Other sports out there...rowers?

Just wanted to test the waters here and see if there are others balancing/juggling sports. Being a rower who is also a cyclist or vice versa, trying to manage workouts is tricky since the muscles and even type of training varies, mainly in length of time. Since I do both year round - outside in the summer and ergs/trainers in the winter, both need to be balanced. Anyone else have this challenge and how do you select workouts? FWIW, I rarely do more than 90 min on the trainer (or erg) so I like the more interval based sessions, they can be longer or shorter - just no sprints :wink:

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I play other sports like squash, badminton and Padel but my primary sport focus is golf. Not very Sufferlandrian I hear you say but … the MTP series and the core strength I’ve gained from following Suf has not only improved my cycling (a given, I expect) but significantly helped my golf - core stability being essential in that respect.

I have rowed on the machine in the gym but usually as a warm up. I had considered attempting to do Suf videos whilst rowing (e.g. Revolver) but couldn’t quite manage it at the time. I may return to that idea when I get back to the gym after my summer holiday.

There are other sports?

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I came to cycling late in life from a strength sports/rugby background. I still play rugby, but struggle to find a balance. For instance my weight, when I competed in weightlifting and played rugby, was around 110kg. That won’t fly as any type of cyclist who wants to climb well…anything. Just now I am sitting around 95kg, which is still heavier than most cyclists.

The one good thing about this is that I hardly break a sweat on workouts like power station. Other workouts not so much

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I like open water swimming. Longest I’ve done is 10k though. I’d like to do further bu you really need to start hiring your own boat and taking a crew at that stage, apart from (I think) there’s a Windemere end to end I should do.
It is part of triathlon, but I find running on the flat quite boring. I’ve done some triathlons, but really I’m a cyclist and swimmer separately.

Mixing open water swimming (frontcrawl) and cycling is a good mix though as they use different muscle groups. Pool swimming isn’t so good as you get cramps from table turning and springing off the ends. Also breast stroke after cycling is a recipe for cramps. The mental thing sucks though. I cannot mentally do two hard sessions in a day. I suspect the mental limitation is common to any combination.

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Played rugby for 20+ years–mostly in the front row–before hanging up the playing boots and picking up the whistle, and I’m still an active referee handling reasonably high level games. At least I was before lockdown. Going out for a socially-distant, non-contact run with the local club tonight to stay in some semblance of rugby shape.

I rode plenty while playing, but the bulk needed to perform wasn’t conducive to being particularly competitive or fast, especially in the hills. So I got away from the bike for many years before picking things back up a month or so ago.

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Raced sailboats competitively for most of my life, and my cycling season always began in late September and would go through the following Spring when it was time to get the boat ready or whatever. Also played hockey thru High School and pick up games into my early/mid 30s. Then all the other endurance activities in water, on two legs, two wheels, or strapped to one board on hard water. Great times, smiling faces!

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