I am thinking of getting pretty big but also want to keep in biking. For anyone around 200 lbs how well can you cycle, such as going up hills or going for distance with extra weight compared to if and when you were say 160 lbs. Any thoughts? Are you able to put in more power on the climbs because of your extra power?

endurance sports - lighter = better

power sports - explosive/burst strength = better

Depends on what you want to do.

If you want to turn yourself into a track sprint/1km/keirin/bmx specialist then weights and the extra strength can help.

If you want to become a better climber or marathon runner then extra muscle mass will probably slow you down (assuming you are already at peak fitness).

First off, size does not equal power either in cycling and/or weightlifting. Is it the size you are looking for or the power? Also, what do you weight now and how old are you? You ask about someone weighing in at 160, if you are 160 and an adult then adding 40lbs well, aint gonna be all muscle without some "help" which I would not recommend.

If you are still in yer younger years and growing then work on strength and endurance and do not worry about size. If you have the genetics the size will come naturally so work on strength, endurance and flexibility (very important and often over looked) if you are looking to be competitive.

It will depend a lot of your genetics and how you train both in the gym and on the bike.
I have been into cycling, power lifting and football my entire life. Couple that with my genetics and I look nothing like an endurance athlete.

With that being said . . .

However, with all the running I did playing ball and my training on my bike being more like a CAT1 or pro XC racer as well as training with riders who were 135lbs, I was able to have great endurance and explosive power along with size and strength. You will learn how to use your talents to your advantage. Yes I had more power climbing, yes it I struggled to hang on to the back when climbing BUT I was able to stay close enough that I would coast past on the descents allowing time to rest a bit and hold a lot of guys off on the flats.

The biggest disadvantage with being larger then the competitive cyclist, although I saw it as good training so I was never bothered by it, is most roadies will let you do ALL the pulling especially when it is windy out and you can keep a good pace up because you will block more wind.

My race weight for cycling is just around 230 to 240 and at that weight I can keep up with some pretty fast riders even on the hills.


DBD:beer:

Are you looking to get big or are you looking to get strong from weightlifting?

The problems that I've seen with most gym rats is that they don't understand that size doesn't equal strength, and strength needs to be a combo measurement of power plus endurance. Packing on 15 Kg of lean mass isn't going to help you to be a better distance rider if all you can do with it is explosive 20 second bursts of power, or if you lose flexibility due to your size gains.

Check your PM's for the program that worked well for me.

I will never become a marathon runner or a top hill climber no matter what. My body type is just not small enough. My whole family is stacked, my uncles and my dad all have forearms like none other and are naturally big in the legs and arms. The lightest one is probably 185 and he doesn't even lift weigts. Also they are like 5'6 on average.

I have great endurance, I use to play soccer for the complete 90 minutes every game. Then again I had an avulsion fracture on my right hip so that is one reason I got into biking. I also had an avulsion fracture in the left hip 4 months later. I have been trying for high cadence up hills but yesterday I saw a video of lance climbing so I climbed up a monstrous hill out of the saddle and man it was easy.

I am the proverbial Fire Plug kind of guy. I'm 48 years old, only 5'6", and I weigh around 210, but I've only got around 15% body fat. I don't have washboard abs, but I can see the muscles there, instead of just flab.

I ride as a commute just under 28 miles a day, 5 days a week. There are 3 bridges and one long (2.25 miles) hill that are a part of the route. I ride a Giant Sedona, which in no way would be considered a road or racing bike. I don't go real fast (average on the flats is about 13-14), but I get there eventually. Last fall I did my first century. It was unsupported and I did it without any special training; I just thought I could so I did.

I lift for my upper body 3 days a week, for about an hour each time. Mondays are lower weights with more reps per set (generally, 20 reps and 3 sets). Wednesdays are medium weights, with only 14 reps per set. Fridays are heavy weights, but only 8 reps per set. I did the math once and figured out that I actually moved about 2.5 times the weight on Mondays that I do on Fridays, but my muscles (well, my biceps are the only ones I measured) are larger on Fridays than on Mondays.

Like everyone else says, you have to decide what you want and then set up a plan for you. I want strength first and endurance second, so this plan works for me. I work with other guys here who are exactly the opposite, and their bodies show it. String beans who can go 25-30 on the flats, but can't lift worth a darn.

The wind resistance is the murderous part. I have quite wide shoulders, thick arms, and a pronounced V from shoulder to waist. Sounds great until you turn into the wind. The rest of the time it's pretty much a wash that can be trained around. But aerodynamics are just the ***** of this sport.

The wind resistance is the murderous part. I have quite wide shoulders, thick arms, and a pronounced V from shoulder to waist. Sounds great until you turn into the wind. The rest of the time it's pretty much a wash that can be trained around. But aerodynamics are just the ***** of this sport.


You must have REALLY BIG shoulders. IMO ,riding into the wind is all a matter of training. I hear the 'big guy billboard' comment all the time but have a hard time believing it myself! As a mater of fact, in the wind is where I feel my advantage is as a cyclist. :D

Give me a 30-40 mph wind and I'll show you a clyde with atleast 5 guys stuck on his wheel!:p

. . .

Give me a 30-40 mph wind and I'll show you a clyde with atleast 5 guys stuck on his wheel!:p

The funny part about this, years a go when I raced, there was a ride I was on, solo actually, and ended up with 3 guys on my wheel. We were heading into a 30 to 35mph head wind with gusts up to 60. Anyways, this little stick of a guy pulls out to over take us just as a gust kicked up and he dropped back a good 40yrds in a matter of seconds. I thought he was going to be blown from the bike but he held on. I could hear his buddies laughing at him. I was laughing too.

Well, just a funny lil' story. :)

Not if you want to be really competitive. While you willl be fine on the flats, once things get hilly you'll suffer mightily. If you plan on racing you'll need to lean out some, period. If you just want to do club rides, then you should be OK at around 190-200.

This past race season I maintained a weight of around 185 for most of the year. On the flats I could kill people just because I was able to maintain 26-27 for extended periods and just grind everyone else down, but once it got even moderately hilly I'd choke and fall to the back. I was fine on our clubs "A" rides and flat races, but hilly races ground me down. Let's not even talk about the races I did which finished with a climb, ugh.

I had allowed myself to creep up to 190 right before six gap, and although I took it easy on the course (5:55 ride time, 6:18 total time, 5 stops with a lot of chatting etc), I would have done better if I was 15lbs lighter. Since returning, I've been on a diet (fruits & veggies, lean protein, cutting pasta/bread out, watching caloric intake on the rides, etc), plus crosstraining and lifting and I'm now down to 173. I hope to be close to 165 while maintaining most of my power output by Feb. 23rd when we have our first race of the season.

My lifting routine focuses on strengthening the core and legs (abs, back, hamstrings, calves, quads), I only do light upper body to maintain muscle mass and strength, not build (curls, bench press, etc). My cross training is running basically 2x a week (4 miles each run) after my weight workout. My riding is currently broken down into 4 days a week (one 4-5 hour endurance ride w/1 hour tempo and one legged drills, one interval session at our sports institute on their computrainer, one moderate/tempo ride with some cadence drills, one easy recovery ride).

I am 164 in the morning and 172 at night, any ways I want to focus on getting into races because I can no longer play soccer or baseball really. I broke both hips so those jerky pivoting movements aren't the best for them although I can run for hours on end once I stop the next day I feel like someone beat the $hit out of me. With biking I can ride all day and not have my hips sore. I can't squat or do any lower body except calves. I find that just doing hills alone get my leggs pretty big. They are 15 inches naturally and since riding my leggs are rocks!