Exercise

I would suggest Yoga. If you are persistent it will make you
stronger and more flexible. I like the book "Power Yoga" by
Birch. All you need is a floor (and a carpet or mat for some
exercises).

Paul

"Thad O" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A while ago i would go to a gym, but gave up because the
gym was too far away ( I spent more time driving than
exercising ). unfortunately there is no gym that is close
by. What's worse is that I don't have room for any kind of
equipment ( I don't have romm for the stuff I already
have, like my books ). Even if I did, I live in an
apartment, so something like a stairmaster is out because
of the noise.

Aside from that outside the gym, the exercising I do tends
to be uneven. What I would like to do is make a regiment (
actually two so that if for some reason I can't do one, I
can do the other ), which increases my flexibility and
general strenth so that I can do my main exercises (
wlaking with a heavy backpack and bicycling ) for longer.

For example, when bicycling for a while my trapezium get
sore. So I need to get in some exercises that increase
strenth there. Flexibilty at this point is very bad too.

In particular I wish to strenthen the secondary and
tertiary muscles used to support these activitys,
especially to make up for over development of the
principle muscles.

So can anyone recommend some good website/books that will
allow me to do this? Thanks

In article <[email hidden]>,

Thad O said:

Aside from that outside the gym, the exercising I do tends
to be uneven. What I would like to do is make a regiment (
actually two so that if for some reason I can't do one, I
can do the other ), which increases my flexibility and
general strenth so that I can do my main exercises (
wlaking with a heavy backpack and bicycling ) for longer.

For example, when bicycling for a while my trapezium get
sore. So I need to get in some exercises that increase
strenth there. Flexibilty at this point is very bad too.

Not knowing what a trapezium was I went and looked it up, it
is apparently a bone in your hand. I assume you mean
trapezius instead.

Lack of development of trapezius muscles should not affect
your cycling very much, especially if you ride on the road.
Before you lay on a bunch of upper-body strength work, I
would focus on bike fit and flexibility. Any flexibility
regimen that you actually stick to will probably work -
yoga, stretching, whatever.

Bike fitting is a service that you pay for from a qualified
fitter. Bike fit is not what you get when a pimply teenager
in a bike shop has you stand over a bike for 2 seconds and
pronounces it your size. If you are not sure where to go
for it, start by asking a cycling coach or other
knowledgeable riders in a local club. You can also get fit
by mail if no better option exists (eg, wobblenaught.com).
But for people with bike fit problems, actually talking to
an experienced fitter and letting them see you on the bike
can yield better results.

Quoted message said:

In particular I wish to strenthen the secondary and
tertiary muscles used to support these activitys,
especially to make up for over development of the
principle muscles.

I suggest not worrying too much about the upper body
exercises if your goal is to ride. Focusing on flexibility
(stretching) and core exercises (eg, ab crunches and back
extensions) should be enough for a typical recreational
cyclist. In my experience upper back/neck/shoulder pain in
otherwise healthy cyclists is usually a matter of bike fit
or failure to relax on the bike. Excessive reach and
"handlebar death-grip" are likely culprits. If you are tense
on the bike you'll need to learn to periodically check your
body as you ride, feel your hands, arms, shoulders, neck and
relax. Recheck frequently, this is something you can learn
to do as second nature, like thinking about hot spots on
your feet when hiking.

Obviously your upper body condition is more relevant to
hiking, but I think you still won't go wrong by focusing
first on core and flexibility. Also, if hiking is
uncomfortable, the first thing to do is lighten your load
and get more miles in with less weight. You can learn a lot
from Ray Jardine even if you don't like to sleep in a pile
of leaves. :-)

You really do not need ANY equipment to do core and
flexibility exercises.

--Paul

"Thad O" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A while ago i would go to a gym, but gave up because the
gym was too far away ( I spent more time driving than
exercising ). unfortunately there is no gym that is close
by. What's worse is that I don't have room for any kind of
equipment ( I don't have romm for the stuff I already
have, like my books ). Even if I did, I live in an
apartment, so something like a stairmaster is out because
of the noise.

Aside from that outside the gym, the exercising I do tends
to be uneven. What I would like to do is make a regiment (
actually two so that if for some reason I can't do one, I
can do the other ), which increases my flexibility and
general strenth so that I can do my main exercises (
wlaking with a heavy backpack and bicycling ) for longer.

