{"id":42532,"date":"2023-08-07T07:11:10","date_gmt":"2023-08-07T07:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/discerningcyclist.com\/?p=42532"},"modified":"2023-08-07T07:11:13","modified_gmt":"2023-08-07T07:11:13","slug":"does-cycling-build-muscle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/discerningcyclist.com\/does-cycling-build-muscle\/","title":{"rendered":"Does Cycling Build Muscle? (The Truth)"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Yes! If you’re a casual cyclist or even a dedicated rider for most of the week, you’ll notice muscle development in specific muscle groups as your fitness level increases. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you’ve ever seen an indoor track cyclist you’ll quickly notice their massive tree-trunk legs, but that’s taken to the extreme, and they typically combine their riding regime with weight or resistance training.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Regular cycling can lead to muscle growth, strength, increased definition, and endurance in particular muscle groups. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Cycling primarily targets specific muscle groups<\/a> rather than promoting overall muscle mass gains. Lower body muscles are typically more engaged like the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, calves, and core muscles for stability and balance. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Research published in the Journal of Applied Physiology indicates that cycling can increase muscle protein synthesis – which is a process necessary for muscle growth (Moore et al., 2014<\/a>). Another study published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that regular cycling training increased muscle fiber cross-sectional area, meaning muscle size, and improved strength (Takahashi, K et al., 2022<\/a>).<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you’re interested in building muscle specifically, shorten your rides and introduce sprints or high-effort segments on flat roads or hills.<\/p>\n\n\n To stimulate muscle growth, it’s generally recommended to engage in challenging cycling workouts pushing you to your limits. Aim for at least three to four high-intensity cycling sessions per week, with each session lasting 45 minutes to an hour. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The amount of cycling required to build muscle depends on various factors, including your current fitness level, intensity of cycling, duration of workouts, and frequency of sessions. Include segments of intense effort; 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off for 5 minutes, recover (without stopping), and repeat. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Remember to change your position on the bike from seated to standing, and focus on using equal and measured force throughout your body<\/a>. You\u2019ll hone your technique while activating your core for a better all-round workout. This will provide your muscles with sufficient stimulus to grow and adapt. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Muscle growth occurs when you achieve an overload – or push beyond your thresholds to shock the muscles into growth to better cater for your next session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As your muscles adapt, it grows increasingly important to introduce variety into your workouts. After a few months of training, you’ll reach a training and development plateau. This is when your body has adapted fully to your current training regime, and the muscles aren’t as shocked and worn from doing the same workout. <\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point, you should evolve your cycling workout into more demanding sessions by adjusting the on\/off time segments or introducing cross-training with weights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n A study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research found that cyclists who trained four times per week for eight weeks experienced improvements in muscle strength and power (Paoli et al., 2017<\/a>). The frequency of these muscle-building cycling sessions must<\/strong> be broken up by periods of rest and recovery. <\/p>\n\n\n\n When you exercise and push beyond your limits, or chase a serious burn, you’re causing microscopic tears in your muscle fibers which heal during recovery. It’s important to allow your muscles to recover fully, otherwise, you’re re-tearing the same fibers which only postpones your time to recover and grow while increasing your risk of injury.<\/p>\n\n\n Cycling is more likely to promote a lean physique<\/a> rather than bulky muscles. The repetitive motion of cycling primarily develops muscular endurance and definition, rather than significant muscle growth. <\/p>\n\n\n\nHow Much Should I Cycle to Build Muscle?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Does Cycling Make You Lean or Bulky?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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