did bodybuilding want to cycle possible?

[tampam]

Im a 28 year old male and i did bodybuilding at the ages of 15-23and now i want to get into cycling. do any of you know if this is possible cosidering that i develope muscle mass? If any of you know please let me know. i would be waiting anxiously for your response. Thanks, William

 

[Don Shipp]

Im a 28 year old male and i did bodybuilding at the ages of 15-23and now i want to get into cycling. do any of you know if this is possible cosidering that i develope muscle mass? If any of you know please let me know. i would be waiting anxiously for your response. Thanks, William

Why do you want to get into cycling? Is it for fitness or do you intend to race/compete? Fit and race-fit are not quite the same.
Also, as a body-builder did you dope? You don't have to answer that.

 

[Carrera]

The question isn't so clear. If you're asking whether you can go on to develop muscle while cycling at the same time, the answer is, yes, to a certain point. However, you need to be aware that a large density of muscle will put you at a disadvantage when you race non-muscular cyclists. Muscle mass basically hampers cycling to some degree and this is why tour riders are never muscular or heavily built. Well, maybe some of the sprinters are larger.
Plus, added to this, large amounts of cardio exercise is very anti-muscle so you may find you will lose muscle whether you weight-train or not.
But yes, certainly you can juggle the concept of building muscle and getting fit at the same time. This is what boxers do. Boxers aren't as big or strong as bodybuilders but they're not skinny either and extremely fit. People such as Frank Bruno had a good physique but did loads of skipping, running, swimming and biking.
But if you want to reach your peak in bodybuilding, beware of a lot of cardio. Likewise if you want to compete in cycling, avoid building more muscle than you need to power the bike.

Im a 28 year old male and i did bodybuilding at the ages of 15-23and now i want to get into cycling. do any of you know if this is possible cosidering that i develope muscle mass? If any of you know please let me know. i would be waiting anxiously for your response. Thanks, William

 

[Felt_Rider]

Like others have stated it depends on your specific goals.

I am a former competitive bodybuilder and my genetics lean toward mesomorph.
My goals are to become more fit by using cycling to meet those goals and try to retain lean mass. I am approaching the 1 year mark for this goal and feel like I have been successful toward reaching those goals. However, I have chosen the wrong parents (genetics) to be a successful cyclist in the racing world.

While I have improved in health and endurance I also realize that if I became more sport specific toward cycling my improvements will be further enhanced, but still the wrong genetics to be reach higher levels of cycling, such as, racing.

I have to say despite the genetic factor I am still having great enjoyment pushing myself on the bike and though I have trouble staying up with an advanced group ride I am making incremental improvements and believe that within the next year or so I should be able to keep up with them.

I have become hooked on cycling, but still unwilling to give up the weights so I am satisfied to be classified as recreational.

 

[Carrera]

I'm the same as you, in a way. But my body type is highly ectomorph. I seem to do well at cycling but the more I ride, the more I tend to lose lean muscle mass. Basically I very easily develop the body of a cyclist.
My problem is I kind of dislike losing too much weight.
All in all, I think boxers kind of reflect the high degree of fitness and healthy degree of muscle mass I find more accommodating. I mean, Mike Tyson in his prime was pretty powerfully built but he would have been far fitter than a bodybuilder since bodybuilders, I find, are usually hopeless on a bike or running. I see guys at my gym who are so out of balance - lifting heavy weights but unable to run a few yards.

Like others have stated it depends on your specific goals.

I am a former competitive bodybuilder and my genetics lean toward mesomorph.
My goals are to become more fit by using cycling to meet those goals and try to retain lean mass. I am approaching the 1 year mark for this goal and feel like I have been successful toward reaching those goals. However, I have chosen the wrong parents (genetics) to be a successful cyclist in the racing world.

While I have improved in health and endurance I also realize that if I became more sport specific toward cycling my improvements will be further enhanced, but still the wrong genetics to be reach higher levels of cycling, such as, racing.

I have to say despite the genetic factor I am still having great enjoyment pushing myself on the bike and though I have trouble staying up with an advanced group ride I am making incremental improvements and believe that within the next year or so I should be able to keep up with them.

