strengthening legs

[SkipdiverJohn]

To make 'decent progress' in speed terms, whatever that really means, a person needs an efficient cardio-vascular system. It's not all just about big muscles, muscles can't function well with insufficient oxygen.

By "decent progress" I mean making time that is several times faster than walking the same distance. I often notice local BSO riders travelling so slowly on their crappy bouncer MTB's that it is painful to watch. I can't make my mind up if it because they are just too unfit, too sodding lazy to make any physical effort, or the bikes they ride are so terrible you would not want to break into double figure MPH.
I agree completely you need to be able to get enough oxygen delivered to the muscles, otherwise they are not going to work efficiently for anything but very brief periods. You can be strong and relatively unfit, but you can't develop much power and be unfit.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

Just ride & enjoy it the rest is just waffle, the more you ride the fitter you'll get, the fitter you get the more you can ride, the more you ride the fitter you'll get, the fitter you get the more you can ride, you get the picture, the only thing I would say is make sure you have the bike set-up correctly.

 

[nickyboy]

Cycling up a hill is quite similar to walking up a flight of stairs

Almost everyone has sufficient leg strength to climb a flight of stairs. If you have that much strength, you have enough strength to climb a hill on your bike

The problem is that effectively you're climbing stairs at about 120 per minute (ie 60rpm) for several minutes. That's not down to your leg strength, thats down to your CV system

 

[BromptonChrispy]

im a 63 yr old welder, always done manual work and i used to be up and down ladders but for a while its just stood about at a lathe or welding, gave up cigs 12months ago and i started walking and tried to jog to get more movement in my legs, they were always tired and achey, the bike is part of the overall plan to be fit enough to run a 10k before its too late but i suprisingly have found out that i enjoy cycling

It’s never too late.

 

[boydj]

Doing movements like buzzy-beans' squats doesn't improve muscle mass so much as muscle tone, and they're something everyone should be doing on a daily basis regardless of whether they're cyclists or not. Dr Michael Moseley recommended this on one of his TV programmes ages ago, to combat the skinny flabby shanks that inactive people tend to end up with as they get older - you can do a deep squat to get something out of the fridge, instead of bending over and putting pressure on your back. Better tone in the largest muscles in the body helps with so many things apart from pure strength: mobility, circulation, joint health, etc.

And golf. That's why at 64 kg I can outdrive most of my peers - though its primarily the core strength derived from cycling that gives the most benefit.

 

[Alan O]

I'm going to agree with the folks here who say it's general aerobic fitness that matters the most when you're just starting. When you go on your first rides, you may well feel the pain in your legs, but I think blood/oxygen flow to the muscles is a major part of that.

I resumed cycling in 2016 after a big gap, and my very first return ride was only about 5 miles - and my legs hurt, especially going up even a mild hill. But just riding a little bit further each time, and having a good few days for rest in between, and I was soon doing 10, 15 miles and more - with no thoughts whatsoever about strengthening my legs.

Having said that, two years on my legs are significantly stronger (with noticeably more muscle and less fat), which does help a lot on hills. But I see that as a result of my cycling rather than a prerequisite. It's "If you cycle a lot, your legs will get stronger", not "If you strengthen your legs, you'll be able to cycle a lot".

 

[Alan O]

You can be strong but have a suboptimal cardiovascular system, which cannot be improved beyond its individual optimum by striving for 'fitness'. That is when an ebike might come into play. The idea that this is down to idleness or 'cheating' of some sort is not just wrong and simplistic, it's pointlessly negative. Strong legs are good for cycling, but that's just a small part of the whole equation of an individual's physiology.

I agree 100% with that. The mixed and varied group I ride with occasionally includes several people who ride ebikes, which give them an advantage where they'd otherwise struggle with, say, a steep hill or against a strong headwind. The ebikes allow them to get out and ride, and help provide great benefits for their cardiovascular health within their own limits. Ebikes are great, and I'd certainly use one if and when I need to.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

. The mixed and varied group I ride with occasionally includes several people who ride ebikes, which give them an advantage where they'd otherwise struggle with, say, a steep hill or against a strong headwind. .

The problem I have with e-bikes is the potential they have to take some of the fitness benefits away from the exercise. By that, I mean people are tempted to crank up the assistance rather than crank up the amount of effort they put in when climbing or riding into the wind. I don't really enjoy climbing gradients, and I certainly don't actively choose routes with too many of them if I can avoid it, but there's no doubt that being forced to really slog it up the odd punishing gradient has improved both my leg strength and general fitness - because I'm finding that I can now maintain slightly higher speeds uphill or not need to drop down into such low gears. If I rode an e-bike it would be very easy just to maintain my normal effort level usually put in on the flat, and rely on the bike to deal with the gradient. That would mean me staying weaker and less fit, so being slower or tiring more easily during normal riding. I don't see how employing a bike that takes away some of the physical effort required in cycling is in any way beneficial to strength, fitness, or weight loss. All you are doing is substituting calorie-burning human effort with stored chemical energy turned into electricity.

