Training & Nutrition - Do you workout off your bike?

I used to go to the gym for about 3 years, before taking up cycling. In those 3 years I became a certified personal trainer, though I wasn't very successful at it. I was a skinny 5'9 trainer in a gym full of 6' beefed up trainers. I think people wanted to workout with someone who looked like they were really into fitness. My problem was genetics. I worked out just as hard as other guys, but my body type was naturally small, with lean muscle. Think Bruce Lee.
Anyway, after I discovered cycling and learned I had the "right" build for it I threw myself into it, so far that I gave up the gym and working out except on my bike. Finally, a few weeks ago, I knew my abs were going soft, so I began working out again, at home. Being a former personal trainer, I knew that you just can't work your abs, you have to train your body as a whole, not parts. I don't have weights at home, and am using a program I wrote up while a trainer. It uses pure body weight. The only equipment I use is a swiss ball, an ab wheel ( the original kind, not the toys sold on TV ), chin-up bar, a chair, and a pair of roman rings that I hook up to the chinning bar. I don't do many reps, but the one I do do are done very slowly.
So what, if any, is your regime? Why or why don't you workout?

My regimen:
2 sets of 20 pushups
2 sets of 15 crunches
2 sets of 15 reverse crunches
2 sets of 12 ab wheel extensions
2 sets of 15 hyperextensions
2 sets of 12 - 15 dips on the rings
2 sets of 7 - 10 pull ups
For my legs I just concentrate on cycling, jumping rope, and maybe a 20 minute jog/run for variety.

Right now my exercise program, including cycling is on hold due to a kidney stone. SHould be back at it in a week though.

I try to ride at least 10 miles per day and up to 20 on weekends. I vary the intensity of the rides using a HRM.

Several times per week I work on a weight machine and dumbells in my garage. I do this mainly to develop the upper body.

I also have a treadmill in the garage for bad weather training and variety in my routine.

My intent is to get at least 30 minutes to an hour of exercise in per day, control blood sugar and lower cholesterol while losing weight.

Since the middle of last September I have lost 56 pounds and have obviously developed additional muscle mass.

I love riding the bike. That makes my day.

Carl

During race season I still run 2-3 times a week and swim 1-3 times a week.

In the "off" season I run more, and XC ski if there is snow.

I do crunches, pushups and some Yoga stretching when i think about it(yeah yeah i should stretch more).

I also *know* that lifting weights in a gym in the winter would improve my spring cycling...but i HATE being cooped up inside.
I just wait until a non-icy day and do hill-repeats instead.

Right now no. I work full time and ride a couple of hours a day and then run a small consulting business. In the winter I work out religously. I use to be a gym rat before I moved to the west coast. As for a program I change it every 6 weeks but can say I follow closely to a bodybuilding routine for 6 weeks, then a power lifting routine then I jump into a fastpaced 'Mens Fitness' kind of workout. I rotate these three till I can jump back on my bike then I will slow the gym thing down.

During the winter off-season I go to the gym at least every other day, and I also do spinning classes at least once a week. I built up a lot of muscle tone and now, with the cycling season I've burnt quite a bit of fat. Since the cycling season, I've lost about 8 pounds and hope to lose a few more. I put on a few pounds this past year because of a newly-discovered thyroid condition. It was about 15 pounds and I'm not overweight, but that's actually a lot for me at my height and build. Apparently, though, 10-15 pounds is normal for this type of thing and it's mostly fluid, not fat. However it's ver important for me to go riding at least 5 out of 7 days.

I have a garage gym with a power rack w/ lat attachment and a machine with a weight stack that you can add various bars,benches and cables to do a full range of machine exercises plus 6 3/4 in. thick rubber mats for flooring .I have long done a one body part per day split which comprises 5 workouts done every 7or8 days or so .I do a combination of multi joint(such as deads,Romanian deads,squats ,presses,shrugs and bench etc.) and isolation moves in a variety of rep ranges.I tend to train instinctively and add new exercises,order (of exercises)or rep ranges etc when I start going stale however I rarely change the order of the workouts which adds structure and consistency.Prior to upping my cycling this spring I really blasted my workouts going 1 1/2 to 2 hours however I was able to recover due to proper nutrition,rest and stress reduction.Since this spring and more intense cycling I have tended to limit my workouts to an hour,often added an extra day of rest when needed and am even thinking of going to a four day split combining arms with other groups(sort of my version of HIT LOL) . It really is difficult to add serious cycling to serious weight training but the key seems to be cut back on the volume of the weight training upping the intensity,eat like an absolute pig while biking(including as much fat as possible )and lift before biking if done the same day.Also after a week tour I need to take a week where I primarily focus on weights to gain back any lost muscle and get back in an anabolic mode.Having said all that I can say I am definately much more cut since this spring and when I am caught up on nutrition and training I am probably somewhat more muscular than before though I do now have a harder time gaining size on my legs and arms (why I want to keep arms seperate day if possible though extra rest days make 5 way split challenging).