For example, when bicycling for a while my trapezium get
sore. So I need to get in some exercises that increase
strenth there. Flexibilty at this point is very bad too.

In particular I wish to strenthen the secondary and
tertiary muscles used to support these activitys,
especially to make up for over development of the
principle muscles.

So can anyone recommend some good website/books that will
allow me to do this?

I recommend any books by Joyce Vedral. I have the 12 Minute
Workout. It recommends plenty of exercises that can be done
with a pair of lightweight dumbbells. I have several sets of
dumbbells in assorted sizes. These are great because you can
easily switch from one weight to another very quickly. But
they do take up a little space. I then got a set of
dumbbells with removable weights. They take up a little less
space. If you haven't got the space for even those things,
buy one of those stretchy exercise bands. It takes up very
little space, or you can even drape it over the back of a
chair or some such thing.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

"Paul" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I would suggest Yoga. If you are persistent it will make
you stronger and more flexible. I like the book "Power
Yoga" by Birch. All you need is a floor (and a carpet or
mat for some exercises).

A person who isn't very flexible might need Yoga blocks and
a strap. I can do some positions without them, but need them
for many others.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Thad O said:

Even if I did, I live in an apartment, so something like a
stairmaster is out because of the noise.

If it's not a ground-level apartment, you've got a built-in
stairmaster.
--
Rick Onanian

On Fri, 12 Mar 2004 12:21:30 GMT, Thad O <[email hidden]>

from Allegiance Internet - Greenbelt said:

Aside from that outside the gym, the exercising I do tends
to be uneven. What I would like to do is make a regiment (
actually two so that if for some reason I can't do one, I
can do the other ), which increases my flexibility and
general strenth so that I can do my main exercises (
wlaking with a heavy backpack and bicycling ) for longer.

Yoga.

No equipment needed.

--
[email hidden]
Imagine the piece as a set of disconnected events.
73

Thad olczyk wrote in part:

<< For example, when bicycling for a while my trapezium get
sore. So I need to get in some exercises that increase
strenth there. Flexibilty at this point is very bad too. >>

You got it all wrong man. It's not lack of strength that
is your real problem, but lack of endurance that's killin'
ya. Your back and neck muscles just get tired out after a
while. Best thing to fix that is to go on several long
rides and before too long your muscles will adapt, and the
pain will go away. (This is assuming that your bike fits
you reasonably well, and that you are properly hydrated
and fueled.)

Also can't hurt to relax your grip and consciously relax
your upper body whie riding, get a pull-up bar, and do some
dips, but none of this will solve your endurance problem.

Robert

Try Pilates.
"Thad O" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A while ago i would go to a gym, but gave up because the
gym was too far away ( I spent more time driving than
exercising ). unfortunately there is no gym that is close
by. What's worse is that I don't have room for any kind of
equipment ( I don't have romm for the stuff I already
have, like my books ). Even if I did, I live in an
apartment, so something like a stairmaster is out because
of the noise.

Aside from that outside the gym, the exercising I do tends
to be uneven. What I would like to do is make a regiment (
actually two so that if for some reason I can't do one, I
can do the other ), which increases my flexibility and
general strenth so that I can do my main exercises (
wlaking with a heavy backpack and bicycling ) for longer.

For example, when bicycling for a while my trapezium get
sore. So I need to get in some exercises that increase
strenth there. Flexibilty at this point is very bad too.

In particular I wish to strenthen the secondary and
tertiary muscles used to support these activitys,
especially to make up for over development of the
principle muscles.

So can anyone recommend some good website/books that will
allow me to do this? Thanks

A while ago I asking for help in designing in an exercise
program. The responses ranged from awful to OK with nothing
really great. Some of the responses raised more questions.
So I thought I would repost my question. Clarifying it, and
expanding on it.

I've also added misc.fitness.misc. After looking at the
answers to the questions, I realized that while the diabetes
and bicycling were a good place to ask my question, alone
they were not able to provide an overall perspective which I
believe this group can provide.

But before I go on, there were a few answers which were...
well stupid. I'm tired of the people who post things which
are wrong ( in this case some were plain dangerous ). I
guess some guys have to make up for other... shortcomings,
by pulling a Cliff Claven act. So, before I get to my
question I am going to call those people on their stupidity.
For those who want to skip ahead, I will be marking the end
of this part by <===========>.

