Anyone Else Cycle Out There? - Exercise & Fitness Message Board

littlebit · 08-05-2001, 05:01 PM

does pedaling with your foot touching the pedal in different spots work different areas of your legs/butt?

to see results what is the recommended speed to go at?

is it ok to cycle everyday?

Dralem · 08-05-2001, 07:07 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by littlebit:
does pedaling with your foot touching the pedal in different spots work different areas of your legs/butt?

to see results what is the recommended speed to go at?

is it ok to cycle everyday?

Hey littlebit, I'm a cycler here.

I've never really found different areas of the feet to work different muscles. I think the cycling effect overall works the legs and butt quite nicely, and I've found you can intensify and actually feel it working if you contract those muscles yourself while you're pedaling away.

I bike four days a week, monday, tuesday, thursday, friday, and monday and friday are strength training days. I've found that working those days just keep a nice harmony of fitness for my entire week.

I bike anywhere between 14 to 25 miles per hour. I'll be going at my normal pace of about 16mph and then I'll throw in some sprints of going about 25 for a lenghty duration totally tiring myself out, and then recovering hard and making myself consistently hold my normal pace - no slowing down to rest. I have a racing bike for reference.

Usually I bike for 30 minutes consistently and I stick to areas where I don't need to worry about traffic so I don't have to stop my cycling.

I've definetely seen results due to my eating habits and exercise routine. The results should continue and I look forward to my progress months from now.

littlebit · 08-07-2001, 01:23 PM

Hello Dralem

your speed is a lot faster than mine. men always seem to go a lot faster and they have some awesome legs. i have never been able to get up to 25 mph. i have a mountain bike and it is heavy and also a bad back so i can't lean. i am slow but getting better and riding longer too since i got a new seat and shorts. speed is more important than distance wouldn't you say? it seems the more you increase your speed the more you feel it. i'm not sure if it is working my butt but it is definitely working my legs. how long have you been cycling for? anyway have a good one and keep on cycling.

Dralem · 08-07-2001, 06:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by littlebit:
Hello Dralem

your speed is a lot faster than mine. men always seem to go a lot faster and they have some awesome legs. i have never been able to get up to 25 mph. i have a mountain bike and it is heavy and also a bad back so i can't lean. i am slow but getting better and riding longer too since i got a new seat and shorts. speed is more important than distance wouldn't you say? it seems the more you increase your speed the more you feel it. i'm not sure if it is working my butt but it is definitely working my legs. how long have you been cycling for? anyway have a good one and keep on cycling.

I think going at whatever pace you feel comfortable at is great! You'll naturally keep progressing. I know when I started I wasn't very fast but now when I want to, I can really blaze down the road Tour de France style =P

Speed is important but only if you can maintain it. I like thinking that consistency is the key. You increase your speed as long as you can maintain time (meaning for me, if I was to go faster, I better be at a physical level to do it for 30 minutes).

I've been cycling for about two years now, although it's only been in the past year that I've seriously started doing it as a form of recreation and physical fitness.

I'm glad someone else is cycling and enjoying it as much as I do =)