Cycling + Female = Chunky Thighs? (increasingly NSFW)

DeepBlue · 2010-03-15 22:00:05

I'm trying to get my sister to do the Ring of Kerry this year which will require a bit of training beforehand. However while she's often expressed interest in previous years she still hasn't done it and seems to think that a lot of cycling will leave her with big thighs and unflattering large leg muscles (which she…

15-03-2010 11:00PM

#1

DeepBlue

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I'm trying to get my sister to do the Ring of Kerry this year which will require a bit of training beforehand. However while she's often expressed interest in previous years she still hasn't done it and seems to think that a lot of cycling will leave her with big thighs and unflattering large leg muscles (which she currently doesn't have).

So is this true and how can I persuade her otherwise?

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#2 15-03-2010 11:07PM

Lumen

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Pics or GTFO

Cycling doesn't give you massive thighs. It might add a bit of definition, which is attractive.

Obligatory Liz Hatch pic.

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#3 15-03-2010 11:12PM

jwshooter

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my personal favourite

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#4 15-03-2010 11:12PM

blorg

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Worth bearing in mind that Liz Hatch is a pro, most female cyclists, even racing ones, won't end up with even that sort of muscle mass in their thighs. They certainly won't from doing the Ring of Kerry. They can only end up looking better.

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#5 15-03-2010 11:18PM

dancesOnPedals

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She'd only get big thighs if she took steroids and believe me it's not her thighs she'd be worried about...

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#6 16-03-2010 12:04AM

cdaly_

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What's he posting pics of James May for?...

Lumen wrote:

It might add a bit of definition, which is attractive.

+1. Nothing like well-formed muscle structure...

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#7 16-03-2010 12:13AM

Victor

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Does she prefer her current (skinny) flab?

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#8 16-03-2010 12:19AM

el tel

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I've never seen a woman club cyclist with nice slender legs. It's bound to be different in Dublin where there are more girl bikers and more nice girls in general, but where I'm from you are talking big chunky legs and thighs to go with their big chunky torsos. But your sister should take comfort in the fact that if she has good legs now, cycling will not make them worse but will probably make them even better in fact.

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#9 16-03-2010 01:01AM

DeepBlue

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jwshooter wrote: »

my personal favourite

You see the problem is that if I used that pic to try to suggest cycling then there is a very strong possibility that the bike would be flung aside and never used again .
Even the pic of the very attractive Ms Hatch might not bolster the argument either and probably would have the opposite effect.

Bear in mind that the amount of cycling involved would not really be that much. Certainly not anything like most regular cyclists do here. Just enough to get around the ROK in some comfort without getting a coronary .
Intuitively I would think that the most difference she would notice is a slightly better definition on the leg muscles and even then that would only probably come about if she was doing a fair bit of climbing (unlikely).

The difficulty is presenting this with a strong enough argument (ideally scientific) to counter the (imo irrational) belief she's already built up.

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#10 16-03-2010 01:40AM

Wibbs

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If muscle and bulk was that easy to build up for women with a lot less testosterone in the mix, then male body builders wouldnt sweat their days out in the gym or resort to extra "help". Men trying to bulk up naturally have a helluva lot of work and pain(and food) to go through. To build muscle the body needs to intake serious calories as the same body will not build such a high calorie tissue like muscle for fun. Again look at the calorie intake for male bodybuilders.

On a personal level, the women Ive known who were into cycling, along with getting a lot healthier, most got thinner and more defined. Indeed one of the skinniest(healthy) woman I know is big into cycling. The ones that didnt and did get bigger? Their appetite went up with the exercise and they simply ate more.

Many worry about Artificial Intelligence. I worry far more about Organic Idiocy.

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#11 16-03-2010 01:46AM

JuliusCaesar

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Definately larger calves....but I've been cycling for years. (Can no longer buy boots as they won't zip up over my calves.)

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#12 16-03-2010 07:44AM

Lumen

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DeepBlue wrote: »

The difficulty is presenting this with a strong enough argument (ideally scientific) to counter the (imo irrational) belief she's already built up.

It sounds like she's making excuses.

You need to hook her up with a cyclist.

I've seen very good women cyclists with quite thin legs and no muscle definition at all. The extra fat covers it up.

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#13 16-03-2010 08:29AM

jwshooter

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time for the lady boardies to strut there stuff.

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#14 16-03-2010 08:56AM

Diarmuid

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DeepBlue wrote: »

So is this true and how can I persuade her otherwise?

Tell her to have a look at male pro cyclists who train 35 hours a week. Chunky is not the word that comes to mind. I've definitely lost mass on my legs since I started cycling

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#15 16-03-2010 09:08AM

Ciaran500

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Never got this excuse women throw around to avoid any intense exercise. Gaining muscle mass is not something that just happens, its a very slow, reversible process. Its not going to suddenly happen.

