flab and fitness frustration

[snowtulip]

Everyone's had great information! Bounceswoosh, I love freeweights, it's usually what I use when I do strenght training. Another suggestion would be to get a set of resistance bands, they are cheaper and don't take up as much room and you'd be surprised at how effective they are. When I find the link to the place I bought mine, I'll post it.

Also regarding hydration and mountain biking, I also used to not drink while I was riding or be sooo focused on riding that I would forget to drink. I had to mentally remind myself to stop and drink (if you don't feel comfortable drinking from your camelback while riding). I stop even if people are far ahead of me.

Good luck!

[Dogmama]

I've read many times that lifting to complete muscle failure is extremely taxing to your body. Additionally, tendons & ligaments are slower than muscles to become accustomed to weight training - thus the number of injuries caused by lifting to failure.

As someone else posted - if you're lifting to complete failure, your form is probably compromised, which can lead to injury. You should lift until you cannot complete another rep with good form.

Pushups - my wrists are bad also. Instead of putting my hands flat on the floor, I grasp two dumbells to keep my wrists straighter. If your feet are slipping try a non-skid mat or wear sneakers. If you're getting dizzy, start with one or two. You'll be doing pushups like a Marine recruit in no time!

Also, if you're riding a bike and lifting 3X week, you might begin to exhaust your body which is to be avoided. Training is riding that delicate balance between pushing your body to become better, but not tipping into exhaustion.

I lift by myself, free weights and some machnes, in a gym. I don't worry about a spotter because I'm not lifting to failure - no where near it.

Lastly, if I just ride and don't lift, I become flabby. Even in the legs. It might have to do with slow twitch vs fast twitch muscles - some women on this board seem to have earned muscles on their bikes!