Originally Posted by
hiyer1
If you want to get stronger though, there are obviously some things that are more effective than others. If you want to build muscle and tone, better to pump hard over long distance and go anaerobic. Going two hours at a pleasant 140 bpm will probably not build muscle, unless your max is 160...(I said probably not, everyone is different though)
The OP was talking about rides of six hours, not two, at an average 140 HR. This is a major difference between cycling and running. Because cycling is non weight-bearing it is possible to train extensively for periods that would destroy a runner. As a result the long steady distance strategy is much more practicable and effective for cyclists than runners. "Distance builds speed" was a maxim of old-time cycling pros, and while it has to some extent been supplanted by more time-efficient regimens, it's still true.
And building muscle isn't that important to cyclists. It's necessary if you want to be a track sprinter, but cycling is overwhelmingly an aerobic sport. I'd certainly recommend going anaerobic sometimes, that's how you raise your threshold, but if you want to build muscle it's a hell of a lot quicker in the gym.