Power Lifting
 

Haven't been in a gym in nearly 40 years as I have my own weights at home, although used them very little. What I don't have at home is motivation to grind it out, as I'd rather be riding. My daughter is a power lifter and convinced me to join a gym to avoid the winter blues. After a week and a half, I think she got it right as I am really enjoying it. Can't ride, so I now lift and am focused on power lifting as a goal to keep me motivated. There is a whole lot of technique required to avoid serious injury.

I actually look forward to going to the gym every morning! Beats the mind numbing hours of sitting on a trainer or rollers. Met some really good people as well. Hopefully in the spring I will be able to turn circles. lol

are you doing the squat, bench press & deadlift every morning w/o 48 hrs rest between? :foo:

I like the weights too. Been doing them off and on for >35 years (now 63). I go to the gym M-F, and almost never on weekends. I have a homegrown five day "heavy" lift program I typically break up over a two week period allowing for when I don't feel like a "heavy" day. On the days I break from it, I'll do 9-10 movements...4-5 sets, higher reps at lower weight. About every ten days I'll do a 1000 rep day (at lower weight), just because I can. I have become part of a cadre of "hardcore" (tongue in cheek) regulars at the Y, who while not best buddies, acknowledge each other and offer encouragement. I hang my hunting clothes on my home gym equipment. When I have big rides on the weekends, I'll give it a rest usually from the Tue or Wed prior. Everyone is different...listen to your body...enjoy!

I just recently started doing dead-lifts. Not heavy at all. I'm doing them with a small barbell and not Olympic size. With the small weights on the side it gives me more range of motion to complete the lift. I've found it's really helped my glutes and my riding. I'm really enjoying doing them and feel that they've really helped with my core strength.

My wife and I joined a gym in 1979. Several gyms later, we're still at it. We usually go twice a week for about an hour each. We don't do powerlifting, focusing more on whole body work, sets and reps to exhaustion, 1 minute between sets. Definitely helps with the injury-prevention thing. Hard to say if spending those hours riding instead would have greater benefit on the bike, but I don't really care. I like being able to be strong and not have any injury or mobility issues. Certainly doesn't hurt. I think I've stayed faster that I would have without the gym work. Sarcopenia is a real thing.

An interesting thing: when trainers want to improve cardio ability in the elderly, they work on strength first, then cardio.

I’m 51 and lift 3 days a week. W-F.

Wed, squats 5 sets x 8-12 reps, deadlifts 4 sets 8-10 reps.

Thurs, Back, 5 seats seated rows, 5 sets pull downs, 6-12 reps

Friday, 5 sets bench x 6-12, 4 sets lateral raises x 10-15.

basically all compound moves for strength but not too heavy. Each workout takes about 30 minutes. Very strict form to avoid injury. It’s fantastic been at it for almost 5 years. I remember the most shocking thing was how amazing deadlifts were. Never realized how weak my hamstrings, lower back, and glutes were.

It’s tricky to work in leg day because I will have DOMS for 2 days after “leg day”. So, I am doing legs on Wed and riding sat, sun, tues.

I work mostly the arms, trunk, calves (for Achilles' tendinosis), and medialis quad muscles (for kneecap tracking) 3-4 times per week at the local YMCA. This complements my cycling and fast walking. I finally got serious about upper body work after I broke my wrist 25 years ago and decided I needed to protect my upper body bone mass and density. I worked out about once per week for a long time, barely maintaining what little upper body strength I had, but since I started an encore career that lets me work at home on Tu and Th, I have been on a pretty regular 3, sometimes 4, day per week regimen, and I have been getting modest results.

At 71 the gym is my winter pastime, usually 5 days a week, with 2 days of free weight training. I wonder how often folks change up their weight routine and whether there’s any merit to that other than relieving boredom. I’m using kettlebells for a couple of exercises (squats and swings) and would like to do more if anyone has suggestions.

A good friend of mine who is approaching 70 and has been doing chemo for quite a period was told by his doctor to start hitting the weights (not big weights) as his bone density is falling off due to the long treatment. He has been an avid bike rider for many years and still gets out there with us...so anything he can do to keep the momentum is an upcheck. I can't say I understand all the physiology of it, but weight training (whatever you decide it to be for yourself) seems to be a worthwhile long term endeavor. I don't move the weight I "used to could", but there is satisfaction in doing what I do.

And, whoa, look at the time! Signing off to go to the gym. Cheers!

fwiw - I don't "power lift" but I like the gym & try to go everyday at lunch. I mix things up with the stationary bike, treadmil w/ inclined walking or running. I try to find machines that don't aggravate my joints. I was having trouble with an elbow so instead of pullups I'm using the pullup assist machine. I also like the inclined bench for presses. at 60 I try not to press my luck but consistency helps. they're doing road construction so I can't get to the gym during the week, this week. it's making me cranky grrr

I try to get to the gym at least 3 times a week. I always take a rest day after a gym day. I usually do a total body workout so the benefits of doing different body parts on different days doesn't work for me. Besides, I prefer to bike as my leg workouts. Biking on the day after a gym workout really seems to get the blood flowing and help with muscle repair.

Probably one of the greatest advantages about being retired is I can pick the times I go to the gym. I have done enough recon and know when the place is going to be empty. I never have to adjust my workout because someone else is using a machine or free-weight that I wanted to use. I'm able to efficiently move from one exercise to another without any delay or modification that would needlessly extend the amount of time I need to get my workout done.

