Elliptical and exercise bike every day, but weak walking

[H8t3rs]

OP,

Try mixing it up because our bodies are amazing in regard to adaptation. As an example, my favorite workout is the run or airbike, row and ride day (mix it up!). That is full body cardio session, fun though!

Also, I think you might be getting winded because you need more hills in your routine. Walk up or run up a hill once a week.

Finally consider muscle imbalance as reason for your pain. Again, mix it up!

[grad_student200]

Originally Posted by Sand&Salt

I am just so mystified about this conundrum. In my house, I have an elliptical and an exercise bike. I do half an hour on both every day. I adjust it to as difficult as I'm able.

We don't generally take walks like we used to because I've developed a sun allergy and it's too hot to cover up.

Now we are vacationing where it's cooler so we are walking. It's .7 mile to the train station and I get so winded and weak I can barely make it. My joints and muscles hurt. Slightest uphill and I'm gasping. I used to walk and hike for miles so this is a real shock to me, and so discouraging because I do my exercises without fail.

How can the 2 machines not translate to walking? I don't get it. So frustrated!

What professional could I ask about this? A sports medicine person, or what. This is just so weird.

I use both the elliptical machine and exercise bike very frequently. If you want indoor cardio equipment to maintain outdoor running or hiking, then the solution I found is to do the following.

About 1-3 times per week:
* Do the hardest bike ride possible for 30 minutes (level 17-19 for me on the Life fitness or True machines).
* Then, immediately after the bike ride do a treadmill run as hard as you can for about 30 minutes.
* After the treadmill run, do squats, toe raises with weights (I just use dumbells), and situp/abominal exercise.
* On occasions, after the treadmill run of 30 minutes, bring in 5 or 10 lb leg weights and walk a few minutes on the treadmill uphill at a high angle (but slowly so that there is not a calf injury).
* Do jumping jacks at an isolated spot with the leg weights.

The regimen above kept me below 2 hours on the half marathon even though I didn't do that much long-distance running. That gets close to the PR for me in middle age as a slow heavy guy with a bodybuild of a college football linebacker. There is something about the combination of a fierce bike ride and subsequent 30 minutes of hard running on the treadmill that really amplifies the gain as opposed to running outdoors for the same amount of time. Add the weight lifting and leg weights (carefully to avoid injury), then you should be good.

But you don't have to do the 30 minutes on the treadmill after the bike ride. Even just a jog of 1 mile after the bike ride on the treadmill would make a world of difference once you go back outdoors for a hard run or hike.