Cycling Is A Poor Form of Exercise :-(
09-28-20, 01:37 PM
#201
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This is what I love about bikes. There's so many different reasons to ride that I don't need to sort out my motivations. I got into as a kid for fun and the fitness aspects of it were basically a side effect. I got older and my motivations change, but I still want to make it fun.
And, yeah, some people who ride have bellies. That's probably because it's still fun to ride when you are heavy. Running when you're heavy really sucks. If someone wants to take their belly for a ride, more power to them!
And, yeah, some people who ride have bellies. That's probably because it's still fun to ride when you are heavy. Running when you're heavy really sucks. If someone wants to take their belly for a ride, more power to them!
I've never been inclined or disciplined enough to 'exercise' for the sake of fitness, so had to find something I could and would do that I simply loved/love doing that would have incidental fitness benefits. Rode a lot as a kid/into my late '20s; always loved cycling, so thought I'd try to take it up again. Got a bike; that first ride ... the rest is (my) history.
I'll be a cyclist until I physically can't ride a bike. I have no 'goals' other than that.
Edit: according to my drs. (yes, I have several), regular cycling is a very good form of exercise for someone like me. Probably one significant reason I didn't die two years ago.
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09-28-20, 01:41 PM
#202
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My question is; why does cycling have to be a form of anything why can't it just be fun whether you have a beer belly or quads for days. Why does there have to be some reason to ride my bike why can't I just ride it because it's fun and clears my mind? If I die at 500 pounds I'm just as dead as if I die at 160, doing things for some nebulous goal seems kinda silly, enjoy what you do when nothing is demanded of you.
I also value the fitness and health benefits I derive from it. Part of my riding structure is to increase the fitness and health benefits. I say increase and not maximize since I do not structure my riding exclusively for fitness and health. I look for balance.
09-28-20, 01:51 PM
#203
Senior Member
And, as a weak 77 year old who had chemo and radiation treatments for Cancer, e-bikes let me have all the fun I once had.
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09-28-20, 02:11 PM
#205
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Junk science
I've gone to two local meetups with road cycling clubs. One was a social meet up, and the members seemed far more fit than the average person of their ages (most were older). At the second meet, everyone was ready for a ride in their gear. I was shocked by their appearance. In full lycra kit, they had comically oversized pot bellies, but with skinny noodly arms and legs.
Basically, cycling is just sitting. It is not weight bearing. Your bones become weaker as you sweat away minerals over long miles. Your muscles and bones don't become any stronger because they don't have to bear any weight. As a matter of fact, any additional weight is a liability, so additional muscle mass only penalizes you on climbs.
Even when I was riding many miles a week, I never lost any significant weight. In the past couple of weeks, I've been walking and hiking instead. I've lost more weight in these past couple of weeks than I did when I was riding upwards of 200 miles a week cycling!
Cycling for me is more about fun and recreation rather than "physical fitness." You become fit when you become stronger, and cycling may actually lead to the opposite.
Basically, cycling is just sitting. It is not weight bearing. Your bones become weaker as you sweat away minerals over long miles. Your muscles and bones don't become any stronger because they don't have to bear any weight. As a matter of fact, any additional weight is a liability, so additional muscle mass only penalizes you on climbs.
Even when I was riding many miles a week, I never lost any significant weight. In the past couple of weeks, I've been walking and hiking instead. I've lost more weight in these past couple of weeks than I did when I was riding upwards of 200 miles a week cycling!
Cycling for me is more about fun and recreation rather than "physical fitness." You become fit when you become stronger, and cycling may actually lead to the opposite.
Last edited by Homebrew01; 09-28-20 at 04:09 PM.
09-28-20, 02:33 PM
#206
padawan
I'm not sure what you're doing wrong but with cycling I've lost weight, built muscle, increased my FTP, and vastly improved my cardiovscular health. I've also lowered my blood pressure and improved in all areas that get tested via blood test on my yearly exams. I do mix in a little core work and yoga though.
09-28-20, 02:58 PM
#207
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In case anyone is interested:
https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-inf...-bone-health#b
excerpt:
”...Exercising can also help us maintain muscle strength, coordination, and balance, which in turn helps to prevent falls and related fractures. This is especially important for older adults and people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.
According to the Surgeon General, the optimal goal is at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, preferably daily.
Listen to your body. When starting an exercise routine, you may have some muscle soreness and discomfort at the beginning, but this should not be painful or last more than 48 hours. If it does, you may be working too hard and need to ease up. Stop exercising if you have any chest pain or discomfort, and see your doctor before your next exercise session.
