Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > General Cycling Discussion
Reload this Page >

So what *else* do you do for exercise?

Notices
General Cycling Discussion Have a cycling related question or comment that doesn't fit in one of the other specialty forums? Drop on in and post in here! When possible, please select the forum above that most fits your post!

So what *else* do you do for exercise?

Old 06-21-22, 11:57 PM
  #1  
VegasJen
Senior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: Dec 2021
Posts: 895
Mentioned: 3 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 838 Post(s)
Liked 532 Times in 292 Posts
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?
VegasJen is offline  
Likes For VegasJen:
Old 06-22-22, 01:26 AM
  #2  
diphthong
Senior Member
 
diphthong's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: insane diego, california
Posts: 8,287

Bikes: 85 pinarello treviso steel, 88 nishiki olympic steel. 95 look kg 131 carbon, 11 trek madone 5.2 carbon

Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1619 Post(s)
Liked 3,087 Times in 1,670 Posts
walking about 50 miles a week on average.
diphthong is online now  
Likes For diphthong:
Old 06-22-22, 02:47 AM
  #3  
koala logs
Banned.
 
Join Date: May 2022
Posts: 674
Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 347 Post(s)
Liked 170 Times in 140 Posts
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.
koala logs is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:56 AM
  #4  
wolfchild
Banned
 
Join Date: Feb 2008
Location: Mississauga/Toronto, Ontario canada
Posts: 8,721

Bikes: I have 3 singlespeed/fixed gear bikes

Mentioned: 30 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 4227 Post(s)
Liked 2,488 Times in 1,286 Posts
I do weightlifting and I also have a very physically demanding job which in itself is a workout.
wolfchild is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 05:34 AM
  #5  
highrpm
Senior Member
 
highrpm's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2014
Location: Bruce Twp, MI
Posts: 305

Bikes: Huffy Sienna Cruiser

Mentioned: 1 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 54 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 2 Times in 2 Posts
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.
highrpm is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 06:11 AM
  #6  
Troul 
Senior Member
 
Troul's Avatar
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Location: Mich
Posts: 7,291

Bikes: RSO E-tire dropper fixie brifter

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6 Post(s)
Liked 2,910 Times in 1,884 Posts
after lifting the dead weight from others I deal with, cycling seems to balance it off fairly well.
__________________
-Oh Hey!
Troul is offline  
Likes For Troul:
Old 06-22-22, 06:28 AM
  #7  
ofajen
Cheerfully low end
 
ofajen's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2020
Posts: 1,965
Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 642 Post(s)
Liked 1,040 Times in 663 Posts
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

Last edited by ofajen; 06-22-22 at 06:31 AM.
ofajen is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 07:02 AM
  #8  
MNBikeCommuter
Senior Member
 
MNBikeCommuter's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 852

Bikes: Cannondale '92 T600 '95 H600 '01 RT1000

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 89 Post(s)
Liked 104 Times in 80 Posts
If I can't ride in the winter, it's because I'm shoveling snow. The rest of the year--yard work.
MNBikeCommuter is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 07:13 AM
  #9  
freeranger
Senior Member
 
freeranger's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2,579

Bikes: 06 Lemond Reno, 98 GT Timberline mtn.bike

Mentioned: 7 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 421 Post(s)
Liked 689 Times in 430 Posts
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.
freeranger is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 07:16 AM
  #10  
caloso
Senior Member
 
caloso's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Sacramento, California, USA
Posts: 40,865

Bikes: Specialized Tarmac, Canyon Exceed, Specialized Transition, Ellsworth Roots, Ridley Excalibur

Mentioned: 68 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2952 Post(s)
Liked 3,106 Times in 1,417 Posts
Run, swim, hike, ski, TRX.
caloso is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 07:44 AM
  #11  
Pinelander
Roadie
 
Pinelander's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Southern NJ
Posts: 75
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 23 Post(s)
Liked 57 Times in 29 Posts
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.
Pinelander is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 09:11 AM
  #12  
_ForceD_
Sr Member on Sr bikes
 
_ForceD_'s Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2015
Location: Rhode Island (sometimes in SE Florida)
Posts: 2,305

Bikes: Several...from old junk to new all-carbon.

Mentioned: 13 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1012 Post(s)
Liked 758 Times in 407 Posts
Swimming, and formerly running, and now rowing. Started out as a runner in h.s. (in the late 70s), I got into cycling and swimming in the early 80s when those newfangled, crazy events called triathlon started popping up. I did lots of them for the next few decades. About 8-10 years ago my knees and hip began to go south so the running pretty much ended. I continued/increased swimming and cycling. But for for a long time I’ve wanted to try rowing. Very recently I was able to pick up a used rowing scull for very cheap. So I’m trying that now.

