Legs of mush - exercise suggestions?

I quickly realized after my first bike ride over christmas that I really need to build up my legs/glutes for riding. Upping the level on my indoor recumbent bike has helped a lot (I've increased it to a level where I can barely do 15 minutes, and when I can do that without internal whining, I increase it a step), but I feel that I need to do more. (It hasn't been quite warm enough to do more than a handful of bike rides, so I'm only up to being able to do half an hour. Obviously I want to do a lot more than that).

Does anyone have any favorite leg/glute exercises that can be done at home? I have stairs that I can use safely, so I've already decided that standing calf raises would be a good idea. What else would be good? Squats???

more bicycling???

Check out some of Wahine's videos. A lot of them are for running, but they will help strengthen your muscles.

Veronica

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

more bicycling???

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Try doing intervals on the indoor bike. E.g., 1 minute really hard, 1 minute easy, repeat 5 times, then 2 minutes easy spinning, then repeat.

I also like to do ladders.

1 minute hard.
1 minute harder
1 minute hardest
1 minute harder
1 minute hard

Then 2 minutes easy spinning, then repeat a couple of times.

Spinning videos usually provide interval workouts.

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Originally Posted by ann_w

I quickly realized after my first bike ride over christmas that I really need to build up my legs/glutes for riding. Upping the level on my indoor recumbent bike has helped a lot (I've increased it to a level where I can barely do 15 minutes, and when I can do that without internal whining, I increase it a step), but I feel that I need to do more. (It hasn't been quite warm enough to do more than a handful of bike rides, so I'm only up to being able to do half an hour. Obviously I want to do a lot more than that).

Does anyone have any favorite leg/glute exercises that can be done at home? I have stairs that I can use safely, so I've already decided that standing calf raises would be a good idea. What else would be good? Squats???

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Do you have access to a gym? The TRX cables and squat rack work miracles! If not, there are lots of "body weight" options, tons of good web sites - "body weight -legs" squats, lunges etc.......... don't forget core and upper body help you last longer mileage wise!!!!

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Originally Posted by Biciclista

more bicycling???

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I would if the weather was more cooperative, but I can't seem to force myself to ride my bike when it's under 45F. Especially when I mostly, well - suck at it. (Temporarily - I enjoyed myself last week when I could go up the little hills without wanting to kill myself.). And I'm wimpy in the cold. I shouldn't be but, there you go.

@ny biker: Hey! I did start doing the interval program! I use it for the 2nd 15 minutes because it really kicks my arse! Glad I stumbled on it! I do "riding in the park" for the first 15. And I'm trying to stay at 60 rpm and not go below that.

@veronica: I'll definitely take a look at those - she has a lot on glutes and hamstrings.

@tealtreak: There's not a gym near me. (There's a great one at work, but it's waaaay out of my price range.) I could probably get a starter dumbbell set and do a basic routine though. Maybe I'll start with calf stands, lunges, and squats, and on alternate days do curls or something. Time to do some serious google!!!

Make certain you also focus on core and upper body exercises, both are important - both for cycling and general fitness. If you have room for an exercise ball I've found them quite helpful for core exercises. For balance/agility/core exercises I also use a Bosu - that doesn't take up quite as much room...

Good ol' step-ups focusing on lifting with the glutes. No gym required.

Single leg hip hinge (similar to Warrior III, but it doesn't matter where you put your arms), then add quarter squats from the tabletop position. It's easy to cheat and let other muscles do the glutes' work in a lot of exercises, but this one always gets them for me.

Also, shoulder bridges with a Pilates ring or play ball between your knees, really focus on squeezing the glutes and pulling up your pelvic floor.

Not sure of your age and mush factor, but it may be wiser to take it slowly and expect gradual improvement than to proceed like you've just enlisted and become injured.

" And I'm trying to stay at 60 rpm and not go below that."

Does the interval program recommend you pedal at 60 RPM?

On my trainer I pedal between 80-90 rpm. I just doen't have the strength to pedal at a lower RPM. Besides killing my knees.

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Originally Posted by OakLeaf

Single leg hip hinge (similar to Warrior III, but it doesn't matter where you put your arms), then add quarter squats from the tabletop position. It's easy to cheat and let other muscles do the glutes' work in a lot of exercises, but this one always gets them for me.

