How can I build leg muscle (fast)

david462 said:

ive been riding for a few months now mostly for exercise but still plan on eventually training and to start racing.

i was wondering if there is any specific routine i can do to build leg muscle quickly. i only use a HRM now, aside from the cyclocomputer.

as of now i ride 3-6 days a week for 1-1.5 hrs

Why would you want to build leg muscle? TYSON

david462 said:

i was wondering if there is any specific routine i can do to build leg muscle quickly.

Felt Rider could definitely tell you if he spots this thread.

L5 causes hypertrophy of slow twitch muscle fiber but doing nothing but 5x5s is not a good plan for becoming a better cyclist duration is to short. Just mix in some hard 5 to 8 minute efforts with your one to two hour rides.

david462 said:

ive been riding for a few months now mostly for exercise but still plan on eventually training and to start racing.

i was wondering if there is any specific routine i can do to build leg muscle quickly. i only use a HRM now, aside from the cyclocomputer.

as of now i ride 3-6 days a week for 1-1.5 hrs

Did anybody mention anabolic steroid? :eek:

sogood said:

Did anybody mention anabolic steroid? :eek:

LOL

frenchyge said:

Felt Rider could definitely tell you if he spots this thread.

🙂 How did you know this title would catch my attention 🙂

I could state how to build leg muscles, but it would be bad for racing results.
Perhaps the OP meant how to build power output instead?

If that is case I turn it back to you frenchy🙂

nah i just want some leg muscle. ive always had skinny legs compared to my upper body and they are starting to develop from cycling but i want some huge ripped leg muscles dammit

david462 said:

nah i just want some leg muscle. ive always had skinny legs compared to my upper body and they are starting to develop from cycling but i want some huge ripped leg muscles dammit

But why? 😄 Tyson

david462 said:

nah i just want some leg muscle. ive always had skinny legs compared to my upper body and they are starting to develop from cycling but i want some huge ripped leg muscles dammit

Go and consult a body builder. Cyclists typically don't have bulging muscle.

Low cadence power will give you muscle bulk. God knows what high cadence power gives you... :o

Find a local gym and do squats and deadlifts twice a week. If you do them properly they will build leg muscle faster than any other method. As others have stated though this will be a detriment to your cycling. I personally haven't done them in 10 years and don't plan on doing them in the future.

Matt

mfallon said:

Find a local gym and do squats and deadlifts twice a week. If you do them properly they will build leg muscle faster than any other method. As others have stated though this will be a detriment to your cycling. I personally haven't done them in 10 years and don't plan on doing them in the future.

Matt

+1

There's a guy in my gym who insists, pointing to my legs, that if he had my legs he would be capable of generating more power. I think I must have told him at least 10 times that legs have nothing to do with it, but he is convinced legs are relevant and I'm sure he will mention it again. Understandably I suppose, people associate powerful looking legs with ability to generate power on the bike.🙁 Tyson

david462 said:

nah i just want some leg muscle. ive always had skinny legs compared to my upper body and they are starting to develop from cycling but i want some huge ripped leg muscles dammit

Been there, done that 🙂 , but it took many years, good genetics, hard diet and for me a minimal amount of cardio.

I always depended on full squats (legal powelifting rules - point on the hip below the knee joints) with exceptional form and moderately heavy to heavy weight. The ripped part only comes through weeks of hard dieting for most of us and the exceptionally gifted genetic freaks can have huge and ripped for a good part of the season.

As others have stated and from your statement of skinny legs, I would put you into the "hard gainer" bracket and would say if huge legs are a primary goal you will have to reduce cardio as it will be an antogonist to that goal. Just as seeking that goal will be an antogonist to racing in cycling.

Of course "huge ripped legs" vary in per person to that definition. I feel like my legs are small and yet I won a number of high level bodybuilding competitions back in the day.

Take it from a newbie of hardcore cycling training and save you a year of loss time...