Of the stupid claims, probably the most stupid claim is that
climbing stairs is the same exercise as using a stairmaster.
Aside from the fact that stairclimbing alone is not going to
promote *all around* fitness ( thus not answering my
question, just some garbage someone spews to show how
*smart* they are ), stairs are not the same as a ( high
quality ) stairmaster. Any orthopedist will tell you that
stairs produce much more wear and tear on the knees. Given
that bicycling can also create lots of wear and tear on the
knees ( mostly for people whose knees are already in bad
shape ), this advice was especially stupid. Hopefully people
googling the original post will realize just how stupid
these poster are, before they blow out their knees.

The other stupid claim contends that upper body conditioning
is not useful in bicycling. Two arguments were used to
explain my upper body fatigue (when riding): gripping the
handlebars too tightly and a poor bicycle fit. Both stupid
for simple reasons.

Frankly I know that the fit if my bike is not as good as it
could be, because my body is misproportioned. But it is as
good as it is going to get ( mainly because I don't have the
time to get a custom fit ). I bought it from Turin Cycling,
one of the premier bicycling shops in the Chicagoland area.
They know how to fit a bike. I've been riding for 30 years.
I know how to fit a bike. Just before I bought the bike I
reviewed books and articles on fitting bikes to make sure
that I remembered things right.

As for gripping handlebars too tightly; I've been cycling
for thirty years. I know how to grip a bike. Not only do I
have all my experience ( once again 30 years ), but in that
time I did a lot of reading, talking to other cyclists, etc
to improve my form. From the way I have ridden in the past,
it seemed like I pretty much had it down, being able to
outride ( both in speed and distance ) most of my friends.

Fact is that bicycling requires but does not create upper
body strength. I checked out several books and they all
agree on this point. These books range from publications by
"Bicycling" to Eugene Sloane's "Complete Book of Bicycling".
The books are quite specific, the lion's share of your
weight is carried by your arms. Can't remember the number
that they gave as a percentage, but I would say that at
least 60% of your weight is on your arms. ( For those who
don't know, but are curious, that's because the more weight
on your butt the more impediment there is to smooth
pedalling. I know not a lot, but how much do you gain by
shaving your legs? )

In the end, I believe that the idiots that put this forward,
are just plain lazy and don't want to do any upper body
conditioning. So instead they make excuses about why it's
not necessary. Even to those who are willing to do it.

<===========>

My question(s):

I used to go to a gym, but it turned out that I spent more
time driving to and fro then I did in the gym. Checking
the situation out, there are no gyms which are
conveniently located. I live in a group environment, so
noisy equipment is out, and since I have very very little
room ( not enough free room to do an exercise video ) a
lot of equipment is out.

On top of that, the last few years have been rough
healthwise so I need to basically start from the bottom. In
particular, I want to build up to the point where I can do
much more serious cycling again. Like going out and doing a
century ( which means 100 miles in one day/trip ).

Another thing that I am looking for is balance (and
comprehensiveness). In the past I've eschewed balance and it
cost me. Ignore the Achilles's tendon and cause calf
problems. Ignore the ILTB ( though I really don't know how
to not ignore
it ) and wind up with knee problems. So I'm looking for a
workout that will develop me in a balanced way.

To quote one book: "Fitness is many things to many
people. To us you are as fit as the weakest link in your
fitness chain."

I gotten to the point where you have a rough idea of what I
want. Let me now state the main question that I am asking.

*** Can people recommend books/web sites/anything else that
will help me design an exercise plan that meets the above
criteria, plus a few other things below. ***

The things I expect such a plan to do is to enable me to
build up suppleness/flexibility, strength and endurance.

It should allow me to miss a few days.( As few as possible,
but when you get older, there are these things called
jobs...) It should also allow substitutions of exercises, (
So if I can't do exercise 1 to work on a bicep because of
injury, I do exercise 29 instead. ) and create rotations (
where some muscles are given a rest on some days ) so that I
don't overexercise.

So now a few questions/comments on some of the more positive
things that came from my original post.