I have become hooked on cycling, but still unwilling to give up the weights so I am satisfied to be classified as recreational.

 

[Induray]

Like others have stated it depends on your specific goals.

I am a former competitive bodybuilder and my genetics lean toward mesomorph.
My goals are to become more fit by using cycling to meet those goals and try to retain lean mass. I am approaching the 1 year mark for this goal and feel like I have been successful toward reaching those goals. However, I have chosen the wrong parents (genetics) to be a successful cyclist in the racing world.

While I have improved in health and endurance I also realize that if I became more sport specific toward cycling my improvements will be further enhanced, but still the wrong genetics to be reach higher levels of cycling, such as, racing.

I have to say despite the genetic factor I am still having great enjoyment pushing myself on the bike and though I have trouble staying up with an advanced group ride I am making incremental improvements and believe that within the next year or so I should be able to keep up with them.

I have become hooked on cycling, but still unwilling to give up the weights so I am satisfied to be classified as recreational.

Welcome then. I, like you was into weightlifting (5'6", 173lbs ). Useless on a bike, but I continued riding and now I do ride with the advance groups in my area. I do very little weightlifting now but it has been hard to loose upper body mass (Now I weight 165lbs). But that's okay. If you enjoy it...do it, and you'll get better at it.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Im a 28 year old male and i did bodybuilding at the ages of 15-23and now i want to get into cycling. do any of you know if this is possible cosidering that i develope muscle mass? If any of you know please let me know. i would be waiting anxiously for your response. Thanks, William

Unfortunately, any extra body mass that you have to haul around will be a hindrance in cycling just as it would be in running. Also, if you were good at bodybuilding, powerlifting and strength/burst sports, chances are you won't have what it takes genetically to be a competitive cyclist. What you can do is have a lot of fun, get much fitter and set new personal bests in a new activity - an activity that can take you into old age, unlike bodybuilding or powerlifting.

On the other hand, if you could bench 90% of your maximum weight for about 20 reps, then you're going to be much better at endurance activities than most successful bodybuilders.

http://www.cyclingnews.com/fitness/?id=strengthstern

The scientific evidence for converting fast twitch to slow twitch fibers is limited at best and it takes many many years if it is even going to happen so don't count on that helping.

The best thing you can do is to quit lifting completely, start dieting down and get rid of all the muscle you've gained over the years and get a coach. If you want to take up cycling for recreation, added fitness/cardio health and fun (like Felt Rider and myself) disregard the previous sentence.

 

[Carrera]

I sometimes wish it was possible to be an outstanding cyclist and carry muscle at the same time. Unfortunately, it isn't so. I recall reading that elite cyclists, unlike many other athletes, hardly stand out visially in a crowd. That is, you would never guess they formed an elite group of sportsmen since the freakish development of an Armstrong or Indurain is mainly internal. Larger than average hearts and very low pulse rates, coupled with huge lungs that can pump blood around the body far more efficiently than a normal man.
Muscle wise, only the legs, hips and lower back tend to be developed. Upper body mass or excessive bulk isn't a good thing to carry about, especially up the Alps.
I confess, I enjoy cycling training more than weight training, however the case may be but I have a complex over losing weight.

Welcome then. I, like you was into weightlifting (5'6", 173lbs ). Useless on a bike, but I continued riding and now I do ride with the advance groups in my area. I do very little weightlifting now but it has been hard to loose upper body mass (Now I weight 165lbs). But that's okay. If you enjoy it...do it, and you'll get better at it.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

... been far fitter than a bodybuilder since bodybuilders, I find, are usually hopeless on a bike or running. I see guys at my gym who are so out of balance - lifting heavy weights but unable to run a few yards.

This sure sounds familiar. Nothing quite like getting out of breath walking from your car into the gym to supposedly exercise!

