How do you keep fit for riding?

[BarBender]

Just run, cycle or swim to get your cardio capacity up and drop the fat off, and go to the gym and lift weights to gain strength. There is no secret other than actually doing it.

+1

buy a cheap mountain bike.. as its movement that counts in some level of fitness, No pain..No gain..

+1

Apart from the above, riding time and stretching helps especially around the lower & upper back, glutes and hammys. Muscles tighten up if you havent been active on a bike for awhile.

Neck and shoulder pain is common if you're riding position is sports bikish and is usually a sign that your abs and lower back need some work. Direct neck and shoulder work may help but would argue that its a temporary fix as your core should hold your torso up rather than your weighting your hands.

For joints you might want to consider mineral supplementation... Glucosamine or chrondrotin is ready available at the chemist and helps to strengthen joints and rebuild cartiladge

[KiwiKat]

Well if ya care to join me i will be starting an old farts regime next week !
This involves cutting out the drinking of alcohol (a little), using neck muscles (a lot) to keep the head from flipping backwards, core strength (Suck it in) so to ease the strain on wrists and shoulders ! With i'm sure, the odd pucker (ladies call it pelvic floor) (you know what im talking bout here) thrown in !

Now that's more like it. The ladies will be falling all over you ....... as you roll around on the ground.

[CookMySock]

Are there exercise techniques that you use or recommend to get your body fit for riding?

There is only one excercise I'd recommend for biking, and thats more biking. Everything will come right eventually. For me it was three months of pain, but now I am right as rain.

Just ride!

Steve

[sinfull]

For joints you might want to consider mineral supplementation... Glucosamine or chrondrotin is ready available at the chemist and helps to strengthen joints and rebuild cartiladge

You forgot the steroids man !!!
So prefer a nice sativa in my joints, that glucosamine is funny to watch others do it, but it burns the nose man !!!

[Monamie]

If you are having back pain it would help to give the stomach muscles a work out (not the `stomach`...the `muscles`). because your tummy helps support your back.
At night or morning do some simple stretches and crunches..it will help.

As we get older I think if you don't keep some level of fitness up, it gets harder to get back into any physical activity. And injuries are much harder to recover from...I know this!!

I swim and also play Inline hockey once a week (like Ice Hockey on RollerBlades), its a great workout and lots of fun. Any `skaters`out there interested we have a very good Masters team here in the Manawatu.

[sinfull]

Now that's more like it. The ladies will be falling all over you ....... as you roll around on the ground.

seriously though ! Get ya core in shape, the rest will follow with hours on the bike !

Having a fucked back, i know i'm gonna suffer when i get back on the bike (after 3 months of not doing many grunts)
The girls at the rehab gym worked so had at getting me in shape too lol

Will try and explain the technique to do ya core but its gonna sound weird haha !
Thought this chick was gettin kinky on me when she first showed me but if ya lay on the floor on ya back knees up, arch ya hips so ya back is touching at all points, push like ya trying to shit and breath at the same time ! (Kinky huh)
If ya poke three fingers into ya side just above ya hip it pushes in right ? now if ya push like ya constipated (sucking ya arse in so ya dont shit yaself) your fingers should get pushed outward ! This shows ya got the core engaged ! Another way of describing it (not as kinky) is if your driving a car cornering hard on an old bench seat holden with crap suspention, if yr core aint engaged you will end up in the p[assenger seat !
Do that every day b4 ya leap out of bed even, then after a week ya do it on the floor with boots on and lift ya legs, do that for a week then add weight to ya feet !
If ya practice ya breathing while ya doing it, it becomes natural and you will be able to (push like ya constipated but suckin it in so ya dont shit yaself) do this while walking talking doing dishes, drinkin beer whatever ! After a couple of weeks you'll be doing it subconciously on the bike !
Yr neck well thats just ride hardening !

[KiwiKat]

Some really good advice coming through thanks.

Why is it assumed that weight is always an issue. There are different levels of fitness but a lot of it really is about joint mobility.

I like the idea of inline hockey. Might talk about that. Skipping can be another good one but watch the landing.

[jrandom]

Why is it assumed that weight is always an issue. There are different levels of fitness but a lot of it really is about joint mobility.

Nobody's necessarily bothered about weight gain or loss, but perhaps you'd be surprised at how much an increase in cardio capacity helps even traditional 'power' work. It certainly helps motorcycling. Being able to keep fresh and work over a couple of hours at a steady moderate heart rate instead of blowing yourself out to redline all the time makes a huge difference to performance.

Gosh, I'm hungry...



Re. joint mobility, I should note that about a decade (very on and off) of recreational lifting and cycling and being lazy about stretching (as is unfortunately customary amongst lifters and cyclists...) has left my hip flexors and knees etc tighter than a gnat's arse, and now I can't ride sprotbikes for more than an hour or two without ending up with significant leg pain. Never any issues above the hips while motorcycling, but there y'go.

So I guess it does pay to be careful about balancing one's training toward whole-body functionality.

[discotex]

Pilates would probably be good but I found nothing sorts the core and neck out more than just getting out and riding. Probably helps that I commute 20km each way.

A sad lack of open road riding over this shitty winter has stuffed my legs. More than an hour on twisty roads (where I've moving my weight) and I really feel it the next day. Figure a few more rides and I'll be back to bike fit though.

Track days are a whole new level of punishment for the legs so am planning to spend a lot of time in the gym on the bike and doing long squats before I try get down to Taupo at the end of October.

[spookytooth]

watching as much bike racing on tv as i can i find is a good starting point for staying fit :,also cricket is good as it takes all day

[discotex]

I find going to the fridge myself rather than getting one of the kids to get my next beer helps.

WTF? What's the point of having kids if you can't use them as slaves?

[Meanie]

Mmmmm Meanie needs to exersize he thinks, Too much sitting behind his desk aint so good

[imdying]

Latin dancing, good for working up a sweat, but takes about 6 months to get to a point where you're getting good exercise from it. Swimming, but it's dead boring. Running, but not only is it dead boring, but the knees hate it. Probably start on weights soon, not stupidly big weights to get stupidly big arms, just for toning... boring, but at least you can do it at home.

As much as doing stuff that is good for you, I recommend doing less of stuff that is bad for you... e.g. Spend more time in the garage working on bikes than sitting in front of the television. If I weren't married, I'd probably just sell the TV... should sell it anyway (or push it off a wharf)... thieves of time televisions.

[Subike]

Go do a seasons work in a Vineyard, orchard, nursary or such like.
Apart from a wicked good physical work out, you GET PAID to do it.
I do in one day, the same as weeks workout in a gym.
Im 51, I have a 6 pack, no joint problems, no excess body fat Bla Bla Bla.
I have been told by a fitness specialist I very fit for my age.
But Im still going grey and bald!
Do I do specific exersizes? No
I sit around at home, drink beer, mow the lawns once a week, drink more beer, eat chocolates, Ice cream, pies lots of pies, drink more beer,chips, and when I can Burger King. Outside of my employment I am a Lazy fucker!
The key for me is having a job that is Physicaly demanding.
Pity the wages dont reflect the effort put in.
But then money is more important to most than quality of health and life style.

[KiwiKat]

Mmmmm Meanie needs to exersize he thinks, Too much sitting behind his desk aint so good

Meanie sitting on fitness ball behind desk sounds good to me. Tights too?