Biking and muscle loss?

concord2016

Hello all! So this summer I'm thinking of picking cycling back up again. I am from Houston so the air will be very humid and hot for the most part so I'm aiming to get in two rides a day-one early in the morning and one late at night- 45min-1hr a piece for a total of 1.5-2hrs a day. I'm also planning on doing light bodyweight excercises at home 2x a week (pushups, squats, planks, etc) as well as eat clean. However, I'm worried that I might be overdoing it with the cardio; i've read a few places that doing that much cardio will make me skinny fat? I don't really have the funds for a gym membership (college student here) and I figured biking would be a cheap but efficient way for me to get my excercise in. Any tips/critiques/thoughts onthis? Should I cut the cardio back?

Just for reference my stats are:
19yr old female
5'5.5"
157lb

AJ_G

Unless you lose weight too fast, then there's nothing to worry about. If you do end up losing weight very quickly from the extra cardio you can always just eat more and you're fine. Also you absolutely do not need to "eat clean"...

AdventureFreak

Make sure to keep your calorie intake up to offset all the activity to keep from loosing muscle mass. I would find it hard to get skinny fat on a bike that much. When I have my big summers of 1000+ miles on the bike I can eat anything I want and still lose fat weight while maintaining muscle mass.

trijoe

What is "skinny fat" and what does that have to do with cycling? All the cyclists I've ever seen are seriously buff. If you push hard on your bike, cycling can be a monster workout. Plus, if you add in hill work or hard interval bursts, well there's strength and weight training right there. But like all workouts, it comes down to you. If you ride hard, you burn calories and build muscles. If you ride easy you get to see pretty trees and squirrels and junk.

** I gotta say: The idea of cyclists being "skinny fat" made me almost spit my coffee. **

vms4evr

The biking is mainly cardio with some strength depending on the course. Flat ground not so bad. Lots of hills, good leg workout.
Doing pushups is upper body using your own weight much like planks. And core work too. There is weight involved since it is your body you're trying to move. The two should compliment each other to help you stay cleaner cut. Mixing them correctly you should not be skinny fat at all.

On the pushups. Remember to mix them. Do different types. Close arm, wide arm, military, decline, incline. On the planks to make them more entertaining. Try your arms on a foam roller then next time your feet on a large ball. Big exercise ball or medicine ball. The added balance from unstable surface causes more core work. I do them. They're tough.

You can find substitutes for the foam roller and medicine ball so that is not a big deal Your cost should be $0.00. Perfect for a college kid.

sijomial

Cardio on its own doesn't make you lose muscle - you would have to have a seriously deficient diet as well.
The basics of maintaining muscle while losing weight are a sensible (not excessive) calorie deficit, sufficient protein and exercise that places a stress on your muscle.

Nothing more complex than that.
I trained for and completed a 100 mile cycle while I was losing my weight and had no loss of lean mass at all.

MeanderingMammal

However, I'm worried that I might be overdoing it with the cardio

Not really, you're talking about a reasonable amount so I'd suggest working on a mix of moderate intensity and high intensity sessions of different durations to get a broader effect. Also if you can get offroad you'll probably get solid effect as well.

i've read a few places that doing that much cardio will make me skinny fat?

So doing a reasonable amount of phys will make you unfit... Not sure I can see the logic there.

While skinny fat is a nonsensical term, it is useful to complement any CV work with some resistance work and given what you're suggesting bodyweight should be adequate for your needs.

tycho_mx

Skinny fat LOL.

Seriously, most dedicated cyclists are either properly skinny or simply athletic. I don't know any that are skinny fat. Then again, most of us are just regulating our weight for sport purposes, as opposed to using sport as a weigh-loss tool.

But really - don't worry. Enjoy your ride! Sounds fun.

Galatea_Stone

I had no muscle loss with biking. In fact, I saw much-needed growth. I bike to/from the gym most days and do heavy strength training. I tend to keep most days at 45 minutes total. I was doing a 1-2 hour ride on non-strength days, but it's hot here, and unless I get started early in the morning, it isn't happening.

ETA: I was eating at a surplus.