Work-out priorities

Ok, so I started getting serious about biking this spring and have done one road race this year.

Because I have been biking so much, I have not been getting to the gym. I have to go at least once a week to lift weights for my lower body, because I am still rehabbing from a knee surgery and am working on evening out my legs.

So, I have seen a change in my body since starting to bike more. One, the obvious, something I'm not worried/ashamed/embarrassed/obsessed about is my legs getting more muscular. I played hockey all my life and through college, so these legs are actually a preference! However, my midsection has taken on the extra weight/calories. Since I'm not doing pilates classes anymore and biking instead, my abs are pretty much non-existent and I've gained a distinctive lady pouch back, something that I worked hard at getting off in the last 9 months post surgery and pre-biking season.

I want to focus on biking, but I realize that I have neglected areas of my body that I otherwise would have worked. Anyone have similar issues with shifting of body weight to different areas and/or advice on how to work the midsection/get rid of flab without a lot of time being committed? How do you prioritize your activities, especially in the summer when all you want to do is ride outside and not be in a stinky gym? I would have to take time away from cycling, but since I'm not at such a serious level that less on-bike time would be detrimental to my performance, so it's a sacrifice I could make. Any ideas, similar problems, advice, well wishes? hahaha

:o

I am primarily a cyclist, and just turned 40. I have noticed the same shift to the middle, although happy about the smaller thigh saddle bags. I started training for tri's, and the running and swimming have helped, everything. I also discovered planks, a core exercise that doesn't take long and kicks ***. Basically, assume the push up position, but get on your forearms. Standing on your toes and forearms, just hold it. Keep you body as flat as you can. Trust me when I say you will feel it. I hope that helps.

Jen,

When I am able to do yoga at least twice a week, I actually get ab muscles. Can you make up a little pilates/yoga program that you can do at home a couple times a week?

Kate

I've found that biking actually helps my abs get stronger. But, in addition to biking I run, swim and rock climb, so all those things probably help.

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Originally Posted by pyxichick

Jen,

When I am able to do yoga at least twice a week, I actually get ab muscles. Can you make up a little pilates/yoga program that you can do at home a couple times a week?

Kate

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Hey Kate! Yeah, I could fit something in, I'm sure. I'm just don't know what to to, I guess. What is your routine like?

Rodney Yee has some great yoga vdeos that I use.

V.

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Originally Posted by Kimmyt

I've found that biking actually helps my abs get stronger. But, in addition to biking I run, swim and rock climb, so all those things probably help.

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Kimmyt,

Unfortunately, since I had knee surgery about 11 months ago now (wow, I didn't realize I had been saying 9 months for the last 2 months hahaha), I am still limited in what I can do. Biking is great, lifting weights and pilates, too. I used to do spin classes 3 times a week and plan to get back into those come fall. Plus, I used to do taebo/kickboxing type classes once a week, which honestly, were the BEST for my fitness and midsection. I hope I can get back into that in the next couple of months. Thanks for the support!

Hey Jen,

I can show you some yoga stuff that will build core strength. But I highly recommend going to Core Power Yoga (there's one Uptown and one in SLP) and doing the free week of unlimited yoga. Most yoga builds core strength, but at CP they really focus on abs and back strengthening. Then once you know the poses, you can recreate it at home.

If I don't lift weights, I'll gain fat no matter how much I ride. Muscle burns calories at rest. The leg muscles we get are endurance muscles (type 1, slow twitch) and the fiber itself is not as big as weight lifting muscles (type 2 fast twitch). If I don't lift weights & just ride, my body becomes very efficient at riding and unless I adjust my calories downward, I'll notice that my arms aren't as defined, etc.

The problem with that is - I'm usually hungrier when I'm doing a lot of riding. I crave carbs to replace the muscle glucose that I've lost riding & often overshoot the mark :p. Why is it so easy to allow yourself that bowl of ice cream, figuring that you'll work it off tomorrow on the road?

Also, pilates & yoga are great, but I'm sure you know that you cannot spot reduce. If you've actually put on a little body fat, you need to look at your diet. We cannot out-exercise a bad diet.

I haven't had gym access since the fall. I have done a fair amount of cycling this year and racing. I'm starting to get burned out, so I've hit a bit of a plateau as far as my body composition goes. Since I started cycling about 2 years ago (and I was very active before that), I have lost 5-10lbs (allowing for some fluctuation). I have lost about about 2.5" on my waist, and most of that has been this season, at least 1" since I stopped going to the gym. I've lost some of my back, shoulder, and bicep muscles, but I used to be pretty bulky there. My core is still pretty strong, though I'm not in show jumping shape in the upper body by any means. In general, though, I like my stomach a lot more these days than I have in the past 5 years. My legs are also a LOT leaner. I have the envious problem of struggling to fit in enough calories when I'm doing a lot of training. I just am so hungry, but I get so sick of eating all the time. I guess I could eat less, but then I'd probably drop too much weight and hinder my recovery. It took a long time to get my body to behave like that, so give it some time on the weight loss. In the meantime, go by the rule of thumb of eating plenty on the bike and before training, and then cut some calories later in the day from your regular meals. That will optimize performance (and calorie and fat burn, plus feed your growing muscles).

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Originally Posted by jehocu03

However, my midsection has taken on the extra weight/calories.

