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I just started going again about 3 weeks ago. I don't really dig the atmosphere so much but once i get out of my head and start working it feels damn good. I also do hatha yoga a few days a week too. I can't get down with a cardio machine, I run outside on and off regardless of the weather and ride my bike as well.
Really, if you can ride like 20 or 30 miles a day on a bike four or 5 days a week, especially a track/fixed gear, your entire body will get worked harder than from what can go down at the gym.
Including all those muscles you don't use when riding a bike?
sarcasm should be educated anyways. when was the last time you consistently rode a bike?
ride a fixed gear, fuck even a single speed, and you're working the whole body. legs, abs, chest, arms, shoulders, back. You can't stop pedaling on a fixed gear- there is no coasting- you will be pedaling the entire time you are riding. Uphill, downhill, flat, wherever. This means that you have to use your legs to control the rotations of the crank or how often the pedals go around. If you're bombing down a hill you've got to use hella power in from your upper legs to keep that shit in check otherwise you'll lose control and if your feet come out of the cage, there's no going back in. Because you can't switch gears to help getting up even a slight incline you've got to get out of the saddle and use upper body leverage (that's why a lot of cats riding fixies have reverse drop bars or bull horn bars, there's something to pull back with), this works your arms, shoulders, chest, abs.
this isn't heavy lifting, but it's working with your own body weight and then some. Riding a bike with gears, which i'm not knocking because i've got a sick Surly Cross Check with a triple ring for touring/camping, isn't so much of a workout. The gears can be used to lessen the amount of energy the body needs to expend, whereas with a fixed gear the ride is mostly dependent on the stamina and strength of the rider.
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I just started going again about 3 weeks ago. I don't really dig the atmosphere so much but once i get out of my head and start working it feels damn good. I also do hatha yoga a few days a week too. I can't get down with a cardio machine, I run outside on and off regardless of the weather and ride my bike as well.
Really, if you can ride like 20 or 30 miles a day on a bike four or 5 days a week, especially a track/fixed gear, your entire body will get worked harder than from what can go down at the gym.
Including all those muscles you don't use when riding a bike?
Unless you're a bike courier or unemployed - no one has the time to ride '20 or 30 miles a day, four or five days a week' on a fixed bike simply for fitness reasons. That's why there's a gym.
how much times does one spend during one session at the gym? including driving there, getting ready, working out, showering, driving home, etc? A good work out and all that is going to take at least 2 hours. Any less than that is a waste.
20 miles can easily be ridden in less than an hour, and again, it's a full body workout.
and
aside from the workout, riding a bike is fun as fuck.