How to build up legs?
Discussion
It's already been said. Just get out there and keep going!
When it comes to inclines it's dragging all that lard up hill. If you keep at it (and don't eat more to compensate!) then your weight will drop, your aerobic fitmess will improve and you'll find that you can get up those hills
.
The day you find you'd rather cycle up a hill than walk it you'll know you're on the way
When it comes to inclines it's dragging all that lard up hill. If you keep at it (and don't eat more to compensate!) then your weight will drop, your aerobic fitmess will improve and you'll find that you can get up those hills
.The day you find you'd rather cycle up a hill than walk it you'll know you're on the way
1st of 15 ....... get out and ride more
Just gotta slog it out really !........ even on the days when you really really don't wanna go, you gotta find the grit and just go Early days will be the hardest and least fun but a point will come when you start to really enjoy it.....if you don't get to that stage then sadly that'll be classed as a fail, my advice.....don't fail Good luck 
Edit: Ok, not first of 15 lol
Just gotta slog it out really !........ even on the days when you really really don't wanna go, you gotta find the grit and just go
Early days will be the hardest and least fun but a point will come when you start to really enjoy it.....if you don't get to that stage then sadly that'll be classed as a fail, my advice.....don't fail Good luck Edit: Ok, not first of 15 lol
Just keep it steady and take your tine.
I'm recently back on a bike for the first time in 25 years - 6 weeks ago any form of incline let alone hill killed me, even on short rides.
Saturday's ride before work was 18 miles, non-stop, with plenty of hills thrown in.
It doesn't take long to long to get used to them, just pick a low gear and spin up them slowly.
I'm recently back on a bike for the first time in 25 years - 6 weeks ago any form of incline let alone hill killed me, even on short rides.
Saturday's ride before work was 18 miles, non-stop, with plenty of hills thrown in.
It doesn't take long to long to get used to them, just pick a low gear and spin up them slowly.
As a fat dude on a bike:
1: Get out and cycle more, commute if possible.
2: Set your bike up properly, see plenty of guides on this.
3: Spinners are winners, try keep the peddles spinning at around 90rpm. Your legs are likely to burn out before the rest of you otherwise. Keep dropping the gears until you're not having to press hard on the peddles.
4: Pace yourself, if you're doing a new distance or route do it at a pace well below what you think you can sustain.
Most people do an M shaped effort go out to hard, feel the pain, go painfully slowly, recover and then finish quickly. Best method is 1/3 easy, 1/3 threshold, 1/3 knackered for a fast pace.
5: Get some thick cycle shorts.
1: Get out and cycle more, commute if possible.
2: Set your bike up properly, see plenty of guides on this.
3: Spinners are winners, try keep the peddles spinning at around 90rpm. Your legs are likely to burn out before the rest of you otherwise. Keep dropping the gears until you're not having to press hard on the peddles.
4: Pace yourself, if you're doing a new distance or route do it at a pace well below what you think you can sustain.
Most people do an M shaped effort go out to hard, feel the pain, go painfully slowly, recover and then finish quickly. Best method is 1/3 easy, 1/3 threshold, 1/3 knackered for a fast pace.
5: Get some thick cycle shorts.
backwoodsman said:
I am trying to get back on a bike after some time away.
I'm quite overweight, but can do a 10 mile hike easily.
However, on the bike, I'm ok on the flat, but the slightest incline stops me dead, and I have to get off and walk.
What is the best thing I can I do to build my legs up?
With time and not over eating it comes to you.... I started back on the bike on 28/12/13 (after a twenty year absence) at the time i weighed 120kgs and the little hill on the loop had me in bits. I'm quite overweight, but can do a 10 mile hike easily.
However, on the bike, I'm ok on the flat, but the slightest incline stops me dead, and I have to get off and walk.
What is the best thing I can I do to build my legs up?
By Christmas last year I was down to 93kg and regularly riding 65kms a week irrespective of weather. I broke my arm on 28/12/14 after coming off on black ice. I am now back to 95kgs, with a target of 89kgs. Road my second 100km of the year yesterday. One of the biggest things I found was cutting the alcohol consumption down made a big difference to weight loss.
