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.