Massive legs?
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Massive legs?
I've been riding forever and have spent the last 3 years on road bikes. I ride about 350km a week and do one club ride a week.
I'm about 5'9" and 158lbs.
When do I get my massive quadzillas!
Or do some of us never get massive legs?
I'm about 5'9" and 158lbs.
When do I get my massive quadzillas!
Or do some of us never get massive legs?
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Very few cyclists have massive legs. There are many with lean and muscular legs but once they stand next to the average person their legs are not bigger. Odds are their legs are smaller/thinner.
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I will say that since making the transition from running to cycling full time that my quads have gotten bigger, but I would not describe them as massive by any stretch of the imagination.
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Marty Nothstein Massive?
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the correct term is guads.
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A kenesiologies once told me that it's hard if not impossible to add muscle mass if you do lots and lots of cardio (he quoted a certain number of hours a week but I'm not sure of it so I'm won't venture a guess.
So, quit biking and hit the gym.
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I use to have legs that looked like toothpicks with the wood shaved off.....Now I just have toothpicks
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Cycling is not bodybuilding. Chris Hoy does leg work at the gym to build his quads, tough to get that from riding the bike alone.
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U have two factors, one is genetics. If you have thin legs no matter what u do it will be the same. Second factor is that road cycling doesnt tend to make your legs massive, you will gain muscle but not massive muscle because the excerise is like 70% to 80% aerobic, that means that as long u have good lungs you are all set. Muscles will work by themselves.
Now why trackers have massive legs? (my legs were like the guy ratzinger pictured) simple, track is like 50% aerobic and 50% anaerobic, so u need more muscle in a per points race for example.
A 1 km TT is a race that is like 95% anaerobic and 5% aerobic, it is so violent that u basically have one chance to get air in your lungs and then that's it, like 90% of the race effort is done by bare muscle. Spinters the same thing. Pure anaerobic effort. You just go almost w/o getting any air in. So the body will develop massive legs, thats how it is. The other factor is that track in general is pretty demanding because is not light to ride in the track at all. Roadies when going in a track after a few minutes start having pain in their legs because their legs are not prepared for the load. Many road racers back in the day were doing track in the winter, it helps a lot but if you get too big is bad. EM and other used to do track time to time. Track helps a lot.
Cancelara is a TTist, he will have massive legs because he is supplying lack of oxygen with muscles to get power. So if you are thin you will get muscles up to some point, after that maybe not. And if your lungs are hudge probably the muscles production will be minimum. In my case my lugs capacity never being so big and even now my legs are still thick because i have to supply lack of O2 with more muscles.
Muscles weight more than fat so thats why big guys can't climb very well and trackers basically can't climb.
Now why trackers have massive legs? (my legs were like the guy ratzinger pictured) simple, track is like 50% aerobic and 50% anaerobic, so u need more muscle in a per points race for example.
A 1 km TT is a race that is like 95% anaerobic and 5% aerobic, it is so violent that u basically have one chance to get air in your lungs and then that's it, like 90% of the race effort is done by bare muscle. Spinters the same thing. Pure anaerobic effort. You just go almost w/o getting any air in. So the body will develop massive legs, thats how it is. The other factor is that track in general is pretty demanding because is not light to ride in the track at all. Roadies when going in a track after a few minutes start having pain in their legs because their legs are not prepared for the load. Many road racers back in the day were doing track in the winter, it helps a lot but if you get too big is bad. EM and other used to do track time to time. Track helps a lot.
Cancelara is a TTist, he will have massive legs because he is supplying lack of oxygen with muscles to get power. So if you are thin you will get muscles up to some point, after that maybe not. And if your lungs are hudge probably the muscles production will be minimum. In my case my lugs capacity never being so big and even now my legs are still thick because i have to supply lack of O2 with more muscles.
Muscles weight more than fat so thats why big guys can't climb very well and trackers basically can't climb.
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I'm thinking it could be genetics as well. I see some riders with huge legs and other with tiny ones but both perform just as well. If anything, just "ride more" and maybe throw in some mountain biking in there as well. Or hit the elliptical at the gym.
#22
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You're probably going to have to hit the gym and avoid lots of long riding.
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this is the correct answer for any muscle building routine, squats are a mandatory, even if you are trying to build upper body strength... but be VERY careful you use proper form and a belt, I have 5 herniated discs in my back to prove what can go wrong free squatting without a belt and breaking form...