Will my homegrown routine help me get in shape

romperstomper

right guys, i have developed a bit of a routine in the last few weeks to help me lose the ned and get fitter. diet has been sorted elsewhere so i just need to know will my workout get me where i want to go or not. if not what can i do to help etc. i work Very long hours so bear that in mind.

workout involves cycling and weights on alternate days. the weights are all upper body exercises and i use dumbells.
the cycle:
either up howth hill and back home for a 20Km round trip
OR
cycle into work and back, 40Km round trip

at the moment the i'm doing something 5 days a week (usually 3 X cycle 2 X weights or vice versa).

will it work?i've been at it 3 weeks with minute results and its disheartening

28yo m, 15st, 5'11

BossArky

romperstomper wrote: »

workout involves cycling and weights on alternate days. the weights are all upper body exercises

Start by incorporating some squats, deadlifts, lunges and or single leg split squats into your routine to put some more muscle mass on your legs.

My experience shows that cycling will just make your legs scrawnier, so don't think you have the lower half covered by cycling alone.

romperstomper

BossArky wrote: »

Start by incorporating some squats, deadlifts, lunges and or single leg split squats into your routine to put some more muscle mass on your legs.

My experience shows that cycling will just make your legs scrawnier, so don't think you have the lower half covered by cycling alone.

no harm there, there is a LOT of beef there

Al_Fernz

romperstomper wrote: »

right guys, i have developed a bit of a routine in the last few weeks to help me lose the ned and get fitter. diet has been sorted elsewhere so i just need to know will my workout get me where i want to go or not. if not what can i do to help etc. i work Very long hours so bear that in mind.

workout involves cycling and weights on alternate days. the weights are all upper body exercises and i use dumbells.
the cycle:
either up howth hill and back home for a 20Km round trip
OR
cycle into work and back, 40Km round trip

at the moment the i'm doing something 5 days a week (usually 3 X cycle 2 X weights or vice versa).

will it work?i've been at it 3 weeks with minute results and its disheartening

28yo m, 15st, 5'11

If your trying to lose the Ned Kelly you really need to have a look at your diet. All that cycling will certainly help raise your metabolism, but if you eat more than you burn you're not going to make any progress. Please post up your typical daily diet.

I'd agree with BossArkys's advice. You need a weightlifting routine that incorporates your whole body. Otherwise you will most likely develop imbalances and put yourself on a crash course to injury. Also, by neglecting your lower body you are stunting potential muscle growth and the potential to raise you're metabolism even further.

BossArky

To expand on my post above...

A few years ago when I started my first job I was fit enough and slightly muscley from a good bit of random gym work at Uni.

I started commuting to work on the bike 350km each week, and stopped going to the gym as I thought the bike would take care of all my fitness needs.

All that cycling got me pretty fast and fit, but also burned off whatever muscle I had. I remember one day lifting my bike out of a hanging rack on a train and pulling a muscle in my back.

The moral of the story --> too much cardio leaves you weak and weedy, and your metabolism will drop as there is no muscle there to keep it going. All the cycling make raise the metabolism a bit, but the lack of muscle negates the increase.

So, do some squatting and deadlifting for your legs and back.