john m flores 

I live in a 15-minute city, also know as a small town that was established before the automobile came to dominate. The YMCA is a 5 minute walk away. I still haven't gone. In fact, I haven't done a damn thing except ride my bike since this thread was started. But with winter coming, maybe I'll do more virtual Supernatural workouts with my Oculus VR headset.

ofajen

Perhaps you could have your inner voice listen to this discussion from Inside Exercise on the importance of resistance training and then the two of you could talk it over?


Obviously, we tend to do what we enjoy more consistently than things we don’t enjoy, but it’s worth considering. Most of the year I’m doing cardio outside so I do strength training at home with dumbbells and floor work. But in winter when I’d rather do cardio somewhere warm, I go to our rec center for weights and then run on the indoor track. That way it’s one (half mile) drive to do both.


Otto

wolfchild

Riding a bike is for aerobic fitness, endurance and health, lifting weights is for strength and muscle preservation. Two different things here. You don't really need a gym membership,. Just buy your own weights and train at home.

Pilot321

I'm 64, soon to be 65 and have been going to the gym daily for about 2 1/2 years. I'm 6', 150 lbs and feel comfortable at this weight. I often bike to and from the gym, which is only about 5 miles away, so easy ride. I much prefer the motivational aspects of going somewhere else to work out. It is too easy for me to blow off if it is sitting there at home. YMMV. I feel inspired by other people working out, and the scenery isn't too bad either.

ofajen

Last night I wanted to run but chose to go to the rec center so I could run on a nice, smooth, well-lit track.

I did some work on the weight machines before running. I haven’t been there for several months and have been using dumbbells and floor work at home instead.

Turns out that I was able to do at least the same weights I was doing before, so no loss over that time just using the dumbbells that I could detect.

Otto

Dan Burkhart 

Currently two weeks away from my 70th birthday. I spent most of my adult life trucking over the road with all the challenges that brings to keeping any level of fitness. I had a gym membership that allowed me to drop in at affiliate gyms on the road, but it was tough to do that with any regularity. I also carried a bike in the truck and would get some riding in whenever scheduling and weather permitted, but again, there was no regularity with this.
When I retired in 2015, I made a concerted effort to develop some kind of regimen and made it a point to get to the gym at least three times a week.
When Covid hit, I decided to go shopping for a decent home gym unit. I found a really good high end multi gym that a rehab clinic operator was selling. He had bought it for the use of his clients, but after two or three years of having it take up floor space with nobody actually using it, he decided to sell it. So I got a smoking deal on it.
It now shares space with my wheel building shop and my wife and I use it regularly.
The mini stair climber is the one I used to carry with me on the road.

Mojo31

Feel like I have what I need for these old bones.

DiabloScott

Side story - my gym had the cardio equipment on the 2nd floor and some of them looked out over the swimming pool. Once while I was on the elliptical machine, I was admiring the physique of a guy who was swimming laps - I thought "that guy looks kind of my age and size, but he is very low body fat and great definition to his muscles - I'd like to look like him". Then he got out of the pool and I saw he had only one leg. Inspirational.

The good-looking women were everywhere too.

Daniel4

I just finished a cruise. So I got to see a different set of people exercising than the people at my gym.

It's interesting to see how people don't use some machines correctly. Like that level at the floor of the chest press machine is for your feet to help you get your arms into position before you press. But I saw a guy pressing using both his arms and legs.

And then there is the steep incline at the treadmill while holding on to the display.

TennBent

Hey, another WaterRower owner! My workout room isn't as large as yours and is also cluttered with leftover furniture but I do manage to fit a Bowflex Xtreme 2 SE along with the WaterRower and my back-up bike on a Tacx Neo 2T trainer.

Mojo31

The panorama photo from my phone makes the room look bigger than it is, but it's a good size.

We've had the WaterRower for roughly 20 years. Love that thing. There is enough space in the room to lay it out between the two bikes with room to walk between it all.

Terex

I have a WaterRower too. Just wish it had more up-to-date electronics for online training. I've looked in the past and will look again, maybe they've added a module to I can hook up to my unit.

pdlamb

I think the reason for holding on to something isn't necessarily to help hold the user up, having seen a rehab patient let go of the bars and then falling off the back of the treadmill. You've never seen so many nurses move so fast (unless you've seen a code in the hospital)!

It's something like the tension between: do you run your hand along the handrail on stairs, because after all, falls, broken hips, and their consequences are one of the biggest causes of death for people over 50? Or do you avoid touching the handrails in a stairwell, because it's one of the best ways to transmit norovirus (with it's subsequent effects on the elderly)? And of course, weightlifting involving large muscles, like climbing stairs, is one of the best exercises to prolong health into old age, so you don't want to take the elevator.

prj71

Because not all of us live where the weather is nice most of the year.

I join the gym during the winter months...roughly November through April. And it's for a few reasons..

• When it's too cold outside to ride (we get 20-30 below wind chills where I live) having the gym is a nice option
• When there is snowstorm (we get quite a few during the season ) and I can't ride our groomed fatbike trails or anywhere else for that matter.
• Rain/Snow mix...to the gym I go.
• Gym has a sauna and hot tub...wonderful feature
• Gym has many machines for cross training different muscle groups...Not really something I can get at home with a few weights.

TennBent

They have all that. It just depends on the level you desire. Here is the link: https://www.waterrower.com/us/digital

TennBent

I have had mine for about 8 years now. I don't use it as much as I did the first couple of years but I still use it as a warm-up for my Bowflex workouts. It lays down right behind my bike.

Mojo31

WATERROWER: SmartRow

Warbird21

I was a gym rat in my younger days. But time to go to a gym after/before work is fleeting.
I picked up this Nordic Track elliptical machine for $75 on facebook, it had a squeaky that some grease on the arm fixed.
The Marcy home gym was free also from Facebook (I had to disassembly/reassemble).
Both compliment my Zwift Hub and at 62,are plenty to do.

nomadmax 

Home gym for me all the way, for decades. Workout is first thing in the morning and one shower. I'm done before my world has time to pitch me something that might derail it.

Machka 

I have been working out in a gym and/or at home for about 35 years, as well as cycling regularly throughout that time too.

When Rowan had the accident in 2018, I stopped going to the university gym, and instead, rounded out what we had at home. When the pandemic came and everything shut down, we were all set!!

Now I do a combination of things.
I walk as part of my commute and at lunch.
I climb stairs at work. When I get going at that, I usually climb about 20-25 flights of 20 stairs, up and down and including landings 5 days a week.
I do a lot of landscaping in our garden on weekends. I spent 3 hours today wielding a mattock digging up beds for veggies.
And we cycle.

Sometimes I add in running, rowing, pilates and weight lifting.

peterws

Not sure if Pilates counts; staring at the ceiling architecture is mildly interesting, But I'd rather not do it balancing on my elbows and heels, thank you!