question on upper body things for cyclists



hurricane

New Member
Mar 15, 2005
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do cyclists in general need ot look at developing their upper body that is the abdomen and the such? Or is it just useless to focus on those areas, or does it just require minimal focus, does theat part of the body even get any focus?>
 
Eddy Merckx said you don't need big arms to steer the bike. but if you look at crit racers they generaly have some upper musculature that helps stabilize and make rigid the torso when power is applied to the cranks.
a district champ track and crit sprinter told me, regarding muscle mass, "you gotta oxygenate that sh##". this meaning when near "oxygen debt" you may have a liability on your bike. but save for the gym rat build most cannot have enough for this to be a big prob, perhaps.
When I started racing road & crit i came from a heavy powerlifting and bodybuilding style background. I found this translated to a fierce jump on the bike equal to most but not top end or endurance.
as for abs, i have all but ignored them and crunches and my back actually feel pretty good. not that i can reccomend this, just been ridin' the bike.
3+ sets of 12-20 reps with a 20lb dumbell each for shoulders, bis 'n tris do it for me lately. some muscle in the shoulder area does equate to increased crash survival to avoid the common injuries to the area.

hurricane said:
do cyclists in general need ot look at developing their upper body that is the abdomen and the such? Or is it just useless to focus on those areas, or does it just require minimal focus, does theat part of the body even get any focus?>
 
Its worth doing some core stability work to build core muscles within and around your abdomen and back, after all this is the platform off which your major muscles (quads, hamstrings, gluteals) are driving.
 
These muscles control your body and the bike while you are riding, and it's important for these muscles to be strong enough to maintain your form while performing.

Core strength training can also be useful to avoid sports injuries, in particular avoiding muscle imbalances.

You don't have to be heaps buff, just strong enough for stability and to avoid injuries.
 
Where and what are you riding? On the trail, you need some upper body strength to horse the bike around, hop roots, etc. On the road, it's not as important, unless you ride lots of rough pavement, cobbles or similar terrain.