On top of that long distance cycling really isn't the type of exercise you want to be doing to build muscle, cycling at moderate intensity will increase your aerobic ability (endurance), short intense sprints build muscle and even then women will struggle to gain much mass.

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#16 16-03-2010 10:16AM

Caroline_ie

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lol
I cycle everyday, I am training on a fixie half the time, I do sportives and started races this year. I am not the best around, far from it.
The only reason why I have big thighs is because I eat too much cake.

Tell your sis that it will not give her big thighs but it will give her toned legs and arse.

If she still refuses ... leave it.

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#17 16-03-2010 10:26AM

mloc123

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Heres some more motivation.

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#18 16-03-2010 10:37AM

seamus

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Her misconceptions may come from "spinning", which has a number of misconceptions about it.

Some women go to "spinning" classes in the gym, and only spinning classes, because they want to tone up their legs and calves and lose fat around their arse. Spinning classes tend to be a form of interval training, which means that the leg muscles need a lot of energy quickly.
This has the net result that over the medium-term, the body deposits more fat around the legs so that the energy is closer to where it's needed. Converting fat to energy takes longer than carbs (for example), so it's beneficial to have the "fuel" closest to where it's required.
So women who've been doing "spinning" for a while will report that far from having the desired effect of thin pins, they find their legs become bigger over time. This gives some people the false impression that cycling = chunky thighs.

This is easily offset by combining spinning with other forms of exercise - rowing machines or cross-trainers. Cycling on the road won't have the same effect because it's more constant with fewer sudden bursts of exercise.

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#19 16-03-2010 10:39AM

leonardbenn

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DeepBlue wrote: »

I'm trying to get my sister to do the Ring of Kerry this year which will require a bit of training beforehand. However while she's often expressed interest in previous years she still hasn't done it and seems to think that a lot of cycling will leave her with big thighs and unflattering large leg muscles (which she currently doesn't have).

So is this true and how can I persuade her otherwise?

tough one girl

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#20 16-03-2010 10:51AM

Lumen

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seamus wrote: »

This has the net result that over the medium-term, the body deposits more fat around the legs so that the energy is closer to where it's needed.

Are you sure about that? AFAIK the body doesn't redistribute fat that way.

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#21 16-03-2010 10:54AM

seamus

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Lumen wrote: »

Are you sure about that? AFAIK the body doesn't redistribute fat that way.

Well, allegedly that's what it's about. It only tends to happen to people who do spinning classes and nothing else. It's effectively an hour of interval training.

Maybe I'm completely wrong and that is the misconception.

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#22 16-03-2010 11:10AM

silvo

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You might want to show your sister this link to a women's training weekend in Mullingar that Cycling Ireland are putting on. She could meet other female cyclists and realize that you will only get 'chunky' thighs if you have been cycling for years. I do a fair bit of mtb and am pretty much the same size as I was when I started.

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#23 16-03-2010 11:14AM

niceonetom

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I've been trying to get my thighs a bit chunkier for a couple of years now. Still no joy.

Perhaps the fat burning qualities of long-slow-distance could be emphasised to your sis? Who doesn't want to be leaner?

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#24 16-03-2010 11:16AM

RobFowl

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Originally Posted by seamus
This has the net result that over the medium-term, the body deposits more fat around the legs so that the energy is closer to where it's needed.

Lumen wrote: »

Are you sure about that? AFAIK the body doesn't redistribute fat that way.

Sorry Seamus total b****ks I'm afraid.
Fat distribution is largely controled by genetics and hormonal influences.

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#25 16-03-2010 11:38AM

petethedrummer

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Show her a picture of Rasmussen's legs.

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#26 17-03-2010 04:39PM

mockler007

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Lumen wrote: »

Pics or GTFO

Cycling doesn't give you massive thighs. It might add a bit of definition, which is attractive.

Obligatory Liz Hatch pic.

what a rothar, id gladly be that xbar anyday

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#27 17-03-2010 10:01PM

levitronix

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:eek: i think she has no saddle

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#28 17-03-2010 10:06PM

DirkVoodoo

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I too am in the club where cycling has not made my legs any bigger, just more defined and the number of freaky veins continues to increase. I think you need to be loading your legs big time, either through constant sprinting in big gears everywhere you go or doing free weight training like those guys on the fitness forum.

Cycling a bike the odd time, i.e. not constant training, just commuting and a weekend spin, will not make your legs explode and bulk up to hulk like proportions.

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#29 17-03-2010 10:44PM

ednwireland

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just to say one thing victoria pendleton

how she outsprints anyone with those legs ......

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#30 18-03-2010 03:37PM

mockler007

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ednwireland wrote: »

just to say one thing victoria pendleton

how she outsprints anyone with those legs ......

She has no bike though, ???? I wonder is it a bromton in the locker behind her

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#31 18-03-2010 05:44PM

Signal_ rabbit

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I'll raise your Vicki Pendleton:

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