How many consecutive days can you bike (or ski) without "overtraining."

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It's not so much about consecutive days, but about the training load.  You can have a rest day every week and still overtrain.  It's also an issue specific to each individual, is affected by nutrition, and by stress.  So, there is no easy answer.

If you are a recreational skier asking whether you can go and ski for a week or ten days in a row, then there isn't likely to be an issue of overtraining, but rather a issue of whether your physical condition will allow you to do so.

Periodization of your workouts is the key to avoiding overtraining.  As they say: "train hard, and rest harder."

Mike

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitamin Ski 

I'm more wondering if I can bike 10 miles everyday and be OK (life circumstances, fatigue, and lazyness will naturally give me some rest days here and there).

 

What this is really about is:  If the weather is nice (whether for skiing or biking) I want to go out and hit it.

 

Ignoring the troll aspect here, go out and hit it.  You're basically asking if you can exercise areobically or with, possibly, some interval component, 30-45 minutes a day and ski, when possible, and be ok.  Yes. 

With that light a training load, what on earth in the way of benefits do you think you're getting from a gym workout?  Stay on your bike and do bike-handling drills and a few supplemental calisthenics, it will help you far more for a movement sport like skiing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitamin Ski 

 

In the gym I beef up strength, mass, and fast-twitch potential.
 

 

Well, forget the need for mass.  You're not in the NFL.  You're a recreational skier.  Your fast-twitch potential isn't holding you back.  Relying on strength will hold you back.

You can ride ten miles every day without fear of losing weight. Ten miles a day will not result in a metabolic/endocrinological/catabolic nightmare.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitamin Ski   The heavier, the better.

 No...........

This is a great question: you really need to overlay Work/Life/Ex & be realistic.  These 3 need need to align to be happy & strong.  Don't get sucked into specific programs & training ( I need to ride x miles today).

Be consistent in setting time to train & flexible in intensity.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Vitamin Ski 

It's just sometimes there's three-four days in a row with great weather, and I have the time, but on the third or fourth day I'm stoked to go biking, but then think I'll wear down muscles or overtrain. (or further, keep having to push back gym workouts, which I do 100% for benefits, and actually get very tired of doing).

 

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I don't have an account on TGR; my skiing habits don't align with the vibe there.  Not really sure what I'd get out of the site.

Iriponsnow and habacomike's have great responses above...

But in general, doing the same thing every day is not your best option. Going 3-4 days in a row? Sure. If you feel great, go for it. Is it possible to go every day all summer at 10 miles/day without getting injured or overtrained? Of course. But it's also possible to develop issues (hello ITB syndrome!).

Generally speaking doing the same thing every day = increased risk of injury and decreased risk of great fitness results. Mix it up. Bike a few days. Go to the gym 1-2 x/week. Hike. Swim. Play soccer or ultimate (or just ultimate :) ). Inline skate. Go climbing if its raining. Spend a day lounging now and then.

Ask Greg Hill.

I once skied 28 days in a row. By the third week I had weird bruises and sore spots start to show up and were not healing. It's possible to over train exercising the same muscles two days in a row. Listen to your body. If you're sore, you should rest. If you're having more fun than pain, it's your call to keep going.

It really just depends on the intensity of the workout.  As an instructor (and as many others can attest to) you can ski 30 straight days and barely be sore if you're only skiing really hard a few days a week.

you won't overtrain from just skiing and biking. 
unless you have absolutely nothing to do and spend all of your day either doing on or the other.
 

if you are lifting weights it depends on the volume of work, but again i doubt you are able to achieve those levels unless you are a professional athlete.
 

if indeed you are beginning to overtrain you will noticed it right away, both in your everyday life and in the gym so you should be able to stop and give your body some much deserved rest.
 

keep in mind that soreness tightness and fatigue are normal when exercising a lot so don't worry too much.
 

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on the side i wouldn't suggest biking as training for skiing, you are using two completely different energy systems. especially if you are thinking about racing (longest race will never top 2mins)

 Exercise is a form of stress. Sun light is a form of stress also & differnt people can handle intense sun light better then others i.e., An albino is @ one end of spectrum & can handle very small amounts of stress from sun light & a black individual @ the other end of the spectrum & can handle a lot more stress from intense sun light & then there is everyone in between in regaeds to the amount of intense sun light they can handle.

There is also a wide range in regards to stress from exercise individuals can handle compared to others.

 Anarobic exercise produces far more stress then arobic exercise

 An individual only has x amount of recovery ability  period & it is best to use wisely.  

 Off track below because Iam not sure if your doing anarobic exercise but I use the concept to judge my use limited supply of recovery ability

 If an individual is doing weight training, then adds areobics & starts getting weaker they are most likely adding to much arobics

 By keeping a journal one can tell if they are over training based on thier increase or decrease in strength levels

 Of course one could also cut back on the anarobic exercise (weight training) so more recovery ability could be used for arobic exercise.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kneale Brownson 

Intensity is the key. You can go for a nice 10-mile bike ride every day of the summer without overtraining if you tone back the intensity. If you have to push yourself all the time, you're missing the fun of any activity, skiing included.

I think you could hammer 10 miles a day and not over train.  10 miles isn't really that long of a ride, unless it's 10 miles of constant climbing.

Quote:

Originally Posted by billyymc 

10 miles isn't really that long of a ride, unless it's 10 miles of constant climbing.

 

Exactly.   

I believe the accepted method to determine if you are over training is to monitor your resting pulse when you get up each morning.  If it is elevated, you are over training.  You muscles don't get stronger while riding or skiing, it is when they rebuild during the resting phase where they gain strength.

Quote:

Originally Posted by mudfoot 

I believe the accepted method to determine if you are over training is to monitor your resting pulse when you get up each morning.  If it is elevated, you are over training.  You muscles don't get stronger while riding or skiing, it is when they rebuild during the resting phase where they gain strength.

There is also a short-term  trick you can do with body-fat measurement scales - if the scale shows a higher proportion of body fat /after/ a non-peaking workout  (assuming hydration, diet and sleep volume are controlled)  then there is a training volume problem. 

But both of those are really short-term severe problem indicators, no?  What I mean is:   By the time they're triggered, you're /burnt/ toast?

Yikes, I don't think of skiing as training....to me, it's having fun.  If I get something out of it fine, but I'm there to enjoy myself.  

That being said, I'm an old, out of shape, woman who just happens to ski 5 days a week.  I start slow at the beginning of the season and ramp up over time.  Going for 1.6 million feet this year, which will NOT be a record.  And it's not about the vert, it's about the fun.  

I have skied as many as 15-20 days in a row, usually at the end of the season. Most of my skiing is doing drills/working on technique to improve racing so it is fairly energetic. Also, spring skiing can be demanding with the heavy slush, big bumps, and warm temperatures. Before the season, I was swimming about 1/2 mi 4 or 5 days a week and doing some weight and core/balance training.  Nevertheless, I get to feel somewhat "beaten up" after about a week. My days become somewhat shorter, my feet hurt, I get some muscle pains. So for me, I can probably do (after a month or two of skiing) something like 7 or 8 days then I start to break down. But I have all summer to recover, so I just keep going until I have to get home and back to real life. Because like Sibhusky (I am also far from a Junior) I am having a ton of fun. I come in after the lifts close with a big smile every day.

10 miles? 10 miles on a SS in the Rockies maybe.

It all depends on intensity.  I used to run 100+ mile weeks every week, but it's all about gradually building up and scaling back the intensity when necessary (i.e. when my body is sore and tells me to).  Also, a break every second or third week is nice.