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I go to the gym every day. I work with a trainer 5 days a week, and do 40-50 minutes cardio on an incumbent bike 7 days a week. A few days a week I'll do about 10 minutes on an elliptical. I'm 70 years old, but hadn't worked out in probably over a year. I used to work out regularly in the gym at work. I finally got back to it after I retired, and am glad I did. First, I don't what to see comments that incumbent bikes aren't beneficial. I go at a good clip on the bike. But a few days ago I decided to amp it up a bit. So every 5 minutes or so, I amp up the level from level 4 to level 10. Wow! What a difference. It's all I can do to go at that rate for 1 minute. Then back to level 4, and so on. My gluteus are killing me!! I mean even when I'm not moving about... when it's worse. Should I not do what I'm doing (amping up for a minute) every 5 minutes, or does my body just need to get used to it? I know I could ask my trainer tomorrow, but I guess I'm a bit impatient.
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In a nutshell: what you're doing is good, but you should built-up to it gradually.
Limit you sprints to say 1 or 2 per cycling session. If you feel fine and the quad soreness goes away, after couple of weeks, add another 1 or 2. Keep progressing until you can ride at increased intensity every 4 or 5 minutes through the entire session. If you feel any adverse effects, stop.
Keep in mind the "weakest link" theory - it applies to physical training as well. Your heart or lungs may be doing great, but it won't matter if, for example, your tendons give-in, or you severely pull your muscle.
Building the intensity gradually allows all the systems in the body to adapt at the same rate.
Finally, 1 minute is a very, very short interval, not particularly useful for most endurance athletes.
Consider longer intervals at lower intensity, say 4 or 5 minutes hard followed by 4 or 5 minutes easy. They will contribute more to development of your overall aerobic capacity.
Thank you so much for your reply. Clearly jumping up as many levels as I did was just too much. From what you describe, I should do an amped up level longer period of time for it to be beneficial. Clearly I jumped the level too much or I could have done it longer. It was difficult, but I pushed myself to get that minute in. Now I know if I'm going to push myself, I should do it at a level that I can manage for a longer period of time. Clearly, I don't want to do damage when I just want to be more fit. Thanks again for the advice.
And thank you for noticing my cat. That's Pearl. She was a rescue. She was found living on the streets of the Bronx. Apparently she was thrown out a window when her family decided they didn't want her anymore. She had a few broken teeth, which fortunately don't affect her chewing. The vet said you could tell she was likely dropped, landed with force and her face hit the ground. I know.. TMI... more than you asked for.
Yes, I made a mistake. I called it an "incumbent bike", instead of recumbent. I DO know what it's called. It was simply a mistake. Someone was kind enough to send me a private message pointing it out. Perhaps the recent elections were still on my mind.
I started using the recumbent bike first when I was rehabbing an ankle from surgery. I tried to work up slowly, as you are doing, but it was always tempting to do just a bit more. One thing that made a huge difference for me with the soreness was being sure to stretch very gently but thoroughly after I rode the bike. If my hamstrings got too tight, it really affected the whole area, and there would be more soreness in my glutes and lower back.
Eventually I moved on to a spin bike and then started taking spin classes, which I still enjoy. Glad you are having so much fun exercising, I can't imagine life without it now
(Thank you for sharing Pearl's story. I recently adopted an older Persian who was abandoned in a rental home in the next town when the tenants moved out of state).
What you are doing is has a name: Interval training. There are different forms, representing different intensity levels and times (High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT), Tabata, etc.). But in general, it is thought to be very beneficial. You can do all the research you want about it. The theory and programs are everywhere.
If your body (heart, muscles, lungs, etc.) can handle it, it's good.
Best of luck.
Edit: We have a dog that is a rescue
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