| Re: Leg muscle/heart rate question?
On Sat, 15 Jan 2005 13:57:48 GMT, "chris c" <cchris@frontiernet.net>
wrote:
>I am 35 going on 20. Weigh 169 (weighed 210 last summer!). Lost it quick
>with cycling and a low fat diet. I eat great now also (try to stick to the
>fruit and veg thing). I am in good shape. I have only some fat that I am
>trying to get rid of on the stomach (love handles). I know cycling wont do
>this. I do crunches.
>
Hi, crunches won't do it either. Well they will help, and if the fat
goes away, then you will have muscle to show.Spot reduction doesn't
work. From what I have read, it seems that we all have areas that the
fat seems to go to first and comes off of last. A couple of years ago,
I lost about 40 lbs and I am still struggling to get rid of about
another 5-10 in the midsection, including the love handles. In the
last two years I have biked over 5200 miles, I eat healthy [most of
the time], and work out when not riding. But that last bit of blubber
is still there. The muscle definition in your legs will come with time
and lots of riding. I wouldn't worry about pushing harder gears, I
would just ride.
You give us your weight, but not height. If over 6ft, then 169 is
good, but if you are 5'6", well then you have some work to do.
I just turned 50 and I feel better than I did throgh most of my 40s.
Like you I abused myself with alcohol, drugs, and bad eating. I smoked
everything but tobacco, for 25 years. Six and a half years ago, I quit
everything and then started smoking cigars. Well lat year I cut that
back to about 10 cigars, for the whole year, and I don't get winded
anymore.
I use a heart rate monitor and my max has been in the low 170s. As I
understand it, one sign of a healthy heart, is how fast it slows down,
after exertion. If your drops at least 25 beats in three minutes, that
is good. If not, you may have some problems. Depending on how high it
is, at the start of the three minutes, mine drops 25-40 beats
regularly.
I agree with the others that you should get a physical, at 35, it's a
good idea, anyway.
Life is Good!
Jeff
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