[FONT=Arial Black]i have recently(about 2 mos. ago) started commuting to work 22.5 miles roundtrip 3 times a week.
What i'm trying to do/not to do is to have my calves not get really thick/stay thick especially near the ankles as i don't think this is very attractive.
Should i use lower gears and spin faster as opposed to using higher gears? i am willing to sacrifice speed/efficiency in order not to have thick ankles.
NOTES: 1) i do try to spin at least 60 rpm in any case.
2) i'm male and weigh (right now) 190-200 if this info helps.
3) The thick ankles started around 4-5 yrs ago when i gained weight from 160-ish in conjunction when i first started jogging. [/FONT]
[FONT=Arial Black]P.S. i don't think this is nessesarily a genetic thing as my calves (specifically ankle area) have always been skinny until about 4-5 yrs ago.[/FONT]
I never heard of cycling causing thick ankles. I would concentrate on my diet and just try and enjoy your rides.Taking off a few pounds will probably slim the ankles.
Cycling doesn't really bulk your muscles up very much at all, so you don't have to worry about that.
Try for a higher cadence though, this puts a higher reliance on slow twitch fibers (as you aren't using as much force to turn the cranks) and slow twitch fibers burn fat better. By higher cadence I mean 85+ rpm! So it might take you a bit of time to get used to that.
[FONT=Arial Black]Ouch again (not nice); i don't think it's a genetic thing as no-one in my family really has this "affliction." Also, again my ankles were always skinny up until about 4-5 yrs ago.
i'm thinking the jogging plus being 200lbs may have had something to do with it.
There aren't a lot of large muscles around the ankle, so it's probably not an "oops I got muscled from my jogging and weight gain!" issue. I doubt it's any type of serious issue for that matter, other than perhaps a body image issue. If you actually ARE developing thick, unsightly ankles, it's probably a fat issue(probably relatively minor if you're only 40 lbs past really skinny at 200 lbs) and fat distribution is controlled by your genetics. So, don't necessarily get NEW parents, but definitely try to reroll.
