jade408

For me leg day vs no leg day is related to how many more bike errands I have to do that day and the next. Basically any time I leave my neighborhood I have have hills to tackle on the way home or there. The scenic route means slighter hills (except the last block or so). The most direct route has the steepest hill options. So I try to save my legs, particularly if my stops are not the ones directly in route from the gym. If i am going home right after and don't plan on doing something else on my bike then I tackle it.

Today I went to the gym and did super light dead lifts. Then I decided to stop at the farmers market. Oops. The direct route home is a mile up a hill with escalating steepness. The scenic route doesn't have a bike lane and has a steep 3-4 block section with a narrow road. It is best to just walk up that part. Then tackle the next two blocks of a slighter uphill on pedals. On the up note of that route, the last 2 blocks home are downhill. Weeee!!!!

i am happy I don't live one block up. Even the Lycra people walk their bikes! Lol. The hills just keep getting worse.

Walter S

I find jump rope to do great things to complement cycling. It gives me some impact, works my legs, coordination and rhythm, very cardio, and fun and satisfying. I think I can feel it helping me climb hills. Good old fashioned sit-ups and push-ups are great too. You can really do quite well with no equipment.

Some people want the gym experience and there's nothing at all wrong with that. Personally I like doing all this in the quiet of the morning when just me and the Dali Lama are awake (4 a.m.)

linnefaulk

That seems like the right way to do it.

cooker

I only go to a fitness gym when I'm in a hotel and it's included, but I usually end up on the bike

We have a court type of gym at work and I sometimes play badminton there. That's a great workout, because you start and stop, and run backwards and forwards, and stoop and lunge and so on.

You mean the ones you hang from? Where do you get the height for that?

wolfchild

I go to kids playground which has all kinds of different monkey bars and hang my rings from there... Some sports fields such as soccer and football fields have goalie posts which are high enough to hang the rings...There are some trees that have branches which are just perfect size and height to hang the rings from..The possibilities are endless...Doing push ups, dips, pull ups and flys on the rings is 10 times more difficult then doing them the normal way

FLEXjs

I don't think so. I see lots of people ride bikes to my gym. I haven't yet, but I did get a rack instsalled on my bike so I can bungee my gym bag to it if I get the urge. I train in the morning before work so time does not permit me to ride there.

And yes; I am a record-holding powerlifter and I ride...

lol

Machka 

I understand completely ... I used to be a bodybuilder and leg day was quite a workout. I didn't do much in the way of cardio (cycling) on those days.

I also understand about the hills. We live in an area where it is very difficult to find anything flat and most of it is steep. To cycle home, we have no option but to climb ... there is no avoiding the steep hills and even walking them is a challenge and can put quite a strain on calves, ankles, and hips.

And I also understand about being low energy for the past few months ... I came down with a virus, which turned into bronchitis, and then I reacted quite badly to the antibiotics. Knocked my fitness right out.

Machka 

Do any of you have outdoor fitness equipment? We've got these set up all over the place, usually in parks. There's a set of it in a park about 2 km away, another next to the cycleway on the other side of the bridge ... there's some in a few of the small towns around ...

It's not as good as going to the gym, and the equipment can't be adjusted to your height, leg length, etc., but it's not bad ... you can actually get a bit of a workout with it.

Before getting our gym membership, we included a stop at the outdoor fitness equipment mid-walk or toward the end of a ride fairly regularly.

wolfchild

Some of the kids playgrounds have all types of different monkey bars and railings and structures which I use to give myself a very intense full body workout. As much as I love weight lifting, there is something very unique and challenging about bodyweight exercises and I enjoy them a lot.

wolfchild

You call that a workout ??...may as well bounce up and down on a bosu ball

I-Like-To-Bike

Is there a reason for the helmet wear off the bike?

wolfchild

Fashion statement ??...cyclists trying to maintain that "real cyclist" look even when they're off their bike.

Machka 

Just didn't bother taking it off.

Machka 

Don't knock it till you try it.

Do you have that sort of equipment where you are ... or is the idea of exercise equipment provided to everyone free of charge a Canadian or Australian thing?

Rowan

Only because we had stopped during a bicycle riding to do a circuit. And I don't look particularly brilliant without headwear.

Rowan

And you are someone proclaiming the merits of exercise with bodyweight. It's obvious that you make great use of a bozo ball...

Machka 

Yes, all that equipment makes use of body weight ... they are all bodyweight exercises.

Rowan

And since those pictures, I've lost around 22 lbs through exercise at work, on gym equipment, in the pool, and on the bike, as well as moderation of my food intake.

jade408

We've got the bars and stuff around the lake in the middle of town. I haven't tried it but I see other people doing it. Once I get a little stronger I will try. There is also a staircase near the lake. Has about 80 stairs, and the lake has a 5k path that is mixed use, but there are bike lanes around the lake too.

Machka 

This is the main type we've got here:
Fit for Parks - Outdoor Gym Equipment for Public & Community Park

If you look at Locations, you can see approx. where to find them:
Locations


Evidently, these are located in the US too:
Outdoor Fitness Equipment Featured Installations

And these:
Greenfields Outdoor Fitness Equipment


But if you do a search for Outdoor Fitness Equipment, you'll find heaps and heaps of sites, the three I've linked to above are just random examples out of so many. These things are everywhere, and so convenient to incorporate into a long ride.

Walter S

Great idea. I don't know why I haven't thought of that, as much as I love enjoying free stuff. I'm near retirement age and I stay on the lookout for free fun and fitness activities. There's an elementary school down the road and I'm sure I could get good workout on their playground when there's no activity there.

ro-monster

We have some of it around here, although it seems to be gradually disappearing whenever any updates are done to the parks. And it was never as elaborate as the stuff you show in your pictures. It's mostly made from wooden beams and pipes.

Machka 

That's the kind there was in Winnipeg when I was there ... in a certain part of the largest park, a person could walk or jog a loop that was about a half kilometer long and stop to do various exercises along the way on the equipment.

Now I think there is some "GreenGym" equipment there instead, although I'm having some difficulty loading the location map on my computer so I'm not sure where exactly the equipment is located.
GreenGym - Locations Map and Photos


We've been impressed with the quality of the equipment here ... and the fact that it is free.

I-Like-To-Bike

What was the time duration for the 22 lb weight loss?
I lost 34 lbs in 6 months strictly by moderation of my food intake, mainly no between meal snacks, no snack food, and no desserts other than fruit. Have manged to keep it off in the 2 years since the weight loss.

wolfchild

I've gained around 22 pounds in the past 7 months, I did that through a diet and strength training routine. I look and feel great. No more of that skinny roadie look for me.