If you have osteoporosis, ask your doctor which activities are safe for you. If you have low bone mass, experts recommend that you protect your spine by avoiding exercises or activities that flex, bend, or twist it. Furthermore, you should avoid high-impact exercise to lower the risk of breaking a bone. You also might want to consult with an exercise specialist to learn the proper progression of activity, how to stretch and strengthen muscles safely, and how to correct poor posture habits...”
Otto
https://www.bones.nih.gov/health-inf...-bone-health#b
excerpt:
”...Exercising can also help us maintain muscle strength, coordination, and balance, which in turn helps to prevent falls and related fractures. This is especially important for older adults and people who have been diagnosed with osteoporosis.
The best bone building exercises
Weight-bearing and resistance exercises are the best for your bones. Weight-bearing exercises force you to work against gravity. They include walking, hiking, jogging, climbing stairs, playing tennis, and dancing. Resistance exercises – such as lifting weights – can also strengthen bones. Other exercises such asswimming and bicycling can help build and maintain strong muscles and have excellent cardiovascular benefits, but they are not the best way to exercise your bones.Exercise tips
If you have health conditions – such as heart trouble, high blood pressure, diabetes, or obesity – or if you are age 40 or older, check with your doctor before you begin a regular exercise program.According to the Surgeon General, the optimal goal is at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days, preferably daily.
Listen to your body. When starting an exercise routine, you may have some muscle soreness and discomfort at the beginning, but this should not be painful or last more than 48 hours. If it does, you may be working too hard and need to ease up. Stop exercising if you have any chest pain or discomfort, and see your doctor before your next exercise session.
If you have osteoporosis, ask your doctor which activities are safe for you. If you have low bone mass, experts recommend that you protect your spine by avoiding exercises or activities that flex, bend, or twist it. Furthermore, you should avoid high-impact exercise to lower the risk of breaking a bone. You also might want to consult with an exercise specialist to learn the proper progression of activity, how to stretch and strengthen muscles safely, and how to correct poor posture habits...”
Otto
09-28-20, 03:06 PM
#208
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I don't recall anyone telling you you had to do anything.
You take your personal hurts and bitterness and project them onto whatever other people are saying. You use terms like worthless and drivel and then complain about others being condescending. You claim one cannot be to specific because each person is different and then complain about being too general as not being specific enough. You have a whole list of things people have said, which they haven't actually said, and you continue to confuse concepts like simple with easy.
The most frustrating thing is that, at the end of the day you now basically echo some of the same points I previously made. Calorie counting, cutting out high amounts of carbs, incorporating exercise... sadly, you can only acknowledge that as being valid if you are the one saying it.
Push back all you want. But expect push back to your push back and to have the obvious disrespect you have for others and the illogical nature of your comments to be clearly pointed out.
If you really don't want to continue this discussion with me that's fine. Stop referencing me or what I say, either directly or indirectly, and I won't feel the need to respond and correct you.
You take your personal hurts and bitterness and project them onto whatever other people are saying. You use terms like worthless and drivel and then complain about others being condescending. You claim one cannot be to specific because each person is different and then complain about being too general as not being specific enough. You have a whole list of things people have said, which they haven't actually said, and you continue to confuse concepts like simple with easy.
The most frustrating thing is that, at the end of the day you now basically echo some of the same points I previously made. Calorie counting, cutting out high amounts of carbs, incorporating exercise... sadly, you can only acknowledge that as being valid if you are the one saying it.
Push back all you want. But expect push back to your push back and to have the obvious disrespect you have for others and the illogical nature of your comments to be clearly pointed out.
If you really don't want to continue this discussion with me that's fine. Stop referencing me or what I say, either directly or indirectly, and I won't feel the need to respond and correct you.
Last edited by livedarklions; 09-28-20 at 03:34 PM.
09-28-20, 03:13 PM
#209
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That's some very successful trolling !!!
Best idea , by far is turn off the battery ! YES, PLEASE! Especially if you are on a bike trail !
And of course STOP EATING MORE THAN YOU NEED!!!
Best idea , by far is turn off the battery ! YES, PLEASE! Especially if you are on a bike trail !
And of course STOP EATING MORE THAN YOU NEED!!!
09-28-20, 03:33 PM
#210
Senior Member
My strategy is three to four days of cycling and three days of Nordic walking (using poles as in XC skiing) a week. about 10-12 hours. I also do resistance band training for muscular strength. I am 75 and pretty fit. I raced until is was 46 on road and track and did road skating and short track as cross training. I id not then nor do I now have a pot belly. I am 5'11'' and weight about 183. Being retired helps with the time issue. For me cycling is an important social outlet but I am a firm believer in weight bearing exercise and resistance training.
