Quadriceps development question

Badger_South wrote:
|| I notice on all the pros that the inner teardrop shape of the quads
|| is quite over-developed and vascular.
||
|| Is this muscle mainly developed due to a certain type of cycling,
|| such as sprinting or climbing?

That is the muscle I got cramps in on a recent charity ride where I was
trying to race some much smaller guy up a longish hill (he must have weighed
170 while I'm 240). I maxed my HR for a while and was huffing and puffing,
but I got to the top first. A few hills later, I had to get off the bike
since that muscle locked up. I felt majorly stupid, BTW.

So, I'd conclude that yes, that muscle is developed while climbing and
probaby by sprinting, too.

||
|| I noticed yesterday that with my increased output surge that really
|| pushing it on the inclines and false flats on my route that the
|| effort seemed to concentrate in that area of the muscle.
||
|| (I have well-developed outer quads, but the inner teardrop seems to
|| be less well-developed. For comparison I can squat with >300lbs and
|| do the whole stack with leg-extensions with ease for many reps, but
|| my climbing still sucks - mostly b/c I still weigh too much, I
|| suppose.)
||
|| Do most of the advanced ppl here have similar quad development?

I'm not advanced, but I do have noticeable tear drops. But to some extent
it is genes, I think...

If
|| so do you recall how and when that development occurred (Over a
|| period of years, or in a short period once you started concentrating
|| on climbing or sprinting?) IOW, method, or time, or what?

Mine started when I use to do Charles Atlas workouts as a teen - lots of
squats. My legs muscles grew like crazy at that age. Once you get the
muscle size, it is relatively easy to keep or reacquire.

However, I've seen a lot of bicyclist with very noticeable tear drops, so it
must come with a lot of riding. Obviously, they become more viable with
reduced bodyfat.

||
|| Sorry about the vagueness - I'm mostly curious due to my background
|| as a bodybuilder and studies on kinesiology.
||
|| -B

On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:42:21 -0400, Roger Zoul <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Badger_South wrote:
|| I notice on all the pros that the inner teardrop shape of the quads
|| is quite over-developed and vascular.
||
|| Is this muscle mainly developed due to a certain type of cycling,
|| such as sprinting or climbing?

Have you also seen how close together the pros keep their knees when
cycling? I wonder if that contributes. (And have you tried this? I
kinda like it, but I forget to do it after a while.)

--
Bob in CT
Remove ".x" to reply

On Thu, 2 Sep 2004 15:42:21 -0400, "Roger Zoul" <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

|| Is this muscle mainly developed due to a certain type of cycling,
|| such as sprinting or climbing?

That is the muscle I got cramps in on a recent charity ride where I was
trying to race some much smaller guy up a longish hill (he must have weighed
170 while I'm 240). I maxed my HR for a while and was huffing and puffing,
but I got to the top first. A few hills later, I had to get off the bike
since that muscle locked up. I felt majorly stupid, BTW.

Still pretty amazing that you're doing climbing workouts and rides at that
weight. Even 170 is heavyish for being a good climber.

Better to have tried such a ride and have to jump on the sag wagon than not
to try. Props for that. In fact there's probably never been a biker who
hasn't been in a similar situation, haha - iow, if you haven't racked up a
few DNFs and crampups, you just haven't ridden, eh? ;-)

Quoted message said:

So, I'd conclude that yes, that muscle is developed while climbing and
probaby by sprinting, too.

I figure that developing them on a bike takes about 2 years, b/c at first
you just aren't able to stress them enough due to lack of aerobic and
anaerobic capacity. I'm just starting to get the that point, I think, where
I'm able to stress them enough.

I've got pretty large quads at about 25", mostly developed with weights,
but I'm thinking that getting advanced development there by biking is a
whole different story, and involves a lot more work than heavy squats. For
one thing you probably have a lot more vascularization from the high reps
and stuff on the bike, in addition to the hypertrophy. Non-scientific, but
just some thoughts from someone who has done a fair amt of squatting,
though a beginner at biking.

Thx for the input.

-B

Badger_South said:

I notice on all the pros that the inner teardrop shape of the quads is
quite over-developed and vascular.

Is this muscle mainly developed due to a certain type of cycling, such as
sprinting or climbing?

I don't know the specific answer, but I think the teardrop muscle
you describe is called the vastus medialis (VM). It's a knee
extensor, and when it's well developed, it helps maintain proper
tracking of the kneecap. An underdeveloped VM, compared to the other
quad muscles, can lead to knee pain.

I don't know if a specific style of cycling builds up VM more than
another. Every cyclist I know has pretty hefty VMs.
--
terry morse Palo Alto, CA http://bike.terrymorse.com/