So what *else* do you do for exercise?
 

Since I've started doing the triathlon thing, I've expanded my exercise regime to include multiple different disciplines. One reason I don't put a ton of miles on my bike(s) is because I only ride once or twice a week. I also swim, run, elliptical train and weight train (upper body). And I try to mix things up so I don't get too comfortable with one element and lose skill in another.

I have an older Precor that came out of a gym, so it's good quality even for its age. I use it when it's excessively hot or cold, or just sometimes I use it for "generic" cardio work out.

I always thought I was a pretty good swimmer, and I'm a strong swimmer, but I have come to accept that I'm slow. This has become most obvious in my triathlons. I am always one of the last people out of the water. When I was younger, I mostly spent time swimming in lakes and rivers, much more rarely swimming in a pool. I don't think my high school even considered the idea of swimming as a competitive sport. Even if they did, the school simply did not have the resources ($$$) to build and maintain a pool. I'm starting to swim more as part of my training now but we only have one public pool in town and it's only open for about three months during the summer. I asked why that is, especially out here in the desert, water temperature should keep the pool open 7-8 months a year, but the manager explained the problem is they can only get high school kids to be life guards so the only time the pool can be open is during the summer break.

As for weights, I just do some regular curls and shoulder exercises to strengthen and tone my upper body, and I do that mostly for my swims. Low weight (relatively speaking), high reps. I try to save my legs for the ride and the run so I swim almost entirely with upper body. I really only started with the weight training last fall but I can already tell a significant difference when I swim. The last triathlon I did, I knocked almost 10 minutes off my swim time and I was nowhere near as tired when I got out of the water. In fact, going swimming tomorrow morning. Public pool is open from 7-10:30am for laps.

I grew up lower middle class Miss'ippi girl so any bike I had came from a ____-Mart store. Hell, until just a few years ago, I thought there were only two bike sizes: children and adult. And being short and of "limited means" I often rode hand-me-down or used bikes that didn't fit, but I didn't know it at the time. The first *real* bike I got was a 54cm Cannondale about five years ago. It was too tall for me but that's when I discovered the difference between a China-bomb crap bike and a real bike. I have since sold off the Cannondale. Great bike but it was definitely too tall for me, and have replaced it with a small collection of 49 and 50cm bikes from Specialized, K2 and Trek. These actually fit me and now that I know the difference, I can never go back.

I often tell people that I grew up in a skating rink, which is only slightly a hyperbolic statement. I tell people that from about the time I was 7 until around 19, the local skating rink was both a hang out and "baby sitter" for me. I would often go skating after school on Friday afternoon, most of the day Saturday and a lot of Sundays as well. I grew up in the South so it was all hard wood rinks. I grew up on the "quad" skates but made the jump to inline skates in the 90s and today I have a hard time with the old quad skates. I've ice skated a few times. Just the fact that I have as much experience skating as I do, especially the inline skating, transfers a lot of skill to ice skating, but I definitely am not as comfortable or proficient on ice as I am on hard wood or asphalt.

And even at 52 I still speed skate regularly. I have a course mapped out at the local high school parking lot and I do 500m and 1000m sprints. Even now, I can do 500m in about 80 seconds. My 1000m average is obviously a little higher, around 2m,45s. Certainly not setting the world on fire but I think that's a decent pace for an old woman. I have a pair of Bont 110mm speed skates I bought a few years ago that I really need to replace, and I probably will when (if) I get my finances a little more secure.

I try to stay well-rounded, and not just my figure. I was not blessed with an athletic build. Quite the opposite in fact. My whole family is kind of that way. "Tree stump" and "fire hydrant" are common descriptors of both the men and women in my family. All of the athletics I do is sheer force of will, it does not come naturally.

So what other disciplines do you incorporate to stay in shape? Or do you stick mostly to riding?

walking about 50 miles a week on average.

I don't do any other exercise than riding!

Although I do ride my bike in a way to also keep my glute and core muscles engaged all the time to keep them strong. The gluteals are used a lot in walking, running, and climbing (on foot). I also frequently do near-sprint-effort intervals at high resistance to stress my bones enough to help prevent bone density loss.

For a few reasons, I need to maintain decent running climbing performance but without having to do any exercises other than cycling. I simply don't have time to do both and alternating days for running or cycling doesn't really work for me.

I do weightlifting and I also have a very physically demanding job which in itself is a workout.

