Combining cycling with weightlifting?

[Triloc]

I didn´t really know where to ask this so if i posted it in the wrong section I´ll move it to the right one.
This is my first post here so be gentle .
Anyway my dilemma is described in the title.
Lately I´ve been putting more and more emphasis on my cycling and my main concern is speed and tempo.
One of the problems is that i don´t really have a set schedule.
I do intervals about 2 times a week and one longer distance a week. The other days of the week I try to listen to my body and go as intense as i feel that day, I use the bike for commuting aswell.
I also lift weights about three days a week.
The thing is that i really want to do both but when I do, I often end up feeling like **** and very worn out...
So my question is have any of you succesfully combined both?
Any ideas, experiences, help or reading tips about cycling/weightlifting would be most appreciated.
Thanks

 

[skydive69]

I didn´t really know where to ask this so if i posted it in the wrong section I´ll move it to the right one.
This is my first post here so be gentle .
Anyway my dilemma is described in the title.
Lately I´ve been putting more and more emphasis on my cycling and my main concern is speed and tempo.
One of the problems is that i don´t really have a set schedule.
I do intervals about 2 times a week and one longer distance a week. The other days of the week I try to listen to my body and go as intense as i feel that day, I use the bike for commuting aswell.
I also lift weights about three days a week.
The thing is that i really want to do both but when I do, I often end up feeling like **** and very worn out...
So my question is have any of you succesfully combined both?
Any ideas, experiences, help or reading tips about cycling/weightlifting would be most appreciated.
Thanks

I cycle 5 days a week, and lift 2 days a week. I highly recommend the book, "Beyond Brawn" by Stuart McRobert. It is the most incredible book I have ever read on weight training. It is close to 500 pages of incredible information. The thrust is that one does not have to train three times a week - in fact less is often more with weight training (unlike aerobic sports). If you cannot find it through "normal" channels, you can usually get a copy at www.davedraper.com.

I don't want to look like Lance Armstrong and other pro cyclists in the upper body - ugh!

 

[Triloc]

I cycle 5 days a week, and lift 2 days a week. I highly recommend the book, "Beyond Brawn" by Stuart McRobert. It is the most incredible book I have ever read on weight training. It is close to 500 pages of incredible information. The thrust is that one does not have to train three times a week - in fact less is often more with weight training (unlike aerobic sports). If you cannot find it through "normal" channels, you can usually get a copy at www.davedraper.com.

I don't want to look like Lance Armstrong and other pro cyclists in the upper body - ugh!

Do you lift separate days from your riding or do you do both in a day?
If it´s not too much of a hassle would you type down how you training week looks like?
I need some ideas to create something that atleast resemembles a "schedule"...

 

[skydive69]

Do you lift separate days from your riding or do you do both in a day?
If it´s not too much of a hassle would you type down how you training week looks like?
I need some ideas to create something that atleast resemembles a "schedule"...

I lift on separate days - although during all of the years I was a competitive runner, I did both on the same day. That just led to a lot of sick days due to over extending.

The important thing is to just do compound exercises - those exercises that work numerous large muscle groups. For example, bench press, overhead press, squats.

Up until recently, I was lifting three days a week, and working each body part just once a week. My schedule was as follows:

Monday:

ab work
Squats (20 repetition - one warm-up set and one work set)
2 sets of seated calf raises
2 sets of deadlifts

Wed:

Ab work
3 sets Pull ups
3 sets Barbell Curls
2 sets L-Flys (protects your shoulders)

Friday:

3 sets of Bench presses
3 sets of seated overhead presses
3 sets of barbell shoulder shrugs

I worked in some grip work once a week

Due to lots of cycling now, I workout twice a week and do a complete body workout:

Usually three sets of everything

Bench press
seated overhead presses
Lat pulldown
Curls
tricep extensions
leg work on one of my workouts
ab work

Tends to keep my upper body in great shape, and leaves me energy to hammer and sprint with the local bicycle nuts on group rides.

