biolife

Haha, I thought the same thing!
I'm 6'1" and I still can't even get close enough to being able to do a full on dunk.

DigitalRJH

I don't know, but I do know that from years of cycling now I cannot run to save my life anymore. I can hike for nearly 20 miles with no issues, but running I just can't do. I also work out with weights.

Zinn-X

After focusing on climbing for 6 years, I can't run at all. I've never been much of a runner, but up until recently I couldn't even walk long distances without getting leg fatigue. I've found that switching from mashing to a higher cadence recently has made my ability to walk somewhat better. The 10 mile hike I took on Saturday wouldn't have been possible for me a year ago.

I'm going to take swimming this Fall to try to get some cross training in, because as it is, my body is pretty much useless for physical activities that don't involve pedaling.

maximum01

"A 10 mile hike wouldn't have been possible for me a year ago.."

Are you sure you're not exagerrating just a tiny wee bit when you say that?

Are you saying your legs would seize up? Refuse to move? Or perhaps turn to jelly?

I've gone through periods of intense cycling and hill cycling and have never had a problem taking part in hill walks and such. In fact I'd say cycling conditions you quite well for hiking.

Sports requiring leg dexterity, on the other hand, I've found have been affected by cycling. Tennis is a case in point.

Richard Cranium

I would guess that much of the answer depends on how a cyclists rides, how much he rides and whether or not he performs other activities beyond cycling.

Clearly, sitting around and doing nothing, and then going out for a run can demonstrate muscle imbalances. Maybe you should consider walking once in a while.

Zinn-X

I suppose using the word "possible" is a little too extreme here.

If you want to split hairs, it would have been physically possible for me to hike 10 miles a year ago, but it would have been an extremely unpleasant and painful undertaking. After walking half that distance, I would get pains in my upper legs making it increasingly a b1tch to walk further. Then I would be sore for a couple of days afterwards, making it a b1tch to do much of anything besides drag myself out of bed and into a chair.

It's possible that this is was all in my head and I'm a lunatic, but I kind of doubt it! The bottom line is that I know first hand that it is possible to over-specialize leg muscles for cycling.

bvfrompc

My best 10k run time was after a three month period where all I did was train on the bike, hard, very intense bike workouts. My aerobic and anaerobic capacity was at my best ever. So when my dearest talked me into running a 10k with her, no problem! Becuase I was in great shape, I was able to run hard and long. It took two weeks after the race for me to walk right. Pain was everywhere.

I think the problem that you had was your aerobic capacity was much stronger than what your running specific muscles were up to.

I could run very fast for me right now, however, if I haven't run in a while, I start out painfully slow and just plod along and slowly increase the mileage. Its not brain surgery and nothing you haven't heard before, but:

Start slow,
Increase gradually,
Avoid injury.

SaintAndrew

i'm 6' now and can only barely touch the rim.