setting (about 1100-1200 cal/hr depending upon cadence). This way I get 10 sets in, each time taking my heart rate beyond what any chart indicates I have any business maintaining. Interval training is ideally suited for the physical requirements of single speed riding. Before going on a biking trip to Dauphat, VA I worked up to 8-10 min on high resistance with 3-4 minutes low in between.
Riding on a trainer can be tedious. Making a game of it keeps my mind occupied and helps keep me motivated as well as track progress week to week. Each time I start I set an overall calorie usage goal. Lately that has been one hour and 800 calories. I don’t know if the bikes tracking of calories is accurate but it does not matter if it is fairly consistent. I gauge progress at several points along the way and calculate if I have to step it up or not. It usually comes down to an extra painful final 5 minutes to just squeak past the target.
Once a week on intervals, once a week on consistent resistance for endurance, and once a week riding the trails for a couple hours and my legs and heart are up to any challenge. If I could stop eating so much I would reap even more benefit from my workouts. Unlike running, I don’t find a couple extra pounds to be that big a factor for biking unless riding in an extra hilly area. This is also why bike weight, within reason, is overrated.