 

[Carrera]

About the best balance I saw was Britain's Frank Bruno, a heavyweight boxer who had a bodybuilder type physique but, boy, did he hit the cardio. Frank ran many miles on a daily basis, swam and did plenty of Marine type training and skipping. But he ate an enormous amount of food.
Elite cyclists are amongst the fittest athletes in the world but the ideal cycling body is wiry and lean. And as Ric quite correctly pointed out, strength wise they are probably weaker than the average guy on the street (except for legs).
One thing I would point out, though, is I had no problem switching from bodybuilding to cycling. I did find my fitness was a weak link but my power often compensates for this. In no way do I feel my bodybuilding damaged my cycling potential or that I couldn't develop endurance capacity in my muscles. But I should point out emphatically my strength dropped. These days I struggle to bench press 200 pounds for a couple of reps whereas I used to rep out 300 with ease when I was bulked. But here is the injustice: During those days when I lifted heavy, I'd have died cycling up the hills I do today. No way did I compare fitness wise. You can't have it all, I guess.
I agree that cycling is the best way to go in later age. Providing you don't crash it's very gentle on the joints and a great way to be in shape.

This sure sounds familiar. Nothing quite like getting out of breath walking from your car into the gym to supposedly exercise!

 

[jrowland96]

Like others have stated it depends on your specific goals.

I am a former competitive bodybuilder and my genetics lean toward mesomorph.
My goals are to become more fit by using cycling to meet those goals and try to retain lean mass. I am approaching the 1 year mark for this goal and feel like I have been successful toward reaching those goals. However, I have chosen the wrong parents (genetics) to be a successful cyclist in the racing world.

While I have improved in health and endurance I also realize that if I became more sport specific toward cycling my improvements will be further enhanced, but still the wrong genetics to be reach higher levels of cycling, such as, racing.

I have to say despite the genetic factor I am still having great enjoyment pushing myself on the bike and though I have trouble staying up with an advanced group ride I am making incremental improvements and believe that within the next year or so I should be able to keep up with them.

I have become hooked on cycling, but still unwilling to give up the weights so I am satisfied to be classified as recreational.

Hi all,

This is my first post, and this looks to be a great board. As an absolute newbie (haven't really cycled since I got my driver's license at 16!) I have a few different questions/comments, so bear with me! hehe Any advice is greatly appreciated.

As far as body types go, I'm in a similar boat. I'm 37 yo now, and I'm 6'3" and around 250 lbs (34" inseam). I played football in college, and played at 280-300 lbs. so I'm a mere shadow of my former self lol (I'm back to my weight when I graduated HS).

Age is starting to catch up however... I haven't lifted weights regularly in many years, and haven't worked out (cardio) regularly either. I'm still in fairly good shape for my size, and not too "flabby", but I've put on about 20 lbs. over the past year or two, and I'm getting a bit "softer" than I want to be!

At my size, running doesn't work well, and my knees and lower back can't handle the pounding. I had a couple of small fractures and a ruptured disc in my lower back, and had to quit playing football at 21 because of it. My back doesn't give me too many problems these days, so shouldn't be a concern for cycling. I want to cycle for general cardio fitness, get back down to 225 lbs. or so, and get some of my muscle tone back.

I have a Trek 4900 MTB that I must admit, has been ridden one time. I got it back in 2002 as a 10 year anniversary present at the company I work for. I received it in the middle of winter, put it together, but was living downtown Chicago at the time, so it basically sat in storage at my mom's house. I just moved out to the boonies, so want to try to start riding. Can I use this on-road recreationally/fitness since it's basically designed as an off-road? If I eventually get into cycling regularly, I'll look into getting a new roadbike or hybrid, but for now, I don't want to purchase something and have it potentially collect dust as well. The tires are flat on it from lack of use, so I'm going to take it to a LBS to have a general tune-up, and get it in safe riding condition. What does that usually run cost-wise?

I've rambled enough for now, but if you have any recommendations or advice on getting started with the bike I have, please let know.

Take care,
John

 

[Felt_Rider]

John, I started in similar fashion.
I haven't competed since 1993 and I had slowly continued to add bulk weight and doing more powerlifting. I was doing low impact cardio like hiking and using the the treadmill to kind of keep the weight under control, but ended up with a neuroma in my foot that made it painful just to walk and I could no longer hike.

I started putting on more weight and I could tell my poor conditioning was getting worse (like Dr. Morbius stated - I would get winded walking to the end of my driveway) so I asked a coworker about his mt. bike adventures. He let me borrow one of his bikes and instantly fell in love with biking and I could do it without much impact to my foot or other joint problems.

