Does anyone else do circuits?

[Yellow Fang]

Like me. I like circuits, even though they're killing. I try to go twice a week. I'm not sure if they benefit cycling, but they probably help with core strength.

 

[david1701]

Cyclists generally have crappy flexibility so it must help with that, I've started doing them once a week, not seen any benefits yet but I've only been once

 

[4F]

I go to the gym 5 mornings a week before work and do circuits on 3 of those days, great for core strength.

 

[brockers]

I did the Canadian Airforce circuits over one winter and recommend them, if just to maintain some semblance of upper body strength and to load your musculo-skeletal system and stop it from degenerating (as too much cycling seems to do). We did shuttle-runs on ours; a quick, masochistic and effective way to build all-round fitness. It cost £3 per sesh too. An absolute bargain.

Would do it again, but the guy who used to run them (Dave Creasey) died last year, and the only structured alternatives seem to be overpriced gyms and BritMilFitness.

 

[amaferanga]

I did the Canadian Airforce circuits over one winter and recommend them, if just to maintain some semblance of upper body strength and to load your musculo-skeletal system and stop it from degenerating (as too much cycling seems to do). We did shuttle-runs on ours; a quick, masochistic and effective way to build all-round fitness. It cost £3 per sesh too. An absolute bargain.

Would do it again, but the guy who used to run them (Dave Creasey) died last year, and the only structured alternatives seem to be overpriced gyms and BritMilFitness.

Cycling does NOT cause your musculo-skeletal system to degenerate! If you were completely sedentary apart from cycling then sure you may have bone density issues later in life, but provided you walk around a bit and aren't completely sedentary (apart from your cycling) then there's unlikely to be any issues.

 

[brockers]

You want to see my upper body before I started cycling intensely. I'm a shadow of my former self!

 

[Garz]

Yeah I think that was an exaggerated statement to say the least.

 

[cyberknight]

I try to do a weight circuit 2-3 times a week with the total gym in the garage .

This is my current routine..

Abdominal s ,maybe 60 legs in air normal crunches followed by 70- 100 twisty crunches .

Dumbell lateral raise, 20- 25 reps

Leg curls , as many as i can do on max weight, maybe 20+

Seated row, ensuring the back is included to increase strength, 30 reps

calf raises, 20 each leg

Lateral pull down wide grip, 15-20

dumbell side bends, 20 each side

Bench press, 20 -25 reps

squats , holding dumbells from lateral raise on bench, as many as i can do 40 reps average

Bench press , second set 15-20

This is followed by a stretch session covering all major areas, particularly concentrating on hamstrings and hip openers as i do get sciatica/piriformis tightness.

 

[gavroche]

I try to do a weight circuit 2-3 times a week with the total gym in the garage .

This is my current routine..

Abdominal s ,maybe 60 legs in air normal crunches followed by 70- 100 twisty crunches .

Dumbell lateral raise, 20- 25 reps

Leg curls , as many as i can do on max weight, maybe 20+

Seated row, ensuring the back is included to increase strength, 30 reps

calf raises, 20 each leg

Lateral pull down wide grip, 15-20

dumbell side bends, 20 each side

Bench press, 20 -25 reps

squats , holding dumbells from lateral raise on bench, as many as i can do 40 reps average

Bench press , second set 15-20

This is followed by a stretch session covering all major areas, particularly concentrating on hamstrings and hip openers as i do get sciatica/piriformis tightness.

are you a keep fit fanatic? Good luck to you but couldn't be doing with all that hassle every day.
Besides, I firmly believe that we all have an internal body clock that is set to last for so long.
I have seem too many "so called fit" people die of an early age, so some fitness is ok but being obsessed with it is not my thing.
When it is time to go and the clock stops ticking, there is nothing you can do about it.

