The Duality of the Cycling Man
January 1, 2010 5:53 AM Subscribe
Two years of cycling has left me a different man above the waist compared to below it - my legs, I mean, not what you're thinking. Please help solve my divided self.
I've been cycling to work for about two years now. While I'm fitter, I've remained overweight. I am like two different people at the moment - my body below the waist is that of the man who cycles to work and walks rather than take the bus. My flabby gut and weakling arms belong to the man who sits at a computer all day at work. I want to fix this, and I'd rather bring the top half in line with the bottom than vice-versa.
Part of this is diet - I need to stop scoffing unhealthy crap after cycling home has made me hungry. That part is easy... in principle, anyway. While this may help me lose the gut, I'd like to do to my upper body what cycling has done to my legs. What exercises should I be doing? Should I get weights? Can I do this without joining a gym? Should I cycle to work half the week using my arms? Any advice welcome!
I've been cycling to work for about two years now. While I'm fitter, I've remained overweight. I am like two different people at the moment - my body below the waist is that of the man who cycles to work and walks rather than take the bus. My flabby gut and weakling arms belong to the man who sits at a computer all day at work. I want to fix this, and I'd rather bring the top half in line with the bottom than vice-versa.
Part of this is diet - I need to stop scoffing unhealthy crap after cycling home has made me hungry. That part is easy... in principle, anyway. While this may help me lose the gut, I'd like to do to my upper body what cycling has done to my legs. What exercises should I be doing? Should I get weights? Can I do this without joining a gym? Should I cycle to work half the week using my arms? Any advice welcome!
In my experience the most crucial factor in the success of a workout routine is whether you enjoy the exercise or not. That makes a hand cycle the obvious solution to your upper body exercise dilemma -- you clearly enjoy cycling to work as you've been doing it for two years with great success. It just seems like buying weights/joining a gym will be a waste of money as they're far less likely to be used consistently.
posted by kate blank at 7:14 AM on January 1, 2010
posted by kate blank at 7:14 AM on January 1, 2010
This has done wonders for me. It took me six months instead of six weeks, but now I can do four sets of 25 in under 10 minutes. When I first started, I could only do one pushup.
posted by hermitosis at 7:15 AM on January 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by hermitosis at 7:15 AM on January 1, 2010 [3 favorites]
Seconding Hundred Pushups (and its' sister site, Hundred Situps) - spending 15 minutes 3x/week in my living room made a world of difference for me.
posted by swngnmonk at 7:25 AM on January 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by swngnmonk at 7:25 AM on January 1, 2010 [2 favorites]
Well, if you don't want to be flabby you need to cut calories. The danger is you lose weight without adding an upper body workout you would end up getting scrawny.
The thing that really helped me lose weight was just keeping track of calories, with a target of course.
posted by delmoi at 7:27 AM on January 1, 2010
The thing that really helped me lose weight was just keeping track of calories, with a target of course.
posted by delmoi at 7:27 AM on January 1, 2010
One hundred pushups is a prescription for soft tissue issues for many people. You are better off with a more well rounded upper body work out that works all the opposing muscles etc. The hundred pushup work out will work, it is pretty amazing that way, but for many people it leads to shoulder and other pain if no other upper body exercises are performed. The Perfect Pushup devices help here. Ten slow pushups on those is probably equal to forty or fifty quick regular ones, especially because it puts so many more muscles into the mix to compensate for the instability the rotating platforms induce.
For a more well balanced work out incorporate some weights, just a set of dumb bells will do - bench press, military press, rows, some light weight dedicated shoulder work and then perhaps a lat pull down or pull ups. Of course you will need an ab component as well otherwise the weights will harm your back. The other issue with cycling, although it is better than running in this regard, is that you don't exercise all the muscles in your legs equally. Do some cross training like walking, running, lunges, squats etc. to add some balance. The stronglifts site has great information, but don't feel compelled to stick to their high weight, low rep routine. That is great for quickly adding bulk and strength. If your goals are more modest lower weights and higher reps is less likely to lead to soft tissue or other injuries.
