Lance Armstrong vs. Lance Armchair?

[goob]

Ayit?

I'm doing 3 - 4 days of weight training per week, (now) using most muscle groups, but generally concentrating more on the upper half.

Question is, I'm incorporating 2 - 3 20 mile cycles on a delapidated piece of shit mountain bike (slow and heavy even at full pedal) on my off days. Usually for about 1-2 hours each time without stopping on a mostly flat but somewhat hilly route.
Is this really needed or is it overdoing it somewhat? Suppose its got to be good for training the legs.
Goal is to lose about 8% bf and more importantly build LBM.

Wha d'ya reckon?

 

[studen77]

I would say 20 mile sessions are a big overdoing it... at MOST 1 hour of good cardio..making sure you're 60-70% MHR to really burn the fat

I used to ride my bike like crazy but replaced it with my elliptical..my 45min elliptical session burn = 1.5 hours on regular bike

 

[goob]

First time I did it - I had just enough energy to put the bike away in the shed, but could'nt even walk up the stairs to my apartment. My neigjbour was showing folks around her apartment to try and sell them it. So their I was sprawled out on the stairs reeling like a wino after a session with oliver reid and george best. Needless to say, she wasnt best pleased.
Got used to it though, and it gets a lot easier. Got to say, I don't hammer it and probably keep the MRH to around 60%. Must burn about 600-800 cals doing it. used to do the epiliptical, but i find biking has more rest/ work type effort making it like HIT, albeit on a mellower and less intense way.
Do you think I should cut it back to just a 10 mile job, at a higher pace?

 

[Bakerboy]

Post your exact routine, how old you are, your weight and height and current bf as well as how long you have been training. Are you new to lifting, getting back into it after a long layoff etc? What is your diet like? This is very important, just as important as the training. What are your 3 main goals? All this will help give the mods a better idea at where you are at.

 

[CowPimp]

Well, it depends how much lean mass you want to gain. If you really want to get big, then I think you're pushing the limits of how much aerobic exercise you should do. The two different modalities of exercise require completely different adaptations. 2-3 sessions of cardio each week is perfectly acceptable for gaining mass, but I usually say cap them at 30 minutes if you are really serious about it. You could probably get away with 1 hour sessions if you are eating enough, but you have to play around and find out. If you are fairly new to resistance training, then it probably won't affect your gains too negatively.

 

[CowPimp]

Oh, and by the way, biking will do nothing for leg strength/size.

 

[goob]

I'm not worried about getting massive, just a bulk up a little without going mad.
After reading some of the stuff on here, i figured i'd concentrate on the lifting side of things, i don't eat badly - clean foods, but maybe not enough. around 1800 cals a day for a 5'7" 136lb guy, age 26 (b/f approx 16%). My main protein intake for the last couple of weeks has been 8 egg whites a day ( ran out of whey and hit skid row with the greenbacks).

But was thinking of investing in some creatine (and more much whey), but it seems to me that many say this stuff is hit and miss on diff ppl. Would it help?

The biking/ cardio was to get rid of the stubborn belly.

 

[CowPimp]

Biking will help, but it's really all about creating a caloric deficit. You are going to have a hard time building muscle and losing fat at the same time too. It might happen a little at first, but it becomes damned near impossible as you advance in training age.

On a side note, it's great that you count calories! Not enough people do that, and it makes a huge difference.

 

[goob]

Stupid question - when you speak about failure, is this when you lift until you cant lift anymore? As in if i was working biceps, i go for it until i cant do anymore with that particular muscle?

 

[Bakerboy]

Oh, and by the way, biking will do nothing for leg strength/size.

What about hill repeats? And sprints? What about track sprinters! Sure they do other stuff (weights) but they mostly just

push some big gears!

 

[CowPimp]

Stupid question - when you speak about failure, is this when you lift until you cant lift anymore? As in if i was working biceps, i go for it until i cant do anymore with that particular muscle?

When you're performing a lift and you get stuck in the middle of the repetition (Think when a spotter has to help you on the bench). That's concentric failure, which is usually what people refer to when using the world failure. There is also eccentric failure, which is when you can no longer lower the weight under control.

 

[CowPimp]

What about hill repeats? And sprints? What about track sprinters! Sure they do other stuff (weights) but they mostly just

push some big gears!

Most athletes have an off-season where they focus more on resistance training and building an aerobic base as opposed to performing sport specific exercises. It's probably not true that they "mostly just push some big gears." As they progress in their yearly plan and move toward competition season, resistance training is bumped down to maintenance levels and sport specific skills and conditioning are given emphasis. This is basically the way training is periodized in all competitive sports.

You are correct though, incredibly intense anaerobic bouts of biking can build muscles in the leg; the same goes for sprinting. It doesn't quite compare to resistance training though.

 

[goob]

Grand, that means that i've ben going for concentric failure everytime without knowing. And after a bit of rest going for it again and again. Only once hit eccentric. From the stuff ive been reading on here, that seems to be the best way to build. Cheers dudes.

 

[Bakerboy]

Most athletes have an off-season where they focus more on resistance training and building an aerobic base as opposed to performing sport specific exercises. It's probably not true that they "mostly just push some big gears." As they progress in their yearly plan and move toward competition season, resistance training is bumped down to maintenance levels and sport specific skills and conditioning are given emphasis. This is basically the way training is periodized in all competitive sports.

You are correct though, incredibly intense anaerobic bouts of biking can build muscles in the leg; the same goes for sprinting. It doesn't quite compare to resistance training though.

True story. I was just trying to state that you can train different ways (aerobic and anerobic) on a bike. I used to train hill repeats with added weight on my bike. And sprints. The main thing is to mix it up. If you ride the same distance at the same pace all the time your body adapts. Just like with resistance training it is smart to have light, medium and hard days. Long distance one day, hill repeats another day, sprints etc.. I know you know this CP, I am just saying this for other peoples sake. Depending on a persons goals: are they wanting improve their general fitness, are they trying to back off from lifting heavy for awhile, etc. throwing this type of stuff in on a couple of off days can do a person wonders.

 

[NMOY]

Yeah, I too have a very hard time believing that biking does NOTHING for leg strength and size, though weight training is of course far more effective.
-My father biked to and from work for 6 years - and if you see before and after pictures of his legs, it is a ridiculous difference. Especially his calves. His calves tripled in size -and this is not a man who has ever weightlifted.

 

[CowPimp]

Yeah, I too have a very hard time believing that biking does NOTHING for leg strength and size, though weight training is of course far more effective.
-My father biked to and from work for 6 years - and if you see before and after pictures of his legs, it is a ridiculous difference. Especially his calves. His calves tripled in size -and this is not a man who has ever weightlifted.

Perhaps for someone who is incredibly deconditioned, yes, it is possible. It's also quite possible that he lost a lot of body fat and his calves are more defined, but not larger. He also could've induced some hypertrophy in the calves specifically, because they are typically very high in slow twitch fibers and sometimes respond very well to more endurance oriented training.

However, it will do nothing if you are already resistance trained though, and in fact could reverse the effects of resistance training if you overdo it. The adaptations that your body has to go through to achieve the ability to bike for extended periods of time are quite the opposite, in a lot of ways, from what you want to achieve with resistance training.