Australian Cycling Forums - Bicycles Network Australia

Just wondering what cycling does for your upper arm strength.. When you are standing and pushing is this similar to doing push ups?
Sent from my Galaxy far far away....

In a word, no. If you look at the elite cyclists, most have really puny looking upper bodies, not unlike marathon runners.

If you want to build up your upper arms, then do weights (or go bushwalking with trekking poles, my hubby has developed quite amazing upper arms since he started doing this)

My body strength has completely flipped since I took up regular riding. Have to get my wife (who does group personal training 2-3 times per week) to open all the jars these days ....

OK, I'm exaggerating a little ... but you get the general idea.

Ok lol I'll keep up with the swimming

Sent from my Galaxy far far away....

Or just do some chin ups and push ups. However I do find on really intense climbs my arms are knackered from pulling on the bars.

Exhibit A Michael Rasmussen


Exhibit B: Sean Eadie


Conclusions

• Cycling doesn't build arm strength
• climbing mountains doesn't build arm strength
• EPO, growth hormone, testosterone, DHEA, insulin, IGF-1, cortisone and blood transfusions do not build arm strength

If you want muscly arms, grow a beard

Also rock climbing doesn't build big muscle arms in my experience, you do get some good forearm strength though

Mountain biking is probably the best form of cycling for maintaining some degree of arm strength, as it's a much more dynamic style of riding. That said, in the greater scheme of muscle building, it's still pretty crap, so you're best off doing some arm & upper body-specific training.

find_bruce wrote:If you want muscly arms, grow a beard

I need a new beardstyle

Pumping pic of Mr Eadie tho'

The more I ride the weaker I look, even the checkout persons at the supermarket lightly load my bags (are you sure you can lift this, milk is heavy and that's 2 liters...) and I have a beard

Duck! wrote:Mountain biking is probably the best form of cycling for maintaining some degree of arm strength, as it's a much more dynamic style of riding. That said, in the greater scheme of muscle building, it's still pretty crap, so you're best off doing some arm & upper body-specific training.

Plus one. If I've been doing too much roading and head out into the scrub for a decent mtb ride the upper body really feels it, but it isn't an upper body building exercise merely works me harder than I'm used too. Moving the bike around, steering, braking are all much more intensive off road. On road it's all pedals and looking forward.

From here:

"Point 6: As a mountain biker, you've no doubt noticed it's quite helpful to have not just strong legs, but strong arms as well. Roadies, on the other hand, regard their arms as a necessary evil, their sole function being to keep their chests from falling onto the bike's stem.

It's a well-known fact that roadies bind their arms to their sides when not riding bikes, doing everything they can to facilitate the atrophy of these non-contributing limbs."

Indeed

After 3 laps of Manly Dam I'm sore all over the following day. And day two is worse!

Speaking of which, it will shortly be time to reintroduce it into my training calendar. Hmmm...

Only if you do arm pacific work outs.

Foo

I do core and upper body strength training, just once a week with a PT. Part of this is vanity - I don't want tuckshop arms

Conventional wisdom is that once a week isn't enough to build and sustain muscle. I can only assume that other things I do in my daily life, pretty much riding my bike and carrying a handbag, is somehow contributing to the maintenance. I'm also getting stronger so ...

But it has made an interesting difference to my riding. I'm much more stable on the bike, have a better position and don't get the shoulder aches and pains I used to get after a long, uphilly ride (ie over about 150km up mountains). Downside is that I have well-defined arms and probably carrying a bit more muscle weight than needed. But I'm happy with the trade-off given most of what I do is distance and I like epic rides.

trailgumby wrote:Indeed

After 3 laps of Manly Dam I'm sore all over the following day. And day two is worse!

Speaking of which, it will shortly be time to reintroduce it into my training calendar. Hmmm...

Over the bars again mate?

foo on patrol wrote:Only if you do arm pacific work outs.

Foo

Ocean swimming? That works if you're on the east coast. West coast you need arm Indian workouts.

andione1983 wrote:Just wondering what cycling does for your upper arm strength.. When you are standing and pushing is this similar to doing push ups?
Sent from my Galaxy far far away....

Mine are thin as anything. Rest of body also fairly thin too, except quads and legs in general.

bychosis wrote:

foo on patrol wrote:Only if you do arm pacific work outs.

Foo

Ocean swimming? That works if you're on the east coast. West coast you need arm Indian workouts.

lol

Sent from my Galaxy far far away....

bychosis wrote:

foo on patrol wrote:Only if you do arm pacific work outs.

Foo

Ocean swimming? That works if you're on the east coast. West coast you need arm Indian workouts.

Shut up. It was my Dads 80th and I had consumed copious quantities of alcohic.

Foo

hmmm

I kinda had the impression Elite Time trial professionals had arms like a kid in a 3rd world country suffering from famine is due to weight-saving?


I always found this guy very Comical looking...

Tony Martin









Tony martin ...off-season.