Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 80 total)
  • Best way to improve upper body strength
  • SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Yeah whatever.

    partickbateman
    Free Member

    Can we get this back to the original point? Was looking to be useful until the bunfight.

    What I’d like to know is how long a decent upper body workout would take. Off to Morzine for the 2nd time this summer and last year the strength in my arms and hands let me down a lot. Even Innerleithen will tire me out too quickly. So, what’s a good workout that would focus on upper body/core that I could do in say 30 mins? Also, would this be every day or not?

    Equipment wise I have a 20kg weight set.

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    No mate, it was looking totally hopeless until the bun fight. What you have described suggests that you either have no strength endurance in your forearms and fingers or that you grip the bars to tight. Either take up climbing or get one of those grip strength thingys or a power ball. As for core, get a swiss ball and play with that – learn to stand on it.

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    flyingfox
    Free Member

    Replicate what your dad would have done when “he were a lad”. My dad threw 12 stone haybales 12ft high. I ain’t that manly but my buddy asked for a big old used tractor tyre from a farmer, took it to his house and now lifts, throws it and so on. You use all muscle groups, do core work while you’re there and you’ll generate real strength rather than showy gym muscle.

    Scienceofficer
    Free Member

    12 stone haybales 12ft high

    I very much doubt he did.

    Not doubting they were heavy, just not that heavy.

    bjj.andy.w
    Free Member

    kettlebells fwiw

    DrP
    Full Member

    The benefit of dumbbells lies in their ‘ instability’, as in they are felt to be better than a smith machine, or other fixed weights. It is this that not only trains the ‘main’ muscle, but the surrounding groups too…

    When people shake, it’s a sign of fatigue (i did research in it, innit!).i could quote the emg responses, but won’t…..

    Basically, as people have said, lift heavy stuff awkwardly and you’ll get strong, but make sure not to put your back out!

    DrP

    FunkyDunc
    Free Member

    Get out running too.

    Sitting on a bike you use your upper body very little compared to running.

    hora
    Free Member

    Always use freeweights. Machines are hateful things IMO.

    The-Swedish-Chef
    Free Member

    If you want strength for fingers and forearms then get a climbing specific “hangboard”. Two sessions of 15 minutes twice a week with a simple program would reap huge benefits.

    For core strength use body weights, free weights and yoga.

    ianv
    Free Member

    Personally I think it is really worth it to join a gym for a few months but if you are not going to then deffo a bench, some dumbells and a pull up bar are a minimum. Areas to hit for cycling would be triceps, chest, back and forearms.

    Do not believe this guff about swimming, bouldering etc being better than weights for building strength. I used to climb a lot and my biggest gains in strength and performance were when I spent less time climbing and more time in the gym, a very good swimmer (US olympic squad) I used to know found something similar.

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    What I’d like to know is how long a decent upper body workout would take. Off to Morzine for the 2nd time this summer and last year the strength in my arms and hands let me down a lot. Even Innerleithen will tire me out too quickly. So, what’s a good workout that would focus on upper body/core that I could do in say 30 mins? Also, would this be every day or not?

    Equipment wise I have a 20kg weight set.
    20-30 minutes 3 times a week will be enough. 20kg is pretty light so you’re likely to be doing lots of reps. Not a big deal though. Don’t go to failure, aim to stop when you have a enough left for another couple of reps. Focus on strict, slow, full range of motion reps. Something like…

    Monday:
    Warmup – Pull-overs, situps/crunchs…
    Bench press 5 sets
    Military press 5 sets

    Wednesday:
    Warmup – Pull-overs, situps/crunchs…
    Deadlifts 5 sets
    Bent over rows 5 sets

    Friday:
    Warmup – Pull-overs, situps/crunchs…
    Clean and press 5 sets
    Bicep curls 3 sets
    Narrow grip tricep press 3 sets

    KINGTUT
    Free Member

    Swimming is only good exercise if you actually know how to swim…it’s all technique and you’ll get put off when some fat knacker with good technique just floats by when you’re on max revs.

    As I recall, swimming is an even better exercise if your technique is poor as you are working harder to cover the distance, good technique however will give you speed and enhance endurance but you won’t be working as hard.

    hora
    Free Member

    Conqueror- what are you looking to achieve? Why the upperbody requirement?

    I’d like to be the other way round IMO. Never had a problem building up upperbody strength however never really had need for it as I’ve always worn tshirts in summer etc and have no truck with showing ‘muscles’.

