Calsun

Planks and wall sits are effective for reducing high blood pressure and strengthen cord muscles used when cycling. No equipment needed.

David_Harris

Phoenix. But it is not fun in the summer.

essiemyra

I will leave by the end of April. Thank-you for the suggestion!

tclune

The MUP by me in western MA is plowed, too. I wish it were a more common thing for towns to do around here. I just got my Winter Marathons for my new bike in preparation for the season. It's worth mentioning to people who are new to studded snows that you need to treat them gingerly for the first few miles because the studs get set in place when you first ride on them. FWIW

rumrunn6

that's great! don't forget to share ride stories over in the winter threads! there's a bunch of knuckleheads over there!

late

It's the result of doing isometrics using a lot of muscle.



I've been doing a little with squats and biceps (very little, this is part of the winter plan)

But I have a couple suggestions.. add weight, start small.

The other one is that iso-squats are an exercise that's good if you have done something with legs the day before.






https://www.skimble.com/exercises/45...to-do-exercise

Calsun

I do not need to use weights or power bands to strengthen my leg muscles. I get that from hill climbing. I use planks and wall sits is to maintain key core muscles then I cannot ride.

The picture of the woman with broad masculine shoulders is not going to appeal to most women, in particular those who enjoy bicycling and not working out with weights in the gym.

Wileyrat

I live in Tucson, my real riding season is just beginning.

gthomson

Zwift for me in the winter. I do some winter sports like hockey, X country skiing but I really want to focus on the indoor training this year. A friend of mine joined the Zwift racing league last year, D division and he really got fit over the winter season and really helped improve his summer mountain bike racing.

I was reluctant to start Zwifting as well back in 2017 but a couple of colleagues of mine bought wheel on trainers and one guy gave me his old dumb Cyclops trainer. To test it out, I bought a set of cadence and speed sensors to attach to my crank which allowed me to fake ride through Zwift. Joining group rides and Zwifts really got me into it so made the leap and bought a smart trainer and continue to do it year-round ever since.

It's not the same as riding outside but what a great work out. Gets my heart rate way up there, sweat out litres of water and get the exhausted but good feeling when I'm done.

rumrunn6

ha! wow! wonder what that feels like. Wifey & I are looking forward to retiring & enjoying September in new ways. we have our typical New England Fall routines & rituals, mostly around saying goodbye to summer activities that, if we didn't have to work, could keep on enjoying. her parents, Aunt & Uncle used to rent a house on Martha's Vineyard, for the month of September, which is still gorgeous up here. I would love to do that

late

The gal is there to illustrate the exercise I had in mind. The band hits the gluteus medius. I have some tightness and stiffness in the hips, and that's one of the things I hope will help.

Somebody brought up skeletal muscle, I walk forwards, backwards and sideways against resistance bands. Going forwards and back I can work up to a good level of resistance. Someone really active doesn't need to worry about that, but I've found it helpful, esp. when I have to push a car.

I'm trying to get back to where I was 20 years ago, I keep trying, but never seem to get there.

ofajen

I’m about 50-50 running and biking for cardio these days. With less daylight, I just got myself a headlamp for running at night. I used it last night and it really helped me see all the uneven stuff on the sidewalks and curbs. When I don’t like the outdoor conditions, our rec center has an indoor track I can use.

I reckon I’ll leave the MTB as a 42/17 single speed so I’ll maintain some cycling strength by default. I’m sure using a cycling trainer would be beneficial for fitness, but I don’t enjoy doing cardio if I’m not actually moving, and I don’t want to stay in one place and sweat.

Otto

late

This happens to me a lot. As the sets and intensity increases, the number of exercises I can do drops.

So I need to program in more sessions, like a standard upper/lower push/pull split..

I always get into trouble when I do that. That's even more true now that I am really old. It's not supposed to be hammertime.. I'll have a good day, and fry my muscles, and then a few days later, that body part doesn't want to be bothered, even though it's the opposing muscles.

