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Does Cycling Get You Bigger Legs?

soulforge

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I have a bit of a dilemma guys.. I currently have some lower back problems, which means I am not able to squat or dead lift.

My upper body is developing at a great pace.. But I have some belly fat I need to get rid off..

I'm a huge fan of cardio.. Outdoor running and treadmill..

I am considering swapping over to cycling?

The reason for this change is because, by cycling I could get rid of the belly fat, but also get bigger legs???

Where as running will not get me the bigger legs.

What do you think?

I still use the leg press at the gym, but sometimes it is uncomfortable on my lower back.

Is cycling the solution?
 

Reykhel

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I cannot understand why a 43 year old man would be concerned about "bigger legs".

perhaps it's the bodybuilder mentality of never being happy.....got 18 inch biceps....I want 19 inch brah! get 19 inch biceps....i want 20 inch brah!!.....some body builders go too far until finally they start to look like a gorilla wearing a bomber jacket that still has the hanger attached.......funny when you see the bodybuilder that thinks because he has muscles he can fight, get slapped around...the look of shock is priceless...

Anyway.....I digress.....you are a 43 year old man with lower back problems. Sciatica? Lumbar? All of your focus should be on solving your back problems. Cure your back and make it stronger.....

Then....stop doing whatever it is that's causing you to have continuous back problems. Mate, you've had back problems before yet you always go back to the squats and deadlifts........

What if you had to drop these exercises for ever to cure your back? would you do it?

What if you had to finish with weights/bodybuilding forever to cure your back? would you do it?

From your other posts it sounds like you have become dependent on weight lifting /muscles as the foundation for your confidence. And you believe that other people take you more seriously because you lift weights/have muscles. Are you sure your not compensating?

to your question: Swimming would be the best bet if you have an injured back, but it won't make your legs "bigger", so....

When I had a sciatica problem, cycling was painful
 

Macaframalama

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I have a bit of a dilemma guys.. I currently have some lower back problems, which means I am not able to squat or dead lift.

My upper body is developing at a great pace.. But I have some belly fat I need to get rid off..

I'm a huge fan of cardio.. Outdoor running and treadmill..

I am considering swapping over to cycling?

The reason for this change is because, by cycling I could get rid of the belly fat, but also get bigger legs???

Where as running will not get me the bigger legs.

What do you think?

I still use the leg press at the gym, but sometimes it is uncomfortable on my lower back.

Is cycling the solution?
Finding a gym that has a belt squat would be the best workaround to be able to still squat and relieve lower back pain. Finding one though is easier said than done. Hardcore powerlifting gyms would be your best bet. Leg extensions, leg curls, glute ham raise, Nordic curls, Jefferson squats, sprints etc. Have you tried trap bar deadlifts with a more upright posture/squat pattern? On the cycling, I bought a once or twice used Schwinn AD6 airdyne off of CL last year. Killer conditioning tool, not the best tool with hypertrophy goals in mind, but you will notice some improvement. If you haven't tried the trap bar yet, I would give it a go, before nixing them altogether. Along with being able to hammer your quads, they hit my traps and upper and mid back like no other.
 

EyeBRollin

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Depends. Cycling does wonders for calf development. As far as the rest of the leg, cycling will only increase leg size if you do a lot of hill work. The other factor is your comfortable cadence. This is based on genetics and conditioning. Cadence is revolutions per minute. It increases with conditioning but some people at peak conditioning are more comfortable with higher cadences (90+) than lower cadence (65-85). Higher cadence cyclists are considered spinners, lower cadence are mashers. Mashers use more leg strength from propulsion, spinners rely more on their cardiovascular conditioning. From that standpoint, the masher will get more leg training from cycling.

Source: I commuted 20 miles per day on flat terrain for two years. I am a spinner. Calves are well developed from cycling but did not get any leg “gains” otherwise.

Edit: cycling is easier than running, thus burns less calories. People lose weight by cycling because it can be comfortably done for extended time periods (hour or more). I’m about time efficiency, That’s why I currently shred with running. If you want big legs without weights and to get shredded, your best bet is to supplement distance running (at least 2-3 miles) with stadium / stair climbing, sprints, and plyo such as box jumps.
 
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switch7

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Tour de france style cyclists have skinny legs as its an endurance race. Track sprint cyclists have some of the biggest legs ive ever seen, but they do spend half the time in the gym squatting big weights, so its hard to get away from squatting.

Your solution however is none of the above, check out this page; lots of workarounds here for hitting decent weights on your legs without putting weight on the back:

https://www.t-nation.com/training/hip-belt-squats
 

EyeBRollin

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Tour de france style cyclists have skinny legs as its an endurance race.
I wouldn’t say it’s that simple. Some do have relatively big legs compared to their overall physique. My coworker who got me into cycling had big legs and some mammoth calves that were disproportionate to his body. His commute was 40 miles round trip, with 1,500 feet of elevation change. He was also a heavy eater. It’s all a convoluted function of diet, hill work, cadence, and genetics.
 

Macaframalama

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Many, endurance athletes, including cyclists train limit strength in the off-season, as well, which does contribute to the hypertrophy of Type II fibers, which are more prone for growth in the first place. Hills, sprints and any other power/anerobic energy systems work would also contribute to hypertrophy somewhat.
 

switch7

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I wouldn’t say it’s that simple. Some do have relatively big legs compared to their overall physique. My coworker who got me into cycling had big legs and some mammoth calves that were disproportionate to his body. His commute was 40 miles round trip, with 1,500 feet of elevation change. He was also a heavy eater. It’s all a convoluted function of diet, hill work, cadence, and genetics.
Id say it is mostly genetics. I know people who look like they squat 300kg, yet the only exercise they get is walking up and down the stairs a few times a week. A person with naturally big legs will get toned big legs from cycling and a toned upper body. The average person will not get big legs from cycling, they will just burn all their fat and any muscle that isnt tuned to endurance, unless they are doing a heavy leg workout in the gym, which OP is not.
 
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