Is cycling resistance/strength training?

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Hausisse1
Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
My sister's girlfriend is a hardcore cylist, so for a few months I've gotten into cycling almost every day of the week, to as many places as I can get to that are close enough without driving. About once a week I'll go on a two and a half hour or so ride, but wvery other day of the week I average an hour or an hour and thirty minutes. My question is this: is it considered strength training? Like, is a "leg day" at the gym still necessary? My sister's girlfriend has AMAZING legs, and she doesn't go to the gym at all.

Thanks! I look forward to constructive input.

Replies

  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Depends how / where you ride - climbing and keeping your butt off the saddle then yes - it comes close to leg workout.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    abadvat wrote: »
    Depends how / where you ride - climbing and keeping your butt off the saddle then yes - it comes close to leg workout.

    Yeah, that's me. Okay. I still enjoy leg day at the gym, and I think I'll cycle for a month or so and then have a real "leg day" and see how my progress has compared.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    edited April 2016
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    I'm a cyclist, I average about 100 miles per week (in a hilly city). I can bench press a box of Kleenex, but I can leg press a double decker bus.

    Once a week I do hill repeats. Last time it was for an hour and came to 1,600 feet of elevation gain. That works the legs. So does using a big front gear and/or a small back gear, they both give lots of resistance and transfer the work from your cardiovascular system to your leg muscles. Your legs will slow down and you'll mash the pedals instead of spinning them.

    But if you coast a lot and don't put much into it, it isn't necessarily a leg workout.
  • abadvat
    abadvat Posts: 1,241 Member
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    Only thing that on a bike the muscles that you hit are always the same and hence only partially hitting legs.
    If you are aiming at shaping legs and butt you will have to complement one with the other.
    However - having your friend as an example you will be able to assess on your own in terms of goals.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    I'm a cyclist and yes, there is an element of resistance, particularly if you're doing hills...but you're working your muscles in a different way than you would on "leg day" in the weight room and cycling isn't a substitute for leg day. Also, you're only hitting certain muscles when cycling.

    Like I said, I cycle...and I still squat, dead lift, lunge, do split squats, step-ups, leg presses, RDLs, etc...these things actually help make me a better cyclist...and some plyo work too.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    I'm a cyclist and yes, there is an element of resistance, particularly if you're doing hills...but you're working your muscles in a different way than you would on "leg day" in the weight room and cycling isn't a substitute for leg day. Also, you're only hitting certain muscles when cycling.

    Like I said, I cycle...and I still squat, dead lift, lunge, do split squats, step-ups, leg presses, RDLs, etc...these things actually help make me a better cyclist...and some plyo work too.

    This is very helpful. Thank you!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I cycled up this hill today - definitely a leg workout (but it's very different to weights).

    http://cyclinguphill.com/100-climbs/combe-lane/

    You can add muscle mass with serious cycle training. Hills and resistance are the keys.

    Cycling helps with your leg strength training and leg strength training helps with your cycling. The conflict comes with volume and recovery/training interference - that's where people's different priorities come in.
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    I would call it a complement, not a substitute. The training effect that one experiences is specific to the actual movement being performed. So you can't expect a movement that can be performed for hundreds or thousands of repetitions to have the same training effect as a movement that can only be performed 2-4, or 6-8, or 8-10 repetitions.
  • paulandrachelk
    paulandrachelk Posts: 280 Member
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    No
  • LKArgh
    LKArgh Posts: 5,179 Member
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    Hausisse1 wrote: »
    My sister's girlfriend is a hardcore cylist, so for a few months I've gotten into cycling almost every day of the week, to as many places as I can get to that are close enough without driving. About once a week I'll go on a two and a half hour or so ride, but wvery other day of the week I average an hour or an hour and thirty minutes. My question is this: is it considered strength training? Like, is a "leg day" at the gym still necessary? My sister's girlfriend has AMAZING legs, and she doesn't go to the gym at all.

    Thanks! I look forward to constructive input.

    Judging from the quads some cyclicsts have, it definitely looks like a leg strength training to me.
  • Hausisse1
    Hausisse1 Posts: 165 Member
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    Thanks, guys! I'll take all of this into consideration.

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