kbarch

I can't help thinking: everyone I know has a big but... Let's talk about your big but.

hogger453

:d

mcours2006

That's not realistic...the dude hasn't aged a day in 21 years.

Camilo

So let me get this straight. A middle age guy who has 10 -15 extra pounds compared to his skinny 20s, but can routinely ride 50-100 miles, or regularly skis 50km events or runs a marathon or two every year is "out of shape"?

And the same guy in his 20s, 10-15 pounds lighter, who did nothing but sit and play video games and couldn't run 3 miles, or ride 25 miles or ski 10 km is in shape?

You guys have no clue what it means to be in shape.

Phalanax

Nope you are both out of shape, one is just more out of shape than the other.

Drop 15 pounds and you would save minutes on a big climb, run 30 min quicker in that marathon.

Camilo

So being in shape, or working out, only has to do with times, racing, etc? We'll agree to disagree, and get back to me if/when you think you're in shape at age 60 or so.

Sceadu498

The main answer is, what difference does it make???? Ride or run, just enjoy what you are doing. fast or slow. The thing is to be out there doing it.

dalava

There is no answer, and we just like to argue on the interwebz

Phalanax

Im in my late thirties now and can do that stuff you mentioned, but ill admit im 15 pounds out of shape. I love my cream deserts too much.

longbeachgary

These same arrogant, ignorant riders bagging on fat cyclists are the ones who are going to burn out but don't fret, they'll be back 10 years from now telling us all how they used to be fast and in-shape but because of work, kids, job, wife etc. they gave it up. Now they're looking for a new bike.

Sceadu498

Just like your high school jocks. Look a lot of them up 10 years later..... Not the jocks they used to be.

caloso

Some of us took up cycling, figured out how to make it work with a job (commuting), kids (ride very early on weekends before soccer), and a mortgage (eBay and UK websites). And we are still at our HS graduation weight.

Seattle Forrest

Since I started lifting heavy weights, I've had less time to cycle or run, so my aerobic fitness has gone down slightly. On the other hand, well, Beth is very happy with the way my shape has changed since I started with the weights.

nycphotography

Or at least back to our HS weight, after small detour or two ;-)

rms13

People who do nothing but cardio are all going to be fat. 99% of runners who just run are skinny fat. Might look thin in clothes but have belly and love handles especially the older they get.

profjmb

In my younger days I was 170. Now I'm 200ish. I'm a better cyclist now, although I no longer run. I think you skinny guys are wimps. You can't handle riding with the extra weight. (Wear 30 pound weights next time and see how fast you go. I'll bet I'm faster.)

f4rrest

Heavy runners destroy their knees. Then they take up cycling. End of story.

f4rrest

Neither are the high school chess players.

seypat

[QUOTE=f4rrest;19102624]Neither are the high school chess players.[/QUOTE

So true. Usually the jocks, cheerleaders and the rest of the ones one the upper social scale have nowhere to go but down. No "later bloomers" in the upper crust.

TCR Rider

Not to mention they generally have posture that resembles a question mark.
I was a 50 mile a week runner for about 20 years and did countless races and 9 marathons. I was not particularly fast but respectable - Sub 20 minutes for 5k, 40 min 10k, 1:35 1/2 marathon and a marathon PR of 3:24. I also did a lot of weight training so I did not have a typical distance runners body. 5'11" 185. Orthopedic issues caught up to me so these days I'm a cyclist. Interesting thing is that now at 64 I'm 5"10" and weigh in at 158. I don't really lift heavy weights any longer but do body weight exercises with some yoga and an occasional kettlebell workout. According to the Tanita scale my body fat is 5%.
Cycling is an enjoyable way of burning calories but you have to do some challenging rides. I have never raced a bike but I try to ride like I ran. Intervals, threshold rides and some longer rides. Not too complicated. The biggest difference to me, aside from the pounding, is that you have to spend a lot more time on the bike than running to get the same aerobic benefit. And no, I don't ride my bike to Dunkin Donuts.

mcours2006

Wait,..what??

Maybe we'll starting seeing 200-lb riders leading the peloton in next year's TdF, especially on those mountain stages. Yeah, I know you're only kidding.

FullGas

used to run 35 mi/week, have two blown knees now, so that's out.

now I ride 7500 mi/yr and swim 200K yds/yr.

at 6'/145 lbs, weigh 5 lbs less than when I graduated from high school.

consume alcohol and ice cream every. single. day.

Rollfast

Nobody in my town should really run unless shots are being fired.


I've tried to tell the track team this as they go by, to no avail.

cthenn

Then how do you define being in shape? Some skinny guys can drop dead of a heart attack, some fat guys can ride all day long, so how do you quantify "in shape", if not by weight? BTW, the other poster was right, if a person drops 15 lb (of fat), they will be faster, so factually speaking, they are in *better* shape than when 15 lb heavier.

Rollfast

Jim Fixx died of a heart attack.


Nobody gets out alive.