posted by caddis at 7:44 AM on January 1, 2010
For a more well balanced work out incorporate some weights, just a set of dumb bells will do - bench press, military press, rows, some light weight dedicated shoulder work and then perhaps a lat pull down or pull ups. Of course you will need an ab component as well otherwise the weights will harm your back. The other issue with cycling, although it is better than running in this regard, is that you don't exercise all the muscles in your legs equally. Do some cross training like walking, running, lunges, squats etc. to add some balance. The stronglifts site has great information, but don't feel compelled to stick to their high weight, low rep routine. That is great for quickly adding bulk and strength. If your goals are more modest lower weights and higher reps is less likely to lead to soft tissue or other injuries.
posted by caddis at 7:44 AM on January 1, 2010
I recommend pushups and chinups. Pushups will work your chest and triceps, chinups will work your back and biceps. If you were to throw in some situps you would have a total upperbody solution.
Do one set of as many pushups as you can when you get up and before bed. The next day do chinups. Then situps. Repeat.
posted by axismundi at 8:16 AM on January 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
Do one set of as many pushups as you can when you get up and before bed. The next day do chinups. Then situps. Repeat.
posted by axismundi at 8:16 AM on January 1, 2010 [1 favorite]
I can offer no advice but tell this brief anecdote: Bill Rogers, one of the world's great marathoners, trained by running 20 miles per day. He was very thin and in what he thought was great shape. He burned up so much energy that he gorged on junk food after runs. Then, by chance, visiting a phy ed lab, he tested himself and discovered that his arteries were getting clogged. That ended the myth that if you ran marathons your would never have to worry about heart attacks etc. He stopped eating junk and ate only those foods that were healthy. It worked.
posted by Postroad at 8:32 AM on January 1, 2010
posted by Postroad at 8:32 AM on January 1, 2010
I wonder if it would help to just take longer, less strenuous bike rides, i.e. make sure you're getting a real aerobic workout where your heart is doing a lot of the work, vs. an anaerobic workout that is mostly about your legs. Lots of people successfully lose weight - all over their bodies - through biking, running, and other leg-focused exercises, so I'm not sure that the lack of upper body workouts is really the issue.
posted by bingo at 8:57 AM on January 1, 2010
posted by bingo at 8:57 AM on January 1, 2010
Hey Dad is that you?
My dad is just like this - incredible leg strength, overweight upper body; he bicycles a lot (way more than you), pigs out on junk food, half committed to upper body work outs.
Just telling you this anecdote because my dad has been doing this for YEARS and still has the same "divided man" look as you describe; sounds like if you want to change your body you need to change your routine.
posted by RajahKing at 9:35 AM on January 1, 2010
My dad is just like this - incredible leg strength, overweight upper body; he bicycles a lot (way more than you), pigs out on junk food, half committed to upper body work outs.
Just telling you this anecdote because my dad has been doing this for YEARS and still has the same "divided man" look as you describe; sounds like if you want to change your body you need to change your routine.
posted by RajahKing at 9:35 AM on January 1, 2010
First, stand up. Get yourself some pedals that your feet slide into so that you can pull up on the pedal instead of just push down with your body weight. Don't sit when you're biking to work. Not only will your urethra thank you in 30 years but you will get a workout from your fingers all the way through your core to your toes. Work the bike side to side as you go to get an extra workout for your upper body.
The second suggestion I have for you is to eat a bigger breakfast and lunch or a couple of energy bars in the afternoon before you ride home, and cut down on your evening intake. You are basically forcing your body to store its largest energy source to be used half a day later. The only way it can store energy is fat, the burning of which is less efficient so your metabolism is lowered.
Good luck
posted by Yorrick at 10:29 AM on January 1, 2010
The second suggestion I have for you is to eat a bigger breakfast and lunch or a couple of energy bars in the afternoon before you ride home, and cut down on your evening intake. You are basically forcing your body to store its largest energy source to be used half a day later. The only way it can store energy is fat, the burning of which is less efficient so your metabolism is lowered.
Good luck
posted by Yorrick at 10:29 AM on January 1, 2010
If you want to accomplish this on your bike you can a) ride the snot out of some big, steep hills every day (stand up and use your upper body); b) take up mountain biking (real mountain biking, not the mulch-trail community park type).
