[Alkan]

I've been losing weight, and some of it has definitely been muscle in the upper body. I don't really care about what my upper body looks like, I kind of just care about how well I can bike.

So, I'm wondering if just letting my upper body go will have any bearing on performance. I'm still going to do some resistance training to keep comfortable on the bike, especially when I upgrade to something for racing, but, generally, I don't mind the upper body loss.

Obviously, I want good power to weight, and I'll be working on building leg muscle by simply biking hard and doing things like sprints and intervals.

So, how should I lift to optimize performance?

 

[r1lee]

Well your upper body muscle will turn into fat. Then as you keep on cycling the fat will go away and your stuck looking like Bradley Wiggins. If that's really what you want to achieve, remember I didn't say cycle like Wiggins.

Personally I do some upper body weights just so that I don't look that way. I do push-ups, chinups, and tone with either 5 or 10lbs weights. Nothing for bulky muscle, just don't want to look too lean.

It's a fine balance between power and weight.

 

[CoachTJCormier]

Well your upper body muscle will turn into fat. Then as you keep on cycling the fat will go away and your stuck looking like Bradley Wiggins. If that's really what you want to achieve, remember I didn't say cycle like Wiggins.

Personally I do some upper body weights just so that I don't look that way. I do push-ups, chinups, and tone with either 5 or 10lbs weights. Nothing for bulky muscle, just don't want to look too lean.

It's a fine balance between power and weight.

First muscle never turns to fat. They do get smaller.
Second lifting little weights like that is a waste. LIFT BIG!
Lifting heavy won't add bulk it takes a lot to add bulk beyond just lifting.

 

[Alkan]

First muscle never turns to fat. They do get smaller.
Second lifting little weights like that is a waste. LIFT BIG!
Lifting heavy won't add bulk it takes a lot to add bulk beyond just lifting.

I can stop muscle loss with lifting, but I'm having a hard time contemplating whether or not I want to do so. I mean, I'm thinking I just want to be without a girlfriend for a while so I can focus on school (physics major), so I might just let my naturally okay-sized muscles go down a bit in size.

 

[Cervelo S-5]

First muscle never turns to fat. They do get smaller.
Second lifting little weights like that is a waste. LIFT BIG!
Lifting heavy won't add bulk it takes a lot to add bulk beyond just lifting.

Thank you Coach TJ for saying all of that! Very refreshing!!!

There is no metamorphosis that turns one tissue to another!!

Toning is bodybuilding done ineffectively so either lift or don't your choice!!

Without the added calories (and I mean a lot) there will not be a mass gain. Strength increases in the first 12 weeks are the result of improved neuro pathways and not an increase in actual muscle tissue. Since you are not interested in weight gain anyway, the "coach" is right lift heavy, stay on the bike and watch the caloric intake. Keep them as quality as you can. As a former body builder turned cyclist, it is not an easy transition, but it can be done without looking like a plucked chicken! I was 227 and am now at 192 and 9-11% bodyfat just as I was when I was hardcore in the gym. The difference now is only my relative size and the type of strength that I now have. I went from 500 lb squats to sub 57 minute 40km ITT's.

Good luck!

 

[MerlinAma]

As an amateur (not a coach) I agree that lifting big is the way to go. Since I hate strength training, the "one set heavy" appeals to me a lot!

That said, you really have to be careful about warming up before doing that. So I do a little cardio and one set light before my "one set heavy".

 

[aclinjury]

You're not a sponsored pro racer whose livelihood depends on power/weight ratio, in fact, you're not even a club racer... now why would you want to lose the upper body muscles is beyond me (I'm assuming you're not like Hulk to begin).

Do you really want to look like Wiggin with his potato body and T-rex fragile upper body? I think some pro cyclist have really ugly looking upper body, and this is coming from a skinny guy! Once day you'll have a girlfriend, and one day she'll put her head on your shoulders as she gets a little intimate, only she's turned off by those projectiles aka bony points on your shoulders! Trust me dude, my gf has gotten to the point that she is pissed off every time she wants a shoulder to lay her head on, and has told me that she don't care if I get a gazillion bike and spend all weekend time riding, but for the love of god she wants a manly shoulder with some paddings!

 

[Alkan]

I could lose 10-20 pounds of muscle before I'd look like a twig, which isn't going to happen. I actually posted this thread because I've got more muscle than most cyclists.

I'm 166 pounds, probably have another 15-20 to lose before hitting athletic body fat percentage though. So, 146-151 isn't terribly heavy if you've got strong legs.

Oh, and I love cycling, and, I do plan on racing eventually.