 

[Carrera]

If you want to lift very heavy weights, cycling would be a bad thing. However, if you're referring to bodybuilding, some cycling is O.K. But how much you do depends on your body type.
Myself, I specialised in cycling during Summer but started to get knee aches. During my intense cycling period my weight dropped a heck of a lot - mostly muscle.My cycling performance got quite good.
In Winter I've resumed more intense weights and have gained maybe 14 lbs of muscle. Naturally my cycling level has dropped - mainly over longer distance.
Cycling taken to its extreme is very anti-muscle - which is why most top-cyclists just don't appear muscular, except maybe the legs. Muscle holds back your cycling and counts as excessive bodyweight.
Conversely, power lifters don't do cardio as the main focus is strength.
I think you can successfully combine your cycling with bodybuilding but you will certainly lose some cycling performance and also lose a little muscle mass. On the other hand, you will probably be able to blow slightly better cyclists than yourself in the gym and blow virtually all bodybuiders in cardio performance. So, maybe you can become a good all rounder - as opposed to a specialist.
The training regime is far trickier to acheive all of this. It's a matter of working out an exact balance between tht two sports.

I didn´t really know where to ask this so if i posted it in the wrong section I´ll move it to the right one.
This is my first post here so be gentle .
Anyway my dilemma is described in the title.
Lately I´ve been putting more and more emphasis on my cycling and my main concern is speed and tempo.
One of the problems is that i don´t really have a set schedule.
I do intervals about 2 times a week and one longer distance a week. The other days of the week I try to listen to my body and go as intense as i feel that day, I use the bike for commuting aswell.
I also lift weights about three days a week.
The thing is that i really want to do both but when I do, I often end up feeling like **** and very worn out...
So my question is have any of you succesfully combined both?
Any ideas, experiences, help or reading tips about cycling/weightlifting would be most appreciated.
Thanks

 

[Felt_Rider]

I am probably the opposite of most on this board.
I am a former competitive bodybuilder and have been training for over 20 years. This summer I was introduced to "real" biking opposed to the "stationary" bikes that I always used to get leaner for compeititions.

I train with weights 5 days a week (one body part per day / one body part per week), mt. bike once a week and road bike once a week. The biking is limited because of my work schedule. Getting into biking is purely an experiment with my training and nutrition knowledge. So far so good.

As far as the "Beyond Brawn" book it is pretty good.

There are many different approaches because there are many different levels of goals. Also it more greatly depends on genetics and discipline.

To answer your question on feeling worn out is a good signal to listen to the body. As sky mentioned it doesn't take as much training as people think and it doesn't take much to overtrain especially if you are doing multiple types of training.

Consider these things: (not in order of importance)

1. Daily stress levels
2. Sleep or rest levels
3. Nutrition
4. Joint conditions (joint pains)
5. Muscle tightness

One has to learn when to back off and give the body a break and when the mind is trying to make up excuses to skip a workout. Sometimes it gets really hard to tell the difference. In my past there have been days when I just about walked out of the gym only to find out the next day that I had an incredible workout. There have been times when I should have walked out and instead I pushed it to the point of tearing muscle tissue causing weeks of recovery.

Best wishes on the training

 

[Carrera]

Also, for size, try following your cycle ride up with hard squats if you can stomach it. Then take a day off for growth. This will develop your fitness and then build up leg-muscle and help overall muscle gain. But rest after squats is essential.

I lift on separate days - although during all of the years I was a competitive runner, I did both on the same day. That just led to a lot of sick days due to over extending.

The important thing is to just do compound exercises - those exercises that work numerous large muscle groups. For example, bench press, overhead press, squats.

Up until recently, I was lifting three days a week, and working each body part just once a week. My schedule was as follows:

Monday:

ab work
Squats (20 repetition - one warm-up set and one work set)
2 sets of seated calf raises
2 sets of deadlifts

Wed:

Ab work
3 sets Pull ups
3 sets Barbell Curls
2 sets L-Flys (protects your shoulders)

Friday:

3 sets of Bench presses
3 sets of seated overhead presses
3 sets of barbell shoulder shrugs

I worked in some grip work once a week

Due to lots of cycling now, I workout twice a week and do a complete body workout:

Usually three sets of everything

Bench press
seated overhead presses
Lat pulldown
Curls
tricep extensions
leg work on one of my workouts
ab work

Tends to keep my upper body in great shape, and leaves me energy to hammer and sprint with the local bicycle nuts on group rides.

 

[Carrera]

I'll hopefully rescue this topic unless it dies off.

I upped my weight work after Summer, mainly due to the constant rain, the fact my knees were giving me a little trouble and the feeling I had lost too much weight climbing. I've had success working on a back injury by doing hyper-extensions.

