# Cycling and six-packs



## Welsh wheels (22 Apr 2017)

Can cycling alone give you a six-pack? I have being really getting in the miles in lately and, being a vain narcissist, I have been observing what may be the start of a six-pack growing on my stomach. If this continues, I'm looking forward to going to the beach in the summer!


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## Tangoup51 (22 Apr 2017)

I'm not too in-depth with fitness related things, but I know that everyone has a "six pack" it's just usually buried under the fat, so in theory, yes. - Perhaps someone could correct me if my explanation is not accurate, but I believe it is.

Though i'm sure if you _worked with certain exercises to work your muscles down there_, all while cycling to burn the fat and make them more visible you'd get em!!


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## S-Express (22 Apr 2017)

Cycling doesn't really work the abdominal muscles in any meaningful sense, so no - and even if it did work them, it would be unlikely to work them sufficiently to create the kind of overload needed for hypertrophy. 

If you are losing body fat though, the muscles you have may well be appearing as 'more visible', although that's not the same thing really.


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## ColinJ (22 Apr 2017)

The six packs that I was drinking most nights actually made me fat!


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## cyberknight (22 Apr 2017)

As said above cycling only develops the muscles enough to hold you in a position ti cycle if you want to get some abs then you will need to get the crunches etc going .


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## Yellow Saddle (22 Apr 2017)

I get a six-pack each time I cycle to the "offie".
Nothing less.


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## keithmac (22 Apr 2017)

I had one in my mid 20's, took more than cycling unfortunately and long gone now!.


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## Milzy (22 Apr 2017)

Look at all the pros unzipping in the mountains. No six packs despite 5-6 % body fat. Sure they have enough core strength to do what they do but any excess muscle will only slow them down or get used as fuel.


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## Drago (22 Apr 2017)

If I clench my stomach muscles really, really hard, I almost still don't have a six pack.


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## S-Express (22 Apr 2017)

Michael Rasmussen - nuff said.


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## thecube (22 Apr 2017)

most of us probably have six-packs, but they are usually hidden by a layer of fat! So, do any endurance sport and it will increase the likelihood of revealing your abs! I suppose you are working a little on core stability as you ride too, so this will help. But i'm over 40, I assume I will never see mine again!


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## marshmella (22 Apr 2017)

Drago said:


> If I clench my stomach muscles really, really hard, I almost still don't have a six pack.


Ditto


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## Welsh wheels (22 Apr 2017)

Milzy said:


> Look at all the pros unzipping in the mountains. No six packs despite 5-6 % body fat. Sure they have enough core strength to do what they do but any excess muscle will only slow them down or get used as fuel.


Yeah that's a good point


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## Welsh wheels (22 Apr 2017)

S-Express said:


> Michael Rasmussen - nuff said.
> 
> View attachment 348866


Well there's an image I will never be able to unsee


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## Milzy (22 Apr 2017)

S-Express said:


> Michael Rasmussen - nuff said.
> 
> View attachment 348866


This guy doped as much as Lance Armstrong and counted each individual grain of rice he ate. Put water on his cereal. Had 1 water bottle. His bike only 10g over the minimum limit. All that specialisation and a career long cheat.


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## S-Express (22 Apr 2017)

Milzy said:


> This guy doped as much as Lance Armstrong and counted each individual grain of rice he ate. Put water on his cereal. Had 1 water bottle. His bike only 10g over the minimum limit. All that specialisation and a career long cheat.



None of which is relevant. The pic is simply intended to shows he doesn't have any visible abs - and his career choices have nothing to do with it. Look at any other pro cyclist (clean or otherwise) and you will probably see the same.


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## Milzy (22 Apr 2017)

S-Express said:


> None of which is relevant. The pic is simply intended to shows he doesn't have any visible abs - and his career choices have nothing to do with it. Look at any other pro cyclist (clean or otherwise) and you will probably see the same.


Yes it's not relevant but it's interesting trivia for people interested. Look at runners. The track athlete tends to have more abs than the distance runner.


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## S-Express (22 Apr 2017)

Milzy said:


> Yes it's not relevant but it's interesting trivia for people interested. Look at runners. The track athlete tends to have more abs than the distance runner.



If you're after 'interesting trivia' then I think you'd be better on in the cafe forum. Generally speaking, with most athletic sports, the shorter the duration the greater the amount of 'strength' involved.


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## ColinJ (22 Apr 2017)

S-Express said:


> Michael Rasmussen - nuff said.
> 
> View attachment 348866


He's got a 0.6 pack!


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## Drago (22 Apr 2017)

I feel ill looking at that.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 Apr 2017)

No. visible abdominals, a product of weight loss is mostly done in the kitchen


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## zigzag (22 Apr 2017)

now that i dropped to 9% of body fat, i can just about see the six (more like four) pack. it was there all along, just got more exposed now.


