First, some background. Races for us old guys are divided into five-year categories. We still like to compete but truthfully cannot against much younger riders. But unless you are a real stud, the last two years of the category are not likely to garner gold medals (or even podiums in some cases). Three years ago I was National Silver Medalist, and managed a few podiums the following year. But my current focus is 2022. This year I was devoting to getting stronger, spending more time in the gym. Next year more toward holding strength and honing racing skills.
I was doing quite well in the gym, working on legs. Then I decided to add core work, alternating days with legs. I signed up for ActivTrax, a free, computer generated training program that records what I've done and keeps me progressing, with various weight machines and exercises. I managed to complete the initial, live-trainer workout to get a baseline but before my first solo workout, Covid closed down the Y. Bummer!
Last week I started back at the Y, only doing legs. I was surprised at how much weight I couldn't do on the leg press. I'd been doing 320 pounds, with a goal of 400. Currently I'm hard pressed to push 200. But that's another story. Three days ago I did my first upper-body workout. It was done without ActivTrax, as I just wanted to get familiar with the machines. Even though I can do lots of push-ups, the rest of my upper body apparently is sadly under-muscled.
The next day I did a long ride (55 miles) north of Corn Hill. I hadn't been in the saddle more than fifteen minutes before various muscles started complaining. Arms, traps, neck all didn't want to contribute to cycling. Yesterday the lats were still complaining. Today I skipped the scheduled upper body workout. Fortunately, ActivTrax doesn't ding you for a missed day. I hate going to the gym on Saturday, but I guess I'll suck it up and try to find a sparsely attended hour. During the week, my primary time is 5:00 am. But 10:00 am and 2:00 pm are good alternatives.
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