My present weight routine includes high-rep squats, leg-curls, occasional leg-extensions, bent rowing (barbell), chins, bench press, dumbell flies, curls and french press/dips. I've been working body parts twice a week and put 14 pounds of muscle back on.

I went out on my bike today and don't feel too bad at all. I'm just under 200 pounds but can still climb pretty well, given my weight. True, I'm not as fit on the bike as I was during Summer but it seems my general fitness level hasn't declined much at all. Maybe the high-rep squats have helped keep me aerobically fit as I've been hitting well over 20 reps on warm ups (using about 235 for rock bottom reps).

Of course, I'm not saying the routine I outline above is suitable for a specialist cyclist but I think it's possible for a bodybuilder to hold some degree of muscle mass while doing cycling. What does interest me specifically is whether I should try doing my bike workouts in a way that it blends in with my Winter weight work. I thought of doing very intense 45 minute bike rides that will leave me virtually spent (training a bit like a sprinter). I love to climb so maybe I can work on uphill sprints.

I have heard of bodybuilders who have somehow managed to run marathons part of the year and bodybuild at other times. However, sprint cycling is more suitable for those of us who weight train, I think.

I am probably the opposite of most on this board.
I am a former competitive bodybuilder and have been training for over 20 years. This summer I was introduced to "real" biking opposed to the "stationary" bikes that I always used to get leaner for compeititions.

I train with weights 5 days a week (one body part per day / one body part per week), mt. bike once a week and road bike once a week. The biking is limited because of my work schedule. Getting into biking is purely an experiment with my training and nutrition knowledge. So far so good.

As far as the "Beyond Brawn" book it is pretty good.

There are many different approaches because there are many different levels of goals. Also it more greatly depends on genetics and discipline.

To answer your question on feeling worn out is a good signal to listen to the body. As sky mentioned it doesn't take as much training as people think and it doesn't take much to overtrain especially if you are doing multiple types of training.

Consider these things: (not in order of importance)

1. Daily stress levels
2. Sleep or rest levels
3. Nutrition
4. Joint conditions (joint pains)
5. Muscle tightness

One has to learn when to back off and give the body a break and when the mind is trying to make up excuses to skip a workout. Sometimes it gets really hard to tell the difference. In my past there have been days when I just about walked out of the gym only to find out the next day that I had an incredible workout. There have been times when I should have walked out and instead I pushed it to the point of tearing muscle tissue causing weeks of recovery.

Best wishes on the training

 

[Felt_Rider]

Carrera, I think what you are doing, which is experimenting, is the best way for progress. Trying the high rep squats and sprints and see how you legs respond is a good approach.

Bodybuilders that can run marathons and still compete would need some amazing genetics. I have a few friends that are professional bodybuilders and no matter what they do they gain muscle mass.

To train individuals I used to look at their body type and make the decision.

Endomorph - heavier physique can typically take higher amount of training without overtraining and does not require as much food intake. Harder for these types to get lean no matter the amount of training or cardio.

Ecotomorph - lean physique and lighter skeletal frame has to careful not to overtrain and undereat.

Mesomorph - ideal bodytype for musclarity. Follow a reasonable training program with a scheduled meal program and will easily put on muscle mass.

Many bodybuilders will use the cold weather months to pack on the muscle mass or bulk up and pick up activities during the warmer months to lean out.

 

[Felt_Rider]

My ultimate goal is not to lose muscle mass, but yet lean out a little bit and get in better condition. When I competed as a bodybuilder I was never concerned about my internal condition only what I looked like on stage and that is how most competitive bodybuilders view training. They are only concerned with the outer appearance and not internal conditioning.



Now at the age of 41, I noticed last year that my breathing was more labored and my blood pressure was up so I decided rather than a doctor prescribe me a bunch of medicine I would take action myself to try to improve my condition without losing muscle mass.



In the bodybuilding world there are some general rules that the majority follow and one of those is that too much cardio work will work as an antogonist against gaining mass or keeping mass. However, I am trying to break this rule and prove that perhaps you can do both. This experiment goes against everything that I have learned.



In August 2004, I started doing road cycling once a week and now I average about 30 to 40 miles a trip lasting from 2 to 3 hours because I don't carry a lot of speed. My speed averages are from 11 to 26 mph and we try to put in a sprint every few miles. I have found that riding like this I have not lost any muscle mass, but I think the key factor is my approach to nutrition and supplement use to prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue.