So I started on a mt. bike on trails and used the bike on pavement for a while until I got a road bike. Now I have a mt. bike and a road bike and enjoy both, but enjoy road riding a little bit more because it seems more fitness oriented.

I have leaned out 10 pounds since January this year and yet my squat weight is going back up even at a lower bodyweight. When I started road biking last August I could barely sustain 14 mph for more than 10 minutes and now I am sustaining speeds greater than 20 mph for about 5 miles without a draft. So my conditioning/fitness and bodymass has greatly improved.

I believe the first step is to dust off that bike and use it until you can get a road bike and to be honest if your goals are to lose weight you can do that with your mt. bike on the road.

 

[Lonnie Utah]

Can I use this on-road recreationally/fitness since it's basically designed as an off-road?....The tires are flat on it from lack of use, so I'm going to take it to a LBS to have a general tune-up, and get it in safe riding condition. What does that usually run cost-wise?

You'll be looking at $25-$50 for a tune, depending on what they have to do to the bike. If the tires are flat anyway, and you're going to be sticking mainly to the road, I'd switch out the knobbies for slicks. That will be about another $30-$40, but well worth it (about $20/tire). The reduction in rolling resistance with be greatly improved.

Don't try to set the world on fire too quickly. The hardest part is getting started. If you hammer yourself to hard at first, you won't stick with it. Just go out and have fun, like you used to when you were a kid. This may sound funny, but will make sense after you've ridden for a while, but there are things that you do have to re-learn. Like bike handling and the general operation of the bike. These things will get more natural as you start to put more miles on...

L

 

[tanggoman]

I was a weightlifter/bodybuilder before I went into cycling. Once I got hooked into cycling, lifting weights became insignificant for me. I'm definitely fitter as a cyclist than a weightlifter/bodybuilder. I now have a cyclist's physique and gone are those freaky, out-of-proportioned muscles found on bodybuilders. No regrets whatsoever!!!

 

[Doctor Morbius]

Can I use this [Trek 4900 MTB] on-road recreationally/fitness since it's basically designed as an off-road?

You certainly can. What's to prevent it? I do it all the time and I have 3 road bikes. IMO nothing beats an MTB for a good fun ride at a low-to-medium intensity and some adventurous exploring. I use my MTB for recovery and aerobic rides and use my road bikes for Tempo and faster training - basically, anything to do with speed.

If your rubber is rotten and you need new tires and tubes I'd suggest getting something more street worthy as Lonnie Utah has suggested. If your bike's shoes are still in good shape I'd go ahead and ride them and wear them out. You might as well get your money's worth out of them, right? Just keep them pumped up fairly hard while on pavement. Here are a few links to some inexpensive low rolling resistance tires that should work fine for the kind of riding you've described.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=1966&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
(I have these. Nashbar ususally sells them for $10.)

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=1891&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...and=&sku=10304&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...rand=&sku=7124&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
(These may not be the best suited but they would be OK)

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...and=&sku=14176&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=
(Can't comment on these because there isn't a thumbnail pic to see what kind of tread they have)

Tubes you can get a Wally World. If the bike doesn't have too many miles on it it may not even have a tune up. Get yourself a cheap chain checker though so you don't trash your rear cassette and chainrings. They can get pricey while replacing a chain is cheap.

http://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?...and=&sku=11164&storetype=&estoreid=&pagename=

I'd also recommend a heart rate monitor. It doesn't have to have too many features but the low end models don't have quite enough. An HRM will keep you from working too hard. Since you've been sedentary for a while (sounds very familiar) you'll want to spend several months doing steady state easy-to-moderate rides before venturing into the upper heart rate zones or doing intervals. That will come in time.

This forum is another good resource. Start going through and reading threads. I read almost all of them when I first got on this board. Quite a bit of good information here. Quite a bit of bad too, but you'll have to sift that out.

 

[tampam]

Is for racing /competition. I dindnt dope, however, i used amino acids while bodybuilding.

