Staying fit while cruising

[Sailor647]

Originally Posted by ed91e

Thanks for the input. I agree that everyday activities is a good way to keep fitness up. But that’s given, I was thinking of best practices for High intensity training. Rowing a dinghy might be good, but you can’t really get your heart rate up since everything is flexing.
Swimming is off course very good if not the best. But damn it’s boring

Swim with a mask and snorkel. It's underwater TV! Never boring.

[De.windhoos]

Originally Posted by ed91e

Anyone who managed to install a rowing machine or a cycle trainer on a cat?
One of our worries is how to keep up with cardio training while cruising

Link an alternator to it and ditch the generator, that way you'll be super motivated

[trimarannaga]

Here is what we do for excetcise: we snorkel without fins. We row even tho we have a 15hp motor on the dinghy. We kayak. I do yoga and use my waterweights in the mornings (aquabells) up on deck and if I really want a cardio hardcore workout I jump rope. I used to have a folding bicycle but the maintenance of it was troublesome, always something breaking or needing adjusting. Now I just walk everywhere. But with the bike, I used to go on serious bicycle.tours and get a good inexpensive vacation and awesome way to explore the countries I have sailed to. 60 to 100 km days on the bicycle were typical.
And, my boyfriend is the windlass.

[roverhi]

Originally Posted by ed91e

I suggest you go back and think why you replied? Was it to help with a suggestion or to convey a message on how great you are?
Pretty pointless to be honest... and a waste of yours and my time /Eddie

And maybe you should rethink why you asked for exercise ideas. Sounds like you are a machine/gym oriented exercise person. He gave you a bunch of ways to get useful exercise actually doing something that is readily available on the boat and even with useful outcomes like rowing a dink instead of pushing the electric start button. Didn't see anything in his response where he bragged about his own physical condition, just ways to get practical exercise. Granted, if you are training for the UltraMan competition you might want to push exercise to the extremes but not many of us take exercise to a full time occupation.

Personally, never had the need to look for additional exercise routines when we were cruising. A totally manual boat, Dinghy without motor, warm water to swim in, shore side hills to explore, and places to walk to got us in the best shape we've ever been including my time as a Highschool wrestler.

[dcstrng]

Originally Posted by mikereed100

At one time I toyed with the idea of hooking up a cycle trainer to an alternator, 2 birds with one stone, but again, found going to such lengths unnecessary...

Interesting -- I'd sketched up a way to work bicycle peddles into running a small water-maker, but regrettably never had a reason to test it... still wonder if it might work reliably...

[letsgetsailing3]

Originally Posted by ed91e

Thanks for the input. I agree that everyday activities is a good way to keep fitness up. But that’s given, I was thinking of best practices for High intensity training. Rowing a dinghy might be good, but you can’t really get your heart rate up since everything is flexing.
Swimming is off course very good if not the best. But damn it’s boring

Give the dinghy thing a try. Or a kayak. Leave off the motor. Choose a dinghy (or kayak) with your goals in mind. What really would make no sense would be to have a rowing machine and then motor to the dock.

[Singularity]

Originally Posted by ed91e

...I was thinking of best practices for High intensity training...

For the supermajority of people simply interested in longevity, remaining independent in old age, and avoiding injuries, "high intensity training" really doesn't make much of any sense. HIT is the realm of the military/police, athletes, people who need exertion for psychological reasons, and people who like such activity. I think that few of these people are in the cruising community (at least during the time of life that they cruise).

To answer your question, a cycle ergometer coupled with a multi-purpose resistance machine (rubber-band type) is about the only equipment I think could be reasonably placed on a boat. Everything else needs to be swimming/rowing or shore-based just like home.

[AndyEss]

Originally Posted by ed91e

I suggest you go back and think why you replied? Was it to help with a suggestion or to convey a message on how great you are?
Pretty pointless to be honest... and a waste of yours and my time /Eddie

If you haven't noticed this is an open forum. You asked a question, which to most cruisers seems pretty pointless (I don't have enough storage space on my boat for all the sails I'd like to fly) while you want recommendations for exercize equipment.
Plenty of ways to exercise on a boat.
And if swimming is too boring an exercise for you, I wonder what the he l l you are doing on a boat?
Go with the flow and deal with the fact that you are asking for free advice - and people will respond as they see fit.

[Copacabana]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Why in the World would you want a rowing machine, when you can row the dinghy?
It’s like these people that buy those exercise cycles with the big screen.
Why not ride a real bike, you know, out in the world, look at real life, not a screen?

Exactly!

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by dcstrng

Interesting -- I'd sketched up a way to work bicycle peddles into running a small water-maker, but regrettably never had a reason to test it... still wonder if it might work reliably...

It would work and should be reliable.
But it would absolutely smoke you to get much water at all.
Assuming a non energy recovery system, just a straight pump up the water to a pressure and feed it to membranes, it takes about 1200 watts to make 30 gls an hour of water.
If that scales, and I think it would be close you might could hold 240 watts or so if your fit for an hour and make 6 gls of water. I probably couldn’t hold more than half that myself as a guess. I’d probably need all I could make to stay hydrated, with a zero net gain

This is where we usually link to this video.

https://youtu.be/S4O5voOCqAQ

[SailRedemption]

He asked a pretty specific question Ina pretty specific section of the forum. If you don't like the idea of a row machine or a cycle machine, or think winching for a few mins vs a HITT workout are similar, or that rowing in a row machine vs a dinghy is the same, I would guess you can't really answer the OPs question. Seems you're trying to force your way of life and exercise to his when that's not what he asked. So while it is an "open forum", it would be much more appreciated by all if people weren't chastised for their question by people who have no interest in actually reading and answering the specific questions asked.

To the OP, their are some smaller, compact row machines on the market but they won't be as nice as a Concept machine. Also, their are "stands" for bikes that lift the back wheel wheel off the ground and have a resistance mechanism so you can turn your bike into a stationary bike. I can see a nasty few days of weather and you can't really get off the boat but you want to blow off some energy and wanting something like this. You don't have to be a officer or military or even an athlete to want to to high intensity, we do them on land because they are effective exercises, for a number of reasons besides psychological. Good luck in your search.

[hellosailor]

I'd also vote for using the dink as the rowing machine.

But incidentally, snorkling may be good exercise but it is NOT cardio exercise. It is not intensive enough to be cardio exercise. For that matter, neither is SCUBA, even if you are wearing twin tanks and fighting 100# of equipment. Damfino, that's what the people with certificates in it say.

[dwedeking2]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

I'd also vote for using the dink as the rowing machine.

But incidentally, snorkling may be good exercise but it is NOT cardio exercise. It is not intensive enough to be cardio exercise. For that matter, neither is SCUBA, even if you are wearing twin tanks and fighting 100# of equipment. Damfino, that's what the people with certificates in it say.

Add a shark or two and they are...


I know lol

[Fore and Aft]

Ed I don’t know much about exercise but surely that Olympic rowing is high intensity even if they do flex a bit? I cannot see why you cannot get the same effect with your own scull? Or you should try rowing a dinghy with two kids and the Mrs against a head wind. Last week my heart felt like it was going to pop out of my chest even if I was flexing a bit.
Thank you for giving me a chuckle over breakfast, I cannot wait to survey my first boat with a gym onboard!
Cheers

[Checkswrecks]

Rotating through planks, push-ups, and ab exercises can sure be cardio. Increase or decrease speed to suit.