Just bought a new bike, looking to build leg muscles... advice?

[m0ss]

Hey guys I just bought a Gary Fisher Opie bike and I was wondering if you guys have any tips on terrain to ride on to build leg mass. I have a good upper body but I have never done leg workouts ever.

The only park that has some decent ride terrain is Mile Square and it has some hills, small ups and downs which I think could help.

Do you guys have any advice for me?

Thanks.

[531Aussie]

hypertrophy on a bike comes down to genetics -- some guys just don't grow, but plenty do.

If you're a good gainer, any unfamiliar stress on your quads will probably result in initial hypertrphy, but, failing that, flat-out sprints and hill sprints should do something for ya!! :)

BUT, depending partly on your age, it's best to ease into things for at least the first few weeks.

[-=£em in Pa=-]

Hopefully this is relevant enuff that it doesnt waste your
time totally.....I just built a fixed roadbike that I commute in
Vermont(hills :eek: )with and after only one week I feel pain
of the good kind everywhere !! In places Ive never felt pain
before from a geared bicycle despite miles ridden :roflmao:
With so many different areas 'hurting' I believe all the stuff I initially
read about fixies being the ultimate training device.

[Roody]

My experience is that if you ride a lot and don't do any other exercises, you'll have strong legs that look nice. Even if you ride the flats.

If you want BIG legs you should probably do squats, lunges, deadlifts, calf raises, etc. I don't think riding a lot in hills and high gears is the most efficient way (or safest) to get big legs. Just my opinion!

[edzo]

if you are starting out it will benefit you to do this for one year

2 times a week hit the gym. ride a spin bike for 1 hour, get all sweaty.
then unload the legs with 3 minutes cool down spinning.

go do some nautilus machines for legs:
leg extentions
leg curls
leg presses

then do some ab and chest machines. spend another hour

I swear, build up some beef just initially, for a year, THEN
pack ride miles on top. of course ride all during the first year too.

------------------------
in winter, do squats-to-failure with no weight...thusly

ride warm-up 3 minutes
ride HARD 5 minutes

get off bike, do as many squats as you can do in 1 minute
then hold the last squat down low for 1 minute

30 seconds rest

repeat squat drills 3 times

back on bike, do the 5 minutes hard again


and do all this 4 times. should take an hour
and you'll have done hundreds of squats
you should be about to cry/die
----
recovery is always roller massage after workout and before bed
after a huge leg buster such as above

your legs will not really get huge, but they will
get very strong. this translates to atomic hill power.
and pain threshold will skyrocket. you'll feel the pain
on the hills and know you can push through it (up to a point)


--
---
---

NOW, if you want a simpler answer, make it a point to do this:

pick a safe spot with 6 telephone poles lined up on a street
where there is near zero traffic. so when you pass out you won't get hit.

from a standing start, SPRINT hard and upshift when you can and get to that
6th pole as hard as possible. do this 5 times in a row. you should work as
hard as possible...really painful after 5. cool down with easy spin to the 8th
pole and back to start line, then do it again.

do these repeats 10 times in a row....5 intervals, 2 minutes rest, 10 times total.
once a week. then ride whatever you want to the rest of the week.

your leg-fu will come around starting on the third week


there are 100 ways to train, but generating muscle breakdown and pain will
make you stronger quickly.

[thatguy]

If you're mainly interested in building muscle, just go to the gym. If you want to be a better cyclist (at your stage) just ride your bike as much as possible. Everywhere, anytime. Your legs will get stronger.