Dan
_ForceD_ is offline  
Likes For _ForceD_:
Old 06-22-22, 09:14 AM
  #13  
prj71
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jun 2015
Location: North Central Wisconsin
Posts: 4,601
Mentioned: 14 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2965 Post(s)
Liked 1,165 Times in 762 Posts
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.
prj71 is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 09:41 AM
  #14  
seypat
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Oct 2010
Posts: 8,755
Mentioned: 69 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3190 Post(s)
Liked 2,460 Times in 1,489 Posts
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.
seypat is offline  
Likes For seypat:
Old 06-22-22, 10:35 AM
  #15  
Reflector Guy
Senior Member
 
Reflector Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,340

Bikes: Bianchi Infinito XE, Via Nirone 7, GT Aggressor Pro

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 599 Post(s)
Liked 1,270 Times in 588 Posts
I drag along some deadwood at work, if that counts.
Reflector Guy is offline  
Likes For Reflector Guy:
Old 06-22-22, 01:13 PM
  #16  
tomato coupe
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2009
Posts: 5,879

Bikes: Colnago, Van Dessel, Factor, Cervelo, Ritchey

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3905 Post(s)
Liked 7,181 Times in 2,905 Posts
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.
tomato coupe is offline  
Likes For tomato coupe:
Old 06-22-22, 01:14 PM
  #17  
ThermionicScott 
working on my sandal tan
 
ThermionicScott's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: CID
Posts: 22,625

Bikes: 1991 Bianchi Eros, 1964 Armstrong, 1988 Diamondback Ascent, 1988 Bianchi Premio, 1987 Bianchi Sport SX, 1980s Raleigh mixte (hers), All-City Space Horse (hers)

Mentioned: 98 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 3868 Post(s)
Liked 2,560 Times in 1,574 Posts
Yer mom.
__________________
Originally Posted by chandltp
There's no such thing as too far.. just lack of time
Originally Posted by noglider
People in this forum are not typical.
RUSA #7498
ThermionicScott is offline  
Likes For ThermionicScott:
Old 06-22-22, 01:26 PM
  #18  
rsbob 
Grupetto Bob
 
rsbob's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Location: Seattle-ish
Posts: 6,066

Bikes: Bikey McBike Face

Mentioned: 2 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2512 Post(s)
Liked 5,425 Times in 2,826 Posts
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.
__________________
Road 🚴🏾‍♂️ & Mountain 🚵🏾‍♂️







rsbob is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:00 PM
  #19  
Germany_chris
I’m a little Surly
 
Germany_chris's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Near the district
Posts: 2,427

Bikes: Two Cross Checks, a Karate Monkey, a Disc Trucker, and a VO Randonneur

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 698 Post(s)
Liked 1,292 Times in 646 Posts
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.
Germany_chris is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:05 PM
  #20  
ClydeClydeson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 1,606
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 580 Post(s)
Liked 921 Times in 518 Posts
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"
ClydeClydeson is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:19 PM
  #21  
KenCT
Full Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 207

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 (2021) Cannondale Cujo 2 (2018) Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 (2017) Giant Sedona (2006) Cannondale R1000 (2001)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 65 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 104 Posts
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.
KenCT is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:21 PM
  #22  
Reflector Guy
Senior Member
 
Reflector Guy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2020
Location: Chicago
Posts: 1,340

Bikes: Bianchi Infinito XE, Via Nirone 7, GT Aggressor Pro

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 599 Post(s)
Liked 1,270 Times in 588 Posts
Originally Posted by tomato coupe
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.
Sounds like an excuse Albert Belle might have used to justify chasing kids in his Mercedes.
Reflector Guy is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:26 PM
  #23  
ClydeClydeson
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Mar 2019
Posts: 1,606
Mentioned: 8 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 580 Post(s)
Liked 921 Times in 518 Posts
Originally Posted by KenCT
Fractured my right foot last week and getting surgery on it next week; looks like no outdoor riding for at least 6 weeks.
Do you have a cast on your broken foot? If no, then the answer is swimming.
ClydeClydeson is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 02:41 PM
  #24  
KenCT
Full Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2019
Location: Connecticut
Posts: 207

Bikes: Cannondale Synapse Carbon 105 (2021) Cannondale Cujo 2 (2018) Cannondale Quick Carbon 1 (2017) Giant Sedona (2006) Cannondale R1000 (2001)

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 65 Post(s)
Liked 237 Times in 104 Posts
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.
KenCT is offline  
Old 06-22-22, 03:01 PM
  #25  
mstateglfr 
Sunshine
 
mstateglfr's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Des Moines, IA
Posts: 16,535

Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo

Mentioned: 123 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 10901 Post(s)
Liked 7,390 Times in 4,148 Posts
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.
mstateglfr is offline  

Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.