Noticable changes to your body because of commuting

itboffin

Before


After

il_principe

Shouldn't the before be the after? From a cycling perspective anyway, like Rasmussen



:shock:

sarajoy

Christ ITB that first picture's pretty upsetting

Wonder if he's still alive.

downfader

sarajoy wrote:

Christ ITB that first picture's pretty upsetting

Wonder if he's still alive.

+1

Reminds me of an old customer.

biondino

DDD, I basically did a somersault on the Focus, and it landed on me, right on the ribs. Crack. Ow.

ris

since i started my longer commute (adds up to between 50-75 miles a week) i've noticed that i've lost some tyre from my stomach and waist. in the last month or so i've been running again and trying to do some pool time as well (i used to do a couple of good hour sessions a week, before things like children).

i think cycling has helped a bit mentally as it allows me to work off frustration from home or work and also helps me spend less time in the office at the end of the working day!

tardington

Best bits about regular longer commuting - you can eat a pile of crap and not notice!

Bad point - SO HUNGRY about half an hour after arriving at work :shock:

Oh, and I'm a bit thinner...

Hey - tell me again how cycling gives you bigger arms?

downfader

tardie wrote:

Hey - tell me again how cycling gives you bigger arms?

Think of it like skiing. Your upper body and mid section are flexing and tensing as you turn and ride out of the saddle etc. So hence they build up a little strength, sometimes lose fatty tissue too.

cjcp

Thinner round the waist. Legs a little less chicken-like. Chest down from 40" to 38". However, I'm at that point where I need to ride more on weekends if I want to get faster.

homercles

Lost a pile of weight (prob 2st), got a whole load fitter and don't have so many podgy bits (face, tum, etc) any more.

And the ladies have noticed

Much like quite a few others here though, I'm always hungry and often end up pigging just to take the edge off. The good news is I can get away with it these days 8)

itboffin

tardie wrote:

Best bits about regular longer commuting - you can eat a pile of crap and not notice!

Bad point - SO HUNGRY about half an hour after arriving at work :shock:

Oh, and I'm a bit thinner...

Hey - tell me again how cycling gives you bigger arms?

Get yourself a stupidly heavy bike and do lots of hill reps, that'll give your arms and shoulders a good workout personally I prefer the Guinness plan upper body workout

rb1956

Lost some mass, look generally more lean and wiry.
Noticeably more muscular legs, especially below the knee where I seem to have developed muscles I didn't know were there.
Cured my ectopic heartbeat and lowered my resting heart rate.
Increased my appetite, especially for pasta!

cjcp

rb1956 wrote:

Cured my ectopic heartbeat

Tidy 8)


Seems to be a common theme that cycling gives us an excuse to eat almost with impunity, but has anyone gone the other way and decided to eat less, for example, to become a mountain goat?

Bassjunkieuk

jashburnham wrote:

Shouldn't the before be the after? From a cycling perspective anyway, like Rasmussen



:shock:

I'm assuming that's to show the dodgy tan..........roll on summer when I have lovely brown arms a permanent set of white gloves on ;-)

mountain-nic

Lost weight, saved cash (well I would have if I didn't keep spending it on better bike and clothing bits and pieces)

Defo fitter, though at the end of the week, legs do suffer from cycling hard.

If you want "better arms" from cycling, then either climb lots of hills out the saddle (for roadies) or get out on a mountain bike - my arms have gained a lot of strength in the last 18months from MTB'ing.

prawny

Happarently, excersizing big muscle goups (Quads, Hamstrings etc) releases growth hormones. So if you ride your bike loads it can help any training you do on your upper body. I learned that from bodybuilding.com!!

BoardinBob

I've been commuting for 5 months now and I've massively increas ed the amount of muscle on my legs however I haven't lost a pound in body weight (which was a key aim), despite cycling 6 days a week and carefully watching my diet :?

Bassjunkieuk

BoardinBob wrote:

I've been commuting for 5 months now and I've massively increas ed the amount of muscle on my legs however I haven't lost a pound in body weight (which was a key aim), despite cycling 6 days a week and carefully watching my diet :?

What your probably doing is replacing the fat with muscle so don't feel to disheartened :-) I'm sure I read somehwhere that muscle is denser then fat so it does weigh more. It's for this reason that I hate the way doctors use BMI as in indicator for obesity as it rarely takes into account total body fat %. There was a series that Jamie Oliver did once where they had a rugby player and a relatively healthy looking skinny guy doing a fitness test. Going on BMI's the rugby player looked to be the "fatter" one as his BMI was much larger but this was caused by his increased weight due to muscle and actually had a lower fat % then the skinnier guy :-D He also did much better on the fitness test!

antfly

DonDaddyD wrote:

I've been commuting to work by bike on a 5day week basi for 6 - 7 months. I've gone from shy track pants wearing enthusiast to a full-war tights wearing die hard.