I at least try to do something. Not enough. Each morning, when I get up I do 35- push up and 50 set ups. A couple times a week, I spend 30-40 minutes on my Total Gym 100. The rest of my body is nothing like my bike legs, but this regimen is enough that my upper body is somewhat firm..

I lift weights daily, though that may change as I get more into cycling. Right now, I am working out at the gym and biking every day - and it's time consuming. I don't mind that, but don't see that I will have so much time forever.

to Lin_kieu: If you are going to do push-ups at home, I would recommend picking up a set of push-up bars. They are very cheap ~ $ 13.00, and make push-ups much more effective. They isolate muscles better than your average push-up, and take the strain off your wrists. You can twist them in all sorts of directions too!


Dax

This is what they look like:

I run three or more times a week (my husband is more runner than biker) and ride my bike on the weekends. After I run, I do 150 crunches and lift little hand weights with 6 pounds on them. I've started doing leg lifts because my knees have been bugging me. I have been playing tennis at least once a week this summer, but the league is over as of last night and I want to devote the free time to my bike right now.

I stretch and do crunches every day. I run 3-4 times a week and walk the other ones (this gives my dog and I some good time together and the exercise he needs). I lift weights every other day with my focus on upper body; I feel that cycling and running are about as much lower body exercise as I need. I'm not a powerlifter, but lift to maintain a well rounded program that doesn't leave any major muscle groups behind. I basically do what makes my body feel good.

Kevin

I am not a certified trainer, so you may want to ignore my advice:

your muscles need at least 24 hours to recover, this includes abs. You are better off working them every other day, perhaps a little harder. If you are doing light workouts, this may not apply so much, but just thought I'd mention it.

Maybe Lin_kieu can shed some light? :)

Originally posted by Guillermo
your muscles need at least 24 hours to recover, this includes abs. You are better off working them every other day, perhaps a little harder. If you are doing light workouts, this may not apply so much, but just thought I'd mention it.



Yes, that is good advice (I'm not trainer, but I know my way around the gym). Certain body parts can be trained harder and recover quicker (abs, calves), so they can be trained more often. But generally speaking, it's best to wait a day in-between weight training workouts if you can. If you must lift weights on consecutive days, it's best to hit completely different body parts on day two.

I've been lifting weights for six years. Right now, I do a three day split (chest/triceps, back/biceps, shoulders). In the MTB "off season", I add a legs day and try to spin twice a week. I usually lifts weights on weekdays, and leave the weekends open for epic MTB rides. :)

Baboon, I am on the same 3-day program right now. I usually add legs to the back day, as it happens to be the shortest for me. Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to balance weight lifting legs with riding.

Originally posted by Guillermo
I am not a certified trainer, so you may want to ignore my advice:

your muscles need at least 24 hours to recover, this includes abs. You are better off working them every other day, perhaps a little harder. If you are doing light workouts, this may not apply so much, but just thought I'd mention it.

Maybe Lin_kieu can shed some light? :)

The only thing I do daily is stretch and ab work. Because of recovery time I don't lift or cycle/run hard on consecutive days. I read in more than one place that abs can be worked daily and have done so for years (barring the need for a break) without negative impact. I do listen to my body though and take more recovery time when needed; I'm not overly regimented.

:)
Kevin

Originally posted by Guillermo
Right now I'm just trying to figure out how to balance weight lifting legs with riding.

I have a hard time balancing the two, so I just stop working the legs until the cold weather hits. I'd rather keep my legs fresh all the time and be able to ride at will. I realize that's not the best way to work the legs, but what can ya do? :)

Originally posted by Guillermo
I am not a certified trainer, so you may want to ignore my advice:

your muscles need at least 24 hours to recover, this includes abs. You are better off working them every other day, perhaps a little harder. If you are doing light workouts, this may not apply so much, but just thought I'd mention it.

Maybe Lin_kieu can shed some light? :)

Very true. It is a popular myth that abs can be worked every day. I generally allow 2 days in between my ab workouts for a complete recovery. When I work out on my abs, I go all out and do my abs and only abs. No push ups or pull ups or anything else.
Another myth is that doing upwards of 100+ crunches/sit ups is needed to continually tax the muscle and see results. False. You wouldn't do 100 calf raises or bicep curls to work those parts. Your abs are no different. I do 2 sets of crunches. For the first set I do about 15 reps. The 2nd set I do until failure, which is usually about 12. My trick, which I have taught to people with great results is to do them slowly. I go up to a count of 2, hold and really contract my abs as hard as I can for a count of 2, and lower down to a count of 4. I do the same for reverse crunches and oblique crunches. I usually finish off with my ab wheel and do as many as I can until failure to really burn my abs, and that's it. This technique has given me a 6 pack that impressed my doctor so much that she had me over to her home so I could teach her and her husband.

I'll give your workout a shot; I'm all for less time in pain.

Originally posted by lin_kieu
This technique has given me a 6 pack that impressed my doctor so much that she had me over to her home so I could teach her and her husband.

Are you sure that's why they invited you over?? ;) ;) :p