OBoile

Very few people are physically fit. But I do agree with your second statement:


Mark Twight defines fitness as "the ability to accomplish a task". I always liked that. Elite runners and cyclists are very good at the task that is important to them. They may not have a good balance of fitness, but I would say it's incorrect to call them unfit.

OBoile

Lifting weights, like every other form of exercise, requires us to push ourselves out of our comfort zone in order to improve. Most people don't do this, just like most people aren't doing difficult intervals in the exercise bikes or treadmills (or posting on forums like this seeking to learn). It's very common to see someone talk about how they "add muscle too quickly" but, seeing them in the gym, it's clear they aren't doing enough to build any muscle at all.

Having said that, since the goal of lifting generally isn't cardiovascular health, it is possible to push yourself pretty hard without being out of breath for much of the time, or working up a significant amount of sweat.

wphamilton

I don't get out of breath - breathing heavy but not out of breath- the occasional times I do weights nowadays, but there's always sweating. I would break a sweat just doing a half hour stretching routine (which I don't do either any more LOL), so I don't know how you'd avoid it without spending most of the time resting. At least work hard enough that the fan doesn't chill you!

NoWhammies

I'm at the gym three days a week. I have a pretty good rotation of exercises that is servicing me well. The worst part though? Getting up at 5pm to make to the gym in the first place.

OBoile

I'm sure some people sweat more than others, I'd never sweat from stretching. But if you're doing something like low rep sets with long rest periods (like if you were peaking for a competition) you'd sweat a lot less than doing, say, sets of 8-12 with a moderate amount of weight and a 2-3 minute rest between sets.

HerrKaLeun

I'm a cheapskate and don't have time or motivation to go to a gym. Obviously my main exercise for fun is riding my hybrid or fatbike :-)

but for indoor exercise i do the following on the cheap:
- I do all those exercises in front of a TV or computer while watching stuff. That way I use the time I waste on watching stuff.
- I looked up all kind of dumbbell exercises and bought a set of bowflex dumbbells for $250. They are nice in a way they don't clutter the rec room up too much.
- I downloaded free yoga (search for mel studio or others) and do those on the floor. in addition I do crunches , push ups etc. all stuff that doesn't require equipment. so in theory i could do that when I'm traveling.

With that I believe I can train every muscle. Maybe not to Schwarzenegger level, but good enough for me. sure, there is better equipment, but they don't necessarily train better. The best exercise is the one you actually do :-)

Many people spend a lot of money on gym memberships and home equipment just to barely use it.

wolfchild

Not at all....Detach from all the silliness that's around and ignore the distractions... Focus on your own goals, do what's important and go home..

Stadjer

Same for me, I ride my bike to the football pitch, the squash and tennis centre or to the sportshall. Sometimes I use it as part of the warming up and daily cycling keeps a certain level of fitness which helps when you have to get fit again after an injury or something, but also for me it doesn't come near a real exercise.

That's kind of the point, agility and athletic ability also have to do with motor skills, balance, reflexes, all kinds of sensory input and in a gym that's typically not exercised, not to mention tactics, strategy, playfulness and mental strength. That's why I believe for most people it's second best, often the best thing available or practical to them, but for me the issue then is with the availability and practicality.

I started running a few years ago, because couldn't regain my fitness (for the sports I want to do) with playing anymore. I always had refused to run without purpose like some kind of ball present, or in group training. After a while when I had some endurance I really enjoyed it, a great start of the day. But I'm lucky, I live next to a park, which used to be a defensive wall so there are also some stairs that I could use for a more anaerobic exercise. But even without the stairs it seems so much better than running on a threadmill in a gym. And playing a 1.5 hour game, that feeling is much, much greater and it still is physically more demanding. For me the gym is like the last resort, if there are really no other ways to get fit you have the settle for just physical exercise, without any of the things that can make it really fun.

You don't have to be talented to enjoy a sport that involves skill. Anyway, the reason I don't like the growing number of gyms is not because I don't respect individual preferences and choices. The reason is that (where I live) I see gyms replacing prober clubs and exercise for the sake of exercise replacing sports not because of individual preference but because of external causes.

10 pull ups is not easy at any age. Maybe if you're genetically favoured for upper body strenght, but I've been pretty fit and my arms have looked pretty strong, but I really had to practice for quite a while to get over 10.

OBoile

I'm going to weigh in on the "10 pull ups" thing. IMO a cycling equivalent would be maybe be an FTP of 3-3.5 w/kg. It's pretty good, and a it will make you faster than most of the people you see riding on the MUP in your neighborhood. A lot of people will ride for years and never achieve this. But, there are thousands of Cat 1 racers who could drop you while holding a pleasant conversation with their buddies.

I suspect most healthy males who aren't old or overweight could achieve this within a year of dedicated training.

Cyclist0108

Some people log their workouts with their phone, and the weight machines at the gym I started to go to have those QR Codes that link to a description of how the thing works and how to use it properly.

My oldest kid is very old-school; he uses a little notebook. He is in shockingly good shape now. I think perhaps a paternity test might be in order.