Recently I've had a few people telling me I've lost weight.

I've noticed:

- I'm using the smallest or 2 smallest notch on my belt again and my shirt still won't stay tucked into my trousers.

- All my trousers are baggier.

- My shoulders, arms and thighs are also bigger.

- My butt is also more pert and tighter.... :oops:

- My beer belly is getting smaller.

What changes to your body have you noticed since you started commuting?

I can now turn my neck 360 drgrees.

rhext

antfly wrote:

I can now turn my neck 360 drgrees.

You need to invest in one of those stylish handlebar mirrors.

antfly

A mirror on a race bike! Wash your mouth out.

jamesco

Dry skin from the wind Smelly hands from stinky gloves Achy back Perpetually messy hair (no shower at work) Jeans tight at the thigh, loose as a goose at the waist Eating like a pig ..

So clearly cycling's turned me into a real catch, though my girlfriend loves my bum

StrangelyBrown

Hungrier... so much hungrier.

I've got a 40 mile commute and am eating my own bodyweight in food each day. Still getting thinner though. Working on another one, maybe two, stone to get down to my racing weight - sure as hell notice any extra poundage on the hills :shock:

rally200

Knocking on 40 but over last 2 years have lost over 2 stone, so now back to the same weight & measurements as when I was 21! Which is a bit thinnner than I want to be honest. Now need to replace entire wardrobe, and I've spent all my pocket money on bike stuff.

steve-m

Started cycling in July 2007, having given up smoking (checks calendar...) 3 years ago tomorrow and joining the gym. Probably lost 25kgs, legs much better defined, minimal body fat - though still fighting those last 5 kgs as I am also a runner and have certain goals related to that.

When I first started cycle commuting I was so tired, that 8 miles up the massive Archway hill would kill me. Now of course I add steeper hills to my route home and will often go to the gym post work. Have done 100 milers, one 200K and many 100Ks, last one was no effort at all.

Oh, waist is much smaller, 32 needs a belt and I cannot always find 30s.

e2a: Oh and mentally feeling better or at least I feel grumpier when I don't exercise for a while

e2a #2: And my hair changed colour

Christophe3967

rally200 wrote:

Knocking on 40 but over last 2 years have lost over 2 stone, so now back to the same weight & measurements as when I was 21! Which is a bit thinnner than I want to be honest. Now need to replace entire wardrobe, and I've spent all my pocket money on bike stuff.

Hmmph, don't come on here expecting sympathy. And trousers worn just below the bottom are quite the thing now.

kevinharley

I've only started commuting (by bike!) in the last few weeks, and don't manage (because of school runs etc) to do it more than 2 days out of my 4 day week, so overall I've not noticed a significant difference yet. Maybe my calves are a bit sturdier than they were.

What I do notice, though, is the 'ebb and flow' of minor body changes depending on the days I cycle / don't cycle. When I cycle, I generall feel my stomach is a bit flatter and firmer, and I don't feel so bloated sitting at my desk as I do on the days when I have to use the car. I feel more alert at work after I've cycled in, and feel in a much better and bouncier mood when I get home.

That said, the mental experience of cycling is a mixed bag ... somtimes I get frustrated and grumpy when the traffic is heavier / all the light seem to change to red when I approach them, or the wind is against me, all of which means I have yet to dip below 40 mins for my 11.32 mile commute! Other times, its just so freeing to be out on the bike that I don't care what the traffic / lights / weather is doing ...

commuterconvert

here's an odd one... sometime after i'd starting commuting in 3/4 shorts a couple of years ago, a patch of leg hair about the size of a grapefruit just appeared to disappear off the top of my right upper thigh. not the other leg though. and it's still not completely grown back despite the addition of some tights.

Strange,eh, could be related to the fact my right thigh now seems to be slightly larger than the other one which could in turn be to do with my riding style. I consciously try and make my setup & push even sided but I'm guessing that in reality it probably isn't.

Apart from that, definitely feel myself a lot trimmer & hungrier & generally more energy. I feel so much better all round as a result of commuting. Can't take my beer as well any more either (could be age).

c12345

Thighs are huge in comparison to before.
I think I've gained weight, despite looseing volume. Always been a lanky one though.
A line of spots across my forehead from the helmet.

I also get faint if I stand up too quickly, despite having pretty high blood pressure, and I get knocked about if I climb the stairs too quickly? I get light headed and breathless, but I assume its just from deplated energy stores in my legs? It goes away after I've stop cycling for a couple of days.

DonDaddyD

Apart from the physical increases since I started cycling regular my hunger levels 'know no bounds' and girly healthy nuts and seeds just don't cut it.

I've eaten two large, Man size dinners and barely feel full.

Its a worry.