# Are my legs wrong?



## Chuffy (6 May 2008)

Ok, I've been riding a lot for the last three years (11,000 miles in the last two calendar years) and I'm in reasonable shape. However my legs feel stiff, bulky and solid, rather than the highly toned, limber and loose. Any tips or advice?

Please don't mention fixed as a biff up the bottom bracket often offends...


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## palinurus (6 May 2008)

Mine too. God knows I ride enough, legs look shite.


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## numbnuts (6 May 2008)

I was once told I have nice legs
mind you she was over 80+


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## Dayvo (6 May 2008)

Can't offer a scientific reply, BUT it might be because you're grinding the gears, instead of spinning them. Think Lance Armstrong v Jan Ullrich!


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## rikgrimsby (6 May 2008)

Dayvo said:


> Can't offer a scientific reply, BUT it might be because you're grinding the gears, instead of spinning them. Think Lance Armstrong v Jan Ullrich!


spinning? grinding? explan please


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## Chuffy (6 May 2008)

Dayvo said:


> Can't offer a scientific reply, BUT it might be because you're grinding the gears, instead of spinning them. Think Lance Armstrong v Jan Ullrich!


A sensible answer! 
Might be, but I don't do twiddly. My main ride is a 46x18 single speed, which isn't exactly a monster gear. I've been riding that for most of the last year, if I was riding with gears then I'd probably be in a much higher gear/lower cadence than that.


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## palinurus (6 May 2008)

Mine are neither bulky, nor stiff, solid, toned, limber or loose. They're pale and look like the legs of the stereotypical "before" weakling in one of those 50s ads for chest expanders etc.


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## Chuffy (6 May 2008)

My legs _look_ just fine (I wish the rest of me was as fat free and well muscled!) but they _feel_ tight, lumpy and stiff. A blunt instrument rather than a stiletto, if you will.


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## Brock (6 May 2008)

You want stiletto legs?


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## Chuffy (6 May 2008)

I'm not really making myself understood here am I?


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## Dayvo (6 May 2008)

rikgrimsby said:


> spinning? grinding? explan please



Spinning = pedalling at a fast(er) cadence in a low(er) gear

Grinding = pedalling at a slow(er) cadence in a high(er) gear.

Lance spinned/spanned/spun () up hills in a fast cadence and was out of his saddle, whereas Big Jan stayed seated and powered his way up through brute force. 

Spinning burns more calories (hence its popularity as an indoor fitness activity) and helps develop leaner muscle - a bit like a comparison between sprinters and long-distance runners: explosive power versus endurance.


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## Dayvo (6 May 2008)

palinurus said:


> Mine are neither bulky, nor stiff, solid, toned, limber or loose. They're pale and look like the legs of the stereotypical "before" weakling in one of those 50s ads for chest expanders etc.



Skipping will tone them; the sun will tan them!


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## rikgrimsby (6 May 2008)

thanks fpr that


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## Crackle (6 May 2008)

Take drugs. Failing that take drugs.


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## Crackle (6 May 2008)

Or: If you sit on a chair and lift a heavyish weight with your legs, do you see the finely toned muscles which you desire to always see? If so, then reducing the 'pinch more than inch factor' will bring that out. If not, did you ever, in any part of your anatomy (be honest here and not smutty either) see the tonage you are looking for in your legs? If so, spin more and/or lose weight. 

If not.........genetics dear boy, genetics.


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## Brock (6 May 2008)

Considered a bit of yoga to help with suppleness and flexibility Chuffy?


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## Fab Foodie (6 May 2008)

Chuffy, I think age may play a part.
For donkeys years my legs were pretty sinuous, wiry, nay even skinny, but over the last few years they have become much more solid and tree-trunky. Maybe I grind more than I used too (I was never a spinner) and I haven't ridden fixed for nearly 5 years.
I know what you meen about the difference though. Also loosing flexibility quickly too.... or maybe it's where all the beer ends-up.


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## Baggy (6 May 2008)

Chuffy said:


> My legs _look_ just fine


Apart from the fact that you couldn't stop Pink in a passageway


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## Chuffy (7 May 2008)

Cheers to Brock and Fab Foodie. I had a horrible feeling that yogic bending might be the solution, I think I was really looking for confirmation. I hate yoga...


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## bonj2 (7 May 2008)




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## cisamcgu (7 May 2008)

Bonj, I presume your picture is posted in the wrong thread


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## walker (7 May 2008)

have you tried massaging them?