While I don't disagree with the general idea of doing Yoga,
it seems much of the time the exercises are just thrown out.
I'm looking for a plan ( comprehensive workout/with a good
rotation of exercises ). I suspect Tai Chi might be better
for me though.

Someone suggested I get weights ( 1 -10 lbs ) or
"straps"/bands. Can someone talk about the
advantages/disadvantages of weights vs bands? For weights,
which are preferable dumbells type weights, or the kind that
attach to your wrist/ankles?

A final comment. Someone recommended books written by Joyce
Vendral. I've checked out a couple in the library, and they
seem to be more focused to women. Also I'm a little put off
by the way she spammed some of her books on Amazon.

Thanks.

Quoted message said:

As for gripping handlebars too tightly; I've been cycling
for thirty years. I know how to grip a bike.

Maybe not. Possibly you could grip less and ride more.

I've found it easy to ride a bicycle.

Sure, I was not smooth at first. But time marched on.

Eventually I reached my current level of perfection.

--

_______________________ALL AMIGA IN MY
MIND_______________________ ------------------"Buddy Holly,
the Texas Elvis"------------------ __________306.350.357.38-

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

[email hidden]__________

Generally, advice you get on a news group is worth exactly
what you paid for
it.

If it happens to be worth more, you are in luck. Usually on
this NG that is the case. Your job is to sort through the
advice given and find what applies to you, ignoring what you
think is not correct. So, why are you then berating a group
of folks who tried to help you?

How about your going to a sports trainer and actually paying
for advice?

That way you will think the advice to be of a great
deal of value!

members.aol.comfoxcondorsrvtnsOpen ↗ (Colorado
rental condo)

members.aol.comdnvrfoxOpen ↗ (Family Web Page)

Quoted message said:

Given that bicycling can also create lots of wear and tear
on the knees

Really? From my own experience and people I have talked to
and my reading, bicycling done properly is very knee
friendly. I have even had friends with knee injuries whose
rehabilitation featured cycling as a way of building up the
knees. Sure you can beat up your knees cycling, if you push
really big gears or something, but normally no.

Quoted message said:

The other stupid claim contends that upper body
conditioning is not useful in bicycling. Two arguments were
used to explain my upper body fatigue (when riding):

Well upper body conditioning is useful I suppose, but
cycling does not really require much there. I have ridden
plenty of centuries and I have never had any upper body
fatigue from cycling. Now my lats do come into play some
when I climb hills, but that is about it. Doing a few lat
pulldowns or one armed rows would almost certainly meet any
requirement there.

Quoted message said:

The books are quite specific, the lion's share of your
weight is carried by your arms. Can't remember the number
that they gave as a percentage, but I would say that at
least 60%

I have heard the other way around 40% arms and 60% legs and
rear. For many people, who ride with handle bars a little
high I would think the mix would be 20%/80% or even more.

Quoted message said:

but how much do you gain by shaving your legs?

I have read and heard that the leg shaving benefit is not
for aerodynamics. If one crashes and gets road rash, it is
far easier to clean and bandage the wound if you don't have
a lot of hair all over the place. Racers, who generally have
road rash in various stages of healing, tend to routinely
shave their legs for this reason.

Quoted message said:

In the end, I believe that the idiots that put this
forward, are just plain lazy and don't want to do any upper
body conditioning.

Well, calling people idiots is not the greatest way to get
help is it? It strikes me as being counterproductive.

As you know from above, I don't think cycling requires much
upper body conditioning. But having a body that is in some
kind of shape is nice. Cycling isn't going to help upper
body conditioning. What I do is a weight lifting routine to
work on the major upper body muscle groups and on the
abdominals. It isn't rocket science to come up with
something.

Quoted message said:

Another thing that I am looking for is balance (and
comprehensiveness)

It stikes me that you have some pretty specific needs and
you can either hire a trainer to tailor a program for you or
you can do the research and cook up your own. I doubt that I
have the information about you to even know what to suggest.
Plus, given the fact that you seem to regard people who give
you advice that you are not impressed with "idiots", well I
doubt that even if I came up with the perfect program for
you that you would appreciate it.

Good luck by the way.

(Pbwalther) said:

Really? From my own experience and people I have talked to
and my reading, bicycling done properly is very knee
friendly. I have even had friends with knee injuries whose
rehabilitation featured cycling as a way of building up the
knees. Sure you can beat up your knees cycling, if you push
really big gears or something, but normally no.

