Cycling makes women fat????

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bobg

Über Member
Sorry I really couldnt resist this..... I was browsing re benefits of swimming for cyclists and there it was!:blush::biggrin: ... he said beating a hasty retreat..

" the longest stint of cycling i've done was around 8 hours per day for 3 months, when i was 23. i put ON about 4 kilos. a lot of it was muscle, mainly of my lower back, butt and thighs. if anything my calf muscles became smaller (in normal life i walk a lot) but ignoring the increase in muscle-mass, i also developed a bit of a tummy. I put that down to the fact that I was eating about 3 times as much per day as in my normal life, and sitting on an upright bike doesn't work your abdominal muscles too well. :wacko:

the really funny thing was though, if you looked at the group of us cycling, all us girls got bigger and developed little tummies, and all the boys wasted away until they were wiry scraps of their former selves - nothing but lean muscle and bone. "
 

Dave5N

Über Member
ALl the women I know who have taken up regular cycling have all lost weight. QUite a lot in some cases.
 

SamNichols

New Member
Location
Colne, Lancs
We men can't really criticise I wouldn't have thought: we may all be getting slimmer (I've lost 2 stone since starting cycling), but we all look ridiculous in lycra.
 

Plax

Guru
Location
Wales
Well, I haven't noticed any weight loss myself, but that's because
a) I never bother to weigh myself and my trousers fit as usual and :blush: any weight loss I may have achieved has probably been balanced out by all the chocolate I'm still eating that's been left over from Christmas! :wacko:
 
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bobg

bobg

Über Member
Hope I didn't offend anyone by that post, it was not my intention :biggrin: I was genuinely interested re the suggestion that stomach muscles weren't " worked" by cycling? My old Dad was a keen club cyclist before the war, and when I started riding he always taught be to push on the pedals and pull on the bars in a sprint - which certainly worked the abs. Mind you, frame geometry was maybe a little different then?
 

summerdays

Cycling in the sun
Location
Bristol
I think that my stomach muscles have improved but the tummy bit isn't helped by coming in after a half hour cycle ride, feeling munchy and thinking well I must have cycled at least one or two biscuits worth....
I'm always hungry when I get off the bike:biggrin:.
I do think I am more toned over all (still got more work to do there as well), but I don't think men look at women's tummy's when cycling:biggrin::biggrin:, its either a behind or infront view normally.
 

jashburnham

New Member
bobg said:
Hope I didn't offend anyone by that post, it was not my intention :biggrin: I was genuinely interested re the suggestion that stomach muscles weren't " worked" by cycling? My old Dad was a keen club cyclist before the war, and when I started riding he always taught be to push on the pedals and pull on the bars in a sprint - which certainly worked the abs. Mind you, frame geometry was maybe a little different then?

I've read that all though stomach muscles are used in cycling it doesn't do much to actually develop them - seems a bit odd, but I cycle a fair bit and my core is very weak even though I pull on the bars a fair bit when accelerating or hitting a tough climb. I've signed up to a Pilates course which is supposed to be excellent for cycling as it builds a strong core and increases flexibility.
 

Cyclista

New Member
Location
Ryde
jashburnham said:
I've read that all though stomach muscles are used in cycling it doesn't do much to actually develop them - seems a bit odd, but I cycle a fair bit and my core is very weak even though I pull on the bars a fair bit when accelerating or hitting a tough climb. I've signed up to a Pilates course which is supposed to be excellent for cycling as it builds a strong core and increases flexibility.
I find my stomach muscles get much more of a workout on the MTB than they do on the roadie. There is alot more physical movement of the bike by the rider when riding offroad, most of this work being done my the mid-section and the arms.

bobg said:
My old Dad was a keen club cyclist before the war, and when I started riding he always taught be to push on the pedals and pull on the bars in a sprint - which certainly worked the abs. Mind you, frame geometry was maybe a little different then?
I still do this now....
 
Interestingly directly after a cycle ride, if I weigh myself, I gain around 3lbs, but I don't look, or measure, any different. Could it be fluids? Or increased muscle density? I have no idea...the weight goes down again in a few days.

I lost 24lbs through increased exercise but only because I changed my diet too. I also do pilates twice a week so have no trouble with the belly department but it was an issue beforehand.

IMO there's too much body fascism around sport. Look at your heart rate, distances and speed stats first...
 
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