does cycling kill upper body muscle?

[Becs]

just lift some decent weights twice a week

 

[slowmotion]

Get rid of your mirror???

 

[T.M.H.N.E.T]

Wow! how predictable is that?
Personally I find advice offered on the internet a poor substitute for the advice one might get from a professional. Most who answer a question do it in the spirit of "this is what I have found in my experience", when I have received advice of this nature I use this as a kind of Coles notes and do some research of my own. I imagine star 84 will do the same with everything that has been posted here rather than assume that within it is his definitive answer.

So you're saying it's ok to post any old rubbish or anecdote because curious OP's will do their own research.

Yeah ok!

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

thats why pro cyclists are so slim up top....i've never seen a fat pro biker although Sir Chris Hoy is no lightweight

Depends on the cyclists goal i think.

Greipel has a very toned upper body and muscular arms. This completely hinders his climbing as muscle weighs a considerable amount. On the flat though, his forte, he can use his upper body strength to help transfer as much power as possible through the pedals.
The guys that want to climb with the best have to have as little unwanted body weight as possible in an effort to have the best power to weight ratio. Hence the skinny upper body and well under 10% body fat. Less power needed to go fast upward.

Some of the sprinters lose 10-15 minutes in mountain stages. Even "do it alls" like Sagan can't keep up with the out and out climbers because of his build.

Some GC contenders get so skinny up top that i am sure they are anorexic. Funnily enough some cyclists do confess to having eating disorders.

 

[GrasB]

Cycling in it's self doesn't cause upper body muscle loss. It's just that as an exercise cycling doesn't stress the upper body that much. You're slimming down is simply because you're not taxing the muscles enough to keep that muscle mass. So add a weight lifting session once or twice a week into your schedule.

 

[Ningishzidda]

At the gym I attend, there is a Hand Bike machine. its one of the clever ones where you can have the cranks opposite or together.
DON'T use this machine after eggs and beans on toast.

 

[Pedrosanchezo]

hello guys i have a question and hope more experience cyclist here wuld help.. its been a month now since i started cycling and im enjoying it everyday i jus wanna get on the saddle and ride though we all have defferent reasons why we get into cycling mine is the fun and to keep fit as i get bored going to the gym so quick.. before i started cycling i have a nice upper body build from previous weight lifting,big arms and chest no 6pack though lol so i thought with cycling i can work on my belly,tigh/leg after a month now i can see improvement on my legs and tighs also my belly is no longer big as it use to be but i notice that my arms are getting thin and muscles are going which i dont like..some of my friends who havent seen me for some weeks saw me few days ago and the first thing they said to me was boi you have lost alot of weight...my question is how do i cycle and still retain my upper body muscle or even get them bigger..thanks

It is really difficult to lose weight (hopefully body fat) and also keep all muscle, especially if you are quite a big chap.
With cycling and weight lifting you will need a balanced diet specific to your needs/workload.

For example if you cycle and weight train on a reduced calorie diet, you may not be getting enough protein to aid muscle repair. The result would be a loss on muscle size.
The flip side of this is if you eat too much then you might not lose weight but your muscle mass will remain or even grow.

The hardest part is getting it just right but it is more than achievable by sticking to a plan and monitoring weight along with waist, chest arm size etc. Keep a log if you like.

Personally i think you will lose some mass up top but with a combination of good nutrition, cardio/cycling and core/upper body work, you will be the artist in charge of how your body is sculpted.

 

[Ningishzidda]

It is really difficult to lose weight (hopefully body fat) and also keep all muscle, especially if you are quite a big chap.
With cycling and weight lifting you will need a balanced diet specific to your needs/workload.

For example if you cycle and weight train on a reduced calorie diet, you may not be getting enough protein to aid muscle repair. The result would be a loss on muscle size.
The flip side of this is if you eat too much then you might not lose weight but your muscle mass will remain or even grow.

The hardest part is getting it just right but it is more than achievable by sticking to a plan and monitoring weight along with waist, chest arm size etc. Keep a log if you like.

Personally i think you will lose some mass up top but with a combination of good nutrition, cardio/cycling and core/upper body work, you will be the artist in charge of how your body is sculpted.

+1
Firstly, you need to know how much protein your body can absorb in a day. Any extra will be stored. Then get a number for the carbs you need in a day. Any extra will be stored.
Eat carbs before, and protein after.
Analogy - put fuel in the tank before the race, and rebuild the engine after.

One advisory amount of protein is 2g per kg of muscle that has been exercised. NOT 2g per kg of all your muscle. Except if you perform an 'all body workout'. The other advice is 'not more than 25g of protein in each meal'.

 

[BigonaBianchi]

..i want to work on getting my upper body as fit as my lower body...got a lower back issue so im getting in the pool.

 

[Ningishzidda]

Do a 'split routine'.
Day 1, Arms. Day 3, Chest & Shoulders. Day 5, Back and Abs. Day 2, 4 and 6, Ride a bike hard.

 

[star84]

Get rid of your mirror???

 

[Andrew_Culture]

I can only speak for myself, but a few years of weights gave me a fairly beefy upper body, all of which has now gone, my chest is flatter than it was pre-teens!

But cycling is my only exercise and I'm quite happy to have lost upper bulk.

 

[4F]

I can only speak for myself, but a few years of weights gave me a fairly beefy upper body, all of which has now gone, my chest is flatter than it was pre-teens!

But cycling is my only exercise and I'm quite happy to have lost upper bulk.

Yep I will agree that you are pigeon chested

 

[Andrew_Culture]

Yep I will agree that you are pigeon chested

I miss my boobies.

 

[SquareDaff]

As some others have said - if you're still doing exercises on your upper body you'll probably find that it's not muscle you're losing but the fat surrounding it. I was/still am quite well built on top. I've adjusted my training since cycling distances rather than just commuting and have noticed my overall shape change. I, like you, seem to have lost a good percentage of bulk from the upper body, which in my case seems to have been redistributed to a fair set of leg muscles. But although I've lost bulk on the top half I haven't lost any strength.

Personally I like it that way and IMO it looks better on me and I know I feel better. What anyone else thinks I don't really care!!