Agreed. I have a knee that has a fair amount of damage to
it, but bicycling is given the all clear. Torn meniscus
(sp?), prearthritic spot, small foreign object behind knee
cap, etc., but no problem on the bike. OTOH when I asked if
I could play soccer, the MD said he was of mixed emotions.
On one hand, he could use the income...

Curtis L. Russell Odenton, MD (USA) Just someone on
two wheels...

"Curtis L. Russell" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 18 Jun 2004 13:41:39 GMT, [email hidden]

(Pbwalther) said:

Really? From my own experience and people I have talked
to and my

reading,

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

bicycling done properly is very knee friendly. I have
even had friends

with

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

knee injuries whose rehabilitation featured cycling as a
way of building

up the

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

knees. Sure you can beat up your knees cycling, if you
push really big

gears

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

or something, but normally no.

Agreed. I have a knee that has a fair amount of damage to
it, but bicycling is given the all clear. Torn meniscus
(sp?), prearthritic spot, small foreign object behind knee
cap, etc., but no problem on the bike. OTOH when I asked
if I could play soccer, the MD said he was of mixed
emotions. On one hand, he could use the income...

I used to use my bicycle as my only form of mobility when
I would hurt my knees playing soccer. Ride the kids to
school instead of driving and walking them in. Ride to
errands instead of walk. Knees got better faster, and I
hobbled less. Now that I gave up soccer bicycling keeps my
knees in shape for tennis. Knees seems a bit sore, start
riding more...

(Pbwalther) said:

Quoted message said:

Given that bicycling can also create lots of wear and tear
on the knees

Really? From my own experience and people I have talked to
and my reading, bicycling done properly is very knee
friendly. I have even had friends with knee injuries whose
rehabilitation featured cycling as a way of building up
the knees.

I can chip in and say biking can also rehab the hip(s). I've
had a hip injury for several years and the biking has helped
immensely, not only in the long run, but also per session.

-B

The best excercise for building up endurance on a bike is to
ride the bike!

I am out of shape, and I can think of a bunch more excuses
for being in this sorry shape - when infact its just a
matter of doing and being motivated.

Walking - get your arms moving! Excercising, - move the
couch out of the way - involve your group if you have to. I
tried a pilates video - wow - it excercised muscles that I
didn't even know I had.

So, get motivated and just do it! Movement is important!

take care Liz

Thad O said:

I used to go to a gym, but it turned out that I spent more
time driving to and fro then I did in the gym. Checking
the situation out, there are no gyms which are
conveniently located. I live in a group environment, so
noisy equipment is out, and since I have very very little
room ( not enough free room to do an exercise video ) a
lot of equipment is out.

On top of that, the last few years have been rough
healthwise so I need to basically start from the bottom. In
particular, I want to build up to the point where I can do
much more serious cycling again. Like going out and doing a
century ( which means 100 miles in one day/trip ).

"Thad O" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

<snip>

Quoted message said:

The things I expect such a plan to do is to enable me to
build up suppleness/flexibility, strength and endurance.

While I can't address your other questions, I can answer som
of those below. Joyce Vedral puts out some good books for
using weights. One is called "The 12 Minute Total Body
Workout". The exercises use light weights and techniques
that really work your muscles hard!

Quoted message said:

It should allow me to miss a few days.( As few as
possible, but when you get older, there are these things
called jobs...) It should also allow substitutions of
exercises, ( So if I can't do exercise 1 to work on a
bicep because of injury, I do exercise 29 instead. ) and
create rotations ( where some muscles are given a rest on
some days ) so that I don't overexercise.

The above book will do just that. You will be working
different parts of the body each day.

Quoted message said:

So now a few questions/comments on some of the more
positive things that came from my original post.

While I don't disagree with the general idea of doing
Yoga, it seems much of the time the exercises are just
thrown out. I'm looking for a plan ( comprehensive
workout/with a good rotation of exercises ). I suspect Tai
Chi might be better for me though.

I haven't done Tai Chi. I do some Yoga, but mainly because
the particular stretches/poses seem to help me.

Quoted message said:

Someone suggested I get weights ( 1 -10 lbs ) or
"straps"/bands. Can someone talk about the
advantages/disadvantages of weights vs bands? For weights,
which are preferable dumbells type weights, or the kind
that attach to your wrist/ankles?

