bruce19

I'm 76 and go to the gym 5 X week. Everything I do is 3 sets of 10. Compression curls with 20 lbs each arm. Flys with 10 lb weights. Leg raises, leg curls, chest press, pull downs, I usually just use about 1/3 - 1/2 the plates so I don't really know lbs. I will check and amend this post.

Chest press.......135 lbs
Leg raises..........100 lbs
Leg curls...........100 lbs
pull downs.........120 lbs
Flys........,..........10 lbs
Curls..................25 lbs

scozim 

Way late to the party for me. I used to do a lot of bodybuilding training when I was younger and not riding. 57 now and with severe lumbar stenosis (thank you heavy squats and leg presses). I am currently lifting weights 4 days a week and mix between heavy and light days. With the back situation the legs get some strength training but size and strength in the quads is usually maintained with cycling - I like to ride hard when I'm on my own and build the lactic acid in the legs. Cycling is the one relief I have to the constant pain in the back and legs. I have doubled efforts on the strength and cardio this winter after prostate cancer surgery a year ago and rising PSA numbers leading me down the road toward probable radiation treatment later this year. I'd rather have my body as strong as possible before that happens.

Carbonfiberboy 

Here's the John Hopkins on lumbar stenosis: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/heal...pinal-stenosis

Mine was diagnosed maybe 15 years ago with an MRI. No cure of course, but there's treatment. All I can relate is what I've done. Whether that's been effective could be totally personal, but I'll relate anyway.

1) I've been taking glucosamine sulfate, 750mg/day, for 40 years. Glucosamine hydrochloride does nothing as has been proven by many studies. So it might be just the sulfur, who knows? Seems to work, anyway. For the past maybe 20 years, I've also taken MSM, also containing sulfur. I've taken to capping it myself to save money so don't know the exact dose, 1 00 cap/day, anyway

2) Stretching, these stretches every morning: IT Band pain (during ride) Then I do a plank as long as I can, and then as many pushups as I can do, 1 set.

3) Walking. I use a slightly weird gait, where I rotate each hip in a circular fashion, walking as fast as I can with long strides, say 3 miles. This moves my lumbar spine around, avoids sciatica. Not every day, once or twice a week.

4) Gym. I started a strength training thread several years ago. scattered through it are PDFs of the periodized routines my wife and I still use: Introduction to strength training for the endurance athlete
Unfortunately, the powers that be here decided that PDF files can no longer be attached, so none of those PDF links work. If anyone's interested, I could email them the PDFs as attachments. Really too bad that they did that. So PM me with your email if you're interested.

Anyway, my back is just fine today, didn't deteriorate, got better in fact, so this worked for me.

gobicycling

yes, pdf to dnvrfox@aol.com. How long do you hold your plank? I do between 90 and 150 seconds, and about 20 push-ups that are not in perfect form, but I do lots of other stuff. Thanks for the PDF, hope they come through. Denver

Carbonfiberboy 

I only plank 2 minutes . . .I have to put a limit on it. I have other things to do. I think 2' is really all one needs. I do pushups to exhaustion, whatever that is, so far always less than 30. The days when, in the Army, I loved to get punished and have to knock out 40 - those are long gone. I call not being able to hold form exhaustion, no point. It's just as much core work as arm work. Just my practice. I can't do Marine pushups anymore, where one claps their hands. I could do them 15 years ago. Oh well.

PDFs are on the way.

caloso

I just enrolled in a PE class at the local community college in order to use their fitness center. I had to enroll in the college, fill out some paperwork, sit through an online orientation video and quiz, and complete a fitness assessment. I have to log in at least 2 times a week, and I'll have to redo the fitness assessment at the end of the semester to see if I've made improvement. But now I have access to a really well-equipped gym that's a five minute bike ride from my house and it cost me a grand total of $41 till the end of the semester in May. What gym or club can you join for less than $10 a month? It feels like I've unlocked a cheat code.

seypat

Nice! A full featured gym close to your house beats a home gym every time. Plus, you can shower/shave, etc using their facilities/water. Win, win. Pro tip from a gym rat:

Buy the 3 pack of Master combo locks. You don't have to learn a new code when when/if you lose one.

seypat

In somewhat related news, I do a half marathon around St. Patrick's Day every year.(St. Patrick's day is my birthday) I take a yoga class 3 times a week with the weekend session on Saturday morning. I usually do a training run before or after the yoga classes and lift weights also. The long weekend training run is getting into the 8+mile range, so I started doing it on Sunday morning this past weekend. The yoga class on Saturday didn't seem like a tough one until I got up to leave. Then it felt like I'd been in a wrestling match. I walked out and had to reduce the weight on some of my lifts from the normal amount. The Sunday run was a good one. One of the better runs this year. I came in the house afterwards and told my wife I felt better than after the yoga class.

Here's the important part of my post. The most likely reason the run was good is because of the crosstraining like the yoga, the weights, the cycling, swimming, etc. It's all connected. Do as much as you can. Don't just concentrate on one or two things. Your body will thank you for it.

Daniel4

Yes, I prefer going to the gym than doing some exercises in my basement. It's a bit stuffy, my bench is ok but my adjustable dumbbells can't take the wear and tear that gym dumbbells can take.

(Bowflex selecttech dumbbells have to be handled gently. I had to fix replace a broken disk).

