Love cycling, but would rather add weight, not lose it!

cruiser33

I have only fairly recently got into Road cycling and am loving it. I`m in my 50s and try and get out about twice a week and do between 25 and 30 miles . I see on the Forum that there are a number of people who not surprisingly want to lose weight with their cycling; I on the other hand am already built like a `racing snake` and have no desire to lose any weight at all; I would rather `bulk up` a bit in the legs. Is this realistic or am I going to end up even more `whippet like :?:

danowat

Eat more (especially protein), simple.

Hudster

Why do you want to bulk up? Looking like you've big muscles and going fast are not the same things.
If it's for the look, then get yourself down the gym. Otherwise realise vanity is irrelevant and enjoy your bike.

Bozman

Plenty of protein, keep the cadence down and stay on that 53 chainring.

cruiser33

I have seen 1st hand the very sad and unfortunate effects of someone very close not having sufficient fat and muscle reserves; very distressing.............`vanity` most certainly has nothing to with a wish to `bulk out` a bit.

rick_chasey

Beware - excessive protein means lots of farting.


Just eat lots.

For what it's worth, I'm pretty thin and didn't get much thinner after I started cycling. Some of the weight on my body got redistributed, but it's fine. I eat more when I've ridden.

danowat

I hate these thin gits, I only need look at a donut and I gain 3lbs

rdt

I'm a bit like the OP, and have to "work" at keeping my weight up if I'm riding a lot. Big portion sizes and 5 meals a day (a 2nd breakfast and high-tea between lunch and dinner) is what I try to do, plus endless snacking on fruit, seeds, nuts. The danger is just eating tonnes of cake to bridge the calorie deficit - however tempting - you don't want to be one of those skinny folk with sky high cholesterol levels.

Slack

No point in carrying extra weight on the bike - it's just a waste of energy!

Try one of those online calorie counters to monitor input and expenditure just to maintain the status quo.

Herbsman

Rick Chasey wrote:

Beware - excessive protein means lots of farting.

Bad for the kidneys too. And apparently it's bad for your bones... excessive protein intake makes the blood more acidic and apparently this causes calcium to be leached from the bones in order to get the blood pH back to normal.

bigpikle

I've definitely seen muscle mass add to my legs - calf and thigh area for sure, despite being an OK weight of 169lbs for a 6'0 40 year old male. Thats on riding 5-6 times a week and covering 600+ miles per month.

If you're only riding twice a week for those distances then I dont think you'll see significant weight loss if you eat enough calories to balance the energy expended. As suggested already, if you want to add 'weight' in the form of muscle then hit the gym a couple of times as well and do a structured weight training session to maintain/develop muscle mass as well.

If you in your 50's then you're losing muscle year on year anyway and I wouldnt expect the average person to suddenly start bulking up massively at that age either from a couple of sessions at the gym, so a healthy balance of a couple of rides a week and a couple of gym sessions you see you keeping fit, strong and maintaining muscle mass.

rolf_f

cruiser33 wrote:

I have seen 1st hand the very sad and unfortunate effects of someone very close not having sufficient fat and muscle reserves; very distressing.............`vanity` most certainly has nothing to with a wish to `bulk out` a bit.

You have to go a long, long way not to have sufficient fat. I'm on about 6% but I've been a skinny get all my life and my weight never changes. TBH, since I took up cycling I've regarded my lack of weight as a huge bonus. I'm more toned now than I was but not any heavier. I ride a lot. I wouldn't worry about your weight if it changes due to healthy exercise.

slunker

I at 5'10" am usually between 160-162 lbs. Over the past fornight I have gone up to 167-169????? Nothing has changed in my diet or cycling habits. The same happened this time last year. Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing me to gain weight??

A slight theory I have is the warmer weather and my metabolism is not working as hard to keep my body warm!!

ozzy1000_0

slunker wrote:

I at 5'10" am usually between 160-162 lbs. Over the past fornight I have gone up to 167-169????? Nothing has changed in my diet or cycling habits. The same happened this time last year. Anyone have any ideas on what could be causing me to gain weight??