I eat at least 6 times a day and every meal is high quality with at least 40 grams of protein. I consume a protein drink before the ride, use a simple sugar drink (Gatorade) during the ride, and drink a 60 gram whey protein drink immediately when I return to the car. When I get home I eat another meal and then pick up on my regular schedule of eating.

 

[Carrera]

I think you must have better genetics than myself. I'm very ectomorphic so I really shed muscle if I cycle long distance (even if I eat far more). I guess I have the same problem as Larry Scott who (unlike Arnold S) would lose a lot of muscle doing cardio.

I think that for me the answer lies in intense cycle training and sprinting uphill at breakneck speed. Sure, I may always lack long-term stamina but I should be able to peak my performance over shorter distances. It's simply a matter of experimentation.

It's funny, though. As a cyclist I'm not really much heavier than Miguel Indurain. Indurain's weight seems to have been made up of muscle around the legs and his large bones (being over 6 feet tall). You find that many of the heavier cyclists seem to be tall and much of their weight is made up of bone mass.

Despite the fact I lift, I've known hard core cyclists who are bigger than myself, yet they ride 4 hours a day. But my muscle density to bone ratio is quite high.

My ultimate goal is not to lose muscle mass, but yet lean out a little bit and get in better condition. When I competed as a bodybuilder I was never concerned about my internal condition only what I looked like on stage and that is how most competitive bodybuilders view training. They are only concerned with the outer appearance and not internal conditioning.



Now at the age of 41, I noticed last year that my breathing was more labored and my blood pressure was up so I decided rather than a doctor prescribe me a bunch of medicine I would take action myself to try to improve my condition without losing muscle mass.



In the bodybuilding world there are some general rules that the majority follow and one of those is that too much cardio work will work as an antogonist against gaining mass or keeping mass. However, I am trying to break this rule and prove that perhaps you can do both. This experiment goes against everything that I have learned.



In August 2004, I started doing road cycling once a week and now I average about 30 to 40 miles a trip lasting from 2 to 3 hours because I don't carry a lot of speed. My speed averages are from 11 to 26 mph and we try to put in a sprint every few miles. I have found that riding like this I have not lost any muscle mass, but I think the key factor is my approach to nutrition and supplement use to prevent the breakdown of muscle tissue.



I eat at least 6 times a day and every meal is high quality with at least 40 grams of protein. I consume a protein drink before the ride, use a simple sugar drink (Gatorade) during the ride, and drink a 60 gram whey protein drink immediately when I return to the car. When I get home I eat another meal and then pick up on my regular schedule of eating.

 

[Felt_Rider]

I've always thought of myself as having horrible genetics. Especially concerning putting on muscle mass. My problem in cycling is that I can't get my legs to spin fast enough to keep up with my friend. So I have been working on this issue. I am just learning how and when to shift to help me. I can sprint with my friend, but my legs pump up quickly and I slow down quickly.

I don't know how old you are, but my last few years my metabolism has changed (slowed) and now I am not having trouble keeping the mass like I did when I was younger.

 

[Carrera]

Well, when I first started cycling, my body held on to fat and muscle for ages. However, after some 5 months I really started to lose weight. I found I can get my metabolism to speed up really fast if I keep at the cardio over several months. It just takes time.
I envy those people with shorter legs, though. I find that either cycling or walking makes my legs more slender. The only thing that really puts meat on my legs is squats as a preliminary exercise followed by super-heavy leg-extensions.
I must say, though, I am surprised that after so much weight work, my cycling performance is still O.K. I've rested from riding for several weeks and upped my weights in the gym, but my ability to climb hasn't diminished much. Maybe I have good long term fitness genetics and hold on to cardio fitness better than might be expected.
Have you guys ever noticed what we might call the "kings of bulk" in the gym these days? There's one guy I know who's a first class squatter but he has a butt like a rhino and arms with no definition. Plus, hips like a gorilla and a broad waist. I'm not knocking that, of course, since his goal is basically bulk. However, I feel sure that if you put the guy on a bike he'd collapse after few yards climbing up a 7 per cent climb. I know of many gym rats who could profit from a bit of cycling, even if they drop their lifts a little.

