What's new

winter cross training

jdd

Maximum Pace
Hardest Crash
Jul 26, 2008
3,512
2,058
Andy mentioned snowshoeing in the daily thread, which I might do only a couple few times a season, but I could certainly try to kick my rear and do more of that. My school has a nice pool that I use quite a lot, and I think some others swim some, too. There's a gym next to the pool, but their stationary bikes (two kinds) are yukky. The older/better ones are boring (tho more like real riding) while the newer ones are mama-chari-esque, and even more boring and less useful.

So, what are your off-season activities? Suggestions?

(and I do understand that TCC/kanto folks will answer that they're just still riding)
 
Besides riding despite bad weather or on rollers and trainers, in my opinion is fitness/circuit training the best thing to do. I do it three times a week à 1.5h. Keeps one fit, builds up some muscles, not only the legs, which I heard one does appreciate when one gets older.
I usually go to the gym too and push some weights, but I didn't have the time this winter for that.
Oh if you have snow, cross country skiing is a great workout for cyclists.
 
I'd love to be able to swim, but I'm allergic to the massive amounts of chlorine the put in public pools here. :( I grew up in a summer town with a big lake, we swam all summer long, but here, just going into the pool room, and I get sick, eyes get red and puffy, skin breaks out, it sucks :mad:

As I live in Tokyo, I can and do still ride, but I'm also using the treadmill I got at a Sayonora sale years ago, I would not want to run outside, too embarrassing,and pavement would do my knees in, the treadmill is great as the running surface has some give in it. Never been a runner, but I'd like to be able to run, doing the Couch to 5K program at the moment (C25K).

Cheers!

PS I have a good pair of snowshoes I only used once in Japan when I went to Hokkaido deer hunting with a friend, well he hunted, I mainly dragged the kill back to the truck, talk about a good workout :D
 
I was planning on just cycling, but the cycling is revealing to the world how skinny my upper body has become so I've started hitting the pool, and after my Community Gym orientation (2 hours long for about 12 machines and a few dumbells :confused:) I will be working on some upper body circuit training and leg strength building in the gym.
 
jdd,

I was just typing a reponse to this when I realised I'd written a mini-essay so I decided to blog it too:

Why cross train?

Snow

Living on this side of the island, there isn't much chance of riding the bike. That's perhaps the main reason why I turn to cross training, but not the only one. Other reasons to cross train:

Balance

Cycling although kind to the body can lead to imbalances. Check out the Fumi Beppu documentary – he has to take the bus everywhere because he can't walk! Cross training in the winter is a chance to strengthen the body in areas which cyling alone does not. To this end, variety is the key I think: swimming, running, CX skiing etc.

Reduced intensity

I like to ride hard and get bored pretty quickly riding around like Mary Poppins . Cross training forces me to back off the intensity while keeping things interesting.

Renewed motivation

Limiting time on the bike in the winter means I'm raring to go in the spring.

How to cross train?

As for types of cross training, swimming, running and team sports like football are all good.

In the gym, I think the stepping machine is the cyclist's best training partner. I wouldn't bother with stationary bikes. If you want ride, best to ride on a stationary trainer or rollers.

I'd love to have access to a rowing machine but I don't unfortunately.

In the snow, snow shovelling is definitely a great workout!

Snow shoes are also great. You don't have to go into the mountains either. On the flats are good and if you live near a golf course, the rolling terrain makes for good training.

Again, variety is the spice of a good training plan. Spice up your life!


Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Well, some several days of cold rain, majority of the snow gone, but not all. A good weekend, swam four days straight, Friday thru today.

Wx forecast says more snow and colder from late Wednesday on.

I put together and checked my better pair of snowshoes--powder wings--maybe I'll have enough energy apart from shoveling for some of that.

**

And, making a good batch of chicken curry. Dinner tonight, and lunches for a few days:

In a blender (mixer),
--drop in 5-8 cloves of garlic,
--about a golf ball-sized chunk of ginger (peeled of course, & sliced up some),
--10-20 whole cloves,
--4-6 bay leaves (depending on size),
--a stick and a half of cinnamon, and
--3-5 dried hot red peppers.

Then fill the blender to the top with chopped onion (finer chopped is better, more fits in), and add two light cups of water and blend the heck out of it. Add a little more water if the blender stuff doesn't all get going good.

Dump to a large pan and add a can (or two, if you're adding lots of veggies) of chopped tomatoes. Add a tsp or two of black pepper, a couple tsps of ground cardamom, and maybe two tsps of salt to start. Cook this on low for a while.

