Originally Posted by j.foster
I've been riding for a while now mainly as a means of keeping in generally good fitness and so i don't get fat or anything. Recently i've noticed how disproportionate my upper body looks to my legs. My thighs and calves are enormous and my upper body is very twig-like which i dont like. As i only ride for enjoyment rather than racing i'm not bothered about putting a bit of weight on in order to bulk up slightly so my upper body is more in proportion but i want to know how to go about it. At my place of work is a gym that contains loads of machines to excercise almost any muscle you want so intend to go about getting more developed arms, shoulders, pecs, back muscles and of course abs. I'm happy to work out what machines to use but i want to know what kind of intensity i should be looking at for a slightly bigger physique without going body builder style strong. How many circuits of the gym would you recommed? How many reps on each machine? And how heavy should it be, as in how hard should i be finding it? With a max HR of 202 what kind of HR should i be looking for?
Your HR shouldn't come into play with this kind of anaerobic exercise. Your heart might be pounding a little at the end of one (~30 sec) set, but you won't start your next set until your HR is back under control.
Check out
http://stumptuous.com/weights.html -- it's female-oriented but is great advice for any gender.
Personally, I'm interested in building strength and muscle but "bulking" is not my major goal. Per instructions from a fitness counselor, I do 2 sets of 10 reps at a weight that has me burning at the last rep of the first set. I work my way up in reps until I can do 2 sets of 12 without feeling as much burn, and then I increase weight. For quicker building and more bulk, I think you'd aim for more weight and something like 6-8 rep sets. Google "hypertrophy specific training" for more bulk-building ideas.
I do a full body routine three times per week. My upperbody exercises include pullups, dips, bench press, flys, rows. I use a machine for ab curls and I do back extension exercises for my low back (good for bending over in a road posture!)