Don't suggest a trainer, I've tried a bunch. The one guy that understood me had certifications out the wazoo, and wanted $80 an hour when most trainers were charging $30. He was worth it, I don't have that kind of dough.

If you have an idea, I'm all ears.

rsbob 

Have already partially transitioned to ZWIFT for the season, however on 40*+ non-rainy days I’ll be outside. Since I have a wonky back, I do the same core exercises every two or three days year-round. Add to that a dumbbell workout and stretches, I am good.

big john

There isn't really winter here but I lived in the mountains for 4 years and I had a blast riding mountain bikes in the snow. Went through a lot of brake pads and wore through some rims.
I would also ride the road bike if the roads were plowed and dry. Just have to shorten the ride a bit.

Biker395 

SoCal is pretty close, particularly near the coast. Winter highs are typically in the mid 60s with lows in the 40s. Summers are also pretty mild with highs in the 70s and 80s.

The only weather downside are our May Gray and June Gloom overcast months.

From this morning's ride:

terrymorse 

Not so bad in the Bay Area, even though SoCal folks says it's too cold here.

Arm and knee warmer weather December-February, carry a vest for descents. Start rides later in the morning, after it has warmed up:

late

I said earlier I often get into trouble. One of the few drawbacks of bands is the lack of a specific resistance. My left is stronger than my right, so I was doing extra to try and make the right stronger. The tricep got overcooked, and has been sore for weeks. It's really slowed me down, although it is slowly recovering.

Sometime I want to talk about the relationship between aging and exercise. I love cycling, but there are things it doesn't help. Things you don't want to lose, like skeletal muscle.

terrymorse 

Many will tell you that cycling isn't good for building skeletal muscle. I don't know about that. It sure seems to keep the muscles below the waist in shape.

I don't do much of any lower body strength training during the cycling season. The muscle soreness (DOMS) after a big ride tells me that I'm building strength.

Upper body? LOL, nothing going on up there.

late

Cycling helps, no doubt.

20 something years ago, I started doing stuff for general fitness. Like walking forwards, backwards and sideways against rubber bands. This is everyday sort of fitness, like pushing a car, or shoveling a driveway. The thinking is you want to keep as much of that as you can, because when you can't do it anymore, you've got something there.

The problem is we are all stuck with our unique histories, and your average trainer isn't equipped to deal with it if your situation is unusual. Mine is.

ofajen

People make too much of the distinction of cardio vs strength training. Running and cycling can improve core and upper body muscle tone and strength training can be cardio, too.

Otto

BTinNYC 

Preparing for winter means getting accustomed to riding in the cold. I find these fall transition months are hard, temps in 40s feel freezing just walking around. I'm forcing myself to kit up and ride this season. Otherwise I'll end up only working on the trainer. Yesterday was my 3rd cool ride, 46 degrees start temp.

The other prep is clean up and lube the trainer.

Champlaincycler

I also rode outside yesterday for the first time in almost a month. During that month, I've been killing it on Rouvy. Doing 18-25 mile rides 3-4 times a week and pulling my own, passing others more than being passed, doing climbs, getting the HR up, sweating buckets. Getting back outside was a rude awakening, I'm just not in good bicycling shape. Too many hills and rough roads around where I live and indoor cycling just can't mimic that. I can't figure it out, but thinking of cutting back to 2 days riding inside and using the other days to work on flexibility and core and upper body. Just start over biking in the spring outside, as it used to be.

rsbob 

I’ve stopped thinking about winter since it appears it has already started with morning temps at or below freezing with highs in the 40s. Today’s ride involved cycling tights, base layer, jacket, 2 pair gloves, neoprene booties, and a cycling cap under my helmet to keep the low sun out of my eyes. Kept toasty warm and saw plenty of like minded souls out riding. And so it goes.

PeteHski

What bike/trainer are you using for Rouvy? I do a lot of indoor riding over the winter and feel strong on the road right out of the box.