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As you reach the perimenopause stage, your body begins to change. The midsection is usually the first thing to go. :( Keep track of your calories and particularly your fat consumption, exercise, tone and stretch and hopefully you can keep it in check. :)

Yoga, yes.

Also, if you have an indoor rock climbing gym near you, you could start that. I'm having a blast with climbing, and for the first time in my life my arms aren't flabby, and when I flex my biceps something happens =) Climbing shoulders also look great in a bikini *big grin* ... and climbing definitely requires a strong core, although my core has never been so awesome ...

My general understanding of the way fat works is, you can't spot reduce. And getting muscle in your mid-section can push the fat out front, so it's more obvious. So the fat that starts to show first will probably be your hardest to get rid of =/

I'm seeing the answers in this thread going in a different direction from the OP's question ;)

The question was about priorities, and that's something that everyone has to answer for herself.

In everyone's life, there are certain things: cardio (maybe more than one sport), strength, work, family, friends, "me" time, and health (think overtraining, buying prepared meals or ingredients, and/or sleep deprivation). If you want to increase one of those, you have to decrease one or more of the others. If you want to maintain your strength training program while increasing your cycling mileage, one of the other things has to suffer.

I also don't have the upper body strength that I did when I was doing heavy gym workouts. Right now I'm more oriented toward being out in the sunshine, cycling and running. I've actually lost body fat this way, which is typical for me.

Sure the veins on my biceps don't pop as much as they used to, and yeah I miss that, but I'm enjoying the cycling and I'm comfortable with the way I've arranged my priorities, for me, right now.

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Originally Posted by jehocu03

How do you prioritize your activities, especially in the summer when all you want to do is ride outside and not be in a stinky gym? I would have to take time away from cycling, but since I'm not at such a serious level that less on-bike time would be detrimental to my performance, so it's a sacrifice I could make. Any ideas, similar problems, advice, well wishes? hahaha

:o

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Do you stretch after your rides? How about adding some pilates or similar core exercises to your stretching routine? You´re already warmed up and that way you don´t need to add an additional gym trip to what you already do. 10 - 20 minutes after every ride may actually take less time out of your day than having a whole extra session just for core work every week.

Is there anywhere where you can do circuit-training or somthing similar outdoors if the priority is being in the fresh air?

Good luck.

My routine last summer was far better at balancing my priorities (I went to several yoga classes a week, sometimes back to back) but various things have conspired against me this year. For one, my favorite yoga instructor dropped her four weekday classes when she got pregnant with hir third baby. Now, there's really only one class on the schedule that I truly like. Granted, there are other studios in town, but none of their schedules are ideal, either. The weather has also been a factor. Last year, I got to ride ot my hearts' content during weekends, but it's been rainier this year so I've tried to ride more during the week to compensate. I can't say that I see much difference with my body, but my mind goes a bit haywire if I don't go to yoga.

I'm strictly a gym goer in the winter anyway. I don't mind spinning and the treadmill from January to March, but I'm otherwise content to avoid the place. Beyond yoga, I have some handweights that I use at home every other day or so. I like having cut arms and that (mostly) does the trick.

Bicycling Magazine had a huge article on core exercises. Here's a good place to start (and it should make you stronger on the bike, too. A Win-win for sure!):

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...1052-1,00.html

Bicycling magazine's Fit Chick's strength-building podcast

http://www.bicycling.com/article/0,6...6133-1,00.html

I know what you mean by trying to find the time for these things. I forego my knee exercises for chrondmalicia because my knee didn't hurt. Now my knee hurts on the bike and I'm forced to reduce my riding and work more on strengthening my leg muscles. However, if I focus on the PT the upper body gets ignored. Some of my PT works in the upper body buy not as much as I need.

During the winter I was doing a lot of cross training, switching between riding on the trainer a few days and doing my Turbo Jam videos. My legs were toned, my rear lifted, and my ever-stubborn belly as close to flat as its ever been. Then the nicer weather came and I switched over strictly to riding. A few weeks ago I looked in the mirror and thought "What happened to my stomach?! Weren't these pants looser before??? What happened to the little muscle I had on my arm?" I'm never going to race, I ride for fun. My goal is to be as fit overall as possible, and so last week I decided to go back to cross training. Apparently cylcing isn't enough on its own. Oh, my abs are aching today and my shoulders are sore, but for me it's going to produce the results I want. Does it take away from my cycling time? Probably some, but I'll be happier with my appearance.

Now if I could just do something about these chocolates that appeared on my desk....:eek:

OK. This is what I do to help with integrating my pilates/yoga into my cycling. It's a little unorthodox but it works. I will ride intervals around my park, basically a big loop (about 4.5 miles) and stop and do pilates for about 3 - 4 minutes. Always get a good hamstring stretch in and quad stretch after you stop and get ready to start again. I do planks, roll ups, side planks, criss-cross crunches, swimming poses and whatever else hits me at the time. This way I feel like I get a complete workout in. I have some sometimes excruciating back pain resulting from my back muscles becoming weak so my approach is to keep my back strong and the abdominals strong and stretched after each ride. And I get all those things you mentioned when I don't do yoga or pilates. All to familiar with 'the pouch', grrrrrrr. Hope this helps.
;)