So with time and patience it is more than possible.Try not to break your arm on the way
Q
I would suggest that Core strength is the next thing to improve, before legs.
As others have said, ride lots. Vary the effort, including very hard climbs and sprints, as well as easy spinning. Keep your pedal cadence high.
If you can run as well, do so.
backwoodsman said:
I'm quite overweight
Just Losing the excess weight will boost your strength:weight ratio. That's the first thing to do.I would suggest that Core strength is the next thing to improve, before legs.
As others have said, ride lots. Vary the effort, including very hard climbs and sprints, as well as easy spinning. Keep your pedal cadence high.
If you can run as well, do so.
Lose weight, trying that.
Stop drinking alcohol, can't anyway, liver and kidneys ruined by diabetes.
Just keep riding every day, looks like that's the winner, I'll keep at it, and as said, it should get better.
I only have a BSO, but hope to get better on the bike, so I can buy something a lot better.
Stop drinking alcohol, can't anyway, liver and kidneys ruined by diabetes.
Just keep riding every day, looks like that's the winner, I'll keep at it, and as said, it should get better.
I only have a BSO, but hope to get better on the bike, so I can buy something a lot better.
2ky said:
Never get off and walk! Sounds silly but I've stopped twice on a hill in about 5 years, psychologically the hill has beaten me so I would rather keep my head down and go up at 1mph than get off. It seems to work for me?
I very rarely walk, but a ride the other week had me walking best part of a mile. Even standing up and pulling up on the handle bars, I could barely get the damn pedals to turn on the hill. I only have 14 gears (2 x 7) and it definitely needs another cog! It was that bit in the middle - damn it was steep!
My take on climbing, which I hate btw, but living near the Col de Joux Plan (12km average 8.5%) learnt to deal with them...
My tips are;
Gearing - if you know you're going to be doing a lot of long climbs make sure you have the correct gears before you set out, Shimano Hollowtech is great for this, compact to full chainrings in less than a minute, if it's going to be a regular event consider looking at the cassette. Then go easy go early, once you're standing on teh pedals it's really difficult to change gears so change up before it's too late.
Music - have a play list that has a BPM close to your cadence... all well and good people saying "cadence it at 90".. yea right... oif your actual cadence is closer to 50 have music with bpm near 50 it will help!
Counting - count something, anything, pushes on the left leg for 10, pushes on the right leg for 10, pulls with the left leg for 10, stand up for 10 etc etc
Scope - all you've got to do is get the bit of rubber on the top of the tyre over the bit of tarmac 1ft in from of the wheel.
Speed - is irrelevant, there will always be someone faster than you but then they're often younger and better looking not that I'm bitter at all.
The Reward - what goes up must come down, if it's a long climb it'll be a long descent!
Now I'm back in the UK we don't have anything like the Alpine climbs, I've just taken off the Compact and am back to struggling but do struggle and climb most hills, it's not pretty, it's not quick but they're getting quicker (still hate hills)
My tips are;
Gearing - if you know you're going to be doing a lot of long climbs make sure you have the correct gears before you set out, Shimano Hollowtech is great for this, compact to full chainrings in less than a minute, if it's going to be a regular event consider looking at the cassette. Then go easy go early, once you're standing on teh pedals it's really difficult to change gears so change up before it's too late.
Music - have a play list that has a BPM close to your cadence... all well and good people saying "cadence it at 90".. yea right... oif your actual cadence is closer to 50 have music with bpm near 50 it will help!
Counting - count something, anything, pushes on the left leg for 10, pushes on the right leg for 10, pulls with the left leg for 10, stand up for 10 etc etc
Scope - all you've got to do is get the bit of rubber on the top of the tyre over the bit of tarmac 1ft in from of the wheel.
Speed - is irrelevant, there will always be someone faster than you but then they're often younger and better looking not that I'm bitter at all.
The Reward - what goes up must come down, if it's a long climb it'll be a long descent!
Now I'm back in the UK we don't have anything like the Alpine climbs, I've just taken off the Compact and am back to struggling but do struggle and climb most hills, it's not pretty, it's not quick but they're getting quicker (still hate hills)
Gassing Station | Pedal Powered | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff