Bike Forums - keeping in shape

Bike Forums (https://www.bikeforums.net/forum.php)

- Commuting (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/)

- - keeping in shape (https://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/342563-keeping-shape.html)

Quote:

Originally Posted by kill.cactus (Post 5253275)

Biking = cardio and endurance
Running/Walking = muscle work (with less cardio than cycling)

You could probably flip this by changing the way you run and cycle. Not implying that you should.

Al

Quote:

Originally Posted by zoltani (Post 5249039)

Not sure if this is the right forum, but it relates to commuting in ways.

I ride my bike everywhere, usually prefer it to the bus or walking. Doing this leads me to believe that i am in shape, and generally healthy. On friday i went for a hike, and i noticed that after just 3 or 4 miles my knees were hurting, legs tired, and just sore. Yes, it was an intense hike, high elevation, steep slopes, but i think that i should not be so sore from such a hike.

This made me realize that i only really walk around my office and my apartment, and ride my bike everywhere else. I have decided that some days i need to leave the bike home and just walk. Hopefully this will help me stay in better shape all around. Biking can lead to a false sense of being in shape!

What do you do besides biking to help stay in shape and keep your body in overall top condition?

I also skate - both inline and ice and occasionally run. Running and cycling gives me endurance. Skating (especially during hockey games) gives me strength and stamina. You could try doing some sort of interval and hill training to get the same I suppose.

My 16-mile-a-day commute keeps me in excellent shape for my 16-mile-a-day commute, which is great; and it keeps me in generally good shape as well. All to the good; but it's obviously not enough for running a marathon or even cycling a century. That's fine, of course; if I want to cycle a century I may have to do a few training rides, that's all.

But I don't think it makes sense to exercise for some theoretical purpose. If you swim competitively, then obviously you need to be in shape for that; but if you don't, you don't. Cycle commuting will keep you in acceptable overall shape, with the result that if you need to get in shape for some specific purpose, you'll be able to. I do some kayaking / canoeing, but only during the summer; the result is that the first time I pick up a kayak paddle in May, my arms get very tired. By mid-June, I'm fine!

I don't ride much other than my commute but try to run 3-4 miles plus 100+ crunches 3-5 times a week [Should be doing push-ups too, but bum shoulder for last couple months says no]. Being in the USAF I pretty much train to stay healthy and specifically toward the Physical Fitness Test (PFT) requirements (30% Body Comp [BMI<25], 10% Push-ups, 10% Crunches, 50% Aerobic [1.5 mile run for time]). Used to really hate running [especially when I lived above 6,000 ft], and while I won't say I like to run, at least I don't hate it now.

I try to develop slow twitch muscles rather than fast twitch. Haven't had "lactic acid" type sore muscles in years, but I do get energy depletion after anaerobic workouts. For example fighting strong headwinds yesterday has left me totally drained today. Once or twice a week I'll ride hills just for conditioning purposes. Off the bike I do exercises for my abdominal core, mostly twisting or non linear types. I also do some weight training for upper body, but that too is for slow twitch development, which means lower weight with higher reps. It seems silly to me to spend hundreds of dollars to save a few grams of weight on my bike and then put on 30 pounds of fast twitch muscle on my body that will become dead weight in a few minutes.