thepeopleschamp

Hi all,

I'm new to the cycling world and am completely blind as to what to do. So I'll fill you in regarding my situation. I'm a rugby union player and have had serious problems with my rectus femoris muscles in both legs. (This is the central muscle that makes up part of the quadricep and initiates movement such as knee lift - as done when sprinting). I have now torn one or the other five times and have decided that a different approach with regard to strengthening them is required. I am particularly prone to succumbing to these injuries when in a full sprint on the rugby field or in training. I would have thought that sprint cycling would be an extremely effective way of strengthening & thickening leg muscles. Is this correct? If so, any help outlining training strategies and programs to help me combat my injury woes would be much appreciated.

Many Thanks

JB

shundaroni

Ride.

Bob Dopolina 

You can build good power on a bike but by size I hope you mean smaller unless you are already a stick.

thepeopleschamp

cheers

ken cummings

That would be a front outside quad. One of the muscles that make up the bulge above the kneecap on cyclists. Find an exercise therapist or a sports medicine MD who will not just tell you to stop doing what hurts. You might just want to back off on some of the scrums while you recover. Maybe be a goalie if Rugby has them.

oilman_15106

Torn 5 times! Body's message to brain, time to look for a different sport. I loved to play soccer but a full tear of the hamstring that took about a year to heal was the final straw. That injury also pretty much eneded my running, another activity that I enjoyed.

You did not say how old you are? My bet is like many who excelled as a youth in sports, age is saying it is time to hang up the cleats.

Cycling has filled the void for me and is alot less stressful on the knees than many sports.

MrCrassic 

Cycling will definitely help you sustain powerful quadriceps, as it actively uses this muscle group.

However, it will NOT help you at all with sustaining upper body muscle and strength. At best, it will sustain lean muscle.

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bigtea

I ride 3 to 5 times a week and have no problem with lower body muscles. However I also swim once a week and do upper body weights once a week to keep things balanced.

thepeopleschamp

Hi guys,

Thanks for the posts. I have been doing some sprint cycling in the form of interval training. I'm sure it'll help as it's when I explode that the muscle feels vulnerable. However over the past couple of weeks, it seems as though the riding has helped alot and I should be back on the field in the next couple of weeks. Btw I' 19 - not quite ready to call it quits!

Thanks again for the input.

Cheers
JB