09-28-20, 04:11 PM
#211
Newbie
It really depends on how you ride your bike. The general riding advice is "spin" while sitted, basically turn the pedals at higher rpm at lower gears to reduce muscle strain and build aerobic fitness. It's a very good practice for a number of reasons. Less muscle fatigue, less pressure on the joints, less chances of injury while working out, and provides a great cardio workout. But if you're looking to becoming strong overall, not just in cycling, it may not be the best way to ride your bike.
Cycling is the most efficient way we can self power ourself to cover distance and it can be done at the absolute minimum level. One could easily ride at <10 mph for the whole day and spend less energy than it would take to stand still for that long, or if one is going to maintain >20mph for the whole day, the energy requirements are huge, as is the level of fitness attained. Swimming is similar, provided one floats okay , you can go slow as you like.
Running on the other hand(strict definition is there will be times when neither foot is on the ground) cant be done in such a minimalist way and even the slowest run is going to get the heart rate up there. Its really the only one guaranteed exercise that will do something that you cant cheat on, if someone has run five miles, its a given they have to have burnt at least X calories and got pulse rate to Y, 20 miles on a bike- pulse rate could be little more than resting.
For myself, Id run to keep fit as it was very time efficient, but as I have got older even gentle jogs cause strains in my calfs and soleus muscles so I have gravitated more towards increasing my cycling time. Yes, cycling is great, one can protect those areas by deciding how hard to push, but at the expense of having to spend a lot more time in the saddle to get the same level of blood pumped around the body.
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09-28-20, 05:20 PM
#212
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Troll Alert!
As others have noted this does feel like a troll’s post. He claims to be cycling 200 miles a week. Let’s break that down to five 40 mile rides every week. Even if he was crawling along at 10 mph and riding 4 hours a day 5 days a week he should be losing some weight unless he’s stuffing his face like a hot dog eating contestant. I call bull.
09-28-20, 05:51 PM
#213
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I find people's experiences very interesting and have learned from that. But by advice, I'm referring to people telling me what I should or shouldn't be doing. It is often accompanied by being told whether or not I'm thinking too much or too little or some of the usual "it's a simple matter of..." drivel. This stuff I find absolutely useless , and usually contradictory of what the last guy "told" me.
I'm formerly obese, I suspect where we lose in the translation here is that when you are obese, people who never have been just often seem to think that gives them a license to claim some sort of expertise and don't realize just how condescending and discouraging they're being. I've had to learn to tune such people out, and I believe you'll find that's pretty common among people who have actually succeeded at massive weight loss.
I'm going to push back every time someone starts up with this "it's a simple matter of calories in, calories out" crap. It may be simple for them, but it just isn't simple for a lot of people.
I'm formerly obese, I suspect where we lose in the translation here is that when you are obese, people who never have been just often seem to think that gives them a license to claim some sort of expertise and don't realize just how condescending and discouraging they're being. I've had to learn to tune such people out, and I believe you'll find that's pretty common among people who have actually succeeded at massive weight loss.
I'm going to push back every time someone starts up with this "it's a simple matter of calories in, calories out" crap. It may be simple for them, but it just isn't simple for a lot of people.
Like I said, don't reference me directly or indirectly and I won't have to come back and (very easily by bolding your direct quotes) correct you.
09-28-20, 05:57 PM
#214
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09-28-20, 06:47 PM
#216
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Just about any single form of exercise is a "poor form of exercise" if that's all one does. The great thing about the body is that it is very adaptable and when given a task it becomes very efficient in that task; the bad thing about the body is that it becomes so efficient at a certain task, that it somewhat rebels when forced to do another task, say switch from cycling to running or hiking...
I've heard a lot of people say they don't exercise the legs with weights, because they do x-amount of cycling/running/hiking... However, there are plenty of areas of the lower body not worked in any of those exercises, or at least not worked at the same level. If all you do is ride a bike, you're creating muscular imbalances, which may not be noticeable in your youth, but it will comeback to bite you as you age.
I ride quite a bit and have been for over 30-years, most of my riding was for commuting and I've done some loaded touring; however, I also do other things like running/hiking/weightlifting... And I do believe that's why I can ride as good as I do now at 55. And I don't complain like many of my peers about certain age-related aches and pains.
