CrazyIvan

I've been riding bicycles since 1945, still do, but I learned a long time ago my body adapts, it becomes very efficient at repeating the same exercise. What was difficult became easier, I needed to switch cardio with a different type of movement, and intensity to improve performance.
By doing the same workout you are flirting with overuse and chronic breakdown of muscle, tendon, and bone. Too much of the same repetitive activity or stress on the body will not allow adequate recovery.
If you mix it up, your body is fighting harder to adapt, recruiting more muscles which results in better performance. Weight training has taught me to change routines, I get too comfortable doing the same lifts, I have to work harder doing new routines.
When I started riding the Me-Mover about 2 years ago, my legs were on fire, the lactic acid was letting me know I was doing something different, so different I had a hard time going around my apartment complex. I figured at 78, it's gotta be the age, so I fought the lactic acid and went beyond the plateaus. it worked, I adapted. At 80, 30 or 40 miles is no big deal, even though I'm using more energy to propel the Me-Mover than my road bicycle.
That comfort level is hard to break out of, but it's worth it.

Brian25

I am younger, but am experiencing similar situation. I do not feel as though my body is "fighting to adapt", but at least for me I have some weak muscles that (now that I am older), it is more difficult to strengthen my muscles at the gym. The most difficult for me are a whole bunch of hip/ back muscles that you do not strengthen on the bike.

CrazyIvan

I have been riding my bicycle regularly for a long time as well as weight training, however about 2 years ago at 78 years old I was having trouble walking, which I, of course, attributed to age, so I almost accepted the fact, if I walk a certain distance my hip would hurt. If I stopped walking the pain would subside, then start again later as I walked further.
That was about the time I got a Me-Mover, and the ensuing acclimation, core, back work. Long story short, the more acclimated I became, the stronger my legs felt, and surprising, my hip pain diminished, and the pain subsided, gone! Now maybe I could have done other exercises for the same results, but I'm not complaining.
Sometimes I have to remember my age when I'm weight training, bicycling, and when I'm riding the Me-Mover, age is the last thing on my mind, especially when I'm fighting a headwind standing on the scooter, sometimes for hours.
When I ride my bicycle I can tell the cross-training has helped my endurance, the way I walk my dog who get's into her predator mode, I adapted.

CrazyIvan

Injured runners and aerobic fans are doing their thing on the Me-Mover, low impact and measured 50-60% watts higher than intense biking, or on par with intense running.

Jseis 

Give our winter wind & rain here at the edge of the North American continent. . I spend a 30-45 minutes a day on our Concept 2 rower. Intervals are just as painful on it as on my beach fat bike. Really helps with lower back and upper body tone. I’m 62 and it’s very easy on the joints as well.

Machka 

I walk, hike, climb stairs, row on the rowing machine, run on the treadmill, left weights, occasionally swim, canoe, cross-country ski and snowshoe. And cycle. And cycle longer, and longer distances.

The Me-Mover appears to have a similar motion, at times, as when I climb stairs. I climbed 236 flights of 20 stairs in November.

Allegheny Jet

I agree that cross training helps cycling in many ways both physically and mentally. I began an off-season supplemental workout this fall and already am seeing dividends via the power-meter while on the bike.

I have been doing 2:15 circuit intervals using a bike on a trainer as my recovery between each of the four stations. In the circuit I have a Versa Climber, Concept 2 Rowing Machine, upside down Bosu Ball squats with rotating arm positions every 10 squats, and 16" box step ups holding dumbbells. My watch countdown timer is set at 2:15 and it beeps for 10" when it is time to change stations. My hope it to get to the next station and moving within 15" giving me 2' of sustained efforts. I go on the bike with platform pedals between the 4 stations and concentrate on good pedaling form and recovery rather than working hard. I have been doing a warm up circuit then 3 more complete circuits at a hard/sustained pace. Over time I hope to switch up the time on each machine and or increasing the work done at each station.

caloso

I've been hitting the gym more this winter. Mostly squats, lunges, core strengthening, a few upper body things. I also run soccer drills with my U-15 centerback. He's killing me.

1989Pre 

Thanks for talking about cross-training. I just joined a health club, and at age 60, am planning on doing all their spinning/cardio/core exercises I can handle. I am using this training to do my first time trials next year (Maine Time Trial Series). I do a lot of yoga, too, and Tai Chi as well. Tai Chi is good for your balance. Kung Fu stance work (standing in one position for one minute or better) is very effective in forcing circulation into the lower extremities. I love dumbells, too.
For some reason, I have lost interest in doing these exercises alone, though: The social aspect of the health club will be critical. I guess I am just human.

TGT1

Cross training the last couple of weeks and hopefully finishing up this weekend is building about 80' of retaining wall.

For the next month or so it will be re- grading, backfilling, and setting up the drip irrigation, then I need to dig the holes to move two oak trees to new locations.

Good thing I'm not completely retired so I can go to work and rest at least a few days a week.