    If you want upperbody strength purely to help with stability/on the bike then 20 pressups aday, 20 shoulder-press with dumbells, 20 arm curls, 20 lat raises with dumbells, then 50 situps.

    Everyday. What I mean by medium weight is not too heavy but not too light either- just enough so you can feel it.

    After a few weeks you’ll feel different. If you want to build up I still recommend starting like this otherwise you’ll have sprains/strains etc.

    Be happy in your own skin at the end of the day.

    I’d love stronger legs!

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    If you are going to follow any of the advice up there make sure that you look after your lower back. The majority of that stuff up there will only destroy your discs.

    chamley
    Free Member

    Check outBikejames.com

    He trains the Yeti team, so multiple world champions etc, the guy gets results! He has a number of workouts on his website, one of them is a purely no gym dumbbell routine which sounds perfect for you.

    Check out his blog too, those tonnes of free information there that gives you a head start to essential exercises if you havent got much time or cant get to a gym. I’ve got myslef a bar bell, some dumbbells and a chin up bar and i’m really starting to get results, more power, endurance etc

    Keva
    Free Member

    If you are going to follow any of the advice up there make sure that you look after your lower back. The majority of that stuff up there will only destroy your discs.

    Lets all take up climbing and standing on a medicine ball then, we’ll all be shining as brilliant as the ultimately perfected sbz. 🙄

    Kev

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Keva, I know a good physio for when you need your back sorted out.

    franciscobegbie
    Free Member

    If you are going to follow any of the advice up there make sure that you look after your lower back. The majority of that stuff up there will only destroy your discs.

    A bold statement. Care to explain?

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    From years in the gym I’m not aware of anyone having back problems to a higher degree than those that don’t train. Certainly not a major topic of conversation, which isn’t the case with people who don’t train. Certainly in my family (similar body types etc) I’ve had less back problems than anyone else and the only vaguely nasty problem involved a big MX bike crash. In fact all my problematic injuries have been impact related.

    I’ve only seen one back injury in the gym and that was down to stupidity. Someone trying to keep up with the big boys when he wasn’t.

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    Keva, I know a good physio for when you need your back sorted out.

    SbZ, I think you have something constructive to offer (I’ve trained with climbers and know what they do and what they get).

    It’s a shame you just try to attack other people with made up crap instead.

    Keva
    Free Member

    Keva, I know a good physio for when you need your back sorted out.

    what on earth makes you think I’ll ever need my back sorting out ?

    why on earth would I contact you if I ever need anything let alone physio treatment when all you do is spout bulshy comments over this forum as if you’re the only person in world who knows anything about sports and physical training ?

    do you know me ? no. do you know anything about me ? no.

    Kev

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    Shame as I think you have nothing constructive to offer to this thread. I am doing no attacking, just holding my ground. My position is based on an advanced knowledge of this stuff.

    5thElefant
    Free Member

    Shame as I think you have nothing constructive to offer to this thread. I am doing no attacking, just holding my ground. My position is based on an advanced knowledge of this stuff

    😆

    franciscobegbie
    Free Member

    If you are going to follow any of the advice up there make sure that you look after your lower back. The majority of that stuff up there will only destroy your discs.

    A bold statement. Care to explain?
    I am genuinely interested in hearing your explanation for the above.
    Any chance?

    Conqueror
    Free Member

    Conqueror- what are you looking to achieve? Why the upperbody requirement?

    I’d like to be the other way round IMO. Never had a problem building up upperbody strength however never really had need for it as I’ve always worn tshirts in summer etc and have no truck with showing ‘muscles’.

    If you want upperbody strength purely to help with stability/on the bike then 20 pressups aday, 20 shoulder-press with dumbells, 20 arm curls, 20 lat raises with dumbells, then 50 situps.

    Everyday. What I mean by medium weight is not too heavy but not too light either- just enough so you can feel it.

    After a few weeks you’ll feel different. If you want to build up I still recommend starting like this otherwise you’ll have sprains/strains etc.

    Be happy in your own skin at the end of the day.

    I’d love stronger legs!

    Im at 6ft4 roughly – don’t know exactly need to measure. Got strong legs, but really quite under developed arm muscles. Amongst other people I find abit odd. So yeah its partly a vanity thing perhaps (like if I’m wearing a t shirt people can see those skinny arms), but also a practical thing, when I lift stuff I’m just not as strong as I’d like to be. My brother and dad are both noticably stronger.

