Does cycling build up your arm strength?

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andione1983
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Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby andione1983 » Sat Aug 03, 2013 11:12 am

Just wondering what cycling does for your upper arm strength.. When you are standing and pushing is this similar to doing push ups?
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matagi
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby matagi » Sat Aug 03, 2013 11:44 am

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)

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby cyclotaur » Sat Aug 03, 2013 11:48 am

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 .... :oops:

OK, I'm exaggerating a little ... but you get the general idea. :wink:
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andione1983
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby andione1983 » Sat Aug 03, 2013 12:01 pm

Ok lol I'll keep up with the swimming

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby singlespeedscott » Sat Aug 03, 2013 12:38 pm

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.
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find_bruce
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby find_bruce » Sat Aug 03, 2013 1:09 pm

Exhibit A Michael Rasmussen
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Exhibit B: Sean Eadie
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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 :D
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AndrewBurns
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby AndrewBurns » Sat Aug 03, 2013 2:11 pm

Also rock climbing doesn't build big muscle arms in my experience, you do get some good forearm strength though :P
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Duck!
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby Duck! » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:00 pm

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.
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby Mulger bill » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:10 pm

find_bruce wrote:If you want muscly arms, grow a beard :D
I need a new beardstyle :(

Pumping pic of Mr Eadie tho' 8)
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grantw
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby grantw » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:24 pm

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 :roll:
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby bychosis » Sat Aug 03, 2013 7:54 pm

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.
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Duck!
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby Duck! » Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:45 pm

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."

:lol: :lol: :lol:
I had a thought, but it got run over as it crossed my mind.

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby trailgumby » Sat Aug 03, 2013 8:52 pm

Indeed :lol:

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

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

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foo on patrol
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby foo on patrol » Sat Aug 03, 2013 11:19 pm

Only if you do arm pacific work outs. :wink:

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby Eleri » Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:05 pm

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.

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby toolonglegs » Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:17 pm

trailgumby wrote:Indeed :lol:

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

Speaking of which, it will shortly be time to reintroduce it into my training calendar. Hmmm...
Over the bars again mate? :P

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby bychosis » Sun Aug 04, 2013 8:29 pm

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

Foo
Ocean swimming? That works if you're on the east coast. West coast you need arm Indian workouts.
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby g-boaf » Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:27 pm

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

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andione1983
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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby andione1983 » Wed Aug 07, 2013 10:29 pm

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

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

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby foo on patrol » Thu Aug 08, 2013 12:44 pm

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

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. :P :mrgreen:

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Re: Does cycling build up your arm strength?

Postby DoubleSpeeded » Thu Aug 08, 2013 7:23 pm

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

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