Gym workouts to compliment cycling, advice please?

counterculture

been cycling for a while now but still cant shift the gut, it is going but im cycling close to 15-20 miles a day, 5 days a week and watching what i eat (to a point, shift work isnt suited to eating at set meal times), so ive got myself a council gym membership to work on the gut more.

obviously im gonna speak to the guy there to get a program started but if any of you guys have any ideas what sort of workouts would help, and if you do anything else at the gym that suits cycling then all advice would be good.

cheers

owen_MTB

Core strength exercises such as sit ups, pullovers etc all benefit cycling. Also, try squats, leg press, lunges but remember to not over do it and span your workouts across the week so your body can recover. You wont see any benefits by training the same muscles all the time, with out any rest. All exercises will improve your fitness but diet is a key factor to losing the gut. Bump up the protein and cut out the sugary drinks, chocolate and alcohol. No food is actually bad, just remember to have it in moderation.

bails_89

i dont find that riding does anythin from the stomach muscles,but its great for the legs and arms.i find doin 30 minutes on the rowing machine helps,plus sit ups,theres a few machines that help you tone your stomach muscles up nice!

swimming is also good,low impact and gives you a great work out.

good luck anyway:)

weeksy59

owen_MTB wrote:

Core strength exercises such as sit ups, pullovers etc all benefit cycling. Also, try squats, leg press, lunges but remember to not over do it and span your workouts across the week so your body can recover. You wont see any benefits by training the same muscles all the time, with out any rest. All exercises will improve your fitness but diet is a key factor to losing the gut. Bump up the protein and cut out the sugary drinks, chocolate and alcohol. No food is actually bad, just remember to have it in moderation.

All superb advice.

It's Core, and diet that are the key

Surf-Matt

Indeed - you need bf% less than 12 to get a six pack - that won't happen from endless sit ups, it will happen with lots of cardio and a decent diet.

I find I can do cardio and weights exercises on the same day - a different form of exercise.

woodgob

I train a lot with dumbells. I find that this really compliments getting out on the hills as really sorts out core strength, balance (one legged squats for example) and done at the right intensity (only 20-30secs rest between sets for example) will also burn fat. It's also said that there is a difference between freeweights and gym machines in that a greater number of muscles are called into play for freeweights because of the stablisation issue. I also use a swiss ball instead of a bench as this further increases core training in exercises where you are not normally isolating the core (dumbell bench press for example). The beauty of this is that you need only spend a one-off fee for the weights and small bench/swiss ball. Motivation to do this at home then becomes the only issue. I admit that I do sometimes find it hard to be botehred to train after getting home from work.

I'd agree with bail_89 in that cycling is not kind to the gut (but will burn fat) - I always forget about mine and it ends up just hanging there :? A seperate training routine will sort that out though.

All exercise is good though.....good luck....

BorisSpencer

When sitting on the bike I find my substantial belly lowers my centre of gravity and therefore improves stability. If you think about it long enough you can convince yourself it's essential.

djvagabon

Situps wont get you a six pack or help reduce your gut. The muscle group you want to be working is the Gluteus Maximus. These are the muscles in the lower back, just above your bum.
A lot of people think situps will burn fat and get you a nice flat stomach. Situps will just tone up your abs.
If you work the Gluteus Maximus it will tone up the lower back. This has the effect of working the flabby parts just above your hips, and also stopping the fat falling forward over your stomach. If you do that with regular stints of aerobic cardio workouts you will get a flat, toned stomach.
You need to work out you M.H.R. maximum heart rate. This is roughly 220 minus your age. Once you know this then work out between 70 and 75% of your M.H.R and stick in that zone. If you go higher then 80% you are training in the anaerobic zone. If you want to burn body fat then this is not what you want to be doing.
Basicaly aerobic means with oxygen, anaerobic means without oxygen. When you are in the aerobic zone, and you are below 80% of your M.H.R your body is burning fat. Your body needs oxygen to burn fat and also dispell lactic acid.
If you train harder and go into the anaerobic zone your body is using more oxygen then it can take in. You will not burn any fat and you will get a build up of lactic acid in your muscles.
When you train cardio, make sure you monitor your heart rate and stick in the aerobic zone.

djvagabon

Im a personal trainer so ill be happy to give you any advice you need.

woodgob

I've always wondered how the heart-rate thing worked in relation to aerobic or anaerobic. Now I know. Cool. I was going to get a heart-rate monitor within the next couple of weeks so that advice is really going to help me. Thanks djvagabon.

djvagabon

No problem woodgob. Happy i could help.

weeksy59

djvagabon wrote:

You need to work out you M.H.R. maximum heart rate. This is roughly 220 minus your age. Once you know this then work out between 70 and 75% of your M.H.R and stick in that zone. If you go higher then 80% you are training in the anaerobic zone. If you want to burn body fat then this is not what you want to be doing.
Basicaly aerobic means with oxygen, anaerobic means without oxygen. When you are in the aerobic zone, and you are below 80% of your M.H.R your body is burning fat. Your body needs oxygen to burn fat and also dispell lactic acid.
If you train harder and go into the anaerobic zone your body is using more oxygen then it can take in. You will not burn any fat and you will get a build up of lactic acid in your muscles.
When you train cardio, make sure you monitor your heart rate and stick in the aerobic zone.

