I rolled into the 5th week of my focused fitness journey with a change to our usual schedule as a family. My wife a trained primary school teacher was taking part in her Bikeabilty training to become a qualified instructor. She’d signed up for this via Cycle North in September 2023 but this was the next available training opportunity.
It’s in North Leeds and in the morning the journey is over 75 minutes (not our usual localised living) and I’ve been in charge of making sure both kids get to school, nursery and clubs on time. With some brilliant help from friends, it’s worked well.
I imagine Beth will write more on her training here as there’s so much to cover but I did worry if the life changes would interfere with my own training. Fortunately, I’ve had a great week!
I run my business from home and my schedule has been tailored around school drop-offs and pick-ups. I’m also an early riser so I’ve managed to get most of my training done in the morning before everyone wakes up.
It’s my record week in terms of time on the bike and distance. I’ve clocked 81.7km which is over 50 miles. I train on a high resistance as my goal is building leg strength/calorie burn vs overall distance and time. I have no plans to be a professional cyclist! Just enough to keep me lean and enjoy cycling for leisure.
This has been done simultaneously with actual resistance training. When I first started I would be exhausted all day but I can feel a real change in my overall strength; especially my leg muscles which are recovering quickly.
Here are the numbers:
| w/c | 4/2/2024 | Date | Exercise Type: | Duration | KM/Sets: |
| Sunday | 4/2/2024 | Resistance Bands | 35 mins | 11 sets | |
| Sunday | 4/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 28mins | 10km | |
| Monday | 5/2/2024 | Body weight | 25 mins | 9 sets | |
| Monday | 5/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 35mins | 13km | |
| Tuesday | 6/2/2024 | Body weight (x2 press-up variation) | 35 mins | 12 sets | |
| Tuesday | 6/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 40 mins | 14.5km | |
| Wednesday | 7/2/2024 | Body weight (x2 press-up variation) | 25 mins | 9 sets | |
| Wednesday | 7/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 40 mins 30 seconds | 14.5km | |
| Thursday | 8/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 41 mins 30 seconds | 15km | |
| Friday | 9/2/2024 | Body weight (x2 press up variation) | 35 mins | 12 sets | |
| Friday | 9/2/2024 | Spin Bike | 40mins | 14.7km |
A couple of observations this week:
- The strength and recovery of my legs has improved significantly. Just 5 weeks in and I am ready to go the next day on the bike.
- Ted talks, podcasts and YouTube channels help with the monotony of it. It’s far less exciting than cycling outside but with poor weather and limited time windows, it’s far more efficient.
- No football this week due to the weather. I am still conflicted with football and my overall health goals but because of the social side, I will continue to play!
- We tend to go to France for the Summer so I need a replacement activity for my bike. I may have to get out on my actual bike every morning before the heat sets in.
I plan to add pictures of my progress and will update stomach inches on a monthly basis. For now I am enjoying the consistency and it’s actually a great time to catch up on inspiration videos/podcasts.
Last Updated on February 9, 2024 by Ryan
Hello. I am Ryan and along with my wife Beth and our two children Matilda and Barney, we love all things cycling and exploring. We spend our weekends exploring fun places to cycle and discover and wanted to help other people do the same too. There’s no better way to travel than via bike and it’s an amazing activity for the whole family to enjoy.
I love this and I love you
Few questions
1. What time do you get up?
2. What podcasts do you listen to?
Thanks for the comment Dan! That’s really kind and I am so pleased you are enjoying this.
Sure.
1: About 5am usually but it can differ. Sometimes 4:30am but can be as late as 6am. I tend to aim for around 5am. Go to bed early though 😀
2: I listen to a huge variety. Mainly Financial Independence, property and fitness focused. Happy to share some of these if of interest?
Thanks once again!