upperbody vs lower body

[szesean]

I used to cycle 3 - 4 times a week getting up to 50 miles if it was a weekend i did this for about half a year and noticed increased stamina and i was overall fitter then i was for a long time, ive recently got back on my bike again but this time i want to also gain upper body strenght as i just want to be generally stronger and fitter i want to know if this is possible to do while doing aprox 110 miles a week of cyling?
thx in advance

 

[Scotttri]

By just cycling no, it wouldn't be possible, however if you mix your cycling with strength workouts or even perhaps swimmimng, and ensure you eat enough of the right types of food then yes you can do both. Take a look at triathletes they usualy have a fit upper and lower boddy. Cross training is the way to go.

 

[Deafwolf]

This is where the training of muscle specificity comes into play. I only have a Bachelors in Kinesiology, but here is my two cents. Muscles repair and changes structure according to the types of stress you put on them. There are 3 major energy components utilized in exercise. The ATP/PCr system for fast twitch muscles that provide lots of quick, burst-like power, but do not last very long. The glycolysis system which utilizes the sugar from your blood and other carbohydrates. This system allow a fair amount of power, but last a longer duration that the ATP/PCr system. Note: Both of these systems are anaerobic. Then there is the Oxidative Phosphorylation System. Essentially, it's the transfer of electrons from Hydrogen to water via the electron transport chain (Dan Judelson, PhD.) Essentially, it entails the production of ATP in the presence of oxygen. This system does not provide a lot of power, but can be sustained for long durations.

What does all this translate too? You make gains through the process of specificity. If you do resistance exercise (lift weights), you enlarge the muscle and develop a greater percentage of fast twitch type muscles. If you do endurance training, you develop more slow twitch. If you wish to improve the muscles of your upper body, then you need to train your upper body. through either resistance or endurance exercises (or both). Hope this helps and it not too much.

 

[64Paramount]

I used to cycle 3 - 4 times a week getting up to 50 miles if it was a weekend i did this for about half a year and noticed increased stamina and i was overall fitter then i was for a long time, ive recently got back on my bike again but this time i want to also gain upper body strenght as i just want to be generally stronger and fitter i want to know if this is possible to do while doing aprox 110 miles a week of cyling?
thx in advance

Yes, you can alternate weight training and cycling workouts to increase your overall level of fitness.

You just need to keep in mind that weight training will probably not make you cycle better, you may actually notice that you don't have as much energy on your rides once you start weight training, so you may ride slower or have difficulty on longer rides.

The same may be true if you already do weight training and start to mix that with cycling, you may find that you don't have as much strength/energy during your weight training sessions.

Mixing weight training with cycling can really give you a great looking healthy body ( and mind ), you just have to experiment a little bit to determine how much of each is required to get the result that you want.

 

[bulaboy]

My goal for the past year has been to become a better cyclist. During this time tho I have still gone to the gym once or twice a week and done a brief upper body workout along with some abdominal work and stretching. The whole thing takes about 30 minutes and does not leave me tired for my on the bike wo's. The idea was that I would maintain what strength I had but I have been suprized to find that little by little my strength has improved. I'm no kid either. I'm 57 years young.