No need to do any weight training to get faster and stronger...I think though the big problem for me in the past is that we use words like stronger and it would seem natural that you need more muscle...no need trust me, all the squats, jump squats, leg curls really do nothing. Just build a good training plan via internet, coach or book and do it!!

One big warning!! I for the last two now three months been just doing my bike training and I see the watts going up and the endurance getting better. BTW, I still have a long way to go!!

I finally now have decided let me go back to the gym during this off season and do some weight training once a week starting today!! I lost about half my stength!! My upper body can not handle the weight but can handle less weight at much higher reps. Where I was doing 2 plates I am now struggling with a plate and 1/2. I have to start all over...if I want to which I will probably not as I want to stay with bike training and it will make me slower in the long run.

Here is the funniest part, in the past when I was doing the weight I really did not look that good physically. I seemed to be about average in terms of looking fit as I still had a descent amount of body fat at 13%. Now though I am down to a little less than 10% everyone seems to want to talk to me about how I did because suddenly all those hidden muscles seem to finally be showing..lol. It is embarrasing though that I am playing with such small weights...

Decide what you want but you can not live in both worlds and be good at both...

When you look at Lance and pictures of the pros...see what they look like...I saw a picture the other day I wish I could post here where he looks like a survivor from a pow camp...not the yellow jersey holder!

-Js

david462 said:

ive been riding for a few months now mostly for exercise but still plan on eventually training and to start racing.

i was wondering if there is any specific routine i can do to build leg muscle quickly. i only use a HRM now, aside from the cyclocomputer.

as of now i ride 3-6 days a week for 1-1.5 hrs

Finally found that picture and hope the post works out. Yes you can wear the yellow jersey and look like him! My friend knows him and says he is fast as hell! My friend tell me they pretty much all look like this...

[img]media-blasters.comskinny.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

Yes you can be cut up like him!!

😄😄😄
-Js

david462 said:

ive been riding for a few months now mostly for exercise but still plan on eventually training and to start racing.

i was wondering if there is any specific routine i can do to build leg muscle quickly. i only use a HRM now, aside from the cyclocomputer.

as of now i ride 3-6 days a week for 1-1.5 hrs

That's a pretty frightening picture of the "chicken.". I don't know how Rasmussen is able to fight off simple infections with that kind of malnurished body. I guess maybe the doping helps boost white cell counts too.

BTW, I do not want for you all to think I am singling out cycling but I kind of have a thing for what I call "extremism". I think especially in the USA now, you either are extreme or you are nothing meaning I look at todays generation and most of them are either so into a sport to this type of point or they do nothing. I really feel europe in general is much better as you see most people do things in moderation and most of the people in their culture are fit but not overly obsessive about being fit...

As far as the doping...when you look like that...well...really no different when you look at a bodybuilder, I mean come on that is why the good magazines for bodybuilding are finally splitting up the categories into natural bodybuilding and enhanced...😄

Lets face it...these drugs are not going to go away so we may as well start to deal with it. I think when the public knows they will either accept it or not. This in turn will affect the atheletes to make decisions based upon public reaction as that will affect their bottom line in endorsements and such.

-Js

kennf said:

That's a pretty frightening picture of the "chicken.". I don't know how Rasmussen is able to fight off simple infections with that kind of malnurished body. I guess maybe the doping helps boost white cell counts too.

Low cadence power will give you muscle bulk. God knows what high cadence power gives you... :o[/QUOTE]
-----Race wins - 🙂

jsirabella said:

Finally found that picture and hope the post works out. Yes you can wear the yellow jersey and look like him! My friend knows him and says he is fast as hell! My friend tell me they pretty much all look like this...

[img]media-blasters.comskinny.jpgOpen ↗[/img]

I changed my mind. Being in the pack on hills is ok with me.
ps. nice tan

lol...[img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img][img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img][img]cyclingforums.combiggrin.gifOpen ↗[/img]

Mish said:

I changed my mind. Being in the pack on hills is ok with me.
ps. nice tan