Cross Training / General Health & Fitness

[throet]

Do you ride to stay in shape or stay in shape to ride?

There have been some great topics on Mojo (pre-race training, daily tonic, etc), and I thought it would be great to have a thread dedicated to cross-training and fitness. I'm keeping it in the MTB Discussion Forum because whether you ride to stay in shape or stay in shape to ride, most of us here are committed to mountain biking, presumably for as long as our bodies will permit. 

[Seths Pool]

digging is my secondary form of exercise. 

 

its basically an outside, free, dirty-ass version of crossfit!

[mack_turtle]

I run SATN trails off and on. sometimes I don't feel like fooling around with bike gear. lace up shoes, grab a water bottle, and go.

I have a CX bike that gets ridden on gravel races and around the city, especially when it's wet outside. it's gotten a lot of miles these past few weeks!

my office has a gym that I visit for about 30 minutes most days. I suffered lower back pain about a year ago and found that core work like planks, russian twists, lunges, squats, bridges, etc help a TON to stabilize your body. that makes you a better rider all around and helps with endurance, not to mention mitigates back pain.

[throet]

 

14 minutes ago, Seths Pool said:

digging is my secondary form of exercise. 

 

its basically an outside, free, dirty-ass version of crossfit!

No doubt about that dude! I thought that I was in great shape until I started doing a little trail work.

[Ridenfool]

I get up off the couch to get another drink from the fridge several times each evening. It sometimes makes the wife cross with me when I pause the show. Does that count as "cross" training?

[AntonioGG]

3 hours ago, Seths Pool said:

digging is my secondary form of exercise. 

 

its basically an outside, free, dirty-ass version of crossfit!

That's what I tell people.  Digging in central Texas is tough!  

You need to advertise it as such, and maybe charge an outrageous amount for the privilege of moving rocks, cutting logs, and digging.

[AustinBike]

I ride trails 3-4 times a week and ride the streets (singlespeed) on other days to maintain my fitness.

And I do a LOT of yard work, typically 1 hour a day, sometimes 2 hours depending on the season.

[throet]

21 minutes ago, AntonioGG said:

That's what I tell people.  Digging in central Texas is tough!  

You need to advertise it as such, and maybe charge an outrageous amount for the privilege of moving rocks, cutting logs, and digging.

Right on! Why pay for CrossFit when you can get the same workout for free and provide a community service at the same time.  

[throet]

Not sure if anybody else has done this or considered it, but for the cost of a nice bike, I converted an extra bedroom into a gym. It has been life changing for me. My only regret is not doing it earlier in life when the ROI would have been much greater for me. Instead, I had been paying membership fees at various gyms for essentially my entire adult life. Now I work out at home most mornings without leaving the house or worrying about crowds or sweaty equipment or annoying grunts. Some people would argue that a single multi-function unit like this isn't enough, but as somebody who has been weight lifting for 40 years using free weights, smith machines, and everything else available, I can say with certainty that I can get just as good of a workout at home with this one machine. The key is having a high, mid, and low pulley system with all the needed attachments. So for example I do my deadlifts on the low pulley using the same attachment that I use for curls. I use the mid pulley for abdominal crunches but also to attach a strap or rope and do trunk rotations. Also with this particular machine, the swingarm has a set of independent, free-moving grip bars that emulate free-weight movements. I usually work chest, shoulders, and triceps one day and then legs, back, and biceps the next, with abdominal and core work mixed in everyday. Sometimes though I'll do supersets, where I'm combining all body parts into a single workout alternating between opposing muscle groups. None of my workouts exceed 30 minutes, and I take 1 or 2 days off per week from working out. Also, if I'm riding a lot, I'll sometimes skip legs. 

I suspect that many of the MTB riders you see on the Podiums have never done any form of weight training, and I'm certainly not purporting that it's necessary to be a strong biker. What I do know though is that as we age our metabolism slows, and maintaining lean muscle mass is the single best way to boost metabolism. Up until my mid-forties as a very active adult, I ate anything I wanted to and never worried about weight. In fact I never saw the north side of 175lbs until I was nearing 50. Since then though I have regularly bumped up against 200lbs despite remaining very active. The only way I've managed to keep weight off without dieting (which I don't ever want to do), is to make sure that the majority of my calories are fueling muscle growth and metabolism. Easier said than done at 60, but it definitely works. It's also a great way to protect your joints as you age. The bigger and stronger your muscles are, the better protected your skeleton is. We do have to be careful though as we age because our tendons become more rigid. Using lower weight, higher reps, and sometimes limiting range of motion has helped me in that regard.  

     

[Yosmithy]

I just like to ride. I hate fitness

[HoneyBadger]

On 10/2/2018 at 2:45 PM, Seths Pool said:

digging is my secondary form of exercise. 

 

its basically an outside, free, dirty-ass version of crossfit!

#MeToo

[throet]

On ‎10‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 10:29 AM, throet said:

Do you ride to stay in shape or stay in shape to ride?

There have been some great topics on Mojo (pre-race training, daily tonic, etc), and I thought it would be great to have a thread dedicated to cross-training and fitness. I'm keeping it in the MTB Discussion Forum because whether you ride to stay in shape or stay in shape to ride, most of us here are committed to mountain biking, presumably for as long as our bodies will permit. 

Looks like from the poll there is a fairly equal distribution of people who just ride MTB, ride MTB and do other forms of cycling, and ride MTB with various forms of other cross training. It was great to hear that a few people get enough other exercise from trail work, yard work, etc. Probably should have included a category for the minority of folks who actually stay in shape via some form of regular labor. Reminds us that as a species we evolved as hunters / gatherers, and that our ancient ancestors stayed in shape just by staying alive. For those of us who remain behind desks for decades, it is especially important to find regular forms of exercise.