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Ouch. Oak, you're evil :D

Be sure you're pushing with your heel on these, not the ball of your foot. You want to work your glutes, not stress your knee.

Okay, I looked at all the suggestions and did some fancy googling (because in a couple of cases I had no idea what was being suggested), and I think I've come up with a decent beginning routine:
3 sets of 10 reps of squats, lunges, step ups and calf raises.

And for now on alternate days I'll just do Wall push ups for upper body, and eventually add tricep and bicep curls when I get some dumbbells .

And It probably wouldn't hurt for me to get off at the 5th floor at work and walk up a flight.

@Kathy: There wasn't a recommendation on the rpm, I just figured it was a nice steady pace. Maybe on the warmup I'll lower the program and up the rpm to 80, and for the 2nd 15 up the program again and do the 60 rpm.

@malkin I'm 50 and my exercise during my weight loss (thus far - I've lost 85 and have another 40 or 50 to go) has mostly been through walking. I can walk for miles with no problem. I am trying not to go crazy and push myself too much. But my only being able to do half an hour on the bike? Pretty wussy. :(

Lunges and yoga. I ride a lot and think of my quads as strong, but a good yoga class makes them shake!

For the calf raises off a stair step you can also alternate positions- 1) toes straight ahead, 2) toes pointed inward like a V with heels out, and 3) heels together balls of feet / toes opened up like a V... also you can do "singles" standing on one leg/ calf at a time with your body weight.

As mentioned earlier a child's play ball, for a bout $1 at Walmart, can give you a lot of resistence. To work your inner thighs squeeze like your trying to pop your ball to win a prize... which is a NEW ball lol.;):D

Many household items also can act as weights. A gallon of liquid milk/water weighs about 8.5lbs.

The local library also should have books and vids you can check out for free for ideas. Also some books you can buy used on the internet.

One good book I own is: "101 Ways To Work Out With Weights" Cindy Whitmarsh.

The book has great pictures in it. Many things are simple dumbbells.

Which you can also use canned goods for light weights. Some type of tape with texture (masking, gray duct tape) can also provide some slight grip when you wrap it around the can.

Cindy does use the big yoga ball in a lot of her stuff. But she has one section she uses a kitchen or bath hand towel on the floor for sliding stability exercise with weights. Uniquely challenging. And pretty cheap for gear.

The local GoodWill charity store may also have some exercise items for very cheap.

Good Luck.:)

I like simple but effective exercises. I do quite a lot of variations of Squats and Lunges:

Sumo Squats, Squats with small dumbbells (you can add a military shoulder press to this exercise), Jumping Squats, One Legged Squats...

Lunges, Crossover Lunges, Staying in the Lunge position while doing various dumbbell exercises with your hands, Jumping Lunges...

I also do hamstring curls on my bodyball (you can do them one-legged for added resistance), thigh raises, Side Plank with leg raises, Wall sit - exercises etc.


And you can always choose exercises that strengthen the whole body, like Burpees, they do a lot for your core strength and the little jump at the end adds some leg strength too.

@Kathi: I picked out 60 rpm arbitrarily. I lowered the setting and tried doing 80+ rpm instead. Oy! Now *that's* an aerobic workout!

@Miranda: Goodwill! I have one really near me! I should go there and look for dumbbells!

@Emily: I've never tried yoga. I think there's a class at a community center near me - I should check out the times.

It sounds like a general consensus towards lunges, squats, and calf raises. I'll probably try Oakleaf's suggestion when I'm a bit stronger (down the road).

@malkin: I'm 50, and lost 85 lbs since last February, and have probably another 40 or so to go. I pretty much just walked them off, so I'm pretty mushy still!

@Susan: I should probably get a body ball - I saw pics of people using it like a bench press.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

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Originally Posted by ann_w

@Susan: I should probably get a body ball - I saw pics of people using it like a bench press.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

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Mat Pilates is also good for core strength, if you have access to one. I find that Yoga is too hard on my knees, but of course every "body" is different.

I didn't know that exercise balls are also called body balls, learn something new every day :) They are excellent for core strength exercises - with or without dumbbells. You might also want to look into agility and balance exercises, that will also help you on the bike and in general functional fitness.