I wouldn't advise wrist weights. I think they'd do nothing
more than strain your wrists. Dumbells can be used in a
variety of ways to work the arms, chest, shoulders and back.
They can also be used for some leg exercises if you are
adept enough. I am not that adept and prefer the ankle
weights. Ankle weights are useful for leg lifts. I wouldn't
advise walking around with them on, which is what many
people think is the thing to do. For some reason, they think
that by strapping these things on, they can go about their
day and get added excerise. What they are really doing is
just risking injury to their ankles. To use these weights
(or any weights) properly, form is very important. Not only
can the wrong form cause injury, but you might not be
working the muscles you intend to be working if you don't do
the exercise properly.

I have a variety of weights. I started with a pair of 3
pound dumbbells and worked up to 10 pound ones. Those got
too easy for me. I then bought a set of dumbells with
removeable discs and bought additional disks so I can keep
adding more weight as needed. Now technically, you can do a
variety of exercises, adding or removing the weights as
needed, but it's a pain to do and time consuming. For that
reason, I also keep my lighter weights handy. I find that I
can use pretty heavy weights for biceps curls, but not as
heavy for triceps kickbacks, and for shoulder exercises, I
need lighter still.

I have several pairs of ankle weights. I started with light
ones, but quickly outgrew them. I bought heavier ones, but
over the years have acquied additional sets, mainly because
they were purchased while I was on vacation. I try not to
travel with the weights, but sometimes I need them and was
forced to buy them to give my bad knee some relief. So now,
when I need to up the amount of weight I'm using, I simply
add more weights to my legs, or hook additional weights to
the ones I have on.

Exercise bands are great for travel because they're small
and lightweight. I also use mine at home occasionally
because they seem to work the muscles in a slightly
different way than weights do and seeminly simple exercies
with them can really challenge the muscles! The main
drawback with the bands is that as you grow stronger, you'll
need stronger and stronger bands, so your muscles remain
challenged. I found this to be true with the weights as
well. But if you get the weights where you can add discs,
you can up the weight inexpensively. The bands are a little
more costly, and wear out much quicker than weights will.
Actually weights are pretty indestructable. I've had mine
for many years. My mom's had a little accident though. She
had the plastic dumbells filled with sand, and one of my
friends dropped one. It landed on the end on a tile floor
and some sand leaked out. So while this type *can* sustain
damage, it's not likely. My daughter has the cushy kind that
are metal, covered with a comfortable foam. Or you can get
the el cheapo iron ones. I can't imagine how you could
damage those! With weights, the sky's the limit when it
comes to increasing the weight. With exercise bands, you can
only get so much resistance. You can get stronger and
stronger bands, but you'll eventually top out and not be
able to get any more of a challenge to the muscles.

Quoted message said:

A final comment. Someone recommended books written by
Joyce Vendral. I've checked out a couple in the library,
and they seem to be more focused to women. Also I'm a
little put off by the way she spammed some of her books
on Amazon.

That was me. And I recommended the book again. Yes, the
books are focused on women because she *is* a woman. But my
husband also uses her techniques, using heavier weights. And
how could you spam books on Amazon? Amazon sells books,
among other things.

--
Type 2 users.bestweb.net~jboveOpen ↗

Why don't you just ante up & pay for a couple of consults
with a p.t. &/or athletic trainer. You have very particular
requirements & likes & dislikes & probably won't be
satisfied with anything you can cobble together from books
or web sites. bj

"Thad O" <[email hidden]> wrote in
message "]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

A while ago I asking for help in designing in an exercise
program. The responses ranged from awful to OK with
nothing really great. Some of the responses raised more
questions. So I thought I would repost my question.
Clarifying it, and expanding on it. .....

"Julie Bove" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

weights, the sky's the limit when it comes to increasing
the weight. With

exercise bands, you can only get so much resistance. You
can get stronger and stronger bands, but you'll eventually
top out and not be able to get any more of a challenge to
the muscles.

Quoted message said:

True, the bands only go so "high" in resistance, but you can
double up on them, and also they get more resisty as they
are stretched. I've done both, to get tweaks on the
resistance I need for a particular exercise. bj