Looks like I'll be hitting the gym hard again with this most recent round of rain. Hope that LGT dries out quickly as I'd like to start getting some laps in out there, especially with temps next week forecast to be in the 60s/70s. 

[Ridenfool]

I'm going to add walking around the Austin Convention Center as a form of exercise to really wipe out the feet and legs. Maybe I should have brought better shoes for the task. One more day of it ahead ...

[TheX]

Les Mills Body Pump and Body Combat classes.

[Teamsloan]

I'm the out of shape version of Mack_turtle. 6 years ago I ruptured a disc in my back. Since then I've "re-ruptured" it 3 times with minor tweaks happening about once a year. A lot of it is genetics, my discs are apparently thin anyways. But I've certainly not helped it by sitting most of the day staring at screens. My core strength sucks probably as much as my discipline. So it's been tough to get in to a routine to fix it. I pretty much want to stay in shape so that I can ride.

[Schrute]

I'm the out of shape version of Mack_turtle. 6 years ago I ruptured a disc in my back. Since then I've "re-ruptured" it 3 times with minor tweaks happening about once a year. A lot of it is genetics, my discs are apparently thin anyways. But I've certainly not helped it by sitting most of the day staring at screens. My core strength sucks probably as much as my discipline. So it's been tough to get in to a routine to fix it. I pretty much want to stay in shape so that I can ride.

Have you thought about using a standing desk for work? Fortunately my job has me on my feet 8 hours a day but my brother in law started to notice that being sedentary was causing him major issues. He converted his desk to a standing desk and I noticed a difference in his physical appearance within 6 months.

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[crazyt]

i mainly like to kitesurf, mountain biking is a way for me not to get totally fat while waiting for the wind.

[Shinerider]

22 minutes ago, Schrute said:

Have you thought about using a standing desk for work? Fortunately my job has me on my feet 8 hours a day but my brother in law started to notice that being sedentary was causing him major issues. He converted his desk to a standing desk and I noticed a difference in his physical appearance within 6 months. 

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Screw that, with all this rain, I'm gonna build him a bike-desk!

 

[Teamsloan]

37 minutes ago, Schrute said:

Have you thought about using a standing desk for work? Fortunately my job has me on my feet 8 hours a day but my brother in law started to notice that being sedentary was causing him major issues. He converted his desk to a standing desk and I noticed a difference in his physical appearance within 6 months.

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I work from home most days. It's a discipline thing. I'm literally lounging on the couch with my laptop all day. I gotta get up more, mix in some planks and stuff.

...and Chuck as long as it keeps my hands free to work, I'm interested to see what you come up with!!

[notyal]

I developed a love for the gym about 10 years ago after a mountain bike accident. I received PT for the shoulder injury. I asked to be discharged early because I felt better and was sick of weekly PT. She told me only if I continued to strengthen my shoulder with normal gym activities. I started seeing gains in all aspects of my riding by adding core, upper body, and legs days to the workout. 

I still go to the gym 2-3 times a week during regular work hours. I bring my lunch to the office, eat at my desk, and take the usual lunch break time to hit the gym. I mix in some trail runs during that time as well. Unfortunately, anytime I get on a bike, even if I can ride out from the house, 1 hour is not enough time for even a "sprint" workout when you consider prep time and such. I'd prefer to ride more, but gym and running are far more convenient. 

[throet]

3 hours ago, Teamsloan said:

I'm the out of shape version of Mack_turtle. 6 years ago I ruptured a disc in my back. Since then I've "re-ruptured" it 3 times with minor tweaks happening about once a year. A lot of it is genetics, my discs are apparently thin anyways. But I've certainly not helped it by sitting most of the day staring at screens. My core strength sucks probably as much as my discipline. So it's been tough to get in to a routine to fix it. I pretty much want to stay in shape so that I can ride.

I did the same thing about 6 years ago. Contents from the ruptured disc leaked into my spinal canal and were pressing against a nerve root. I was in excruciating pain for nearly 3 months and couldn't sit for more than a few minutes at a time. I was using a stand-up desk at work, which by the way is exhausting in itself. I was 2 weeks away from having back surgery when suddenly the pain started to diminish. I cancelled the surgery and another MRI showed that the loose matter in my spine had been completely absorbed by my body. Anyway, it was during that time that I learned the importance of maintaining a strong core, and I haven't had any recurrences. It was then too though that I gave up all racquet sports. You can gain and maintain quite a bit of core strength by doing a few simple exercises on the floor without any equipment. 

[Chief]

7 hours ago, Schrute said:

Have you thought about using a standing desk for work? Fortunately my job has me on my feet 8 hours a day but my brother in law started to notice that being sedentary was causing him major issues. He converted his desk to a standing desk and I noticed a difference in his physical appearance within 6 months.

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Standing too much is no good either. Been working on my feet on concrete and asphalt for almost forty years now. Eventually Plantar fasciitis will get you from standing all the time. Talking from experience. It's no fun.

[Sluggo]

I’m into dirt and horizontal cross training with an occasional vert thrown in. 

Edited October 10, 2018 by Sluggo

[natas1321]

I try to ride each day for about 2-3 hours weather depending, but do have a daily workout regimen that adhere to most of the time both of which hopefully keep me in some kind of shape to enjoy a semi active lifestyle.

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[mack_turtle]

all this rain we've had really bummed me out. finally got a proper ride yesterday and after less than 90 minutes at Walnut OMG EVERYTHING HURTS! my back is pretty messed up, my ankle doesn't want to move, and my right hip makes me flop around like a drunk when I rise from a chair. good thing I am seeing the chiro this week, I have a few things to discuss.

moral: if you don't ride for an extended amount of time, do SOMETHING. getting over a bout of laziness is not fun at all.