Spining, Spining, Spining

With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding time in
as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym at least
three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in May. Last week
my trainer decided that I should use weights. I was told that the spin
class would help with both cardio and leg muscle strength, but I need
upper body strength as well to eventually be in shape to ride long
distance. I started out with riding a bike for fun, ended up in a gym
taking spin classes and now I am on weight training equipment working
all the muscles in my body. When I arrived home last night I started
to wonder how buying a bike could lead to all of this. My only goal
was to buy a bike and ride for fun. I am now spending more time at the
gym and working on muscle toning. Some of the machines look like
torture devices. Is upper body strength really that necessary for
riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer trying to convince me that I should
get in shape and not just ride a bike. She is a crazy person (as all
trainers in my opinion) and she takes pride in helping people
strengthen, tone, look and feel better. Did she use my goal of riding
25 miles to convince me to use the weights or is it essential that I
do? What does upper body strength have to do with riding a bike? Call
me stupid, but I really don't think it is that necessary. How much work
are my arms doing when I ride a bike. I want an answer to that. My
trainer just tells me, its important...end of discussion. So do you
know? I am working my buns off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity
fun ride.
Maggie
http://www.geocities.com/lindaannbuset/mypage.html
http://hometown.aol.com/lbuset/

You shouldn't need a lot of upper body strength to do a 25-mile ride unless you
are doing it off-road or up steep hills. Certainly my upper-body strength is
cr*p and I can manage a 25-mile ride on gently undulating roads with ease. It
may not be fast, but it's not difficult.

Cheers, helen s


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Maggie wrote:
:: With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding time
:: in as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym at least
:: three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in May. Last
:: week my trainer decided that I should use weights. I was told that
:: the spin class would help with both cardio and leg muscle strength,
:: but I need upper body strength as well to eventually be in shape to
:: ride long distance. I started out with riding a bike for fun, ended
:: up in a gym taking spin classes and now I am on weight training
:: equipment working all the muscles in my body. When I arrived home
:: last night I started to wonder how buying a bike could lead to all
:: of this. My only goal was to buy a bike and ride for fun. I am now
:: spending more time at the gym and working on muscle toning. Some of
:: the machines look like torture devices. Is upper body strength
:: really that necessary for riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer trying
:: to convince me that I should get in shape and not just ride a bike.
:: She is a crazy person (as all trainers in my opinion) and she takes
:: pride in helping people strengthen, tone, look and feel better. Did
:: she use my goal of riding 25 miles to convince me to use the weights
:: or is it essential that I do? What does upper body strength have to
:: do with riding a bike? Call me stupid, but I really don't think it
:: is that necessary. How much work are my arms doing when I ride a
:: bike. I want an answer to that. My trainer just tells me, its
:: important...end of discussion. So do you know? I am working my buns
:: off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity fun ride.

You need to pull against the handlebars as you climb hills. Upper body.
Your neck can get tired when you ride long distances, that's upper body.
Your shoulders can get tired, too. Having strong abs helps you generate
power.

Bottom line: keep going to the gym and lifting the weights (and doing the
rest of it). Wait til you start seeing the results.

Roger Zoul wrote:
Maggie wrote:
:: With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding
time
:: in as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym at
least
:: three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in May. Last
:: week my trainer decided that I should use weights. I was told that
:: the spin class would help with both cardio and leg muscle
strength,
:: but I need upper body strength as well to eventually be in shape
to
:: ride long distance. I started out with riding a bike for fun,
ended
:: up in a gym taking spin classes and now I am on weight training
:: equipment working all the muscles in my body. When I arrived home
:: last night I started to wonder how buying a bike could lead to all
:: of this. My only goal was to buy a bike and ride for fun. I am
now
:: spending more time at the gym and working on muscle toning. Some
of
:: the machines look like torture devices. Is upper body strength
:: really that necessary for riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer
trying
:: to convince me that I should get in shape and not just ride a
bike.
:: She is a crazy person (as all trainers in my opinion) and she
takes
:: pride in helping people strengthen, tone, look and feel better.
Did
:: she use my goal of riding 25 miles to convince me to use the
weights
:: or is it essential that I do? What does upper body strength have
to
:: do with riding a bike? Call me stupid, but I really don't think
it
:: is that necessary. How much work are my arms doing when I ride a
:: bike. I want an answer to that. My trainer just tells me, its
:: important...end of discussion. So do you know? I am working my
buns
:: off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity fun ride.

You need to pull against the handlebars as you climb hills. Upper
body.
Your neck can get tired when you ride long distances, that's upper
body.
Your shoulders can get tired, too. Having strong abs helps you
generate
power.

Bottom line: keep going to the gym and lifting the weights (and doing
the
rest of it). Wait til you start seeing the results.