I've always thought of myself as having horrible genetics. Especially concerning putting on muscle mass. My problem in cycling is that I can't get my legs to spin fast enough to keep up with my friend. So I have been working on this issue. I am just learning how and when to shift to help me. I can sprint with my friend, but my legs pump up quickly and I slow down quickly.

I don't know how old you are, but my last few years my metabolism has changed (slowed) and now I am not having trouble keeping the mass like I did when I was younger.

 

[Felt_Rider]

That description of a collapse after a few minutes sounds like me at the moment. I have been road cycling with a guy that has been doing this most of his life and he is killing me. I hope to change that in the next few years.

I have a lot of room for improvement in the conditioning department.

 

[Carrera]

I think you may find you might not be able to have your cake and eat it. I've occasionally encountered hard core cyclists on my training runs and they're usually far lighter than myself, put in 30 miles a day and carry hardly any muscle. I find I practically overheat when I try to keep up. Seems like I'm using lots of muscle and sweating like hell while the other rider seems to glide.
Of course, I may outweigh such a rider by 28 pounds or more.
If I wanted to close that gap I'd have to ride more, drop some body mass and I'd probably lose all my muscle due to so much cardio work. The best I can hope for is to compete with the smaller guys over shorter distance and develop my ability to use explosive power (which is already quite good).

That description of a collapse after a few minutes sounds like me at the moment. I have been road cycling with a guy that has been doing this most of his life and he is killing me. I hope to change that in the next few years.

I have a lot of room for improvement in the conditioning department.

 

[Felt_Rider]

You are right and I try to keep that in mind when I start getting frustrated trying to keep up with the pack.

My goal is not the same as their goal. My goal is fitness and conditioning over time trials or who won the sprint. I wish I had the ability to sprint for a long distance uphill, but you are right some of us will never have that body type.

Maurice Green is one of the fastest American sprinters on the track, but he would never make it as a long distance runner and be equally successful.

I desire to keep as much muscle mass as possible, not so I can look good, but as we age our muscle mass will eventually diminish by natural aging. It is best to gain and try ones best to keep it as long as possible in preparation of the elderly years. I still hope to be mobile in my latter years and I think most fitness minded people have a better chance at mobility than those who are generally sedentary at an earlier age. There are guys that I work with that are almost half my age that are already complaining about back problems or that their doctors want to prescibe them drugs like Plavix. If they are in this poor of shape now how bad will they be when they get my age?

When I was younger I was doing full squats with almost 500 lbs. for reps and now I am having trouble squatting 315 lbs., but I have adapted and lowered my weights and upped the reps and sets. I have not lost too much size, but I know the age factor is kicking in and I will eventually start to degrade. I will not go down without a fight.

I have been trying to watch the biking also for knee joint inflammation and yesterday my knees were a little tender from squats, but today they are better so I will be ready to ride this Saturday.

Carrera, sounds like you have a good mindset to combine lifting and cycling.

 

[Carrera]

When I was younger I was doing full squats with almost 500 lbs. for reps and now I am having trouble squatting 315 lbs., but I have adapted and lowered my weights and upped the reps and sets. I have not lost too much size, but I know the age factor is kicking in and I will eventually start to degrade. I will not go down without a fight.

That's where I'm at. I've had to squat with less weight since I turned 40 and really struggle to keep going. Like you, I'm determined to fight it all the way. I even drink red wine as it's believed it slows the ageing process and there's no way I'll ever let my body lose this level of fitness.

You are right and I try to keep that in mind when I start getting frustrated trying to keep up with the pack.

My goal is not the same as their goal. My goal is fitness and conditioning over time trials or who won the sprint. I wish I had the ability to sprint for a long distance uphill, but you are right some of us will never have that body type.

Maurice Green is one of the fastest American sprinters on the track, but he would never make it as a long distance runner and be equally successful.

I desire to keep as much muscle mass as possible, not so I can look good, but as we age our muscle mass will eventually diminish by natural aging. It is best to gain and try ones best to keep it as long as possible in preparation of the elderly years. I still hope to be mobile in my latter years and I think most fitness minded people have a better chance at mobility than those who are generally sedentary at an earlier age. There are guys that I work with that are almost half my age that are already complaining about back problems or that their doctors want to prescibe them drugs like Plavix. If they are in this poor of shape now how bad will they be when they get my age?

When I was younger I was doing full squats with almost 500 lbs. for reps and now I am having trouble squatting 315 lbs., but I have adapted and lowered my weights and upped the reps and sets. I have not lost too much size, but I know the age factor is kicking in and I will eventually start to degrade. I will not go down without a fight.

