Fitness - whats is this really?

[Ming the Merciless]

It will definitely help maintain your bone density if you do it right too - particularly important as we age - recovery from broken bones is quicker if we should have an accident - theres a reduced risk of breakage in the first place.

The type of yoga i practice (and teach) emphasises the building of long strong muscles rather than those ' bulky' ones beloved of bodybuilders.

These are far less prone to injury to themselves and to the connecting ligaments - this is why rugby and football teams that have worked the yoga discipline into their training regimes have see a greatly reduced injury rate - i guess it helps them with mental 'fitness' too.

Interesting, I tend to have long slender muscles rather than bulky. Never had an injury other than accidents. But I know that can’t last forever, as I age, without active maintenance.

 

[icowden]

Just what kind of fitness does the cycling bring?

I think it all depends on what exercise you do. I cycle and that's about it. So I get a bit of an aerobic workout and my calf muscles are quite large. I don't ride clipped so my upper legs don't do a lot. I still get out of breath if I have to run very far. I occasionally try zombie running but I'm not wildly keen on running. I lose no weight through cycling either. But I don't gain any which is nice. My SO doesn't cycle, she runs, but she finds it much easier to gain weight if not running.

On the other hand my BiL is also a keen cyclists but prior to that he was/is a fanatical runner and he also does open water swimming twice a week. When he cycles with his club he finds that sometimes he runs out of power to keep up on the flat, but he is an absolute hill monster, zooming up hills that his colleagues (even the ultra fit ones) find difficult. So I'd say his stamina from running marathons and ultra-marathons would seem to help with the stamina requirements of hill climbing.

I think any exercise is better than no exercise, but running is very different to cycling, which is very different to swimming.

 

[dan_bo]

Cycling's great. You can train your arse off for yonks and still be bang average.

 

[CXRAndy]

Cycling's great. You can train your arse off for yonks and still be bang average.

True, that's why I've ordered an Ebike. Average fitness, faster riding

There is only so far getting fitter can take you, If you're missing the genetics or correct physique then don't beat yourself up.

 

[ChrisEyles]

I cycle all year around and run over winter when it's too icy/muddy to want to get out on the bike.

The first two or three runs are horrendous - slow, painful and serious achy legs the following day. But I find after that I quickly recover the ability to run a 10k off-road loop with a lot of steep climbing (admittedly not at any great pace!). There's not way I could do this if the cycling wasn't keeping some level of aerobic fitness going over summer.

FWIW I am definitely a "walking on a bike" type of cyclist. Average speed on the road 13mph - 15mph, and I'll twiddle up the hills in a nice low gear. From what I read online this is very slow indeed, yet I'm usually somewhere in the middle of the pack for most rides with friends.