 

[Deleted member 26715]

We're venturing of topic but would you rather have those people say on the sofa doing no exercise?

I believe that there are horses for courses & there is a place for each & all, it's almost like saying people shouldn't ride MTB's on the road.

 

[T4tomo]

Having stronger legs will not make you a better cyclist. The force we put through the pedals is tiny, it's like climbing a flight of stairs

The limiting factor is your fitness, not your strength. Ride a lot to improve this, that's enoigh

Yeah right, it's not like pro(and non pro) cyclists have well toned muscular legs or anything is it?

Fine , leg strength isn't the be all and end all, fitness is more important, but improving both will make you a "better" cyclist.

 

[Alan O]

The problem I have with e-bikes is the potential they have to take some of the fitness benefits away from the exercise. By that, I mean people are tempted to crank up the assistance rather than crank up the amount of effort they put in when climbing or riding into the wind. I don't really enjoy climbing gradients, and I certainly don't actively choose routes with too many of them if I can avoid it, but there's no doubt that being forced to really slog it up the odd punishing gradient has improved both my leg strength and general fitness - because I'm finding that I can now maintain slightly higher speeds uphill or not need to drop down into such low gears. If I rode an e-bike it would be very easy just to maintain my normal effort level usually put in on the flat, and rely on the bike to deal with the gradient. That would mean me staying weaker and less fit, so being slower or tiring more easily during normal riding. I don't see how employing a bike that takes away some of the physical effort required in cycling is in any way beneficial to strength, fitness, or weight loss. All you are doing is substituting calorie-burning human effort with stored chemical energy turned into electricity.

For my cycling companions who use ebikes, I really don't see it as taking fitness benefits away from exercise - instead, it's providing them with fitness benefits that they could not enjoy at all if they couldn't use ebikes on our rides.

 

[nickyboy]

Yeah right, it's not like pro(and non pro) cyclists have well toned muscular legs or anything is it?

Fine , leg strength isn't the be all and end all, fitness is more important, but improving both will make you a "better" cyclist.

Have a look at the pros. The better the climber the skinnier the legs. What you're seeing is muscle definition caused by minimal fat, not lots of muscle

 

[T4tomo]

Yes and those well defined muscles are stronger than poor defined flabby ones. You don't need to be a body builder to have strength. and having some muscle strength helps you cycle better.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

We're venturing of topic but would you rather have those people say on the sofa doing no exercise?

I believe that there are horses for courses & there is a place for each & all, it's almost like saying people shouldn't ride MTB's on the road.

The choice whether to stay on the sofa or go out for a ride has got nothing to do with the availability of e-bikes. There was no such thing as e-anything years ago and the population as a whole was far fitter, more active, and less overweight than they are now. The real reason is people have got extremely lazy and the hundreds of (mostly) crap TV channels available at the push of a button from the idiot box in your living room isn't helping either. You don't even have to get off your arse and walk three paces to change channel any more.

Horses for courses is true, but will only apply to e-bikes in the case of "marginal" cyclists. For most cyclists, whether they ride or lie on the sofa is entirely within their own choosing. They are perfectly capable of riding a normal bike with 100% human power.
I ride a rigid MTB on the road for at least as many miles as I ride a hybrid with slicker tyres. The MTB is noticeably harder work due to knobbly tyres, but it copes better with very poor tarmac surfaces, and the extra effort hopefully means more weight loss and better fitness sooner.

 

[Heltor Chasca]

I am still in my decompression chamber after returning from the NL.

That is a nation of fit people. Cruising along with my two kids and laden bikes, we soon got used to being overtaken by elders on their velocipedes. With a non medically trained eye, they look healthy, fit and happy.

Lots of people of all ages on e-bikes. And those people, like said up thread, are doing MUCH more than just sitting in a car or sofa. They all looked in great shape. 53% of bike sales in the NL are electric. The Dutch don’t make erroneous purchase decisions I would vouch.

I am a muscular person and ‘look strong’. Legs included. However I am nothing more than a ‘just above’ average cyclist in terms of fitness and my FTP. I am nowhere near as a strong cyclist as very skinny individuals I ride with. I would guess that’s down to my DNA and efficiency of my aerobic and cardiovascular engine.

Back in my chamber. Do excuse me.