Upper Body Strength Training

[Tuckervill]

Usually there are hand weights in the aerobics room in all the gyms I've been in. Just go in there and use those.

Karen

[chutch]

Another vote for push-ups here!

They work lots of muscles, there are plenty of variations, and I see results when I do them regularly.

When I'm pressed for time or don't want to use what time I have for anything other than riding my bike, I'll do a few sets of push-ups after a bike ride a few times a week.

[Thorn]

There was an interesting reference in the Road Bike Rider newsletter ( http://tinyurl.com/2apuky ). The premise is that one rep of 10 is sufficient to build strength.

I'd read this before and since I hate doing weights, I tend to follow this. It keeps the weight sessions shorter, less boring (well, to me--I have a short attention span), and then I do them more frequently. I do find that when I stick to it, I do gain strength and my cycling improves. I have a set of dumbbells at home so that I don't have to go to the gym--more motivation since it is just across the room.

I'd also read that doing your weight routines standing helps strengthen the core and do a better job at bone density. This seems contrary to the muscle isolation theory of some body builders with respect to weights, but since I'm going for fitness, overall body tone, and bone density, it made sense. And, it seems to help--well, the core strength and balance, anyway. I'll let you know in 20 years about the bone density.

But, has anyone worked with the tension bands? I was looking at how you could do the lat pulldown with a tension band. That is one routine I miss from the gym--it seemed to really help with the posture.

[Andrea]

The principle of overload is what makes you stronger:
-It's very VERY important to use enough weight to make your sets somewhat difficult. However many reps you do, by the time you get to the last one, you should not be able to complete more than one or two more.
-Using an unstable device of some sort will compromise overload- you can't lift as much, so you aren't going to get as much benefit. This goes for upper/lower body exercise as well as exercises for "core" muscles- you're best off to work them directly with sit ups (weighted, if necessary), good mornings, ab machines, leg lifts, reverse leg lifts, etc. This will make them strongest.
- When you are just starting out, any exercises done in any number of sets/reps will make you stronger, but to continue to see results, you'll have to increase difficulty in some way/shape/form

[Flur]

+1 for yoga. I do Vinyasa Flow (aka Power Yoga). Some teachers give more of a workout than others, so you may need to try a few different teachers to find what you're looking for. I have definitely increased my upper body strength through my practice. When I practice at home sometimes I'll just focus on yoga pushups and arm balances (which require a lot of control and core strength in addition to arm strength). It's also great for stretching out all the muscles that get tight while riding and teaches excellent breath control (which is a huge help when you need to push through on a ride). Not to mention all the mental benefits, getting more in touch with your body, releasing stress, etc...

[Zen]

I'm a big fan of TheraBands.
Anything you can do with a free weight you can do with a TheraBand