Ok I know I should just suck it up and ride, but my school schedule and the weather haven’t been lining up enough (Whenever it’s freezing and above I’m out riding!) so I decided to try this “gym” thing at school so I could still be in shape for the longer rides I want to do in the spring/summer.
So I went for the excercise bike. Do other people use these? Is there a certain set up that works better like moving the seat forward or something to be more uni like? Higher resistance? I knoticed how long the cranks were compared to the 114s on my Coker… Am I creating totally new muscles that aren’t relevant?
I know there are other threads about stationary uni ideas and stuff, but I’d just ike peoples opions using excercise bikes.
Take a spinning class. Don’t use the handle bars. Only the seat to hold onto. Move the seat forward. Learn how to spin high cadence while standing only holding the saddle. Then add increased resistance while standing like hill climbing. Try working up to burn 700 or more calories in an hour. Learn smooth spinning technic. The list goes on…
Toning up the legs on the exercise bike can help you develop strength faster than actual riding does. It takes putting yourself in the right mindset and discipline. If you work with a good spin class it will push you more than you likely will on your own. Developing routines and change-ups like pyramids will help.
Have you considered a rain bike? They are standard issue here in the Pacific Northwest where most people have learned that if you wait for the weatherman’s permission to go outside, you may as well give up exercise entirely.
Just pick up a decent, older chromo-framed road or mountain bike (<100 bucks in used condition), slap on a good pair of full-coverage fenders, pack along a decent shell in case the clouds really open up, then…ride the crap outta that thing! Nothing beats a nice, l-o-n-g moderate bicycle ride for increasing your aerobic capacity, toning the legs, and generally changing the composition of your body. A moderate bicycle ride of several hours’ duration will alter your physiology in ways that few other activities can. Because the exertion is steady and low-impact, you can maintain the exercise at a pretty high aerobic level for a very long time, and because you’re outdoors, you’re far less likely to get bored than if you’re staring at gym walls.
At my current level of skill (beginner to intermediate road rider), unicycling is fun and offers an OK aerobic workout, but it’s not yet an adequate substitute for a good, brisk distance ride on two wheels.
Of course, if ice and snow are the blockers, forget what I just said. I’ve done a few snow rides, and yeah, they’re tricky.
For me the best was weights, focusing most on leg and core endurance.
Joe’s ideas sound good, I’ll have to try them. Riding my mtb on rough terrain (on my commute lots of curbs and driveway ramps) but pedal as if it were a fixed gear and minimal handlebar input helped me a bit. Riding over lane bumps, figure esses around paint marks w/o hands helped a bit to I think.
