Double Your Fitness

Bicycling

Bicycling

Come full cycle:  To be a better bicyclist, you need a strong upper body.  Build one with bench presses for your chest and lat pull down for your back.

A step by step guide to 10 cross-training workouts that’ll make you a stronger cyclist, runner or weight lifter.

When beginning story on cross-training, it helps to involve the middle class tax cut. Why?  Because this winter, as 1996 presidential candidates begin sucker-punching their way across America each of them will doubtlessly month the word “tax cut for the middle class” as if he knows what he’s talking about.  – Men’s Health

Visual source:  marin

The At-Home Workout (2 of 2)

■ Chest

Slow Count Pushup: place two heavy dumbbells on the floor slightly more than shoulder-width apart. Lie facedown between the dumbbells with your legs straight behind you, toes, on the floor, heels up. Tilt your chin toward your chest to align your neck with the rest of your spine. Bend your elbows and grasp a dumbbell handle in each hand. Straighten your arms and push your body up. From this position, bend your elbows slightly to lower yourself a few inches, then stop. Bend your elbows a little more to lower yourself a few more inches, then stop again. Repeat this two more times until you have lowered yourself to the starting position. Tighten your abdominal muscles as you do the exercise so your lower back doesn’t sag.

■ Back

Double Arm Pullover: Lie face up on the bench with your feel hip-width apart on the floor. Hold a light dumbbell in each hand, palms facing each other. Raise your arms so the weights are suspended over your shoulder. Moving from your shoulders, not your elbows, lower the weights in an arc-like path behind you until your elbows are at eye level. Hold until you feel a slight stretch, then raise the weights to the starting position. Don’t arch your back.

■ Shoulder

Salute: Grasping a dumbbell in each hand, palms facing inward, stand straight with your feet hip-width apart. Keeping your right arm straight, elbow unlocked, raise your right arm in front of you until it is at shoulder height, with the weight even with the middle of your chest. Slowly lower your arm. Alternate right and left arms until you complete the set.

■ Triceps

Lying Triceps Extension: Lie face up on a weight bench. Bend your knees and place your feet flat on the bench. Grasp a dumbbell in each hand and lift your arms so the weights are directly above your shoulders. Your palms should be facing inward; your elbows straight but relaxed. Keeping your upper arms still and your wrists in line with your forearms, bend your elbows until the weights are near your ears. Hold briefly, then extend the weights back to starting position. – Liz Neporent

The GYM Workout (3)

■ Chest

Range-Limited Bench Press:  Lie on the flat bench with a rolled towel across your chest.  Grip a barbell so your upper arms are parallel to the floor and your forearms are not quite perpendicular to it.  Plant your feet squarely on the floor and tighten your abdominal muscles.  Lift the bar off the stanchions, then slowly lower it towards your chest.  As soon as you feel the bar lightly touch the towel. Push the weight up until your arms are almost fully extended.  Repeat.

■ Buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings

Wide-Stance Leg Press:  Lie on your back in the leg-press machine with your feet slightly more than hip-width apart and your toes and knees angled outward about 45 degrees.  Bend your knees and lower the weight until your thigh are almost parallel with the foot platform.  Now use your heels to lift the weight.  Push upward until your knees are almost straight.  Once you reach the top of the movement, bend your knees again and lower to the starting position.

■ Back

Front Pull-Down:  Grip the pull-down bar so your hands are slightly more than shoulder-width apart.  Sit, wedging the center of your thighs snugly under the leg pads.  In a fluids, even motion, pull the bar down past your face until it reaches the top of your chest, and squeeze your shoulder blades together as you pull.  Hold for a moment, then allow the weight to slowly pull your arms up. - Liz Neporent