I was into triathlons some years ago. The longest distance I did was a Half Ironman. At the time it felt like I was training all the time. I loved biking and running but didn't care for the open water swim, so I eventually stopped doing tris.

Nowadays when I'm not biking, I run 3-4 miles every other day and lift weights on my non-running days. I sign up for 1-2 ultra races every year and they keep me motivated to train. I usually sign up for events in scenic places like the Bryce Canyon Ultra I did in May, so I get a race plus a scenic vacation at the same time.

after lifting the dead weight from others I deal with, cycling seems to balance it off fairly well.

Mostly I alternate biking with going to the rec center and working out on weight machines and the stair climber. Also some walking as the rec center has an indoor track. These days I’ve been biking there and back.

During the six or so weeks in winter when the trails are iced up, I just go to the rec center and I add in some time on a spinning bike along with the other stuff.

At home we have a good elliptical machine that I use occasionally, particularly in winter, along with free weights.

Otto

If I can't ride in the winter, it's because I'm shoveling snow. The rest of the year--yard work.

Right now I'm limited due to a broken wrist. But normally I also kayak, play pickleball, and work out at a gym. Still using hand held weight with the other hand and we have a treadmill in our home. The dogs are always glad to take a walk, though less so in the heat we've had lately.

Run, swim, hike, ski, TRX.

This old body finds that cycling and kayaking work to keep it in relatively good shape. I never found gyms or indoor cycling satisfying. I need pleasant scenery.

Road bike, mountain bike, gravel bike, hiking and snowshoeing.

During the winter I join the gym and get in some time on the elliptical and weight lifting machines.

I'm a AAA kind of person, well, I used to be. Anything, Anytime, Anywhere. Injuries and Father Time drove me out of the other sports and into endurance sports. I had to give up court sports because of Plantar Fascitiis. Now it's still AAA except for those.

I drag along some deadwood at work, if that counts.

I'm thinking of taking up cloud shouting and chasing kids off the lawn. I hear the former is good for aerobic conditioning, while the latter builds quick twitch muscle.

Yer mom.

Former runner but no longer due to back injury. So I hike (usually 6-8 miles 2000’-3000’ gain), do light weights for core and upper body, walk the dog about 15 miles a week, cross country and downhill ski and couch surfing. Does scuba diving count? And massive amounts of yard work since we sit on a BIG lot.

My wife and I are divers, my daughter is a competition swimmer.

I'm a Floridian so swimming/boating skills were a thing for me, the women in my life have all been divers so getting certified was a priority. The flip side is while I didn't love being "Airborne" while in the Army I did take to sky diving in a modest way, my wife and daughter have taken to it with a vengeance. In my old job civilians got to jump once a year with the resident Army and Navy cool guys and the invites went to my wife with a +1 (me) even though I worked 100" from their buildings.

In the end my wife and now 17yo daughter have no fear except for cold, but if you want to do anything fun their with you because their addicted to adrenaline.

A short day of walking for me is ~4km, just because the site where I work is large and I park and work on opposite ends.

But in my spare time I used to do a lot of XC skiing. I took last winter off to ride my new fat bike, though. I also like to swim, although I do more floating than swimming, and almost always as a cooldown post- or mid-ride. So to answer the question "what else do you do for exercise", "NOTHING"

Re-evaluating now. I've been riding almost exclusively for the past 4 years, averaging 100 miles per week.

Fractured my right foot last week and getting surgery on it next week; looks like no outdoor riding for at least 6 weeks.

I used to do weight lifting (not body building) and have a set of kettle bells I'm starting to use. Last week I also did an introduction yoga class, it's harder than it looks for a slightly overweight 61year old. Definitely will explore it a little more.

I'm also considering getting a rowing machine for my recovery time and winter exercise.

Sounds like an excuse Albert Belle might have used to justify chasing kids in his Mercedes.

Do you have a cast on your broken foot? If no, then the answer is swimming.

I tried swimming about 16 years ago before and after a hip replacement, never really got into it. I used to SCUBA dive when I was in my 20s but never had an interest in recreational swimming or pool exercises.

Coach HS girls volleyball. In season(fall) its 2hrs/day M-F with a handful of all day Saturday tournaments too. Offseason summer is 2x/week for 2hrs at a time. Then I also play in a comp league during the winter and coach younger club volleyball which is 2x/week for 2hrs at a time.

A lot of calories burned from the constant movement, even if it isn't elevated cardio.

It has definitely eaten into my cycling time.