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## monnet (7 May 2008)

walker said:


> have you tried massaging them?



I'd second that. I've had phases where I've been very fit, putting in alot of miles and my legs have taken a while to get up to speed on the bike and off the bike they feel leaden. Massage is a great a help as it loosens the muscles and gets the tension out. 

Another option is to have a bit of a break from the bike (don't panic, just a few days or a weekend) and make a concious effort to stay off your feet, do no exercise and generally relax. It rests your whole body, your legs especially and then when you get back on the bike you do so with renewed vigour.


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## simonali (7 May 2008)

I found an old pic of me in shorts back when I was doing 200-350 miles a week and me legs are so skinny! I remember them being bigger. 

I do more walking than cycling these days being a dog owner, so my legs look different to back then, but I do have quite nice defined calf muscles nowadays. Maybe the walking has done this? (I do at least an hour at a high-ish pace every day, so 4 or 5 miles)


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## col (7 May 2008)

Do some basic stretches daily,nothing to hard,just enought to limber up,also if you do a lot of hills,the fact you cant drop into a faster cadence could be the problem?Just like buildng muscles,the harder the pedalling the more likely it is you will build muscle,you need to be able to lighten the effort when things start getting harder,so gears would be the best way to go in my opinion.Light and easy ie spinning will shape,but hard and slower,will build,so get some more gears,and start making it easier to spin.


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## cookiemonster (7 May 2008)

Chuffy, do you do any weight training exercises on your legs? It may help. as well as stretching, that will help with the stiffness.


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## gbb (8 May 2008)

I think its a flexibility issue as well...
I do keep a moderately high cadence, but i still suffer from bl00dy stiff legs. By the same token, i do have a weak back which does cause me problems with flexibility anyway.
Stretching does help a lot...
Is it the hamstrings the get tight ? When i sit on the floor, legs in front of me, i can scarecely pull my feet back, they are incredibly inflexible or tight.

Which is a shame really, my legs are probably my best feature on an otherwise light'ish frame.


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## bonj2 (8 May 2008)

I get that a bit aswell gbb - i've cycled 3 days out of 4 this week and my legs feel quite stiff, not really in a bad way though - more like the muscles feel 'dense'.


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## Chuffy (9 May 2008)

bonj said:


> I get that a bit aswell gbb - i've cycled 3 days out of 4 this week and my legs feel quite stiff, not really in a bad way though - more like the muscles feel 'dense'.


That's it! 

gbb - I also have a crap back and am very inflexible. But I hate yoga and all that bendy flexy stuff. Bugger...


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## col (9 May 2008)

Chuffy said:


> That's it!
> 
> gbb - I also have a crap back and am very inflexible. But I hate yoga and all that bendy flexy stuff. Bugger...




It doesnt have to be a chore Chuffy,i tend to do a little while watching the telly,just gentle and hold it for a minute,then change,the lower back is easy enough,just bend forward and let your arms dangle and relax for a few seconds,do it a few times a day and you should feel the difference,i know i did after my long lay off.It is worth it


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## Horace Goes Skiing (10 May 2008)

Chuffy said:


> That's it!
> 
> gbb - I also have a crap back and am very inflexible. But I hate yoga and all that bendy flexy stuff. Bugger...



That's the root of your problem. Your legs don't just hang off your arse, they are supported by your abdominal muscles and your lower back. If these supporting muscles are too tight or too loose, the repercusions are felt all the way down to your toes.

You may have hyperlordosis (google it) - that tends to make hamstrings as tight as piano wire. The cure? Core strength exercises and stretching.

Bet you can't touch your toes. Bet it has nothing to do with the flexibility of your legs...


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## Chuffy (11 May 2008)

Horace Goes Skiing said:


> That's the root of your problem. Your legs don't just hang off your arse, they are supported by your abdominal muscles and your lower back. If these supporting muscles are too tight or too loose, the repercusions are felt all the way down to your toes.
> 
> You may have hyperlordosis (google it) - that tends to make hamstrings as tight as piano wire. The cure? Core strength exercises and stretching.
> 
> Bet you can't touch your toes. Bet it has nothing to do with the flexibility of your legs...


I can touch my toes, just. But if I stand upright and try to raise my straight leg I can barely get my heel more than 18" off the ground before I have to bend the leg.
Stretching, yes, I just hate doing it...


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