My trainer said the same thing last night....."Wait til you start
seeing results....you will be happy." She said she is going to make me
a "hot" woman. She said this in front of my 26 year old daughter who
thinks I am going there so I do not get a heart attack and die. I don't
think my daughter wants to think of her mother as "hot". I know I
never thought of my mother in that way. But Moms in the 50's and early
60's wore aprons and stayed home alot. If I put an apron on, my kids
would fall over in a dead faint. I will try all this muscle toning
madness and see where it leads. Can't hurt I guess. Well maybe it can.
;-) Maybe the upper body strength will help.
Maggie

Maggie wrote:
Roger Zoul wrote:
Maggie wrote:
:: With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding
time
:: in as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym at
least
:: three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in May.
Last
:: week my trainer decided that I should use weights. I was told
that
:: the spin class would help with both cardio and leg muscle
strength,
:: but I need upper body strength as well to eventually be in shape
to
:: ride long distance. I started out with riding a bike for fun,
ended
:: up in a gym taking spin classes and now I am on weight training
:: equipment working all the muscles in my body. When I arrived
home
:: last night I started to wonder how buying a bike could lead to
all
:: of this. My only goal was to buy a bike and ride for fun. I am
now
:: spending more time at the gym and working on muscle toning. Some
of
:: the machines look like torture devices. Is upper body strength
:: really that necessary for riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer
trying
:: to convince me that I should get in shape and not just ride a
bike.
:: She is a crazy person (as all trainers in my opinion) and she
takes
:: pride in helping people strengthen, tone, look and feel better.
Did
:: she use my goal of riding 25 miles to convince me to use the
weights
:: or is it essential that I do? What does upper body strength
have
to
:: do with riding a bike? Call me stupid, but I really don't think
it
:: is that necessary. How much work are my arms doing when I ride a
:: bike. I want an answer to that. My trainer just tells me, its
:: important...end of discussion. So do you know? I am working my
buns
:: off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity fun ride.

You need to pull against the handlebars as you climb hills. Upper
body.
Your neck can get tired when you ride long distances, that's upper
body.
Your shoulders can get tired, too. Having strong abs helps you
generate
power.

Bottom line: keep going to the gym and lifting the weights (and
doing
the
rest of it). Wait til you start seeing the results.


My trainer said the same thing last night....."Wait til you start
seeing results....you will be happy." She said she is going to make
me
a "hot" woman. She said this in front of my 26 year old daughter who
thinks I am going there so I do not get a heart attack and die. I
don't
think my daughter wants to think of her mother as "hot". I know I
never thought of my mother in that way. But Moms in the 50's and
early
60's wore aprons and stayed home alot. If I put an apron on, my kids
would fall over in a dead faint. I will try all this muscle toning
madness and see where it leads. Can't hurt I guess. Well maybe it
can.
;-) Maybe the upper body strength will help.
Maggie

Your bones will thank you also, Maggie. As one of those 'mature' women
in the group I can tell you weight training has certainly helped me to
fight osteopenia (beginning of osteoporosis). One of my main worries
when riding the bike has been taking a bad tumble that could break a
bone. Of course, my cycling worries my doctor more than it does me

Thankfully I've only taken one bad spill and it resulted in nothing
more than a scrapped elbow. Who knows, maybe the weight training
prevented a broken bone. Someone posted an article awhile back that
indicated cycling might help build bones too but weight training is
still probably the most recommended form of exercise to build bones.

Here's an article that has some of the benefits of weight training for
cyclists.

http://www.cptips.com/weights.htm

Beverly

Beverly wrote:

Thankfully I've only taken one bad spill and it resulted in nothing
more than a scrapped elbow.

You had to throw it away? :-P

Bill "slow morning" S.

Maggie wrote:
:: Roger Zoul wrote:
::: Maggie wrote:
::::: With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding
::::: time in as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym
::::: at least three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in
::::: May. Last week my trainer decided that I should use weights. I
::::: was told that the spin class would help with both cardio and leg
::::: muscle strength, but I need upper body strength as well to
::::: eventually be in shape to ride long distance. I started out with
::::: riding a bike for fun, ended up in a gym taking spin classes and
::::: now I am on weight training equipment working all the muscles in
::::: my body. When I arrived home last night I started to wonder how
::::: buying a bike could lead to all of this. My only goal was to buy
::::: a bike and ride for fun. I am now spending more time at the gym
::::: and working on muscle toning. Some of the machines look like
::::: torture devices. Is upper body strength really that necessary for
::::: riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer trying to convince me that I
::::: should get in shape and not just ride a bike. She is a crazy
::::: person (as all trainers in my opinion) and she takes pride in
::::: helping people strengthen, tone, look and feel better. Did she
::::: use my goal of riding 25 miles to convince me to use the weights
::::: or is it essential that I do? What does upper body strength have
::::: to do with riding a bike? Call me stupid, but I really don't
::::: think it is that necessary. How much work are my arms doing when
::::: I ride a bike. I want an answer to that. My trainer just tells
::::: me, its important...end of discussion. So do you know? I am
::::: working my buns off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity fun
::::: ride.
:::
::: You need to pull against the handlebars as you climb hills. Upper
::: body. Your neck can get tired when you ride long distances, that's
::: upper body. Your shoulders can get tired, too. Having strong abs
::: helps you generate power.
:::
::: Bottom line: keep going to the gym and lifting the weights (and
::: doing the rest of it). Wait til you start seeing the results.
::
::
:: My trainer said the same thing last night....."Wait til you start
:: seeing results....you will be happy." She said she is going to make
:: me a "hot" woman. She said this in front of my 26 year old daughter
:: who thinks I am going there so I do not get a heart attack and die.
:: I don't think my daughter wants to think of her mother as "hot".