I have been trying to watch the biking also for knee joint inflammation and yesterday my knees were a little tender from squats, but today they are better so I will be ready to ride this Saturday.

Carrera, sounds like you have a good mindset to combine lifting and cycling.

 

[Carrera]

OOPS, sorry I should have used quotation marks to indicate the first paragraph was yours and not mind.
I'll do it again. You said:
"When I was younger I was doing full squats with almost 500 lbs. for reps and now I am having trouble squatting 315 lbs., but I have adapted and lowered my weights and upped the reps and sets. I have not lost too much size, but I know the age factor is kicking in and I will eventually start to degrade. I will not go down without a fight."
---------------------------------------------------------------------
I replied:
That's where I'm at. I've had to squat with less weight since I turned 40 and really struggle to keep going. Like you, I'm determined to fight it all the way. I even drink red wine as it's believed it slows the ageing process and there's no way I'll ever let my body lose this level of fitness.[/QUOTE]

 

[Doctor Morbius]

. . . I train with weights 5 days a week (one body part per day / one body part per week), mt. bike once a week and road bike once a week. The biking is limited because of my work schedule. Getting into biking is purely an experiment with my training and nutrition knowledge. So far so good.

Felt_Rider, I bet you used to workout at Coffee's Gym back in the day. I used to live in Atlanta. Moved here a couple of years ago when I'd had enough of the traffic and crowds. Haven't looked back.

I'm curious how you break down your training. I've always heard about the one body part per day / one body part per week method that you use but have never felt like it was frequent enough.

I've had a friend that's used it successfuly, however, he's usually on something when he's training so who's to say whether it's his training or the juice. Honestly, I think his gains are due more to the juice as his training is just too haphazard and he sufferes from severe OCD doing as many as 40 sets for some bodyparts!

I can see taking as much as a week for quads and lower back, but for bodyparts like abs, biceps or delts I just can't see hitting them only once each week as they can recover so much faster.

Also, I don't see how to schedule a single bodypart per day and still train everything in a week's time. With a single bodypart per day something has to be left out.

Please help shed some light on this. Thanks.

. . . I eat at least 6 times a day and every meal is high quality with at least 40 grams of protein. I consume a protein drink before the ride, use a simple sugar drink (Gatorade) during the ride, and drink a 60 gram whey protein drink immediately when I return to the car. When I get home I eat another meal and then pick up on my regular schedule of eating.

I understand eating multiple smaller meals is much better for nutrient absorbtion and insulin regulation, however, don't you find that amount of protien excessive? I've spoken with many nutritionists that have always debunked the high protein diets stating that we (Americans) get more than enough protein in our regular diets. Even the active lifter gets more than they need and the extra simply creates more work for the digestive system and kidneys as protein is difficult to break down.

The nutritionists I've spoken with have stated that endurance athletes will need more protein in their diets than bodybuilders.

We're approximately the same age (I'm 44) and we grew up in the old iron days when massive protein consumption and obsessive compulsive overtraining were mandatory.

 

[Felt_Rider]

Dr. M, I did train at Coffee's Gym during the late 80's up to about 96.
I used to share an apartment with Annie Reviccio (now a pro bodybuilder) and Vicki Scaffe. I competed from about 1986 to 1993.

How about that John Coffee? He is a character, but I have been away from that scene since 96.

My breakdown is:

Monday - chest
Tuesday - back
Wednesday - quads/hams
Thursday - shoulders
Friday - biceps/triceps

Biking:
I try to mt. bike at least once during the week with coworkers and road bike on Saturday.

It probably is a little bit of a strain on the system for the amount of protein that I am using, but I have found that number for maintaining muscle mass. I have kept a training log for years and now I don't even measure food because I know just how much to take in. I have found that with my heavy amount of training that when I don't consume enough protein I will usually get sick within a few days because I took my system down too low and there was not enough to recover from the stress. I have also experimented successfully with glutamine. I do think cyclist do need to have readily availabe a quick acting protein immediately after getting off the bike after a long distance ride or a hard sprint. I don't think most of the avid cyclist I see do anything, but eat **** after they ride. I do not take in much protein if my activity level is low. I think I have found the balance to helping me keep muscle, but on the other hand it could be putting some strain on the body.