in my eternal debate over whether i want to join a gym or not, i finally figured out that really the only thing i would join a gym for would be the squat rack.

one of my weaknesses is core strength. which is why i find the squat rack appealing. however, i don't want to drop $400+ on a gym membership if i can get the same results at home.

my building has 6 floors, which is a pretty good amount of stairs. a few times up and down really burn you out (and elevate your heartrate). i'm thinking of doing stair repeats and carrying weights if i need more resistance. this would be in addition to my other home exercises (crunches, pushups, etc.)

will this be a good way to add strength in the off season? or would doing heavier squats be better?

squats would probably be better, but probably not 400 dollars better

I would consider just getting one of those balance/stability balls and using it for core work (push-ups with your feet on the ball, push-ups with your hands on the ball, etc) and use it for lunges to work on your legs. Check this article, I am talking about the reverse lunge. It really works the legs, and not just the quads, but the stabilizers as well.

Be better for what?

Do you ride bicycles?

I bought both the ball and a set of 25 pound dumbbells. The Ball for core strength and the dumbbells for lunges and upper body work. You would be surprised how high you can get your heart rate if you complete a entire light weight work out of six separate exercises, three sets each, and four different core exercises, CORRECTLY, in one hour.

Buy a squat rack.

Go buy a set of dumb bells and do lunges and you will get the same work out and stairs and squats but at a much cheeper expense.

wish i could. a squat rack and a small nyc apartment don't go together.

yeah, for racing specifically.

this will have to be the solution.

last night, for fun, i did 10 repeats of our 6 story staircase with a backpack full of heavy books, a bunch of squats with backpack, and some lunges.

it's just not going to be enough, my legs weren't even sore this morning.

why don't you do squats with your dumbbells... and altho 50 lbs isn't much to squat... start doing squat JUMPS with 25 lbs in each hand... then go buy bigger dumbbells, haha

Squat. You'll also strengthen your bones, tendons, and ligaments. Try 20-rep deep-breathing full-squats.

Save money and use those stairs. You will be using the pretty much the same muscles. You can do interval sets with them and build great strength. Just be careful not to over do it at first, build up to it slowly and consistently. Remember, recovery is the key to gain. I'm a po' boy and always looking for inexpensive training aids . . .

Do some research on speedskating dryland drills. Those guys are sick when it comes to abusing the legs. Squats, lunges, "Wooder Squats" (put one leg on a bench behind you and quat one legged), duck walks, the list is endless. Those guys and gals would 'duck walk' up downhill ski slopes!

Inline legend Eddie Matzger's "Jumpies" :







I'm a big fan of stair climbing:

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...ghlight=stairs

Be creative ... squat racks are sooo boring.



jw

the only thing i need to be careful of is my left knee. it's not the greatest knee in the world. so, i don't think i'll be doing jumps. climbing stairs 2 at a time feels pretty good though.

yeah me too. also, i kinda like the idea of using my immediate environment to get in shape. i mean, it's right there, and doesn't cost a dime. basically free exercise for the taking. just 10 steps from my front door.

Go deeeeep in each step, though, so you really activate the entire leg, your rear end and the lower back as well. If you're really motivated, you could go out and get a cheap backpack, fill plastic bags with sand and stuff the backpack full. A gallon of fine sand probably weighs 20 lbs, as a rough guide.

Try doing single leg squats, they're killers.

Sure, but unless you have very strong supporting muscles in your hips, they won't provide a very effective leg workout. Takes a hell of a lot of stabilisation of your leg to be able to do it properly.

Then if you want to calculate your horsepower output in stair climbing, estimate as closely as possible the height of the stairs (rise/step x #of steps) and measure the time it takes to go up the steps and using the datum that 1 horsepower is 33,000 ft-lbs/min you can calculate your HP for that climb. For example, I and a pack weighed about #170 and I fast walked up 10flights of 10 steps 7" tall (58' +/-) in 33sec. 58x170=9860 ft-lbs x60 div by 33 or 17927 ft-lbs/min. Divide by 33,000 to get 0.54 HP. So my unsustainable power output for a short time is close to 375watts. This blows me sky high of course. Nice fun and games to time yourself now and then and see where you are.

If you have some problems with your knee, want to build strength and are considering paying $500 to join a gym just for one machine I would...
...go and see a physiotherapist. You may not have to go many times (although they always try and make you keep coming) and they can give you some good exercises to stabilise your knee and you muscles. Should be cheaper than $500.

Use rocks, bricks, or bags of sand. If that doesn't do it, get a bigger backpack.