Your hubby will love it!

I
:: know I never thought of my mother in that way. But Moms in the 50's
:: and early 60's wore aprons and stayed home alot. If I put an apron
:: on, my kids would fall over in a dead faint. I will try all this
:: muscle toning madness and see where it leads. Can't hurt I guess.
:: Well maybe it can. ;-) Maybe the upper body strength will help.

Lower too.

Is your daughter married yet? If not, tell her that the guys she brings
home will look at YOU to get a hint and what she'll look like when she's 50.

Maggie wrote:

My trainer said the same thing last night....."Wait til you start
seeing results....you will be happy." She said she is going to make me
a "hot" woman. She said this in front of my 26 year old daughter who
thinks I am going there so I do not get a heart attack and die. I don't
think my daughter wants to think of her mother as "hot".


Why is that? My 22 year old daughter thinks of her 50 y.o. mom as hot,
so do some of her 22 y.o. guy friends. I say inspiration as your
daughter gets older herself.

I know I
never thought of my mother in that way. But Moms in the 50's and early
60's wore aprons and stayed home alot. If I put an apron on, my kids
would fall over in a dead faint. I will try all this muscle toning
madness and see where it leads. Can't hurt I guess. Well maybe it can.
;-) Maybe the upper body strength will help.
Maggie


It is only going to hurt when you bulk up (very, very unlikely) and find
that the increased body mass has slowed you down on a long climb during
one of your CAT 3 races, probably also unlikely.

IMO, it is all one package, and a fit overall body will improve your
cycling for all the reasons others have mentioned. You will look better,
feel better, increase endurance, sleep better, and increase your
enthusiasm for biking and physical exercise in general. If your lifting
time is taking away from quality riding time, perhaps it is an issue,
otherwise, let us know in 8 weeks how you feel about it as your routine
begins to takes affect.

Good Luck.
--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado
remove "mydebt" to reply

On 13 Jan 2005 04:24:08 -0800, "Maggie" wrote:

With the weather in NJ, it is very difficult to get any riding time in
as I've written repeatedly. I have been going to the gym at least
three times a week in preparation for my 25 mile ride in May. Last week
my trainer decided that I should use weights. I was told that the spin
class would help with both cardio and leg muscle strength, but I need
upper body strength as well to eventually be in shape to ride long
distance. I started out with riding a bike for fun, ended up in a gym
taking spin classes and now I am on weight training equipment working
all the muscles in my body. When I arrived home last night I started
to wonder how buying a bike could lead to all of this. My only goal
was to buy a bike and ride for fun. I am now spending more time at the
gym and working on muscle toning. Some of the machines look like
torture devices. Is upper body strength really that necessary for
riding a bicycle? Or is my trainer trying to convince me that I should
get in shape and not just ride a bike. She is a crazy person (as all
trainers in my opinion) and she takes pride in helping people
strengthen, tone, look and feel better. Did she use my goal of riding
25 miles to convince me to use the weights or is it essential that I
do? What does upper body strength have to do with riding a bike? Call
me stupid, but I really don't think it is that necessary. How much work
are my arms doing when I ride a bike. I want an answer to that. My
trainer just tells me, its important...end of discussion. So do you
know? I am working my buns off at that gym to ride in a 25 mile charity
fun ride.


Here's a guy who has an Olympic gold medal to establish how well and fast he can
ride 25 miles http://mitglied.lycos.de/grischafan/tdf02_hamilton5.jpg and
http://www.e-tourmagazine.com/news/n...7-2311463.jpeg and
http://www.whileseated.org/photo/img...8/DSCN1893.jpg . And, oh, by the
way, the second picture shows him on his way to fourth place in the Tour de
France with a broken collarbone in 2003.

So you tell me how important upper body strength might be.

Fact is, given reasonable health you could do a 25 mile ride with no preparation
whatever. It'd turn into a bit of a death march by the end, misery and slogging
and suffering. But, you could do it.

OTOH, all of this got you off your butt and working out in a way nothing else
has, didn't it.

You should (we all should) just plain get into shape, and the bike is a part of
that program, in fact it belongs at the center of it for me. Exercise without
targets, objectives, an event or a sport is either too boring or requires far
more self-absorption than I can possibly muster. Just being in shape isn't
enough motivation for me. My humble schedule of local competitions for the
upcoming year is enough. And if I don't get to be the fastest fifty year old in
town oh well, I'll be in pretty damn good shape.

Back to the upper body strength, even Tyler Hamilton would do better with a
little upper body work out. At least he wouldn't get hurt so bad when he
crashes.

Ron

Roger Zoul"


Your hubby will love it!


I am married to a jealous Sicilian. Like I need more problems?


Is your daughter married yet? If not, tell her that the guys she
brings
home will look at YOU to get a hint and what she'll look like when
she's 50.



She will be married in May of 2006. My future son in law adores me.
But I don't think it has anything to do with a "hot" issue. I'm just
naturally charming. ;-)