A thought on muscle gain

mr_ashley

Recently, I was doing some reading on the differences between runners and cyclists, and how runners usually develop a lean, less muscular appearance, while cyclists use larger muscle groups for more specific activities, so those muscles tend to grow some.

I've been a cyclist since 1994 when I went to college. At first I was a commuter, then I started trail riding, then racing mountain bikes, and finally became a full time road cyclist in 2003, after a couple more years of doing both.

I weighed in the low 180's in those early days, but my legs have developed considerable muscle in them through those years of cycling on the road and in the hills. I've managed to maintain body fat %, with only a small increase which is somewhat seasonal.

So, I've set for myself a goal of losing 18 pounds. I'm down 6 now, with the end goal being 180. My thought is that I'm wanting to achieve a weight that I didn't have when I was at my lightest, and before I gained significant muscle in my legs. Now, I have no way of really knowing how much muscle in terms of weight I've added. But there has been an increase and in density.

Any thoughts on losing weight down to a weight never achieved, and especially after gaining muscle over time?