Meantime, prep about a kg+ of chicken thighs. Skin them if you want, or not, I do and also chop them up, but bone-in thighs or big pieces also work. After the roux has cooked for an hour or so on low add the chicken and cook till done. Overcooking the chicken helps.

Veggies: Add string beans, cauliflower, and/or potatoes long enough before serving so they get done, for however you've chopped them up. (A leftover skinned eggplant or two early on easily disappears into the mix.)

Check the salt. Add a big tablespoon of sugar.

Serve with or over enough rice to balance however much red/black pepper you've put in...

Put the leftover in the fridge, it's better on the second and following days. The flavors somehow meld.
 
We really need a cooking section for the forum :D
 
I second that -- but then, most of my recipes would involve chicken and broccoli - unless ' in season' , whereby you can eat pasta , too. Except for the 2 weeks during Christmas where you can eat whatever you want as much as you want (until Lent Feb 22) which begins the 'official' drop weight and start speed training until end of March.

We really need a cooking section for the forum :D
 
Looks like there might be enough demand to add a TCC apron to the new kit menu after all!
 
From doing a bit of everything, running, weights and casually riding a bicycle I started to spend all my available time on my roadbike during the past year or so.
Still paid for my gym membership until July 2011 and felt it was a huge waste since I only visited the place 5-6 time during the first six months. Simply too much going on with a lot of travelling etc..

Back in Sweden I used to spend a couple of hours every week on a Concept2 rowing machine found in almost every gym. I always liked it as a warmup or complete cardio workout tool.
I have been looking for one in every gym I visited in Japan but still haven't seen one. Maybe they take up too much space?

During the Christmas holiday I bought my own from the Japanese distributor and have put in a few nice workouts on it by now.
So far I am very pleased with it :)

I will use it for intervals later this year and now I am just letting my body get used the it again.

My old PB's are 1:27/500M and around 40min for 10k's. I tried a 10k row last week and ended up with 43-44min on the clock.
I am probably further off on the 500M sprint since it takes a bit more muscle strength than I seem to have in my upper body at the moment.

For a while I was considering a trainer for my bike but I am convinced the I made the right choice with the rower.


Anyone else training on one of these?
 
My old PB's are 1:27/500M and around 40min for 10k's. I tried a 10k row last week and ended up with 43-44min on the clock.
I am probably further off on the 500M sprint since it takes a bit more muscle strength than I seem to have in my upper body at the moment.

1:27???
I can run 500m faster than that! Sure you don't mean 1000m?
 
1:27???
I can run 500m faster than that! Sure you don't mean 1000m?

Not sure how relevant your 500m runs are when discussing sprint rowing :confused:

I pulled these numbers of the Concept2 website. World record is 1:10.5 for the 500m sprint on one of these.
500m is not a common distance to race so not many results listed.


500 1:10.5 30 Leo Young H M AUS 1991 Witnessed at public club
500 1:13.7 24 Bernhard Pfaller H M AUT 2009 Video
500 1:17.3 41 Andrew Steinfeld H M CAN 2012 Witnessed at public club
500 1:17.6 18 Ryan Ng Yan Liang H M SGP 2010 Witnessed at public club
500 1:18.3 50 John Grady H M USA 2011 PM3/PM4 verification code
500 1:22.0 60 James Castellan H M USA 2005 Historical record
500 1:33.1 70 Keith Colman H M USA 2011 Witnessed at public club
500 1:40.6 80 Marinus Boon H M NZL 2009 2008 South Island Masters Games
500 1:42.1 12 Jacob Traberg-Tolboe H M DEN 2006 EIRC 2005
 
Not sure how relevant your 500m runs are when discussing sprint rowing :confused:

I pulled these numbers of the Concept2 website. World record is 1:10.5 for the 500m sprint on one of these.
500m is not a common distance to race so not many results listed.


500 1:10.5 30 Leo Young H M AUS 1991 Witnessed at public club
500 1:13.7 24 Bernhard Pfaller H M AUT 2009 Video
500 1:17.3 41 Andrew Steinfeld H M CAN 2012 Witnessed at public club
500 1:17.6 18 Ryan Ng Yan Liang H M SGP 2010 Witnessed at public club
500 1:18.3 50 John Grady H M USA 2011 PM3/PM4 verification code
500 1:22.0 60 James Castellan H M USA 2005 Historical record
500 1:33.1 70 Keith Colman H M USA 2011 Witnessed at public club
500 1:40.6 80 Marinus Boon H M NZL 2009 2008 South Island Masters Games
500 1:42.1 12 Jacob Traberg-Tolboe H M DEN 2006 EIRC 2005

OK, should have read a bit more between the lines... thought we were talking cycling! :warau: Funny that!
 
I so want one of these!
 
Back
Top Bottom