What a great workout I had last night. I was chugging along on my trainer watching TV (bored as usual), at a heart rate of about 135BPM... I then got out some 15lb hand weights and did some bicep curls, shrugs, shoulder press, etc., lifting while holding the same biking intensity. I would lift/bike for about 2 min, then just bike 2 min, and repeated this for about 40 minutes. When lifting/biking my heart rate would soar to 165-175 without even much perceived effort. I'm loving this. Anyone else do this?

Do something very similar at spin classes...though with somone pushing you at the class time just flies even without the extra stuff thrown in

Not the smartest thing in the world. I mean, if you want to up your intensity, why not just ride harder? Do your weights when you are weight training- then you'll get the benefits of weight training. Doing it while riding? To me, that's taking away from the quality of both.

Still, better to do something for exercise than nothing, so it's better than doing no weights at all.

Spinning and doing weights isn't spinning. It's a cycling class where your instructor has no real skills, and instead of working to create a quality spin ride, they get bored and throw in the weights. I bet the instructor says "whoo whoo! feel the burn!" at least three times in class. If they worked for me at my gym, they'd be fired already. I don't have time for gimmicks and all that crap, and neither do my members. They want as close to a simulated bike ride as they can get in a spin class, dammit!

koffee

Koffee...I'll give you some reasons it's works for me

It's introduces variety in workout routines, keeping things fun
It introduces intensity with my HR approaching LT without being "hard"
It gives my upper body a nice pump/workout

My goals are aerobic fitness and overall body fitness, not bike racing.

When that gets boring you should try running on a trampoline with ankle weights and dumb bells.
Running + Every bounce exerting 2-3 times the amount of weight you are + (the weight you are holding x 2-3) x 30 minutes of sprints = yeah, you'll get your fitness.

Lamp-Shade:

What "blend" is in your pipe today?

Dont knock it until you try it, mate.

Ok, my point is that you're not getting a true upper body pump workout, and you're compromising what could be a good off season of base building. You're just throwing stuff around while you're on the bike. My thoughts are that you either need some better workouts that will help to get your heart rate up, or you need to get off the bike and cross train with a different sport that will help you get in shape. Get a rower. That'll give you a total body workout, keep your heart rate high, and get you in tip top shape. What you're doing right now just makes no sense.

koffee

What if I watch CNN Headline news on mute while listening to my iPod. Can I cross my technology like this or should I be focused on one at a time.

Weights and biking is a bad idea. If you are going to be doing intervals you can get dizzy and lose balance. If you try to put the weight down and twist funny you can wreck tour back.

No, definitely don't do that. But you probably can watch your iPod and listen to CNN, as long as the iPod is in front of you. CNN is good. Ever hear the phrase, "turn the pedals in anger?"