    SurroundedByZulus
    Free Member

    franco – look in the other strength thread i put my answer in there.

    haggis1978
    Full Member

    check out http://www.crossfit.com takes a bit of getting used to the terminology but it basically involves lots of compound exercises which work multiple muscle groups over short periods of time ie 20-30mins intensive sessions and plenty of them include body weight exercises that you can perform in your home. New workouts routines are uploaded each day on their forum each day so no need to think about making it up yourself

    partickbateman
    Free Member

    This is excellent stuff guys, thanks very much. 5thElefant winning so far as I like the sound of 3 days a week. Don’t want to overdo it now 🙂 Will be checking out the links too.

    Come Morzine I will be a rippling beefcake, riding God and sick to the MAX.

    davidtaylforth
    Free Member

    Dunno whether I’d bother listening to half the people on here, they dont have a clue.

    All they know of strength and fitness is having a stroll on a treadmill in a nice, warm, cosey gym on a cold winters evening. Its not the way to do it if you want to build strength and fitness. Gyms are great place to go if your incredibly vain and want to get the “toned” look. However, this isnt real world strength, its just a look and its not going to help you at all when your out in sub zero temperatures on a wet, muddy mountain side.

    Look at all the greats:- Sir Edmund Hillary, Clint Eastwood and George Foreman to name but a few. You wouldnt catch them in a nice, warm, cosey gym. Strength and fitness is earned through hard, physical graft.

    My favoured technique through winter is to spend 4 nights a week putting up stone walls on a local farm. I usually pack a rucksack with my tools and clothes and a bit of bait and then run the 10 miles to the farm (can be further if Im working on the fells). Spend the next four and a half hours drystone walling then run back. On a friday night I’ll usually take a bivvy bag and sleep “in the field” over night so I can get an early start on the saturday morning.

    I’ve never been beaten up a hill by anyone at my local trail centre

    partickbateman
    Free Member

    Funny that, Clint was saying the exact same thing when we were drystonewalling on the top of Ben Nevis last Saturday night. 😉

    DrP
    Full Member

    ^^^ I so hope this is true!!
    In a similar vain, if I have an event coming up, I simply climb the fence at the zoo and spar with the Polar Bears.

    DrP

    franciscobegbie
    Free Member

    In a similar vain, if I have an event coming up, I simply climb the fence at the zoo and spar with the Polar Bears.

    This is how I prepare for Judo tournaments.

    wellhung
    Free Member

    Clint Eastwood that well known….Actor?roflmao

    ianv
    Free Member

    I find that the trouble with sparring polar bears is that it works neither my core nor my power endurance, couple of slaps and they are usually down. I suppose once they are unconscious I could try chucking them twelve foot in the air like my dad used to do with haystacks but I do worry what that might do to my discs. Probably best to leave it and go for a swim with the penguins instead.

    paul4stones
    Full Member

    in a similar vain

    You’d think a Dr would know about veins/vains wouldn’t you.;-)

    Shandy
    Free Member

    That bikejames site looks really interesting. I do free weights, kettlebells and a bit of core training twice a week, I will start doing some circuits in the Spring as well. Doing upper body weights to relieve arm pump is slightly counter-intuitive, as the harder you grip the bars, the worse it will get. If you do some all-round conditioning and concentrate on staying nice and balanced on the bike with as much weight as possible on your feet you will probably see a decent improvement.

    TurnerGuy
    Free Member

    I bought this setup which I can use at home whilst watching tv and fits into the requirements of 30 minutes every couple of days:

    A chinup bar, the POWERBAR:

    http://www.v-tapershaper.com/barsaccessories.html

    the pullup assist straps:

    http://www.v-tapershaper.com/vtschinpullupassist.html

    which let you offset your body weight so you can do a set of 10 reps to failure, or whatever.

    and these straps that hang off the bar:

    http://www.v-tapershaper.com/flexstraps/powerflexbodyweightgym.html

    and let you do different types of press-up and lat pull-ups.

    I also bought the TRX system but don’t have enough space for it.

    I start with two sets of press-ups using the straps, then two sets of chinups for the three positions of palms away and hands at shoulder width, palms away and hands wide, and then palms towards and palms at shoulder width. Then I finish with some lateral pullups.

    The suspension of the straps means that your core muscles work to keep you stable. You vary the angle of yoour body lean into the straps to get a harder work out.

    It seems very effective for me.

    Their site also do kettlebells.

    soobalias
    Free Member

    For just $37 you can start becoming a better biker TODAY with this revolutionary workout.

    that has to rate as the funniest link anyone has ever posted on stw.

Viewing 40 posts - 41 through 80 (of 80 total)

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