[LyndaW]

Well I'm having one this year and let me tell you it is pretty sweet after a few "eh" years pregnant and having wee babies. My oldest started Kindergarten freeing up a chunk of time to ride and my youngest is sleeping thru the night and wiping her own ... I've finally lost all the baby weight and am getting out riding a ton. Things are great.

So who is having a "wow" year instead of an "eh" year? Let's hear about the wows :thumbsup:

 

[gabrielle]

I am. My husband put me on a weight training program last summer (have I mentioned that before...*coughcough*) and it's given me that extra little oomph I need to get up & over certain obstacles, and I'm riding faster with less effort. At the start of the season I was almost out-riding my bike handling skills, if that makes sense. I'm riding more new stuff this year & riding better overall. *knocks wood that it lasts*

 

[utsnowgirl]

I've had a really fun season so far too. I don't know that I've really had any breakthrough moments, but I've been riding a ton (3-5 days a week). This is my first year in grad school (I work full time too). I was afraid that I would never get to ride, but I've made it a priority.

I've found more women to ride with and I'm on a new bike (Pink Titus MotoLite). I'm also motivated by becoming more fit. I can seriously feel my strength and fitness improve almost every week. I've also had more fun playing around on small jumps and obstacles. My husband has always wanted to build a bike park in our backyard, and I might give in this summer.

 

[stepchild]

I am. My husband put me on a weight training program last summer

What is your weight training program? Do you mind sharing?

I'm finally riding my bike more than once a week and loving it. I feel that as I get stronger and more confident, it gets more fun! I went out and raced short track last night for the first time and WOW, it was tough. And also fun! It was the first time that I felt I really pushed myself as hard biking as I do running.

 

[Shannon-UT]

My wow year was the year I got my new bike in 2003. I never knew that I didn't have to be in pain when I rode! My other bike left me numb and crippled. I rode so much that first year, I lost 20 pounds I didn't knew I had to loose!

Speaking of the training, I just follow those at-home workout routines in Fitness and Women's Health magazines. I switch up my routines (aka use a different magazine) every few weeks after the moves get easy. Is that an effective way to train? I just want to be fit and strong and not ache after doing a new sport, not any big goals or anything. The problem is I'm rather inconsistent.

 

[gabrielle]

What is your weight training program? Do you mind sharing?

I do a 3 or 4-day split. Day 1 is chest & triceps, Day 2 is legs, Day 3 is back & biceps, Day 4 is a very light leg workout or a rest day, depending on what else I'm doing. (I still haven't figured out the nutrition part, so I really watch myself to make sure I'm not overtraining.)

I superset almost all of my exercises - that is, I combine exercises that work the same muscle group to get a more intense workout. e.g. my 1st round of chest exercises is: *(1 set 7 reps pec flys, 1 set 7 reps bench press, 1 set 7 reps decline press) repeat from * 2 more times.

The important things that I got out of working with him are these:
1. Proper form is paramount. (He's a former bodybuilder so he knows what he's doing.) You're not going to get anything out of weight training unless you're using the right muscles. This means sacrificing the desire to lift heavy weights; instead stick with lighter weights & good form until you can handle the weight.
2. It has to be a part of your life, your baseline activities if you want to call them that, like eating & sleeping. In other words: no saying "I don't need to go to the gym because I already rode my bike/did yoga/did something else active." When I made the gym my regular workout instead of my fallback activity, that's when I really started to notice a big difference.
3. You have to change it up. I get bored very easily & I think my muscles get bored too, so every few weeks I introduce new exercises or change the order of things.

I feel that as I get stronger and more confident, it gets more fun!

Yep!

 

[Mrs. Outlaw]

I've been having a great year too! I've been riding way more this year and I'm amazed at how much I've been able to improve just by increasing my riding time. I've also added riding the trainer on my off days to increase my fitness level. My other big thing this year is that I've finally taken the leap and switched to clipless pedals. And it's still early in the biking season!

 

[BetterRide]

Well I'm having one this year and let me tell you it is pretty sweet after a few "eh" years pregnant and having wee babies. My oldest started Kindergarten freeing up a chunk of time to ride and my youngest is sleeping thru the night and wiping her own ... I've finally lost all the baby weight and am getting out riding a ton. Things are great.

So who is having a "wow" year instead of an "eh" year? Let's hear about the wows :thumbsup:

Hey Lynda, that is great to hear! A kid in Kindergarten! It has certainally been a long time since I have seen you. What do you kids think about having such a fast mom? I have heard you have been doing very well in endurance racing.

As for a "wow" year I turned 40 in April and I am having one of my best downhill seasons yet! Just like with snowboarding all of the coaching I have been doing has made me a much better rider. I am having a lot of fun, beating kids half my age and I feel no different than I did when I first turned pro at 29.

Keep up the good work and say hi to Steve,

Gene

 

[Bluebug32]

This year has really rocked for my riding. I've met some fantastic seasoned riders who have kicked my butt to get better and past my little fears that bring me down. I took an actual bike vacation to Kingdom Trails VT and had a blast and I also did my first race. Not bad considering this is only my second season as a mountain biker