They don't have TV screens. I think I would have refused to join if they did. IMO, TV should only be turned on during natural disasters or the Tour de France.

wphamilton

I'm getting way off topic (sorry) but I thought I would clarify "half hour stretching routine" I meant a rudimentary yoga, Sun Salutations. After a few repetitions, breathing right, you'll probably be sweating. But it does vary per individual.

Stormsedge

My wife and I are members of the Y. She uses a trainer, the machines and pool. I tend to use the machines and some free weights...and usually push my limits at least one session a week (to the chagrin of many of the other retirees). We go to the Y despite having a fairly complete home gym...it seems to motivate us more.

After doing this for >30 years, I know to back off when my joints report back the next day. I do have a daily base set of things I like to do, but mix it up with other machines/lifts because I can or because the joints say so. Seems to work. I do not see a correlation to improved biking ability though...may need to increase leg days.

BikingTech

This pic brings back memories. We had to be out by 7am because the football team needed it. The girls basketball team only had a few hours a week because of football and some missed dinner in the dorm cafeteria because that was the last hour open to them before it became public hours.

mcours2006

I've been to a 'gym' or two throughout the decades--wife's guest passes, university weight rooms, friends gyms, etc., but I've never had a paid membership myself at any point in my life. Weights have always been part of my fitness routine, whether it was playing team sports in my teens, twenties, and thirties, or doing the endurance sports later on. I bought my first Olympic BB set 30 years ago, built a set of racks and benches out of wood and worked out in my parents garage, even in the cold of winter. So, yeah, I've always believed that being 'fit' at any sport had to include some kind of weight training routine.

If you want to get fit on the bike, you train on the bike. If you wanted to get fit at running then you run. And you can get fit at these activities with lifting an ounce of weight. However, while lifting weights isn't necessarily going to make you faster at either, it may help you to stronger and be able to train for longer, or stave off injury to allow you to continue to train hard, thus making you faster that way.

kcblair

Nope, no sweaty gym for me. Don't need to show off for the females. I like my Man-Cave, my butt on my bike . No fees. I have had to take a few Cardio Stress test lately, on the treadmill and another scheduled soon, that is pure torture , to my legs. KB

wolfchild

That's exactly what I do too... Every time I workout I write down my exercises, sets and reps on a piece of paper. The only electronic device I use is a stop watch to keep track of my rest periods between sets. About once per month I'll strap on a heart rate monitor.

livedarklions

I think this really boils down to individual needs and motivation. Some people, like myself, need to get out of the house, whether it's to the gym or on my bike, to feel like they are committing to a workout. Others are content to do it at home. I'm not going to criticize anyone for employing a completely different strategy than I am. If it gets you off the couch and putting out an effort, it's all good.

Sweat is a terrible measure of calories burned, btw. I know there are days when I do the exact same routine that left me dripping two days before, and stay relatively dry. I suspect it's a better measure of ambient temperature and humidity.

I'm also not really thrilled with this idea of labeling people as "fit" or "not fit" as if those are absolute terms. One of my favorite people to talk to at the gym is a guy in a wheelchair with barely any use of his legs. A few times a week, he gets himself on an elliptical machine and does about 15 minutes working both his arms and legs. Just getting himself on that machine is a huge accomplishment, and I'd put that up against 10 perfect pull-ups any day.

Kedosto

KraneXL

Here is a fitness test I found. I'm not vouching for it's accuracy, its just a novelty. You don't need to answer the second set of questions, but you really need to be honest.

wolfchild

I wonder how accurate it is ??....I just took this test. I am almost 49 years old and according to this test I have a fitness of a 31 year old.

Cyclist0108

I'm 55 and it says I have the fitness level of the average 34 year old.

I take this to mean the average 34 year old is a sedentary morbidly obese slob.

bobwysiwyg

Likewise, I'm 75 and it claims I'm as fit as a 55 year old. Right!

Payton1221

This may have been mentioned above, but what you do should match your either goals or preferences. I like lifting and riding so I do both.

Fahrenheit531 

Thread title: Never been to a gym. First sentence:

More time at the gym than the college, methinks.


In other news, this
places my 49 y/o self at the fitness level of a 26 y/o.

I'll take it.

Machka 

I agree.

Even when I was training as a bodybuilder, I couldn't do pull ups ... IMO, that's a silly measurement.

I can cycle long distances, run reasonable distances, row, cross-country ski, snowshoe, hike up mountains, canoe, lift weights, do yoga, but because I can't do pull ups, I'm not physically fit??

Physical fitness is made up of 4 main components: cardiorespiratory endurance, muscle strength, muscle endurance, and flexibility.

I'm probably weakest in the "flexibility" category, but I do work on that from time to time.

I also think that there's an element of practicality that has to be considered. Can I do the things I want to do with my level of fitness? If not, then something needs to improve.

So for me, one of the things I need to do on a fairly regular basis is to walk longish distances carrying a moderately heavy backpack. It's a transportation necessity for me and I can do that. So in that regard, I'm fit enough for my practical purposes.