If you don't have hills, obviously that won't work.
posted by klanawa at 11:26 AM on January 1, 2010
If you don't have hills, obviously that won't work.
posted by klanawa at 11:26 AM on January 1, 2010
As an avid cyclist who at one time experienced something similar to what you're describing, I can safely say the solution is a mixture of weight training and diet.
But mostly diet, strangely enough. Join a gym, get into a routine and you'll figure out the rest. I found weight bearing exercises on the legs also greatly increased my ability to perform on the bike as well.
posted by jazzkat11 at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2010
But mostly diet, strangely enough. Join a gym, get into a routine and you'll figure out the rest. I found weight bearing exercises on the legs also greatly increased my ability to perform on the bike as well.
posted by jazzkat11 at 12:49 PM on January 1, 2010
This also happened to me.
as a daily cycle commuter, my legs got solid and strong,
while my upper body suffered the curse of the computer programmer.
kate said:
"the most crucial factor in the success of a workout routine is whether you enjoy the exercise"
I found this to be true.
I unexpectedly loved muay thai training, and ended up going to thailand to train for three months with my brother and partner
I also found I loved weight training, after I found a really great personal trainer, most aren't that great so if you're considering this, you should watch trainers with their clients and see what you think.
I also really loved crossfit (crossfit.com)
these may or may not appeal to you, but one advantage you clearly have, is that you know you have a body which responds to training and that you have the inclination and discipline to keep it up, you just need to distribute it a little more evenly about your body.
have fun
posted by compound eye at 1:54 PM on January 1, 2010
as a daily cycle commuter, my legs got solid and strong,
while my upper body suffered the curse of the computer programmer.
kate said:
"the most crucial factor in the success of a workout routine is whether you enjoy the exercise"
I found this to be true.
I unexpectedly loved muay thai training, and ended up going to thailand to train for three months with my brother and partner
I also found I loved weight training, after I found a really great personal trainer, most aren't that great so if you're considering this, you should watch trainers with their clients and see what you think.
I also really loved crossfit (crossfit.com)
these may or may not appeal to you, but one advantage you clearly have, is that you know you have a body which responds to training and that you have the inclination and discipline to keep it up, you just need to distribute it a little more evenly about your body.
have fun
posted by compound eye at 1:54 PM on January 1, 2010
Best answer: 2 recs
1) a SPRI "Xertube" rubber band is a dirt-cheap and awesome way to do lots of different chest, arm and ab exercises in your house.
They're more entertaining to use than weights because transitions between exercises are so seamless; you can go from chest flys to tricep extensions to bicep curls to rows instantly, working each to exhaustion and moving on. This means you end up working tons of muscle groups and capitalizing on the cardio power biking every day is giving you. More reps at lower resistance with an emphasis on large motion ranges also means you won't get huge.
2) Handstands
posted by kickback at 2:16 PM on January 1, 2010
1) a SPRI "Xertube" rubber band is a dirt-cheap and awesome way to do lots of different chest, arm and ab exercises in your house.
They're more entertaining to use than weights because transitions between exercises are so seamless; you can go from chest flys to tricep extensions to bicep curls to rows instantly, working each to exhaustion and moving on. This means you end up working tons of muscle groups and capitalizing on the cardio power biking every day is giving you. More reps at lower resistance with an emphasis on large motion ranges also means you won't get huge.
2) Handstands
posted by kickback at 2:16 PM on January 1, 2010
Congratulations on the cycling legs! *discreet wolf whistle*
Getting rid of the extra fat requires staying active and eating within calorie limits. A free account at FitDay will give you an excellent idea of how to balance input and output. After you sign up and record your age, sex, current activity level and weight, the system will project your resting metabolic rate. Then go to the Activities panel, and start plugging in the time you sleep, your typical daily activities, and your athletic activity. The resulting number gives you a pretty good idea of what you need to eat to maintain. To lose about a pound a week, try to undercut that by 500 calories a day, mostly by reducing food, although taking on weight training (see below) will also burn some calories. If you're staying active and not starving yourself, most of that lost weight will be fat. I have a sample activity chart here, showing how many calories I would burn if I were completely sedentary and slept 7 hours a day. This one shows how many calories I burned on one of my longer city cycling days this past summer. Big difference, eh?