There's a lot more to health than just cardio health. I think the health of one's musculoskeletal system is totally overlooked, both by most individuals and many so-called experts.
.
I've heard a lot of people say they don't exercise the legs with weights, because they do x-amount of cycling/running/hiking... However, there are plenty of areas of the lower body not worked in any of those exercises, or at least not worked at the same level. If all you do is ride a bike, you're creating muscular imbalances, which may not be noticeable in your youth, but it will comeback to bite you as you age.
I ride quite a bit and have been for over 30-years, most of my riding was for commuting and I've done some loaded touring; however, I also do other things like running/hiking/weightlifting... And I do believe that's why I can ride as good as I do now at 55. And I don't complain like many of my peers about certain age-related aches and pains.
There's a lot more to health than just cardio health. I think the health of one's musculoskeletal system is totally overlooked, both by most individuals and many so-called experts.
.
09-29-20, 01:43 AM
#218
Senior Member
Agreed that the regular maintenance takes some amount of time, but with regular maintenance the only additional prepping time before heading out is checking the tire pressure and possibly air them up a bit - takes from two seconds to about a minute. The apparel absolutely does not need to be more copmplicated than with running or anything.
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09-29-20, 07:25 AM
#219
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Nobody going Dutch on this one? I mean all the evidence has long been there about moving towards a greener, healthier society through regular cycling. When they say "regular cycling," the Netherlands is actively working towards cycling as the primary mode of transportation every day--not the drive-yourself-everywhere fast-food Monday-through-Friday lifestyle where you expect to burn it all off on weekend rides.
- 40% reduction in cancer risk.
- 52% reduction in heart disease
- 40% reduction in premature death
- increased commute satisfaction
- increased mobility for children
- increased mobility for the elderly
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09-29-20, 08:14 AM
#220
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Nobody going Dutch on this one? I mean all the evidence has long been there about moving towards a greener, healthier society through regular cycling. When they say "regular cycling," the Netherlands is actively working towards cycling as the primary mode of transportation every day--not the drive-yourself-everywhere fast-food Monday-through-Friday lifestyle where you expect to burn it all off on weekend rides.
- 40% reduction in cancer risk.
- 52% reduction in heart disease
- 40% reduction in premature death
- increased commute satisfaction
- increased mobility for children
- increased mobility for the elderly
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09-29-20, 09:03 AM
#221
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Nobody going Dutch on this one? I mean all the evidence has long been there about moving towards a greener, healthier society through regular cycling. When they say "regular cycling," the Netherlands is actively working towards cycling as the primary mode of transportation every day--not the drive-yourself-everywhere fast-food Monday-through-Friday lifestyle where you expect to burn it all off on weekend rides.
- 40% reduction in cancer risk.
- 52% reduction in heart disease
- 40% reduction in premature death
BTW - reduction from what basis? How were these fantastic "reductions" measured?
BTW#2 - What is your definition of "premature death?"
09-29-20, 04:42 PM
#223
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I've gone to two local meetups with road cycling clubs. One was a social meet up, and the members seemed far more fit than the average person of their ages (most were older). At the second meet, everyone was ready for a ride in their gear. I was shocked by their appearance. In full lycra kit, they had comically oversized pot bellies, but with skinny noodly arms and legs.
Basically, cycling is just sitting. It is not weight bearing. Your bones become weaker as you sweat away minerals over long miles. Your muscles and bones don't become any stronger because they don't have to bear any weight. As a matter of fact, any additional weight is a liability, so additional muscle mass only penalizes you on climbs.
Even when I was riding many miles a week, I never lost any significant weight. In the past couple of weeks, I've been walking and hiking instead. I've lost more weight in these past couple of weeks than I did when I was riding upwards of 200 miles a week cycling!
Cycling for me is more about fun and recreation rather than "physical fitness." You become fit when you become stronger, and cycling may actually lead to the opposite.
Basically, cycling is just sitting. It is not weight bearing. Your bones become weaker as you sweat away minerals over long miles. Your muscles and bones don't become any stronger because they don't have to bear any weight. As a matter of fact, any additional weight is a liability, so additional muscle mass only penalizes you on climbs.
Even when I was riding many miles a week, I never lost any significant weight. In the past couple of weeks, I've been walking and hiking instead. I've lost more weight in these past couple of weeks than I did when I was riding upwards of 200 miles a week cycling!
Cycling for me is more about fun and recreation rather than "physical fitness." You become fit when you become stronger, and cycling may actually lead to the opposite.
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09-29-20, 05:29 PM
#225
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