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Originally Posted by ann_w

@Kathi: I picked out 60 rpm arbitrarily. I lowered the setting and tried doing 80+ rpm instead. Oy! Now *that's* an aerobic workout!

@Miranda: Goodwill! I have one really near me! I should go there and look for dumbbells!

@Emily: I've never tried yoga. I think there's a class at a community center near me - I should check out the times.

It sounds like a general consensus towards lunges, squats, and calf raises. I'll probably try Oakleaf's suggestion when I'm a bit stronger (down the road).

@malkin: I'm 50, and lost 85 lbs since last February, and have probably another 40 or so to go. I pretty much just walked them off, so I'm pretty mushy still!

@Susan: I should probably get a body ball - I saw pics of people using it like a bench press.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions!

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What are your goals for indoor cycling? Cardio or strength training? 60 rpm=hill climbing, good for strength training but not cardio. The suggestions others have given you are more effective for overall strength training but be sure you do them with good form.

Here are two good articles on indoor cycling. Keep in mind recumbent bikes use different leg muscles than what you're used to unless you're riding a recumbent outdoors.

http://www.netplaces.com/easy-fitnes...or-cycling.htm
http://www.livestrong.com/article/26...tationary-bike

Do you monitor your heart rate? I use my heart rate monitor more than cadence but if you don't have one this will work just as well.

http://www.topendsports.com/testing/rpe-scale.htm.

Do you have to set cadence on your bike? If not just pedal at a comfortable pace until you build enough endurance to pedal at a higher cadence (rpm). Otherwise experiment with different rpm's and see where you fall on the chart. It's printable and you can use it for your walking too.

Congratulations on your weight loss.

@Kathi - when I originally bought the indoor recumbent bike it was for aerobic exercise - it was also the only style I felt comfortable sitting in (wide seat with back support) that would support my weight. I didn't really pay attention to rpm's at the time, because - frankly - any movement was aerobic for me a year ago. It does have a heart monitor in the handles that I'll use sometimes. I don't know how accurate it is though.

After I got a real bike I went with 60 rpm because I figured it was a steady pace, and I needed to build up leg muscle for riding a real bike. (And it does seem to have worked a bit for that.)

But after reading those articles, I think that it would be a good idea for me to use it aerobically (80rpm) every other day, and on the other days use it for strength (60 rpm). Then I can get the best of both worlds. Especially since I still walk almost every day - my dog insists on it. Unless it's raining- then he refuses. (At the moment he's being velcro lap dog, which makes it interesting while trying to type ;) ).

It's going to be so much nicer in Spring when I can just take the bike out and practice on that!

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Originally Posted by Susan

I also do hamstring curls on my bodyball (you can do them one-legged for added resistance),

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These are great & mimic the pulling back stroke on a bike. I do them one legged & alternate legs. The non-pulling leg goes straight up. Great core strengthening too.

If cost/location is a factor, I would climb steps.

For my physical therapy (I had knee surgery many years ago), steps were one of the exercises we did for strengthening the glutes/quad area.

The key for my physical therapy was stepping on the stair the right way and letting the leg that's on the step bear all the weight.

If you have stairs at work or at home, climb those when you have the time. You're using quads and glutes for that, which should help on the bike. And no need to get out in 47F weather for it!

@Kathi: Well, I kind of want to do both - aerobic, and build strength. So I think I'll do 80 rpm every other day, alternating with 60 rpm. I live in Portland - land o' hills.

@Gypsy: Tons of stairs where I work. I can start by getting off a floor before mine and walk up a flight after lunch. Good idea!

@Catrin: I've never tried Pilates, but I think the library has beginner dvds. For now I think I'll try the step ups (or maybe the lunges), squats, and calf raises. Maybe once a week I should do something completely different though.

Going up stairs is a good idea - we have a ton of them at work. I'm going to do high rpm's every other day, and alternate them with low rpm's on the recumbent bike so that I can get aerobic exercise some days, and build up strength on others. I need both if I'm going to get good results on my regular bike. I'm still going to do squats and calf exercises though, and also either lunges or step ups. I hasn't thought about doing Pilates - maybe once a week I should doing a completely different activity - like Pilates or yoga.

Thank you all, for some reason I can't reply in detail.