barryj Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 I think this is on topic for us Carving Central minded, but I'm sure it'll get moved if needed............ Last season I bought a Tacx Bushido smart trainer (aka: expensive $600 wind trainer!) to use for indoor cycling training sessions Smart trainers are indoor cycling wind trainers that connect to online training programs through your PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone...etc I used "Zwift" for $10 per month, It's like a personal video game format where riders from all over the world are online with you pedaling and sweating away on exotic courses where the difficulty actually increases on ascents and decreases on the descents through the trainer.....you even feel the bumps/cobbles in the road with the more expensive smart trainers! It did keep me more challenged and entertained and therefore I did ride more and/or longer throughout our long winter here at 6500ft in Squaw Valley.....which did get my legs and lungs more ready for when I actually could get back out on the road in late April. I'd say my winter miles per week increased from 100 to 150 miles per week via the smart trainer.....but it didn't increase my mileage or performance on my summer mileage or race placings, which averages 150-250 miles per week with usually 6 or more Centuries or Gran Fondo's each summer/fall. Additionally, I didn't feel in any better shape or stronger with my carving/riding during the winter season than the season prior before the smart trainer. So, finally to the point......I'm considering not using the smart trainer until towards the end of the winter season and picking up some other program that will help my carving/riding Now, this winter! Let's here what are your top one, two or three (work out?) programs that you think made a definite impact on your carving/riding?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpinegirl Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Someone last season recommended Jump Attack by Tim Grover. Reading through it it appears to be rather archaic, the pictures aren't that illustrative and I quite frankly thought it was a bunch of b.s. bordering on dangerous at times. I tried it out of curiosity and had my best start to the season ever (amazing season overall). It is humbling to go from using respectable weights (I squat and deadlift a fair amount) to having your muscles shake under your own body weight. Cycling is amazing for overall fitness and you can indeed support a lot of strength development with it. I truly believe that overall fitness aids in recovering, however I am starting to realize that the "how" is more important than the "what. " The other thing usually screamed into my head has been to get comfortable being uncomfortable. See aforementioned shaking muscles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beckmann AG Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Cycling, particularly on a trainer, is distinctly 'mono-planar'. It will do you good in terms of general cardio-vascular conditioning, but won't help much for the more 'spherical' challenges of snowboarding. I find XC skate skiing works well, also indoor soccer in a small space with few players. ('futesol') Both challenge balance/co-ordination during propulsion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryj Posted November 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Good info guys...... I would like to join a gym for some crossfit and or combine for something different ......... what about yoga? I could only make it two evenings a week, that could make a difference I guess......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeseomatic Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 A bike trainer is dog shit for anything other than getting good at riding a bike trainer. Well, maybe using them as a tool to warm up before a bike race, but that is it. I've raced against people who used bike trainers exclusively and they were not getting faster as the months passed. Crossfit can be good or incredibly dangerous, it depends on your starting fitness level and your awareness of your limbs and geospatial acumen, one can do well with Crossfit. If you choose Crossfit, please start slowly and go to beginner classes or through an on-ramp program. Seriously. There are so many Crossfit places open that the quality of instruction will be hit or miss. Although the program is supposed to scale, it's going to be really difficult for you to scale snatches and muscle-ups if you attend a normal/advanced class and you have no idea what you are doing. Also standing between two beasts who could throw you across the room does nothing for your confidence that you are in the right place, no matter how polite everyone is. The coaches and instructors should perform some sort of assessment for your abilities to provide you guidance as you learn more about your own physical abilities and limits. Yoga is not fitness, never treat it as such. It's a great tool to use in conjunction with a proper strength and conditioning program on your rest days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryj Posted November 3, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Thanks Brees Yeah, that's what I have been thinking...thanks for affirming my thoughts......... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeseomatic Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Prancercising is a decent alternative for staying fit during the season, you can do it to and from the car and from the ski rack into the bar. Prancercising will get you in touch with your sensual side while also giving you the fitness capacity to kill large wild animals: 1 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 I've become a huge fan of the Starting Strength methodology. StartingStrength.com. You should have easy access to a certified coach who can help you out from whatever fitness level you're at to as far as you want to go. Low impact, building muscle and bone density progressively. There is a lot of talk about getting young people squatting 400/500 lbs, but once you get deeper they also work with 90-year-olds to get them off their walkers and more independent. They also openly mock almost any 'cardio' activity, but I think they take it much too far. If they cut that back a bit it'd be much more palatable to a wider audience. But they don't care. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
breeseomatic Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 Starting Strength, StrongLifts and Wendler 531 are all great simple programs to use if one has the ability to follow along and just do the work as prescribed and not try to fast track your progress or throw in random exercises. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jburk Posted November 3, 2017 Report Share Posted November 3, 2017 1 hour ago, breeseomatic said: Prancercising is a decent alternative for staying fit during the season damn you. some things can never be unseen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpinegirl Posted November 4, 2017 Report Share Posted November 4, 2017 Other things to consider. If you are hitting snow frequently, then you may more so be looking for active recovery and maintenance. My cycling friends (people who are animals on their bikes) start their mileage build up in February typically. Great for overall fitness (and mental fortitude). How the heck do you find the time to do everything that you do? I thought you already did gym work? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
barryj Posted November 4, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 4, 2017 Hey Brees, My Prancercise membership is all up to date, thank you very much,....as surely you must know Prancercise was started here in Tahoe......what else is there to do in the backed up lift lines!! Hey Alpine Girl? Yeah, I'm on the snow 5-7 days a week all season for work..... and pleasure...so maybe I should look into more of a maintenance/recovery programs....but at 61 years of age my 6'2" and 220lbs. needs to be low impact!!! A more specific reason I bought the Tacx smart trainer last winter was to help me to be more prepared for my second Eroica 100 mile vintage bicycle race which is in early April in Paso Robbles...............and as it's still winter here in Squaw at that time, very rarely can you get any outside mileage. Now I can say even with the higher mileage average I achieved with the smart trainer I didn't preform any better for the 2nd Eroica race than having trained on my indoor bike rollers the previous/previous winter for my 1st Erocia race. So in retrospect indoor training, smart or otherwise just doesn't equate to outdoor mileage! I know, Duh! ...but it was worth a try. So yes I agree with your cycling friends.....I'm also going to wait until Feb. to start my cycling rollers training for the 2018 cycling season and 2018 Eroica race. As for my current "gym work" we have a small free weight gym here on campus and all I do is a short session of chest, biceps and tricep 3-5 increasing sets each, 3x.... to maintain....but want to add another .....element?.... combine routine? I' don't know what yet, obviously! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Technick Posted November 6, 2017 Report Share Posted November 6, 2017 Fitness Blender: https://www.fitnessblender.com/videos Great exercise selection, little to no equipment. Some of them are surprisingly challenging with only your body weight! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpinegirl Posted November 8, 2017 Report Share Posted November 8, 2017 Some great tools have come up. I think I need a more remedial prancercising video though. In considering what you have shared as your gym work, you sound like a great candidate for lifting. I'm personally also a fan of cross-country skiing as previously suggested but suspect that lifting may surprise you. I know that nothing can replace training done in the saddle. However, power can be increased by including ugly lifts like squats and deadlifts. And no program demands that you have to lift an extremely heavy weight. It's most important to practice your best form and continually challenge yourself. Should you find a cross fit gym with trainers who are certified strength coaches, you can learn a lot there. Having had not met you, I suspect that that may not be the best fit for you given your schedule and physical demands. I think that if you were to start a program such as starting strength, stronglifts, or wendlers and continue it through the season, without killing yourself and even reducing days spent lifting to two, that you would see some tremendous gains in your riding. And if you find it too mind numbing, then you can always find your way back to prancercising 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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