Why do you want to get into cycling? Is it for fitness or do you intend to race/compete? Fit and race-fit are not quite the same.
Also, as a body-builder did you dope? You don't have to answer that.

 

[Induray]

Is for racing /competition. I dindnt dope, however, i used amino acids while bodybuilding.

That ,my friend, might be a difficult goal. But don't get discouraged, you might try some local races for beginners. But I would first suggest, to train in a structured way to gain endurance, speed, and power. There is ,many training books that will help you set a plan. One book I would suggest reading is "Framework" by Nicholas Dinuble. Because you've been bodybuilding for long, you've probably acquired (Like I did) some muscular imbalances and probably some joint problems. This book teaches you how to train for longetivity (i.e. keep your joints in working order). Before you race, learn everything about bike handling. I have a friend who was a powerful rider but was relatively new to the sport. Decided to race. Went to his first criterium race. During the race he touched wheel with another racer, went down hard, slid down the pavement and hit a curb with his helmet. Fractured his neck, and now his bike is not the only thing that carries titanium . You need to learn to keep the bike upright if you contact somebody elses tire or body. Bunny hop etc.

Good luck

Induray

 

[Carrera]

I was reading the other day about Lennox Lewis's training program. This was the retired heavyweight boxer from over here who had lived in Canada. Well, I read that Lewis cycled and did running and that his performance was reasonably decent given his bulk.
His overall prgram seemed interesting to me since it was very general, as opposed to specialised. He lifted weights but it was for a purpose rather than just show (as is the case with bodybuilders). He did hypers for the lower back, chin-ups and flexibility work.
I think it boils down to a tough decision. Do you opt to become a specialist in your field or an all-rounder? If you want to be a peak-performance cyclist then it's a matter of putting in many miles every day and putting all the emphasis on cycling.
But I find the way boxers train to be very appealing, as I said before. The idea of having a combination of cardio fitness and strength/power is an attractive thought. It basically means you don't excel in one given area but the overall combination puts you at an advantage. That is, you may not quite be able to keep up with the pure cyclists in a peloton or lift as much weight as a bodybuilder but you wind up being more balanced overall.
Sometimes I think I'd like to do a bit of cycling here and a bit of gym there and then take up a martial art or just do boxing for pure fitness.

 

[Doctor Morbius]

But I find the way boxers train to be very appealing, as I said before. The idea of having a combination of cardio fitness and strength/power is an attractive thought. It basically means you don't excel in one given area but the overall combination puts you at an advantage. That is, you may not quite be able to keep up with the pure cyclists in a peloton or lift as much weight as a bodybuilder but you wind up being more balanced overall.

Sometimes I think I'd like to do a bit of cycling here and a bit of gym there and then take up a martial art or just do boxing for pure fitness.

I agree with you 100% on that Carrera. I like the idea of still having some size/strength but also having some endurance to go with it. I'll never be a champion bike racer or even a competitive club rider. Genetics saw to that. But I can be a fit and not so fat old guy that still has large shoulders and a decent build. I gotta get my act together on the diet though. I still crave too much junk food.

 

[Carrera]

I guess my problem is I have my finger in both pies - I love cycling but I like looking good as well. When I start to lose mass I notice I lose a degree of personal self-confidence, which I know sounds pretty silly.
I notice Lennox claims a 380 pounds bench press at a weight of 245 pounds, which isn't really quite as good as it sounds. I mean, I'll bet he was doing gear at the time. He was combining his power work with cycling and running and the distance runner who tagged along with Lennox said he, Lewis, was a pretty decent runner.
Of course, to be realistic if Lennox tried to tag along with Lance up the alps, he'd get blown away. If Lennox was training with Franco Columbo he'd also have been blown away - certainly pound for pound. But like I say, the overall combination of great fitness and some physical power makes boxing an attractive sport to me. I often wonder how come other boxers don't follow on from Lennox and do cycling instead of road-running.

I agree with you 100% on that Carrera. I like the idea of still having some size/strength but also having some endurance to go with it. I'll never be a champion bike racer or even a competitive club rider. Genetics saw to that. But I can be a fit and not so fat old guy that still has large shoulders and a decent build. I gotta get my act together on the diet though. I still crave too much junk food.