[langtitle=de]Staying in shape with cycling?[/langtitle]

[German26]

Hello everyone,

Im 26 and have been lifting weights as my main sport for the past 10 years (not a big time bodybuilder but put on a couple of kilos of muscle). Want to shift away from it (maybe not completely), though and work out mostly for my health and staying in good shape for as long as I can.

I know this guy who never was the lean bodytype growing up, but at 20 he all of a sudden had probably one of the lowest bodyfat levels of anyone I know (and still at 27 now). He also seemed to ride his bicycle anywhere. He rides his bike a lot, I guess, and he probably watches his nutrition, too, but it seems to have worked wonders for him.

My dad is also in great shape at 57 and "all" he does is play sports almost daily + ride his bike instead of using a car (he also doesnt eat a lot of junk or drink beer; but he does eat quite a lot actually and has never done any kind of diet).

So this made me want to come here and ask if people who cycle(exp?) a lot (and dont have an endomorph body type) usually dont have much trouble keeping their bodyfat levels low, even until 40+?

Is this the case? or not really? would be interesting to hear, thanks a lot!

PS:

Do people who play sports/cycle regularly have a higher (resting) metabolism in general? I know this is said to be the case for people have more muscle; but recently I read that this was supposedly the case for people who simply play sports in general.

 

[tonyzackery]

Ride your bike as much as practicable and don't eat too much. Perhaps, eat a little less than you really need on a daily basis and your bodyfat will drop consistently. Not at all difficult in theory, much more difficult in application.

 

[jhuskey]

Resting heart rates vary from person to person but I would say as a general rule people who have reqular aerobic activity have lower resting heart rate.

 

[64Paramount]

Resting heart rates vary from person to person but I would say as a general rule people who have reqular aerobic activity have lower resting heart rate.

That's how it works for me...

 

[German26]

[lang=de]Thanks for the input so far.

What does it look like in practice, though? If you look at the people who you know who ride their bike daily (for say 2+ hours or more), are most of them still in shape at 30+, 40+ - at least those who do eat clean?

I see my Dad who at 57 has a basically perfect body, and am wondering how the hell come lol. He's a sports teacher and plays sports every day + goes everywhere by bike (id say 2-3 hours of sports activity daily), and is a lean body type naturally....but still he's 57 lol (and just eats normally without watching calories).

So I was wondering if the same was true (in great shape for their age - maybe not at 50+) for people who do lots of cycling daily (and eat normally).

Are people whose hobby is cycling (and who do it very regularly - daily f0r 2+ hours) significantly leaner than most people their age?

thanks![/lang]

 

[tugg]

I find that using 'people-powered' transportation in general does help allot with keeping the weight down.

A few years ago, I used to walk to/from work and school daily - walking probably an hour a day. Once I graduated and got a new job that was just outside of walking distance and started to rely on transit - I found that weight came on much easier and was harder to get off. (This was before I got into Cycling).

With Cycling, even just using it as commuting can help keep your weight down, all those little bursts of cardio activity getting to/from work, friends, errands, etc really add up. Toss in a few longer rides for fitness & recreations throughout the week, and your starting to look at some real benefits.

One of the things I enjoy about cycling, is the length of time I can do it without feeling overly fatigued or bored with it. Once I start pushing 1hr at the gym, I start to get antsy and want out of there.

Once I'm on my bike - hours can fly by and not even notice

 

[64Paramount]

......Once I start pushing 1hr at the gym, I start to get antsy and want out of there.

Once I'm on my bike - hours can fly by and not even notice

Same for me; I get bored working out inside pretty quickly....it's just something I HAVE to do during the winter.

Time really goes by fast when I'm riding outside. 2 hours is just nothing....