A question for the olduns on here.

[Drago]

Really there's no need for gym work at all for resistance/weight training...

...unless you want to slow the physical effects of ageing, combat musdle wastage and associated loss of strength, reduce bone density loss, regulate metabolism, improve mental functioning, and it will improve balance too.

But im being a bit flippant. A gym isn't necessary - gravity works just as well in my house as it does a mile away in the gym - but the amount of effort required will be the same even if the methodology differs. By the tome I've done 300 press ups (not all in one go), mini squats, calf raises, glute bridges, triceps wall presses, etc, I've done pretty much the same sort of work I would have done at the gym.

So while the location at which one works out may differ, the actual work required to achieve the same result is remarkably similar.

 

[Rusty Nails]

That depends whether you want to stand still or progress.

Standing on one leg I usually stand still. It's much safer.

I have always exercised and, despite my best efforts, by all metrics I have regressed over the past ten years. Minimising that regression is my target.

As this is a bike forum, in reality the quality of my life will not be measured by how far or how fast I can ride a bike. I can already ride as far and as fast as I want to.

 

[Rusty Nails]

...unless you want to slow the physical effects of ageing, combat musdle wastage and associated loss of strength, reduce bone density loss, regulate metabolism, improve mental functioning, and it will improve balance too.

But im being a bit flippant. A gym isn't necessary - gravity works just as well in my house as it does a mile away in the gym - but the amount of effort required will be the same even if the methodology differs. By the tome I've done 300 press ups (not all in one go), mini squats, calf raises, glute bridges, triceps wall presses, etc, I've done pretty much the same sort of work I would have done at the gym.

So while the location at which one works out may differ, the actual work required to achieve the same result is remarkably similar.

This forum often benefits from flippancy.

I do similar stuff at home a few times a week to strengthen my core because of long-standing back issues. I don't do press-ups because of a torn rotator cuff. It is all about minimising the effects of ageing.

 

[Wheelspinner]

There is actually something called the ape index. The ratio of your arm span to your height. A large ape index is good for rock climbing, plus touching toes. Body dimensions as well as flexibility affect ability to touch toes with straight legs a lot.

One reason Michael Phelps is such a phenomenal swimmer. He has very long arms relative to his height.

 

[Dave7]

Does not do much for balance

On the reverse side i had to pack in cycling and golf BECAUSE long covid robbed me of my balance.
1sy sign of trouble was when I fell over twice while playing golf then fell off my bike for no apparent reason.

 

[ebikeerwidnes]

On the reverse side i had to pack in cycling and golf BECAUSE long covid robbed me of my balance.
1sy sign of trouble was when I fell over twice while playing golf then fell off my bike for no apparent reason.

Weirdly my balance has always been rubbish unless I am moving

Seems to me - i.e. with zero medical assessment - that my balance is wonky so my body/brain has always been used to constantly correcting more than usual
So if something needs constant correction because the base is always changing then I can do it more easily than the norm
if it requires a solid steady base - then I am bad at it

so things like sailing and cycling - where the water/road is always changing - I picked up easily

golf - the ball could go anywhere
(I'll leave it there for Dave to add the obvious!)

 

[ColinJ]

On the reverse side i had to pack in cycling and golf BECAUSE long covid robbed me of my balance.
1sy sign of trouble was when I fell over twice while playing golf then fell off my bike for no apparent reason.

Have you thought about riding a trike? (The super duper stable new type with 2 wheels at the front, not the lethal old type with 2 at the back.) A friend of mine with health issues has been using one and he loves it.

 

[Dave7]

Have you thought about riding a trike? (The super duper stable new type with 2 wheels at the front, not the lethal old type with 2 at the back.) A friend of mine with health issues has been using one and he loves it.

I have "thought" about it but somehow cant take it further than "thinking".

 

[Hover Fly]

at 67 I can still do pistol squats, three times week I go to the outdoor gym at t'other half's workplace.

 

[ColinJ]

I have "thought" about it but somehow cant take it further than "thinking".

Maybe find a trike rental company that would let you rent a trike for an hour or two so you could see if it was worth further thinking?!

 

[Stevo 666]

...unless you want to slow the physical effects of ageing, combat musdle wastage and associated loss of strength, reduce bone density loss, regulate metabolism, improve mental functioning, and it will improve balance too.

But im being a bit flippant. A gym isn't necessary - gravity works just as well in my house as it does a mile away in the gym - but the amount of effort required will be the same even if the methodology differs. By the tome I've done 300 press ups (not all in one go), mini squats, calf raises, glute bridges, triceps wall presses, etc, I've done pretty much the same sort of work I would have done at the gym.

So while the location at which one works out may differ, the actual work required to achieve the same result is remarkably similar.

That works for me. I have dumbbells at home and a bar across the top of one of the bedroom doors for pull ups which cover most of what I would want to do in a gym (plus the gym is a bit boring).

 

[Pat "5mph"]

Gym work is so boring, I'll rather shift a mega heap of compost from one compost bay to the next for airing.
Which I'm gonna do on Friday, twice
Then on Saturday I'll be cycling to my work where I'll be lifting equipment all day.
Obviously, I'm not as old as many on this thread, but much older than @Drago

 

[Drago]

Obviously, I'm not as old as many on this thread, but much older than @Drago

I find that hard to believe. I wouldn't have put you at more than 25, maybe 27 at a push.

 

[Accy cyclist]

I have definitely lost height which is a pain as I was a shortarse to start with.

I seemed to lose approximately 1.5 inches in height when I had a 'dynamic screw' fitted nearly ten years ago, after a second cycling related hip then leg break in two months. On returning to the hospital for a check up x-ray a few months later, I asked why I'd lost the 1.5 inches in height. The consultant said it was because the dynamic screw operation had made my right leg shorter. OK, but my left leg must still be the same, so when I stand up straight to be measured surely my left leg still holds me up to my previous height?!🤷

 

[ColinJ]

Your head is like the top of the Leaning Tower of Pisa! (If the tower were not leaning then it would be taller.)