Surely the Anaerobic zone changes as you get fitter and fitter ?

If i work at 75% of my MHR, which is about 134bpm, then i'm barely braking sweat. How long do i realistically need to work at for that to be effective ?

thanks

Steve.

singlespeedexplosif

Once you know this then work out between 70 and 75% of your M.H.R and stick in that zone. If you go higher then 80% you are training in the anaerobic zone. If you want to burn body fat then this is not what you want to be doing.
Basicaly aerobic means with oxygen, anaerobic means without oxygen. When you are in the aerobic zone, and you are below 80% of your M.H.R your body is burning fat. Your body needs oxygen to burn fat and also dispell lactic acid.
If you train harder and go into the anaerobic zone your body is using more oxygen then it can take in. You will not burn any fat and you will get a build up of lactic acid in your muscles.
When you train cardio, make sure you monitor your heart rate and stick in the aerobic zone.



:shock:

djvagabon

You misinterpited what i said Steve. You work out in the aerobic zone to lose weight. If you want to improve your endurance and stamina, workout to 80% of your M.H.R. Keep it at this level. Eventualy your heartrate will start to slow down. When it does, increase the intensity of your workout to bring your heartrate back upto 80%. If you keep doing this you will eventualy be able to push yourself at a higher level for longer.
Dont train in the anaerobic zone for to long. If you ever reach your M.H.R you will start to feel nausious, get headaches and you may even pass out. This is the bodys natural defence to prevent damage to the heart.

djvagabon

There are a lot of variables. Some people get fitter quicker then others. There is no set time. Thats why when i train someone I need as much information as possible. I do a program which is specific to them.
I would say that if you are fit then you need to be training at 80% of your M.H.R for atleast 30 minutes, 3 times a week.
What i personaly do is go on a treadmill. I start off slowly and build my heartrate upto 80%. As soon as it starts to drop i increase the speed of the treadmill to get my heartrate back to 80%. I do this for 30 minutes and then increase my heartrate to 95% for the last 2 minutes. When i have done this i return the treadmill to walking pace.

Turveyd38

Weeksy, I gave up very quickly on the HRM stuff, I bought 1 to push myself harder, discovered I was in the 90%+ zone for most of my riding and at 70% say I was barely moving, which kinda made it pointless as I'd have to ride for 12hours just to get tired.

It works for some, but not for others I guess.

djvagabon

Are you sure you worked your M.H.R out right Turvey? If you satayed at 90% plus for any length of time youd start throwing up or pass out.

weeksy59

djvagabon wrote:

Are you sure you worked your M.H.R out right Turvey? If you satayed at 90% plus for any length of time youd start throwing up or pass out.

I do a 10km run, my average is 155bpm for that whole run, peaking at 175 in the last 3 mins.

Assuming the 220-age i have a theoretical max of 183.

So 155 is approx 80%

djvagabon

weeksy59 wrote:

djvagabon wrote:

Are you sure you worked your M.H.R out right Turvey? If you satayed at 90% plus for any length of time youd start throwing up or pass out.

I do a 10km run, my average is 155bpm for that whole run, peaking at 175 in the last 3 mins.

Assuming the 220-age i have a theoretical max of 183.

So 155 is approx 80%

220 minus your age is only a rough guide. Its very rarely accurate. My M.H.R is 205 and im 33. You need to work out your actual, rather then predicted M.H.R.
A quick way to find out if your training near your M.H.R is this. If you can talk normaly without gasping then you are not near your M.H.R. Try this the next time you go for a run. If you can do this then you know that your predicted M.H.R is wrong.

weeksy59

181 is the max i;'ve hit when training in the last year.... i was about 20 secionds from puking

owen_MTB

You cant 'tone; by doing exercises. If you want to have muscle definition the key is diet. Situps dont dive you a flat stomach on their own, you can do as many sit ups as you like but if your fats still covering them then whats the point? Fat cant be "spot burnt" the body burns fat at an equal rate all over the body so you wont lose fat from your legs if you ride 100 miles same as you wont lose fat from your belly if you do 1000 sit ups

Soggz

Stop spending all your money on whiskey and beer...;)