You've gained some mass and definition from cycling, but that doesn't mean that you should now start to train only your upper body. Your legs can get stronger from proper training apart from cycling, but you can and should do a full body workout without becoming lopsided. One reason your legs look so good compared to your torso is because the relatively small muscle mass gains there show up much more readily just because you naturally carry relatively little fat in your legs. So whatever you do, don't focus only on your upper body. Do the whole thing.
Try this very simple workout using dumbbells. (Yes, it's on a women's weight training site, but the advice is for everyone.) Try this twice a week to start, three times a week once you feel like you've got it, and go further if you want a challenge. But you should see some changes in strength from this workout, and if you're losing fat from eating carefully to lose fat at the same time, you will look more defined.
posted by maudlin at 3:17 PM on January 1, 2010
Getting rid of the extra fat requires staying active and eating within calorie limits. A free account at FitDay will give you an excellent idea of how to balance input and output. After you sign up and record your age, sex, current activity level and weight, the system will project your resting metabolic rate. Then go to the Activities panel, and start plugging in the time you sleep, your typical daily activities, and your athletic activity. The resulting number gives you a pretty good idea of what you need to eat to maintain. To lose about a pound a week, try to undercut that by 500 calories a day, mostly by reducing food, although taking on weight training (see below) will also burn some calories. If you're staying active and not starving yourself, most of that lost weight will be fat. I have a sample activity chart here, showing how many calories I would burn if I were completely sedentary and slept 7 hours a day. This one shows how many calories I burned on one of my longer city cycling days this past summer. Big difference, eh?
You've gained some mass and definition from cycling, but that doesn't mean that you should now start to train only your upper body. Your legs can get stronger from proper training apart from cycling, but you can and should do a full body workout without becoming lopsided. One reason your legs look so good compared to your torso is because the relatively small muscle mass gains there show up much more readily just because you naturally carry relatively little fat in your legs. So whatever you do, don't focus only on your upper body. Do the whole thing.
Try this very simple workout using dumbbells. (Yes, it's on a women's weight training site, but the advice is for everyone.) Try this twice a week to start, three times a week once you feel like you've got it, and go further if you want a challenge. But you should see some changes in strength from this workout, and if you're losing fat from eating carefully to lose fat at the same time, you will look more defined.
posted by maudlin at 3:17 PM on January 1, 2010
I'm a daily cyclist as well. I started rock climbing recently and I've found it to be a perfect complement to cycling. It's almost entirely focused on upper body strength, and it's a lot more fun than doing push-ups or weightlifting.
posted by skintension at 4:18 PM on January 1, 2010
posted by skintension at 4:18 PM on January 1, 2010
I'm also an avid cycler, have been all my life. I've searched high & low for a workout that's "like cycling, but for my upper body." I have huge, rock-hard thighs & glutes - so big that I have to buy special boxers because the thighs on normal boxers won't fit me, and all 100% pure rock hard muscle.
But, I have a bit of a gut & some years in corporate life gave me flabbier, skinnier arms than I'm used to.
Since I don't have your ability to cycle to work every day (it would take 3 hours or so), I've joined the gym and now cycle on weekends, during the warmer months.
I lifted weights as a teenager, and getting it back is easier than getting it in the first place, so my situation is not quite the same as yours. I've tried various workouts at home & nothing is as satisfying as going to the gym because:
a) weights won't fit into my apartment.
b) I can't get the variety of exercises I can at home as I do at the gym.
The closest I've found to 'cycling for the upper body' is the rowing machine at the gym, but it won't get your abs or your transverse adbominals, but it's amazing for your arms & back.
After some time on the rowing machine, I use the assisted pullup/dip machine. I lifted weights at the gym a bit, but gave that up in favor of pullups, dips & pushups (and pushup like exercises on the nautilus).
For the abs I do crunches, situps, and a few other exercises.
For diet, I recommend the low GI diet. It sounds like you're gorging when your blood sugar level dips. The GI (Glycemic Index) and related diets (GL, etc.) can help get that under control.
If I had easy access to a pool, I'd swim every day - there's no better all-body workout than swimming & it burns calories like you wouldn't believe.
posted by MesoFilter at 2:14 AM on January 2, 2010
But, I have a bit of a gut & some years in corporate life gave me flabbier, skinnier arms than I'm used to.