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## keithmac (22 Apr 2017)

S-Express said:


> Michael Rasmussen - nuff said.
> 
> View attachment 348866



Somebody buy that man some spray tan and a large donner kebab!..


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## Welsh wheels (22 Apr 2017)

Drago said:


> I feel ill looking at that.


He looks ill


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## cyberknight (22 Apr 2017)

keithmac said:


> Somebody buy that man some spray tan and a large donner kebab!..


its like Keira Knightly , needs a few pies down her neck .


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 Apr 2017)

cyberknight said:


> its like Keira Knightly , needs a few pies down her neck .


Body shaming female celebrities is helpful how?


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## cyberknight (22 Apr 2017)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Body shaming female celebrities is helpful how?


Lighten up , people were discussing how rasmussen were atypical cyclist @keithmac saying he needed a donor kebab,Maybe you should also take exception to that too ?


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## Milzy (22 Apr 2017)

T.M.H.N.E.T said:


> Body shaming female celebrities is helpful how?


He doesn't have to answer that question.


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## T.M.H.N.E.T (22 Apr 2017)

cyberknight said:


> Lighten up , people were discussing how rasmussen were atypical cyclist @keithmac saying he needed a donor kebab,Maybe you should also take exception to that too ?


Wouldn't want to take the opportunity away from someone else


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## keithmac (22 Apr 2017)

Bring it on .


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## S-Express (22 Apr 2017)

cyberknight said:


> its like Keira Knightly , needs a few pies down her neck .



I don't see why Rasmussen would have wanted to risk putting on weight by doing that.


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## Shortandcrisp (23 Apr 2017)

Most people for whom cycling is their only form of exercise tend to have slight pot bellies, so the answer is a definite no!


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## Blue Hills (23 Apr 2017)

Milzy said:


> Look at all the pros unzipping in the mountains. No six packs despite 5-6 % body fat. Sure they have enough core strength to do what they do but any excess muscle will only slow them down or get used as fuel.


I seem to remember reading somewhere that you needed to follow a pretty extraordinary diet and exercise regime to develop one. so relax chaps. Well remember a woman telling me with a certain disappointment bordering on anger that she didn't see any down the gym. You don't say!


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## cyberknight (23 Apr 2017)

As long as mine stays a flat pack rather than a pot i am happy .


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## stephec (23 Apr 2017)

I used to have a six pack, but now I've got the full barrel instead.


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## Trevrev (24 Apr 2017)

I have a six pack and i've worked bloody hard for it. One of my targets when I turned 50. How vain!! LOL... I cycle 15 miles a day for work. But I run loads too..............None of those two helped though. Hard gym work. Free weights and lots of floor work in the core area. Free weights really have helped tone me up nicely. :-)


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## nickyboy (24 Apr 2017)

Speaking of pro cyclists, you need to remember that they are at the extreme end of upper body musculature. Basically, upper body muscles are a weight they don't need so, self-selecting, pros tend to have very little. Strip the fat off their bodies like Rasmussen and you're left with not much of anything. You and I (and CCers in general) will naturally have more upper body muscles than a pro cyclist. Strip the fat off our bodies and there will be 6 packs galore


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## keithmac (24 Apr 2017)

Trevrev said:


> I have a six pack and i've worked bloody hard for it. One of my targets when I turned 50. How vain!! LOL... I cycle 15 miles a day for work. But I run loads too..............None of those two helped though. Hard gym work. Free weights and lots of floor work in the core area. Free weights really have helped tone me up nicely. :-)



I used to enjoy weight lifting, had it all setup in my shed. Then the shed got gradually taken over with all the kids toys etc and so did my motivation.

Might hire a skip and set it all back up again!.

Favourite exercise was deadlift and least favourite was squats.


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## Trevrev (24 Apr 2017)

keithmac said:


> I used to enjoy weight lifting, had it all setup in my shed. Then the shed got gradually taken over with all the kids toys etc and so did my motivation.
> 
> Might hire a skip and set it all back up again!.
> 
> Favourite exercise was deadlift and least favourite was squats.



Deadlift and squats are the ones........But i'm with you. Squats kill. Both are great for shredding the fat. Not my favourite exercises, definitely the ones that work for a good allover workout.


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## keithmac (24 Apr 2017)

I did the Stronglifts 5x5, and added weighted stomach crunches in as well.

My lad keeps asking about doing weights so I may well resurrect the shed setup.

Wife thought I was mad wandering down in winter with a jumper on!.

I had a go years back with resistance machines in the gym but not a patch on free weights.


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## screenman (24 Apr 2017)

I think what many see as a normal shape in a person is slightly larger and wider than 30 years ago.


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## Oldbloke (25 Apr 2017)

Shortandcrisp said:


> Most people for whom cycling is their only form of exercise tend to have slight pot bellies, so the answer is a definite no!



I call mine a "one pack"


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