 

[cyberknight]

are you a keep fit fanatic? Good luck to you but couldn't be doing with all that hassle every day.
Besides, I firmly believe that we all have an internal body clock that is set to last for so long.
I have seem too many "so called fit" people die of an early age, so some fitness is ok but being obsessed with it is not my thing.
When it is time to go and the clock stops ticking, there is nothing you can do about it.

Ex gym instructor, this on on top of 10 mile each way commute and a 50-60 mile a week club run...

This is toned down for me , before i got married and had a kid i used to train maybe 15 hours a week in martial arts , gym work ,running,swimming etc.

The Body clock theory is ok but it has been more researched and is likely to be linked to erosion of chromosomes as we age rather than the number of heartbeats theory.
"A protein in the body, called telomerase, can place natural caps, called telomeres, on chromosomes to replace the loss of life's loose ends. Adding extra copies of genes needed to make telomerase can keep cells active beyond the point where they usually stop dividing and die."

It has been shown in numerous tests that exercise helps to prolong life or the quality of life , i would rather die a natural death when my body clock stops than to reduce my lifespan by not doing anything.The famous case of Jim Fixx the guy credited with the jogging revolution who died early was shown to have a genetic heart disorder and that the running prolonged his life ..

"
On 20 July 1984, Fixx died at the age of 52 of a fulminant heart attack, after his daily run, on Vermont Route 15 in Hardwick. The autopsy revealed that atherosclerosis had blocked one coronary artery 95%, a second 85%, and a third 70%.[sup][citation needed][/sup] Although there were opponents of Fixx's beliefs who said this was evidence that running was harmful, medical opinion continued to uphold the link between exercise and longevity.[sup][3][/sup] In 1986, exercise physiologist Kenneth Cooper published an inventory of the risk factors that might have contributed to Fixx's death.[sup][4][/sup] Granted access to his medical records and autopsy, and after interviewing his friends and family, Cooper concluded that Fixx was genetically predisposed (his father died of a heart attack aged 43 and Fixx himself had a congenitally enlarged heart) and several lifestyle issues (Fixx was a heavy smoker prior to beginning running aged 36, he had a stressful occupation, he had undergone a second divorce, and his weight before he took up running had ballooned to 220lbs).[sup][5]"[/sup]
"

 

[gavroche]

I have high cholesterol level so went to doctor. He gave me some pills and told me I would have to take them for the rest of life. He also said that these pills will increase my life span by 25%. Sounds good but he never said when the 25% starts!
Anyway, I have yearly checks ( blood test) of my cholesterol level and it is well under control now despite the fact that I dont take the pills regularly. So I put it down to regular exercise ( cycling) to burn off the fat intake.

 

[bigjim]

I am of the opinion that constant over exercising can damage the immune system and eventually lead to illnesses that can contribute to an early death. Most long lifers you read about are not athletes and have never been. Their great age tends to be genetic. You don't see many tortoises racing about but they tend to lead a very long life. Course they are vegetarians and non-smokers.

I think eating properly and moderate exercise that includes walking, cycling and swimming are probably more effective in retaining good overall health than anything else.

Course I could be wrong.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

I am of the opinion that constant over exercising can damage the immune system and eventually lead to illnesses that can contribute to an early death. Most long lifers you read about are not athletes and have never been. Their great age tends to be genetic. You don't see many tortoises racing about but they tend to lead a very long life. Course they are vegetarians and non-smokers.

I think eating properly and moderate exercise that includes walking, cycling and swimming are probably more effective in retaining good overall health than anything else.

Course I could be wrong.

There was a programme about a cyclist, possibly Chris Boardman, that analysed every aspect of their sport, especially training. They looked at other sports, and one in particular was nordic orienteering as it had a high attrition rate. they also looked at olympic athletes like Steve Ovett who seemed to get regular viral infections.
They found that training eventually reduced one of the components in blood (possibly white cells?)which affected the immune system, so they sampled the athletes blood at regular intervals throughout the training and stopped when the levels reached a certain point and started again when they'd built back up.

What they found was that focusing in this way meant less training but far greater fitness gains with no disruption from illness.