Training & Nutrition - Should I ride everyday or not?

I think they say your muscles wont grow if you ride everyday cause it never gets any time to heal. I weight 275, should I focus on building leg muscle or losing weight to help me ride longer? Which would help me ride longer, leg muscle or losing weight? I get tired going uphill in the lowest gears, is that cause of my leg muscles or im not in good fitness? My legs feel bad if I push myself too hard and the next day they still feel sore, should I only ride when they feel normal? Its also easier for me to go in a high gear in a lower cadence then a low gear in a high cadence,I guess my legs are in better shape then my heart and lungs.

If I don't ride almost every day, I find one excuse after another not to. I just had to throttle back on the number of miles or work through it. After a few miles the soreness wasn't so bad. I've been riding for a while and I still have problems with spinning. It may be more efficient, but I don't enjoy biking when I do it.

if you are training to race then alternate 2 days intensity and 1 recovery day. if youre just riding to ride do whatever you want frankly, thats straight forward.

are for cadence different bodies like diff things, not right or wrong there. i am 123 lbs, 6% body fat and should technically favor a high cadence style, but my aerobic capacity isnt world class (vo2 max is 59.5) and i find i produce higher average speeds and have greater by turning a low cadence (not that my leg muscles arent shot be the end of a hard training ride or race, because they dff are)

edit: dont forget the importance of eating alot of protein to give your body what it needs to receover and build muscle, thoug not knowing your body fat % noone can say whether losing weight versus gaiing muscle is "right" for you. also, yes your legs might feel tired, but you have to push to the next level and suffer, then recover fully to improve fittness

Should I ride everyday or not?
++ no, I don't

I think they say your muscles wont grow if you ride everyday cause it never gets any time to heal.
++ this is true especially for weight training, but cycling is different. It still helps the muscles to rest, sometimes for 48 hrs.


I weight 275, should I focus on building leg muscle or losing weight to help me ride longer?
++ ride one day, walk another, then ride ... alternate

Which would help me ride longer, leg muscle or losing weight?
++ stamina is a whole separate animal. I think practice builds stamina

I get tired going uphill in the lowest gears, is that cause of my leg muscles or im not in good fitness?
++ if hills weren't difficult, they wouldn't be hills. the better you get at technique and the longer you ride, the better you will handle the hills. but the hills will always be challenging. besure your bike fits and that your saddle is at the correct height

My legs feel bad if I push myself too hard and the next day they still feel sore, should I only ride when they feel normal?
++ rest is good :-) rule #1 is do no harm

Its also easier for me to go in a high gear in a lower cadence then a low gear in a high cadence,I guess my legs are in better shape then my heart and lungs.
++ I think has to do with your specific body type and build. some people with very large legs have a tremendous amount of power, and so you can use a bigger gear than a slender biker, regardless of how fit he is or how experienced he is. that said, he might still beat you in a race! :-)

Cycling is primarily an aerobic sport

I think they say your muscles wont grow if you ride everyday cause it never gets any time to heal. I weight 275, should I focus on building leg muscle or losing weight to help me ride longer? Which would help me ride longer, leg muscle or losing weight? I get tired going uphill in the lowest gears, is that cause of my leg muscles or im not in good fitness? My legs feel bad if I push myself too hard and the next day they still feel sore, should I only ride when they feel normal? Its also easier for me to go in a high gear in a lower cadence then a low gear in a high cadence,I guess my legs are in better shape then my heart and lungs.I would suggest riding 6 days a week if you can. Forget about building leg muscles, yours are going to shrink as you reduce your weight. Think about how much strength it takes for your legs to carry 275 lbs up and down a set of stairs. I don't know your height but if you can get down to 175 lbs you won't be carrying around an extra 100 lbs and your legs will naturally get smaller. You will, however, be much faster on the bike.

Ride as many hours as you can on the bike. Build up to 10-15 hrs/wk. You don't need high intensity, you just need to increase your daily calorie burn without increasing your appetite. Extra intensity won't hurt you, it's just not necessary right now and, as you've observed, it may prevent you from riding more frequently. Your focus should be on weight loss.