In the interest of a more rounded physical development, I have included body weight and dumbbell exercises into my routine. Like I did when I first got into biking, I researched forums to get some information. It appears to me that Bodybuilding.com is one of the most popular out there.

I don't know how many of you have checked that forum out. There's a huge difference between those posters and the people in bikeforums.net.

The use of four letter words is quite rampant although they modify the words (i.e. replace the letter "f" with "ph" in that popular word). Name calling is routine. Fighting and negativity abound.

It makes bikeforums.net a very classy source of information. There are some strong arguments in this bikeforums but not the adolescent rants that you will read at Bodybuilding.com.

Reading BB.com makes me realize how lucky we are to have BF.net.

Thank you posters and moderators alike for making BF what it is.

They do have good prices on stuff, though. We have some classy lads and lasses here.

Bb is still a very good source of info though, as with all the Internet folk you just need to ignore the muppets. I think it sometimes suffers from saturation, too many conflicting opinions with not a lot of verifiable data means a hellofa lot of folk get confused

Agreed.

Disagreeable, even incorrect opinions, are acceptable in any level of social interactions. Four letter words and name calling should never be.

Here's a thread that would be provocative in this forum.

https://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...ght=bikeforums

you are right, however looking at the two sports (BB and cycling) and having a personal knowledge of both its easy to see why these contrasting attitudes are so prevalent, BB in particular is a very aggressive sport full of bravado coupled with a lot of "balls-to-the-wall" phrase making. Ultimately its expected if not tolerated in that community and would be unfair to judge them with a cycling mindset.

that particular attitude does leave a sour taste it has to be said.

I would think that the average age of the posters on both forums may have something to do with it as well. I know I also participate in BBQ forums where I bet the average age is 50 and I rarely see any aggressive, or suspect behavior. But, jump over to a forum about street bikes where the average age is 24 I bet and it's an entirely different scene.

As a longtime member of BB dot com, I agree with everything you said. One thing I also wanted to comment on more relative to your first few sentences and ironically, balsphemy on BB is a training tool I use, the TRX suspension strap. Absolutely the greatest method of strengthening and core/balance creation ever invented. Ha! The peeps at BB hate it. I'm a former weightlifter; I possessed a 300+ bench press for several years, was huge, weighing in at over 240 pounds made up of slabs of muscle. Now I ride. I go yearound and when the weather turns up this way, between 100-200 miles a week. I stopped lifting years ago and am a sleeker, fit 195 pounder looking to sport the 6 pack this summer as I work my way down to around 185. TRX. I did notice that you were into body weight stuff so I know you know. TRX... Shhhhh...

Those BB forums have some great info on achieving good body composition if you in can filter out the macho BS. They also have a "fat-to-fit" thread sticky'd in the picture forum that is really inspirational. There's some folks doing great things over there.

Yeah, I like mine.

I'm also a big fan of bands. I have some big straps with
up to 100 pounds of resistance, and because they give a different
sort of resistance to muscles, they are a nice addition.

You have to be really careful in the bodybuilding world, there is a ton of
stuff that is overpriced, and a lot of stuff that is bad for you.

One would hope that athletes like ourselves (cyclists) would be wary of the flavor of the month when it comes to fitness equipment etc. The TRX has withstood the test with me. Coming from a traditional world of bodybuilding (barbells and dumbells) and having taken it to every degree I wanted to, after having shifted my mentality (that of traditional lifters - bigger is better) and decided to develop an athletic and functional build, the TRX fit the bill entirely. Yesterday, after a long ride in the AM I spent 45 minutes with my TRX in the garage did a total body block and heavy on the abs (my new barometer of fitness goal acheivement versus say weight) and it was great. I have never really used resistance bands but know many who have. Just can't believe back in the day I would be seated and hoist a couple of 100 pound dumbells into position for a set of lifts. WHF was I thinking. At 47 I'm glad I gave that notion of insanity up a few years back. Cheers.

https://www.t-nation.com/ is also a good source of bodybuilding information.

Well, first I would argue that actually very little is of value to a cyclist and secondarily you can't filter out the macho BS. Reveal that you're a cyclist looking to maintain fitness and not get bulky. Someone will ttrack you down, force feed you whey protein while strapping you to a squat rack. There are far better sources out there for information on the type of fitness real athletes, of any sport, are trying to obtain.

I would agree with you as well. The question is why would a cyclist be looking for bodybuilding information?

While cycling is a great sport it is not the only activity many people love. Strength building through barbell training adds much to other sports and enhances my health. Many members on T-nation cycle. OBTW you will not get "BIG" lifting for strength. I lift hard and still maintain my goal of 2.1 pounds per inch of height.

Agreed. I don't know how old you are but at a point at my age, a very youthful looking, 195# 6'1" 47 year old, I just don't believe the wear and tear on my body is worth it. I am plenty strong with TRX and other bodyweight moves. Again, if you wrestle steer, lift timbers or transmissions for a living that's different. Just asking. Good luck. ;-)

Best site hands-down filled with evidence-based strength gain & nutrition is bodyrecomposition.com. The owner (Lyle) is an a-hole but knows his stuff better than most and isn't trying to sell and B.S products.

I see your points merkong. That is a good routine. I am 66.

you're right, this is an awesome forum.

btw I learned a lot at caged animal, haven't been on that for a while but I learned a lot about adding muscle mass and nutrition.

Not a forum, and somewhat old-school in its presentation, but exrx.net remains one of the best sources of science-based, machismo-free weight training resources on the web.

It could be roid rage?

Like mentioned above, the fat to fit thread is ridiculously inspirational.

I've found it's a great source of information for training, nutrition and soft tissue injuries. Just keep it in perspective and remember that body building and weight lifting are about as related as match sprints and grand tours - they share equipment and some training techniques. As for the four letter words, you'll just have to get over it

Some brief thoughts from someone approaching 74yo.

1. One tends to lose muscle mass at an alarming rate as one ages. Personally, I like to have a muscle mass for my own body definition, to be able to navigate the world and to fool myself, perhaps, into thinking I am not almost 74

2. Bicycling, especially intense bicycling, is associated with osteoporosis. One helpful deterrent of osteo, no matter what the cause, is resistance training.

3. I have a goal of all-round fitness. This would include flexibility, balance (something else easily lost as one ages), strength, body composition and endurance. To this end I have designed, and do quite regularly:

bicycling - 100 miles per week or so

swimming - 4 hours per week or so

resistance exercises of ALL sorts - TRX (which I like), dips, barbells, stretch bands, overhead pulldowns, pushups ( I did 73 in a row for my 73rd birthday) planks, exercise balls, bridges and a variety of other exercises.

Balance activities - balance boards, balance discs, actually walking where I need balance, etc.

Walking - about 4 hours per week

Targeted stretching - I find amazing relief from ITBS and other chronic problems I have developed as I grow older through specific targeted stretching, especially using the foam roller on one's IT band, hip stretches and the like.

I have a complete gym in my basement, where I can do all of the above except swimming, walking and bicycling (except on my trainer, in the basement also).

So, there is my response to the question above,

"why would a cyclist be looking for bodybuilding information?"

Thank you for that post.

One of my overarching/abstract goals in life is to be a healthy, fit, functioning elderly person, so I can enjoy every possible moment on this earth. What you wrote is very inspirational.

If you have done enough research about bodybuilding, you would find this quote extremely funny.

Buncha pencil necks in this thread that don't know the first thing about how training works.

Do you even lift?