A slight theory I have is the warmer weather and my metabolism is not working as hard to keep my body warm!!

are you cycling more due to the weather being warmer?? maybe built a teeny bit of muscle as a result?..... seasonal variation in weight is usually the other way around, if you measure the nation through the year people eat more in winter, sleep more, and their bodies retain more fat....

mickybhoy

I am also in my 50's, slim and have not done any serious cycling until the last few years.
This year I started commuting regularly into London and cover about 150 miles per week - more if I also do a club-run on a Sunday.
Over the last 3 - 4 months, I've noticed I have lost weight around the belly area, but my legs have grown.
The weight-loss is to be expected with so much aerobic exercise on a daily basis. My legs have filled out a bit because I try and fit in bursts of sprinting on my commute, which I'm guessing has developed existing or increased the amount of fast-twitch fibres in the relevant muscle-groups. I also climb Shooters Hill twice a day and Maze Hill in Greenwich on the way home.
Like Rick Chasey above, the weight has bee re-distributed due to cycling. If you do endurance-type events, you will lose weight, so stick to developing those fast-twitch fibres (for explosive power) and that should help. Diet, obviously important too.

Xommul

You need to eat lots more protein but you need to do the exercise which breaks down your muscles. As they build back up again your extra protein will be used and your muscles get bigger. Simples!.

You can only absorb 20-30g of protein per meal tho so dont go overboard.

You can try protein shakes but its far better to get your protein through meats and fish, cheese etc. Its more natural and wonk make you smell as much!

try eating 5 times a day - every 3 hours ast meal before 2000-2100 hours.
6 egg whites for breakfast
Bagel with turkey steak
Salad and steak
Tuna tortilla wrap
Veggies with chicken breast

You can chuck a protein shake in there and a protein bar if you fel like it. Plus some nuts.

xom

huuregeil

Xommul wrote:

You need to eat lots more protein but you need to do the exercise which breaks down your muscles. As they build back up again your extra protein will be used and your muscles get bigger. Simples!.

Simple but incorrect. :-) You don't need silly amounts of protein, and muscle growth is more dominated by testosterone and cortisol levels. Endurance sport is unhelpful in the way it controls production of these two hormones and the reality is that if you've reached 50 and have remained thin, you're not the kind of person who easily builds muscle mass. So you'll likely need a kick in the form of a couple of gym sessions a week if you are going to be able to see any changes. This isn't a bad idea as you age anyway because you naturally lose muscle mass over time.

Headhuunter

huuregeil wrote:

Xommul wrote:

You need to eat lots more protein but you need to do the exercise which breaks down your muscles. As they build back up again your extra protein will be used and your muscles get bigger. Simples!.

Simple but incorrect. :-) You don't need silly amounts of protein, and muscle growth is more dominated by testosterone and cortisol levels. Endurance sport is unhelpful in the way it controls production of these two hormones and the reality is that if you've reached 50 and have remained thin, you're not the kind of person who easily builds muscle mass. So you'll likely need a kick in the form of a couple of gym sessions a week if you are going to be able to see any changes. This isn't a bad idea as you age anyway because you naturally lose muscle mass over time.

How is endurance sport unhelpful in the way it controls production of cortisol and testosterone? I'm not testing, I've just never heard that before...

huuregeil

An old paper, but some hunting can find you others - low testosterone levels in endurance athletes is pretty well established

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2675257

Cortisol is more complex. Base cortisol levels in endurance athletes are low, but cortisol levels rise strongly after a high volume of exercise (something like a 2hr ride) and stay high for some time (order of a day). Can't find a reference off hand, but have a hunt - this isn't scientifically controversial.

For this reason, if you're looking to put on muscle, the testosterone boost you get by doing a small amount of weight training is beneficial.

cruiser33

I appreciate all the above comments and ideas ; I feel a bit more informed at least......thanx