Bicycling

munkeehaven

hey everyone.:-)
well now, i have decided that i'm going to start cycling again. i'm not overweight, i just want to tone up a bit...i'm female so it's the usual areas= thighs, hips yaddeh yadda..... i was just wondering is cycling a good way to tone up? i have good stamina, as i used to do a lot of exercise up until 3 or 4 years ago (im 18 now)....i wanted to do it with a friend but she just can't keep going at all, and gives up too easily...i have plenty of time anyway to do it as it is the summer and i am just hanging around waiting for the l.c results..so i'm thinking i shall go cycling everyday...how long should i go for?? i don't want to lose my curves but just get cardiovascularly healthier and trim off the extra pound or two. so any suggestions? thanks (and i do have a healthy diet=fruit,milk,wholegrains,veggies,etc...and one day where i eat what i want..so there is no prob there)

Musashi

Cycling is very cardio based so do it for an hour at a time,every day or second day.
I'd suggest alternating sprints,hill climbs,harder intervals with steady state handy going to make best use of your time as you improve your fitness.
Secondly, include some upper body work, press ups, crunchs, dips etc. to retain muscle on your upper body and prevent any disparity in size appearing in your build.
Eat enough proteins to sustain your muscle and add some more, look up the tables for Active folks on the interweb.The RDD stuff you usually see is for basically sedentary bods at home in front of the TV.
Hope it goes well and post pics if you like

trotter_inc

Is cycling any good for building up your calves??

I jog a lot and do some weight exercises for my legs but just cant get them any bigger. Can a lot of jogging wear down muscle on your legs at all??

munkeehaven

well, i'm just back from doing about 40 mins of fast cycling... i went up a fair few hills and a bit of flat road aswell, whew, hard work but i was surprised at how long i lasted and i feel great after it too.:)

uberwolf

Originally posted by trotter_inc
Is cycling any good for building up your calves??

yes. But it depends what your naturally dispensated towards TBH. Heavy weights done slowly should build mass, light weights done quickly is more towards tone. *massive generalisation*

Stark

I jog a lot and do some weight exercises for my legs but just cant get them any bigger. Can a lot of jogging wear down muscle on your legs at all??

What do you mean by "wearing down?". Yes you will get injured if you overdo it and don't stretch properly. As for reduction in muscle mass, no. You might want to eat more protein to build up the muscle.

Also if you're cycling make sure you stretch rigorously, making sure to include quads, hamstrings and your iliotibial band (the muscle going down the outside of your upper leg). I started suffering from ITB syndrome after I took up cycling (and that was only cycling to work).

munkeehaven

does anyone know what causes this?..i was cycling today and going quite fast, wasn't feeling too tired , though my heart was beating very fast, i could have kept going, but i had to pull over on the road (it's a private road, and its narrow) as a truck had to pass. the minute i stopped, i felt like i was going to puke , and felt a bit lightheaded..is that supposed to happen when you exercise vigourously?

Stark

You've put too much strain on your heart. Not sure if it's a cause for worry, it only ever happened to me and that was when I was doing lifesaving classes (my treading water technique is abysmal and we were made do it for ages without using our arms at all. By the time I got out of the water I felt I was going to die).

daveirl

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munkeehaven

yeah, i was kind off kicking myself for not bringing any water, and i was 3 miles from home.:dunno: tomorrow i shall invest in some river-rock.....

daveirl

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Stark

Can you wear tap water while cycling?