Originally Posted by
meanwhile
Carbon - I was just about to PM you this link, as I've noticed in the past that you're interested in sports-medicine and very "evidence based." Read this article by McGill:
http://www.backfitpro.com/pdf/select..._exercises.pdf
Re. kettlebells and core fitness, "The Kettlebell Bible" has made my jaw drop with its thoroughness. One of the authors was senior PTI for the Royal Marines and seems to have spent all his time reading biochemistry and physiology papers - there's lots of good stuff on metabolic threshold and training that should apply very nicely to cycling even if you never touch a k-bell. You might need to order this book from the author's website if you want it:
http://www.intensefitness.co.uk/index.html
A really nice bonus is that k-bells have the potential to replace plyo work at a much lower injury risk - I really hesitate to do plyo anymore now that I'm out of my 30s.
Obviously, if McGill and the above disagree at any point, I'd go with McGill (I just got round to ordering my own copy - in the past I have only surfed a friend's copy, notorious cheapskate that I am.)
Anyway, I stopped doing high-rep crunches several years ago - and my abs and core are probably better than they have ever been.
Thanks, meanwhile. My Golds doesn't have them, and I'm not going to buy them a set of kettlebells myself. But I will stop the crunches and start doing more pushups and Roman chair work. I can hold a plank until I get bored, so my core isn't too bad, but hard work does make my back feel better. My MRIs show old-man disc thinning, arthritic facets, and lumbar stenosis - the usual culprits. No bulging or herniated discs. Instead of 6-pack abs, I have 6-pack lower back muscles. Strong muscles to hold it all in column do seem to help.