On a recent long ride I made a startling revelation. I have arms. And they aren’t in shape. Why didn’t someone remind me that cycling, especially climbing hills, requires upper body strength?! Al, I’m looking at you.
The last long push back to the temporary residence is a low-grade 3 mile climb up from the Stillaguamish Valley to Lake Goodwin. Legs? Fine. Lungs? Fine. Heart rate? Fine. Arms? Gassed. It actually felt unsafe there for a while: standing and pushing up the last hill I thought I might just drop the damn bike on its side.
So I have added a little more weight training to the old regimen in hopes of combating this. Is there anything as boring as lifting weights? I really don’t think so. Except maybe the Major League Baseball All-Star Game, which I Tivo’d to watch Jason Bay’s at bats (1 for 3, btw) and then promptly deleted.
The worst part of the weights? The meatheads who come in and groan and grunt while they do nothing but bench press. That top-heavy Mark McGuire look? Not good. I keep waiting for their tiny little ankle to snap as they walk to the dumbbell rack.
I ran an easy 7 last night without the aid of a watch, so I have no idea how slow I was. While I was out the FedEx dude showed up with my new Forerunner, which I will break in tonight on the bike. Cool toy. I’ve already found a massive problem with it, though: it isn’t waterproof. Neither is the heart rate monitor, which means it really doesn’t work for a dual or tri sport trainer. I have to switch out to my Polar HRM if I want to record my sessions in the pool. Luckily, I still can’t swim far or long enough to make recording my pool sessions worth it. Mrs GVB, former competitive swimmer, lifeguard, and general water nut, promises to teach me not to sink.
How is it that I can run 12 miles and bike 50 miles but I can only swim 5 laps without getting winded? This is a serious problem that must be addressed. I am guessing it has something to do with the breathing. Mrs. GVB will tell me, as she swims past me laughing at my aquatic lameness.
1 comment:
Weights do suck. And there is so much BS out there about what and how to do. For me, I keep it really simple: I do 3 full body circuits per week (3-4 sets each major group) and get the fuck out of there. I just focus on simple, basic moves: press, row, curl, squat, crunch, pushdown etc. No fancy bullshit.
RE swimming: you MUST buy (the book and the dvd): "Total Immersion." It revolutionized my swimming. (My college coach swore by it, and it is just phenomenal.) It will change you into a swimmer. I swear.
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