It's looking like the front yard re-landscaping project will take care of cross training till about February.

gobicycling

Today, I swam an hour, cycled outside (in some cold weather - a least to start) - for 3 hours, and walked. I call these days my teeny tri's. Other days I will do a full stretch routine, traditional weight program and/or a TRX workout. I can do 40 straight pushups, 20 full body dips, a 2 minute plank and some chin-ups and pull-ups. I do balance training. I am 78yo.

UtahRider

I hike alot. Also checkout Ross Enamait, very nice stuff he has to offer.

1989Pre 

Where are you tightest? You mentioned the plank, and I am perennially tight in my hip flexors, so was wondering of you focus on that area at all. A two-minute plank is pretty darned good, as well as the rest of your regimen.

1989Pre 

Remember to stretch.., and breathe.

The Snowman

I started cycling this past summer on a hybrid to add to my training for inline speed skating. I'm 52 and probably in the best shape I have ever been in. I also do spin classes, walk/run, and do plyometric workouts. Getting back into skating 3 years ago has really been awesome. The cycling has really brought it to a new level though.

Here's a photo from one of the competitions I was in a month ago. I'm leading the race in this photo.

gobicycling

Not tight anywhere, as I do a lot of stretching. If I don't stretch, lower back, and if I don't do my rolling on the foam roller, my IT Bands tend to get upset with me. I roll quads, hip area, IT bands and lower back, among other stretches - especially some more hip flexor stuff. A few years ago, my PT was very pleasantly surprised by the range of motion in my hip joints (no longer in PT).

Machka 

Excellent!!

gobicycling

Recent stats for a 78yo with Idiopathis Pulmonary Fibrosis, Pulmonary Hypertension and Dendriform Pulmonary Ossification. Target weight is 180 +-2:

IronM

In-season, I don’t cross-train much at all, except for maybe a little sea kayaking. In the fall, however, I switch over to enjoyable unstructured riding, plus a couple of sessions a week on the rowing machine & free weights/ squats in the basement gym. I find this to be a good time to address things such as bad posture, shoulder pain & muscle imbalances. After spending so many months working only cardio and legs, working the rest of my body feels pretty dang good, too! I think I need that to keep cycling fresh.

canklecat

A couple of months ago I resumed some of the same basic exercises we did in the military, mostly to strengthen the upper body.

I'd been riding again for a couple of years but kept encountering the same limitations on longer rides: neck and shoulder pain, mostly leftover miseries from an old injury. I'd be fine for 20-30 miles on the road bike, but beyond that it was miserable.

Resuming some basic exercises -- pushups, squats, lunges, abdomen and back strengthening and flexibility -- seems to be helping.

To add a bit of aerobic conditioning to the strengthening I do these consecutively with as little rest as possible, usually moving immediately from pushups to squats and lunges, then back to pushups, etc.

I still get tired and achy during rides but I seem to recover more quickly after a short rest.

CrazyIvan

Doing different kinds of moving is all good, everything that motivates an increase in fitness is what it's all about. Finding the motivation is what many have difficulty with, maybe the lack of commitment because of past failures, or years of negative conditioning. Personally, I like to change my cross training, as I do with weight training to go beyond sticking points. But it's the aerobics that takes most of my time, with that in mind I searched for the best method to accomplish an all-around fitness tool. After years of spinning, and a bad back I decided to search the niche market which rarely advertises, you have to investigate with an open mind. I try and curb my apprehension, especially after so many years on road bicycles, not easy, however, I found Trikkes in 2003, a 3 wheeled vehicle that is propelled by carving, similar to skiing, very enjoyable standing using my body to propel without spinning. Unfortunately, an old shoulder injury diminished my carving ability, which led me to the Me-Mover that I described in earlier posts. Initially, I was skeptical of this other 3 wheeled machine that was promoted with its ability to increase fitness without pounding of the joints. After a short time, I found my weaknesses after years of cycling and trikking. That was about 2 years ago since then I have increased my endurance by a great deal which I attribute to helping me recover from recent surgery, everything helps at 80 years of age.
Bottim line, I spend less time training aerobically by riding the Me-Mover because of the inherent propulsion method, in addition going places safely I would not take my bicycle. I appreciate the stability along with an increase in my balance and core workout I was missing cycling. As I wrote it's all good, for me this is better.

Machka 

Ran 10.7 km on Sunday ... and followed it up with a 21 km bicycle ride to work out the kinks.

CrazyIvan

About 2 years ago I had a problem walking less than a mile because of hip pain which I attributed to my age, 78 at the time. Ironically I had just taken possession of a Me-Mover, a 3 wheeled scooter propelled by stepping on 2 transmissions. I didn't give thought to my hip problem as I became acclimated to the new scooter, but I did feel the difference in my legs and other muscles, even after many years of cycling. I was surprised at the weaknesses I felt that needed improvement, but I continued beyond the lactic acid until it diminished, then disappeared as did my hip problem, the pain was gone.
Very unexpected as was my increase in leg musculature, especially at 78, in addition to an increase in endurance I felt riding my bicycle. I proved to myself that cross training does work, it's true that doing the same exercise continuously, muscles reach a plateau and need change, the Me-Mover changed a lot for me.