Since I don't have your ability to cycle to work every day (it would take 3 hours or so), I've joined the gym and now cycle on weekends, during the warmer months.
I lifted weights as a teenager, and getting it back is easier than getting it in the first place, so my situation is not quite the same as yours. I've tried various workouts at home & nothing is as satisfying as going to the gym because:
a) weights won't fit into my apartment.
b) I can't get the variety of exercises I can at home as I do at the gym.
The closest I've found to 'cycling for the upper body' is the rowing machine at the gym, but it won't get your abs or your transverse adbominals, but it's amazing for your arms & back.
After some time on the rowing machine, I use the assisted pullup/dip machine. I lifted weights at the gym a bit, but gave that up in favor of pullups, dips & pushups (and pushup like exercises on the nautilus).
For the abs I do crunches, situps, and a few other exercises.
For diet, I recommend the low GI diet. It sounds like you're gorging when your blood sugar level dips. The GI (Glycemic Index) and related diets (GL, etc.) can help get that under control.
If I had easy access to a pool, I'd swim every day - there's no better all-body workout than swimming & it burns calories like you wouldn't believe.
posted by MesoFilter at 2:14 AM on January 2, 2010
I had a boyfriend who was divided like this in strength (although he was an extremely skinny guy). He took up climbing (about 1-2 times a week) and bulked out considerably in the upper body. Of course, the group he climbed with took up pub stops after climbing, so now he has a pretty evenly strong body but is no longer thin.
Anyway, if work outs for the sake of work outs don't appeal, activities like climbing or rowing could provide a balance to biking. Just skip the pub-nights after.
posted by carmen at 8:05 AM on January 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Anyway, if work outs for the sake of work outs don't appeal, activities like climbing or rowing could provide a balance to biking. Just skip the pub-nights after.
posted by carmen at 8:05 AM on January 2, 2010 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks for the help. You've certainly backed up my suspicions that diet has a lot to do with it. I've lost weight before by simply swapping the crap for healthier alternatives (a banana instead of a Mars Bar, for instance), having smaller portions, and drinking camomile tea instead of snacking.
The advice to 'do what you enjoy' also rings true. I need something that I can do at home. I've no desire to bulk up - less flab and a wee bit more muscle will do. The resistance training using the SPRI "Xertube" really appeals to me. Can anyone tell me if the Reebok tubes here are as good? I have a voucher for that shop left over from Christmas.
Rock Climbing sounds like an excellent idea... but I reckon trying to haul my current bulk up a cliff face would be an exercise in futility and embarrassment. Maybe later in the year, something to build up to.
posted by liquidindian at 8:17 AM on January 2, 2010
The advice to 'do what you enjoy' also rings true. I need something that I can do at home. I've no desire to bulk up - less flab and a wee bit more muscle will do. The resistance training using the SPRI "Xertube" really appeals to me. Can anyone tell me if the Reebok tubes here are as good? I have a voucher for that shop left over from Christmas.
Rock Climbing sounds like an excellent idea... but I reckon trying to haul my current bulk up a cliff face would be an exercise in futility and embarrassment. Maybe later in the year, something to build up to.
posted by liquidindian at 8:17 AM on January 2, 2010
More reps at lower resistance with an emphasis on large motion ranges also means you won't get huge.
This is a common misconception. Higher rep ranges are better for increasing size, as you can see on this table. Lower reps with higher weights are more appropriate for strength.
Exercises should always be performed with a full range of motion, but that doesn't have much bearing on the above variables.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:33 AM on January 2, 2010
This is a common misconception. Higher rep ranges are better for increasing size, as you can see on this table. Lower reps with higher weights are more appropriate for strength.
Exercises should always be performed with a full range of motion, but that doesn't have much bearing on the above variables.
posted by ludwig_van at 10:33 AM on January 2, 2010
This thread is closed to new comments.
For a daily upper-body workout, maybe you also already know the answer: get a hand cycle and ride it to work every other day. (For lowering costs and improving your karma, get a really good one but share its cost and use with someone whose legs don't work.)
posted by pracowity at 6:23 AM on January 1, 2010