Does riding build upper body muscle?

mpatts

I ask as something quite odd seems to be happening...

I got my first bike this year, and have ridden it pretty solidly (read obsessively), racking up about 1500k this year. I also started running, and have done, I would think, close to 750k.

Apart from loosing some weight (I'm now 10st 4ish, down from 11st 12ish), I seem to be building some muscle, in particular in my arms. I suppose logically, you can just see it now as I am a lower body fat percentage (I am starting to see a six pack appear), but is it possible that cycling is building muscle? It seems to make no sense to me! Previously I'd flex my arms and see nothing, now there is a very noticable bicep.

Johnpsanderson

Given the mechanics of cycling you'd think that, on the whole, the answer would be 'no'. At least not directly.

From memory I believe it has been shown that exercising any part of the body can have some (small) effect on parts of the body that are not being exercised. E.g. people who have a leg that is in plaster for months are encouraged to exercise the un-injured limb as it reduces the wastage in the injured/immobile limb.

No idea how significant the impact is though. Is it more likely you've just reduced your fat though?

Zoomer37

Doubt it will build muscle, but it will definitely tone them. That and just getting leaner will show your guns in the best light.

Good work

soundb0y

How do you tone a muscle?

dhobiwallah

Just look at the guns on Wiggo etc.....

Zoomer37

soundb0y wrote:

How do you tone a muscle?

For the arm muscles I use 2 cans of Heinz beans (ones without sausages) in each hand and do bicep curls.

Camcycle1974

Zoomer37 wrote:

soundb0y wrote:

How do you tone a muscle?

For the arm muscles I use 2 cans of Heinz beans (ones without sausages) in each hand and do bicep curls.

Lol, don't the sausages add extra weight though?

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result. Work the upper body off the bike if you see the need.

imposter2.0

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result.

er, no they won't

Camcycle1974

Imposter wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result.

er, no they won't

Sorry? Resistance training causes muscle adaptation resulting in increased power output. Otherwise what would be the point of interval training to increase wattage? Please enlighten me if I am missing the downright obvious.

imposter2.0

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result.

er, no they won't

Sorry? Resistance training causes muscle adaptation resulting in increased power output. Otherwise what would be the point of interval training to increase wattage? Please enlighten me if I am missing the downright obvious.

'Strength' is often used incorrectly in cycling terms, when what people really mean is 'fitness'. Cycling is submaximal. Strength (in terms of its dictionary definition) is generally increased by pushing/lifting weights at or beyond maximal limits - something which you will probably never do in cycling, except maybe at the start of a track sprint. Your fitness will obviously improve through cycling, but your legs are unlikely to actually get physically stronger, beyond certain minimal improvements. Plenty of dicussions on this in the training forum.

elderone

Well personally I have lossed upper body mass since cycling,but legs have got stronger.

mpatts

Zoomer37 wrote:

soundb0y wrote:

How do you tone a muscle?

For the arm muscles I use 2 cans of Heinz beans (ones without sausages) in each hand and do bicep curls.

I had a slight LOL at this

I should have added I really couldn't care about what I look like. It's why I'm happy to ride a Planet X

seanoconn

Imposter wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Imposter wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result.

er, no they won't

Sorry? Resistance training causes muscle adaptation resulting in increased power output. Otherwise what would be the point of interval training to increase wattage? Please enlighten me if I am missing the downright obvious.

'Strength' is often used incorrectly in cycling terms, when what people really mean is 'fitness'. Cycling is submaximal. Strength (in terms of its dictionary definition) is generally increased by pushing/lifting weights at or beyond maximal limits - something which you will probably never do in cycling, except maybe at the start of a track sprint. Your fitness will obviously improve through cycling, but your legs are unlikely to actually get physically stronger, beyond certain minimal improvements. Plenty of dicussions on this in the training forum.

Oh no! Not again!

imposter2.0

seanoconn wrote:

Oh no! Not again!

I know....I think I'll stop there..

chrisaonabike

Imposter wrote:

Strength (in terms of its dictionary definition) is generally increased by pushing/lifting weights at or beyond maximal limits - something which you will probably never do in cycling, except maybe at the start of a track sprint. Your fitness will obviously improve through cycling, but your legs are unlikely to actually get physically stronger, beyond certain minimal improvements. Plenty of dicussions on this in the training forum.

My thighs have got dramatically bigger since I started road cycling last October.

I've done no other exercise of any kind since then.

I haven't got any peer-reviewed papers to quote, but the empirical evidence is that I can now barely get my legs into my jeans (and no, I haven't just washed them... 8) .

lostboysaint

Does it really take 14 replies to say "no"?

