Originally Posted by
Trakhak
I hope I can do that at 79. Just tried it, and at 73, it's no problem. (At 73, that's not much of an accomplishment. Your state of fitness at 79 is amazing.)
Still doing 100% of my exercise on the bike. (I guess typing vigorously while slouching on the couch doesn't count.)
That said, I probably should start considering thinking about whether or not weight work is or is not out of the question.
"But not yet!" (pace St. Augustine).
I like the Game of Thrones motto - You tell Death "Not today." My wife and I hike quite a bit, steep trails in the Cascades. On our 10-day backpack this year, I went in with 50#, she with 40#. That's sorta weight training, too.
Put your feet about 2' apart, toes pointed out, hands in the prayer position in front of your face. Drop down into a squat, see how far down your hip and knee joints will allow you to go. Your elbows should go between your knees. Do a series of these until your legs get tired. That should tell you something, like is this feasible? I just got up and did a set of 50 which tired my legs. I'm way out of shape and am just starting my build toward next summer. When I was young and raced Nordic, I could do a set of 200 one-legged squats. Sure can't do that anymore! Glory days . . .
Even if strength training had nothing to do with cycling performance, IMO it's sorta mandatory at our age to prevent disabling geezer injuries.