I periodize my weight work, using 4 different workouts over the year. If there's some time in the year when one wants to peak, there's value in periodization. See: https://www.bikeforums.net/training-...e-athlete.html

I go to the gym at least 5 days per week. I may not strength train every session and many times I use the gym for recovery / relaxation as well as stretching and steam / sauna.

With respect to strength training, I have been doing it consistently since 1972. Cycling and running have been off and on over the same period of time. Since 2007, I have been focused on cycling.

I wanted to try olympic lifting and specifically power cleans. I do not have enough flexibility in my shoulders and arms to get the bar in the clean position once it is off the floor. For legs, I do deads (hex bar), hip thrusts, single leg presses, box jumps and calf raises. For upper body, I do both free weights and machines just to change up the routine as well as rubber bands for faster movement.

At my gym, we have personal trainers and I watch them working out as well as instructing others for ideas and I use a trainer to check form and etc from time to time.

The power lifting is a goal to keep me motivated. As my daughter explained, power lifting requires a strong body and excellent technique to do well, so the exercises (lifts?) I do work more than one group of muscles at a time. Everything has to be strong to do this, and I can tell you that the chronic back pain I have suffered from since leaving the military has not shown up since I started this. Every muscle group is getting a dose of reality right now! End of November the trainer says I will be doing more free weights and heavier lifts. This will work to fight off the winter blues.

Should be a gas to see what happens on the bike in the spring.

Powerlifting has incredible impact on the entire structure of the body. I was a competing powerlifter 20yrs ago (I’m 62), trained hard for it since 1984. If a gym was closer I would lift during winters. You will enjoy the leg strength if you can get some rides in during the winter. I certainly enjoyed it on the early spring rides 5yrs ago when I last worked out with my powerlifting regimen. Enjoy!

As retired Navy I can use base gyms, and I live next to Schofield Barracks in Hawaii (home of the 25th Infantry Division) so use their gym 3 days a week. Working out next to the troops is motivating. I used to do a lot of powerlifting, but in my 60s find that I have good strength but I easily get joint injury (especially shoulder) so I have cut back and do more nautilus. I find the machines isolate the muscle with less risk of joint pain. The Army seems to like to do olympic-style lifting. I've never seen so many people doing clean and jerk or snatch anywhere else. They also have their new PRT where they pull a weighted sled.

scott s.
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I have been going to the gym 4 times a week for about 3 years now, I started getting back into cycling about 5 years ago. I think that lifting weights (without injuring yourself) is very good overall. I typically avoid machines that lock you into a position to maximize effort on a single muscle, like getting into a fixture. I prefer free weights or a pulley system and use my core to stabilize my body, in other words my core supplies the fixture that a machine does. The reason for this is, I get good benefit on the muscle(s) of interest but I engage my core. I also like doing things one side at a time, like a shoulder press using a dumbell but one side at a time. Again it really works the core. I find that core development has helped me the most of all on a bike and to do things around the house. I also started to do dumbell work while standing on a bosu ball. This is very difficult for balancing, as balance is a skill that expires after 50. I started to do leg presses and had to dial back the weight as it hurt my knees. I prefer a lighter weigh with maybe 20 reps 3 sets as opposed to the typical 8-10 reps 3 sets with heavy weights. IMHO doing leg presses helped a good deal with hill climbing but your mileage will vary.

Yesterday had a free weight workout and loved it, however this morning woke up really sore. Did not realize how much more work dumbells and barbells are when compared to machines. Will transition completely to free weights by end of month. My personality is slightly obsessive, so I have to be careful!

One seriously great benefit to the gym is that there is a whole group of us that are vets ranging from Vietnam, Gulf War, and current crap hole in the Middle East. Very therapeutic for many of us.

Thinking this gym thing will be permanent part of fitness routine. Cut down on the riding miles to keep time at gym available during the summer.

Power Lifting
 

At 77 I try to hit the gym once a week. I went to weight machines about 10 years ago after a couple minor injuries and the need for a spotter. It seems to help although an Olympic Cycling coach told me to do squats on the bike instead of sleds.

I'm with you. I'll turn 55 on Sunday.

Being in my early 70s, I wonder about weights loading/compressing the spine. It's something we do most o' the time when we're not sleeping. So I do chin ups instead, to stretch it a bit. I don't know if it thanks me for it . . . but my arthriticky elbows and wrists seem happy enough. . . so far!

The trainer guy at the gym told me yesterday that next week things are going to get heavy. Oh boy! He had me put in the effort Thursday, and today I took it off from the gym. Need recovery time after that effort!

I used to worry about that, too. However after 40 years of compressing my spine, it seems all the healthier for it. The main thing is to work your back muscles. Working abs like all the beautiful folks in the gym doesn't do anything for you, other than make you beautiful if you care that much about it. It's back work that'll keep you moving. Geezers all complain about their backs, right? At least those who don't work out do. Anything that works your back is good. Squats is one of those things as are deadlifts and stiff-legged deadlifts. Also horizontal rows, dumbbell presses, and oddly enough, dumbbell pullovers.

I'm careful of my back, and have had issues in the past (degenerative discs), but I work it in my schedule three days a week. Almost always do some basics with it on the off days. Improper form and too quick a movement are common denominators for pain leading to a couple days layoff...so I pay attention to what I am doing there a little more than I might with some other exercises. Listen to your body.