No, it doesn't.

chrisaonabike

lostboysaint wrote:

Does it really take 14 replies to say "no"?

No, it doesn't.

It might, if there's not a lot of muscle there to start with, and the rider does a lot of pulling on the bars - climbing, for instance.

See my comment above - it's clearly possible to build at least some muscle, or somehow increase the volume of muscle already present, by exercising at less than maximum loading.

So I don't see any reason why there might not be some effect on the upper body as well, if there's a lot of pulling on the bars.

More likely to be increased visibility of already existing muscle, though, if overall there's significant fat loss.

thescouselander

I would think it should actually. I find I have to hold the handle bars quite tightly when putting a lot of effort in from a standing start or when going up hill an some of that force must be transfered to the arms.

alihisgreat

mpatts wrote:

I ask as something quite odd seems to be happening...

I got my first bike this year, and have ridden it pretty solidly (read obsessively), racking up about 1500k this year. I also started running, and have done, I would think, close to 750k.

Apart from loosing some weight (I'm now 10st 4ish, down from 11st 12ish), I seem to be building some muscle, in particular in my arms. I suppose logically, you can just see it now as I am a lower body fat percentage (I am starting to see a six pack appear), but is it possible that cycling is building muscle? It seems to make no sense to me! Previously I'd flex my arms and see nothing, now there is a very noticable bicep.

You're not building muscle.. just losing body fat.

You shouldn't be able to work your arms cycling anyway since they should be numb from the effort going into your legs

simon_masterson

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

mpatts wrote:

I ask as something quite odd seems to be happening...

I got my first bike this year, and have ridden it pretty solidly (read obsessively), racking up about 1500k this year. I also started running, and have done, I would think, close to 750k.

Apart from loosing some weight (I'm now 10st 4ish, down from 11st 12ish), I seem to be building some muscle, in particular in my arms. I suppose logically, you can just see it now as I am a lower body fat percentage (I am starting to see a six pack appear), but is it possible that cycling is building muscle? It seems to make no sense to me! Previously I'd flex my arms and see nothing, now there is a very noticable bicep.

You're not building muscle.. just losing body fat.

You shouldn't be able to work your arms cycling anyway since they should be numb from the effort going into your legs

That. Certainly my core was not particularly washboard-like until I started working on it, and my girly arms (I'm a bit of a beanpole) are as girly as ever they have been. Unless you're Abdou, you probably won't be yanking the front end around enough for significant arm exercise anyway.

denniskwok

Since doing longer rides on a regular basis, I have lost upper body muscle mass. I went to the gym for the first time on the weekend and could barely bench 70kg, whereas before I could do 85kg.

polska1979

One of my pet hates! You cannot 'tone' a muscle

You lose fat and build muscle through hypertrophy (breaking down of muscle fibres and allowing your body to repair) which as a result gives you a more toned appearance

I'll get back in my box now :-)

alihisgreat

Michael Rasmussen gives us all something to aspire to.

hatch87

And I thought my tan lines were bad from the weekend lol. Although I have a watch strap to add to mine lol

iPete

Imposter wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Seriously, cycling uses legs so legs will get stronger as a result.

er, no they won't

Why can I go to the gym and smash out the entire stack on the leg press?

I couldn't do this before years of cycling... just saying.

..cue 30 pages

richardacdc

I'm new to all this so not sure how valid this is but I read that cycling boosts testosterone levels that plus a small amount of upper body effort could result in some muscle gains?.

kingofthetailwind

richardacdc wrote:

I'm new to all this so not sure how valid this is but I read that cycling boosts testosterone levels that plus a small amount of upper body effort could result in some muscle gains?.

It takes a large amount of upper body effort for hypertrophy to occur. I suggest unclipping and doing dips on your bars.

mpatts

Me, yesterday

jgsi

Just remember that to be really an on form cyclist - you will always be too fat, that is until your race cut stretchfit ss jersey arms start to flap about... then you are are ready to crush all opposition.

Camcycle1974

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Michael Rasmussen gives us all something to aspire to.

He's sexy and he knows it. Not a good look really is it? Emaciated is the best word to describe his conditioning in the pic.

giant_man

Camcycle1974 wrote:

ALIHISGREAT wrote:

Michael Rasmussen gives us all something to aspire to.

He's sexy and he knows it. Not a good look really is it? Emaciated is the best word to describe his conditioning in the pic.

christ, if that's what I'm going to look like then I might as well give up now, bloody awful ...