Training & Nutrition - Leg Size ?

my legs are staging a comeback since i started cycling again recently. just measured my leg at 25". used to be 27" when i was a bodybuilder on steroids.

well i know what's the good leg size for a bodybuilder - about 33"

but how about a cyclist ?

That depends.

Sizes certainly differ from the climber to the track sprint rider. A larger leg size doesn't necessarily mean a stronger one.

My legs resemble the track athlete in the picture below, wearing 563. That is my ideal for running or cycling. I would say its around 17" to 20".


http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7105/shirvo8nk.jpg

the correct answer is either 'it doesn't matter' to 'it depends'. what ever size makes you fastest. are you a track sprinter, a pursuiter, a road sprinter, a time trailer, a road racer, a climber?

no racer is 100% any of the these things.

what type of races to you do?
what type of races to you do well in?

That depends.

Sizes certainly differ from the climber to the track sprint rider. A larger leg size doesn't necessarily mean a stronger one.

My legs resemble the track athlete in the picture below, wearing 563. That is my ideal for running or cycling. I would say its around 17" to 20".


http://img235.imageshack.us/img235/7105/shirvo8nk.jpg

your math is way off.

my arms are 17" and they are much much much smaller than this guy's legs ;)

to me it looks like he has 18" arms and 25" legs or so.

of course low bodyfat ( like his ) makes muscles look bigger than they are.

the correct answer is either 'it doesn't matter' to 'it depends'. what ever size makes you fastest. are you a track sprinter, a pursuiter, a road sprinter, a time trailer, a road racer, a climber?

no racer is 100% any of the these things.

what type of races to you do?
what type of races to you do well in?

i don't race. i just want to look the part :)

my calves are pretty much hopeless - they don't respond to exercise. but my quads, hamstrings and glutes respond pretty well.

Ride more than 30 minutes at a time, you might get legs that look like that. You can cheat with steroids, but bulking up with gear ain't going to give you that kind of musculature, since it's in a specific pattern. You look at a cyclist from the side and it looks like they have skinny thighs; look at them head on and their quads are huge. You also aren't going to have that kind of musculature until you have cardiovascular and pulmonary system to power such legs. That takes very directed training, a bit of natural ability, and a LOT of work to get legs like the pros. Treating cycling as if it were bodybuilding will just make sure you a)look like a total idiot on this forum (doing a good job of that) and b) never attain the goals you want in cycling.

to me it looks like he has 18" arms and 25" legs or so.


You would be surprised just how skinny he is.

Yeah, let's hear it for skinny legs. 21.75 when I'm strong in mid-summer. 21.25 right now, but I'm working on it. That's plenty of strength for a 5'8" rider, plenty for sprinting, too. Depending on height, the OP could have some protein still to lose. Less is more.

Ok, well i'm starting to feel a bit inferior here... you guys got me going so just measured mine at 19". I always thought I had big thighs but I guess not! My left is actually only 18.5". I'm 150lb, 5ft9.5. Bit of an all rounder. I can climb and TT well, and sprint ok too. I've still got at least 5lbs of fat on me to come off too so they might reduce down a bit more later in the year.

of course low bodyfat ( like his ) makes muscles look bigger than they are.
No, it's just the silly expression on his face.

Also, where on the leg do you all measure to get your numbers?

Did anyone see Robert Förstemann's thighs at the 2010 Track World Championships?. MASSIVE.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TevpR-Bp-wI

Yeah I saw that, incredible musculature, but its required for a track sprinter. Us roadies generally don't need legs that muscular, nor would we want to spend that much time in the gym to get legs like that, either :) Having thighs that massive as a road rider would seem like more of a liability than a benefit.

100%.

The guy couldn't get over a bridge on the road.

Did anyone see Robert Förstemann's thighs at the 2010 Track World Championships?. MASSIVE.



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TevpR-Bp-wI


now that's what i am talking about.

i agree that such legs would be a liability on any race that lasts longer than 5 minutes because at that point it would be all cardio / pulmanory and the extra 20 pounds on legs would simply be dead weight.

but i am not a competitive cyclist so i would be fine with legs like this even if it made me slower. well ok - not quite like this - a little smaller - i don't want to walk funny.

and why does this guy have a big upper body ? does he need it somehow or is it just a side effect from juicing up or whatever it is he does to get those legs ?

Same reason a 100m sprinter is extremely muscular all over, while a marathoner is lean all over. In order to develop that kind of power that quickly, you need your entire body working towards that goal.
If you had half a clue or any interest in actually knowing the answer to your question, you would know that track sprinters spend a lot of time in the gym to develop their musculature. Just because you are a tard and used steroids to bulk up doesn't mean that others who have a lot of muscle do the same thing.

Same reason a 100m sprinter is extremely muscular all over, while a marathoner is lean all over. In order to develop that kind of power that quickly, you need your entire body working towards that goal.
If you had half a clue or any interest in actually knowing the answer to your question, you would know that track sprinters spend a lot of time in the gym to develop their musculature. Just because you are a tard and used steroids to bulk up doesn't mean that others who have a lot of muscle do the same thing.

isn't there a way to train for this event outside the gym ? i have spent thousands of hours in gyms and i found that sprinting is actually more intense than lifting just about any amount of weight. one of my worst injuries ( hamstring ) came from sprinting ( running ). i thought if i can easily deadlift 400 pounds without hurting myself then there is no way i would hurt myself by just running - BOOM ! my first sprint in 5 seconds i had a torn hamstring.

if i had to train for sprints i would just do sprints. no actually i wouldn't do sprints at all - i am scared of that sh1t 4 life.

isn't there a way to train for this event outside the gym ?
If someone had a reason to not use the gym, I'm sure they could find some other way to train for track cycling. All the pros train in a gym though.

http://www.aboc.com.au/Members/carl/ais-power-training-for-sprinters

and why does this guy have a big upper body ? does he need it somehow or is it just a side effect from juicing up or whatever it is he does to get those legs ?

One of the primary purposes of weight training for sprinters is to train the nervous system to produce power while still experiencing fatigue... more body strength, power and bodyweight is REQUIRED to propel the body forward and sustain the speed across the finish line.


isn't there a way to train for this event outside the gym? i have spent thousands of hours in gyms and i found that sprinting is actually more intense than lifting just about any amount of weight.

The gym is an extremely important component here because you have to overcome the inertia of your body via strength. Sprint training is one, if not the most explosive workout you can do!.