I'm really back into the swing of things at the gym. The training sessions are going very well. I can tell I'm stronger then when I started. Part of that comes from the fact that I recover from the workouts more quickly then when I started out. I was concerned that because almost a month passed between training sessions (Randy was away and then I was away) I would much of what I'd gained. It turns out not to be the case. I'm very pleased about that.
I'm getting back on the stationary bike on a more regular basis now. The goal is to try and ride 2 to 3 times during the week at least once on the weekend. I did 40 minutes tonight.
I realized something the other day about the standard wisdom about fitness. A great deal is made of the fact that if you can do just 20 minutes of aerobic activity three times week this is a great help to you. Well really to be totally honest you need that 20 minutes to be at or above your target heart rate. This is the heart rate that is going to give maximum bang for the buck when you exercise. And guess what it takes a while to reach that. I have a heart monitor and it can take five or more minutes to reach the target rate and it can be difficult to stay there for 20 minutes. My target rate is 133. I usually get there but like I said sometimes it's hard to stay there. I think 40 minutes on the bike is a good goal.
The next step I want to do is to start riding my regular bike to work in the mornings. I need to get a little more practice on the bike and get used to riding in traffic again. My goal would be to go for a ride in the morning and then take a shower at my gym and then go to work. I hope to be able to ride down or a little past National Airport. The main thing to see is how long that will take.
This Saturday weather permitting my goal is to ride to Alexandria and back.
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