And going to the gym gives me an excuse to ride my bike.

rumrunn6

fwiw - I was NOT into it today. but I went & got my reps in anyway. feeling better, that I did

Gaulavana

I'm just coming across this and I also had it in mind. especially your first point, to keep the mid-season fitness. I'm not even that consistent if I'm honest but I still try to train because I fear that lack of activity or prolonged sitting may cause my muscles to weaken.

Calsun

Bone density was considered to be important to avoid fractures with women and when drugs were pushed on them to increase bone density it was found that denser bones were equally likely to fracture as they were not stronger bones. What has been found to be most effective is using free weights to load the bones and very little weight is needed to improve bone strength and more important, to improve balance.

MoAlpha

Citation?

smurfy

Ok, this might be a good place to ask.

Eight days ago I underwent a full knee replacement surgery. Although my recovery is going well (almost TOO well!) I'm barely into the second week of the recovery phase and I'm getting really bored. Obviously I'm doing my knee exercises here at home to get my range of motion back and I was wondering what other beneficial exercises I can do to get ready to hop back on the bike.

I do have some dumbbells at home and my physical therapist mentioned something about getting a trainer for my bike, probably the kind that lifts the back wheel off the floor.

This coming Tuesday I have an appt. with my surgeon and then he will probably then recommend working with machines at the hospital to increase my ROM so I will also have to ask him about this.

rumrunn6

fwiw - I've often read, the best training for cycling is cycling

MoAlpha

Just went through this with my wife. PT was happy with her using the trainer WITH VERY LITTLE RESISTANCE as soon as they were assured she could mount and dismount safely. Initially, she used it as a ROM modality and didn't attempt a full revolution, but she was quickly able to ride normally, add a little resistance, and begin to get some aerobic benefit.

terrymorse 

I don't have direct experience with knee replacement, but I did use a trainer after hip surgery.

As soon as I could get onto the trainer (with help from my wife), I started using it. First with just a little resistance, increasing the resistance and time gradually until I was doing 2-hour sessions.

It helped greatly. By the time I got back on the road, I was able to keep up with my ride buddies (even though I still couldn't put full weight on the leg, so I carried a folding cane in my jersey pocket.).

Carbonfiberboy 

That "denser bones" bit is from an old study with older women who took alendronate for way too long. Current prescribing is for no more than 4 years at a stretch, which is effective.

It's true that it may not take that much weight, but so far the large studies I've seen indicate either moderately heavy weight, 60%-85% 1RM or impact, i.e. jumping, and preferably both as neither has the same effect on all bones.
https://www.ntnu.no/ojs/index.php/no...icle/view/1338
https://thesportjournal.org/article/...commendations/.

MoAlpha

That's interesting.

The evidence that low mineral density is a risk factor for fractures in men and women is overwhelming and beyond dispute. Most "abnormal" fractures do in fact occur in people with normal or moderately low (osteopenic, not osteoporotic) bone density. So, there are other factors related to age, but those are absolute numbers, not rates of occurrence in the different bone density groups.

Cgnman59

I am 63 and was working out 4-5 times in the gym before the pandemic. At the beginning of COVID I had an extruded disk between L4-L5 and a month after that a knee replacement with complications. Finally was able to get back on a bike 5 months after surgery and felt like a jellyfish. During the pandemic my wife and I decided to work out at home 3-4 times a week with dumbbells, also push-ups and planks. 5-6 days a week as possible we row and cycle on alternate days. I might get back into more aggressive workouts at the gym but for now my routine fits my lifestyle and provides me with both strength and aerobic training with lower impacts. The key for me has been consistency.

rdsmith3

I'm also 63. Yes, consistency is extremely important, especially as we get older. As I get older, I realize that it is a blessing to be able to move and enjoy life. Working out consistently, with a balance of weight training and cardio, is the best thing I can do to maintain my health.

Billy Bones

At 72, I still pursue "training", as opposed to 'riding my bike'. I'll race a coupla' time a year. [Often the oldest, never the slowest...so far...knock wood. IMHO, competing enforces attention on training.]

Anyway, I'm mostly a cyclist, but "The Old Man's Handbook"* says I need to work on Endurance, Strength, Agility, and Balance. Well, I need to also fight social isolation, so I'm out there with people EVERY day!

Therefore, I cycle every other day...LOTS and LOTS of Zone 2 with tempo, hills, and sprints lathered in. Lots of protein...lots of veg...easy on the carbs...NO refined sugars**.

On 'off' days, I alternate gym and go for long walks with a stretching pole and work in balance, too. I cut a bizarre spectacle, stretching and balancing, for the cute grandmothers out there...a story for another campfire, my children.

Anyway, to answer your question, my winters aren't much different from my entire year. I live in Western Maryland [USA], so am invested in winter cycling kit. That said, the cold is NO DAMN FUN.

* - The Old Man's Handbook...it doesn't exist, but I'm thinking about writing it.
** - In truth, I'll 'cheat' on holiday. I SO love glazed donuts, but there's no dessert that tastes as good as being tight, strong, and fast feels!

rdsmith3

Great advice! Balance and agility are really important. I didn't realize how bad my balance is until I did physical therapy for my knees.

rumrunn6

this is my 2nd week off weight training. oh well, life happens, right? hoping to hop back on the training train next week

rumrunn6

good advice. was looking at the Dunkins' menu recently. don't remember what donut I was looking at maybe a jelly? regardless, the 1 donut was 500 calories. omg! I sometimes get 2! that's so NOT good for me. but yeah donuts are tasty