# Will bulking up leg muscles (strength training: heavy squats) increase average speed?



## otherself (29 Jul 2019)

Hi

Been struggling lately to average above 23.4mph on a 10 mile course (flat as a pancake here in southern Lincolnshire).

I have good developed calves (16 inches) but I feel my front and side thigh muscles are lagging. I don't know the name of these muscle groups, i'll have to look it up. I'm just wondering if there's guys on here who have built their legs up through heavy gym work and seen an improvement in speed?

In a back copy of cycling weekly I have, there was a guy who lifted heavy weights and built 3.5kg of lean mass in 12 weeks, increased his thighs circumference by 1.5 inches, but it didn't help him maintain a higher top speed. So I guess it doesn't work for everyone. But looking at TT specialist guys in The Tour, they are def. bulkier than climbers.

At my age especially (41), I'm by no means old or past it, but we do lose about 5lbs of lean mass per decade after age 35 or so. So "use it lose it" is the word! The leg muscles are the first to atrophy with ageing as far as I've read, followed by the arms last (in fact a study of 60 year old men working as carpenters showed they had equal grip strength to 22yo men working in the same occupation).


----------



## ColinJ (29 Jul 2019)

I don't know how many time triallists do heavy weights, but this photo of Bradley Wiggins winning the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics certainly shows that his legs were not massive!


----------



## Cycleops (29 Jul 2019)

It's more to do with your heart and rate it pumps to maintain energy levels, obviously not this guy's thinking;


----------



## ColinJ (29 Jul 2019)

Cycleops said:


> It's more to do with your heart and rate it pumps to maintain energy levels, obviously not this guy's thinking;
> 
> View attachment 477532


But of course he would be trying to increase his average speed for only a few hundred metres!


----------



## T.M.H.N.E.T (29 Jul 2019)

No.


----------



## Kajjal (29 Jul 2019)

Cycleops said:


> It's more to do with your heart and rate it pumps to maintain energy levels, obviously not this guy's thinking;
> 
> View attachment 477532



Is that you in your younger years ?


----------



## Dogtrousers (29 Jul 2019)

Unlikely to increase your speed, but provided you don't overdo it and wreck your knees, it may well contribute to your overall fitness and general conditioning which may have a positive effect of some sort.

But if you just want to increase speed then the most effective things are probably intervals and aerobic work and stuff like that. (And losing fat if you want to go quickly uphill and you have some fat to spare). Unless of course you want massive bursts of acceleration to get you up to speed like those muscly track riders.


----------



## MontyVeda (29 Jul 2019)

you'd end up carrying all the additional muscle weight... plus more skinnierer is more aerodynamic innit


----------



## Yellow Saddle (29 Jul 2019)

Stop measuring your calves. It bears no relevance to anything.


----------



## Ian H (29 Jul 2019)

Yellow Saddle said:


> Stop measuring your calves. It bears no relevance to anything.


I'm fascinated to know what pedalling technique develops your calves more than your thighs.


----------



## Heltor Chasca (29 Jul 2019)

Ian H said:


> I'm fascinated to know what pedalling technique develops your calves more than your thighs.



Pedalos.

Cotswold Waterpark. The yellow ones especially.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (29 Jul 2019)

You say lately, how lately and what did you average before that?


----------



## smutchin (29 Jul 2019)

otherself said:


> I don't know the name of these muscle groups



You might want to recalibrate your reading list to focus on something more useful than the grip strength of 60yo carpenters.


----------



## ColinJ (30 Jul 2019)

Ian H said:


> I'm fascinated to know what pedalling technique develops your calves more than your thighs.


Funnily enough, I noticed my calves developing before my thighs did!

I didn't think that I had much muscular development in my legs until I lost most of it in a very short time. (I lost about 3 stone in a month when I was ill in 2012, including an awful lot of muscle. It was scary to see my legs looking more like the normal size of my arms, and my arms looking more like a skinny woman's! )


----------



## Ian H (30 Jul 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Funnily enough, I noticed my calves developing before my thighs did!
> 
> I didn't think that I had much muscular development in my legs until I lost most of it in a very short time. (I lost about 3 stone in a month when I was ill in 2012, including an awful lot of muscle. It was scary to see my legs looking more like the normal size of my arms, and my arms looking more like a skinny woman's! )



Thinking about it, my unscientific observation is that those with large thighs and skinny calves tend to be the nodding-donkey style of rider. Big calves and thin thighs still puzzles me, though.


----------



## johnblack (30 Jul 2019)

Only ever did leg weights during winter, Nov-Feb max, last year knocked them on the head completely and just did indoor torque work instead along with normal rides all on the MTB and standard indoor sessions. I felt much stronger this spring, it benefited me but who knows. Plus I'd rather do torque work than leg weights sessions, I've never enjoyed them.


----------



## GuyBoden (9 Aug 2019)

Chris Hoy's Track winning Legs.

Plenty of leg presses with heavy weights, probably.


----------



## Ming the Merciless (9 Aug 2019)

GuyBoden said:


> Chris Hoy's Track winning Legs.
> 
> Plenty of leg presses with heavy weights, probably.
> View attachment 479282



Ah but what was his average speed over a 10 hour ride?


----------



## ColinJ (9 Aug 2019)

YukonBoy said:


> Ah but what was his average speed over a 10 hour ride?


Probably a LOT higher than mine!


----------



## rivers (9 Aug 2019)

As someone mentioned above, concentrate on your cardiovascular fitness. I'm not horribly fast, but managed to take nearly 6 minutes off my 8.3mph time since last year. I didn't set out this year to improve on my TT time as I do them for a bit of fun if I'm free when my club TTs are on. However I did throw a lot of interval training into my commute as I was training for a double century, as well as started using a heart rate monitor. I think that helped more than anything. Well that and riding consistently through winter.


----------



## RoadRider400 (11 Aug 2019)

Not for ten miles.
You are better of doing appropriate interval sessions on your bike.


----------



## davidphilips (13 Aug 2019)

Weights may not help a lot but with age, muscle mass dwindles and bones weaken. Resistance training helps slow that process, making you more powerful and structurally sound, which are both really important if you ride a bike.


----------



## frank9755 (14 Aug 2019)

Ian H said:


> Thinking about it, my unscientific observation is that those with large thighs and skinny calves tend to be the nodding-donkey style of rider. Big calves and thin thighs still puzzles me, though.



Pedalling gently with the ends of the toes and excessive (and non-productive) ankling?

I've gone mid-foot so look forward to some weight-savings from losing lower leg muscle mass!


----------



## Hacienda71 (14 Aug 2019)

Bit of trolling here methinks. Asks question that has created arguments in the past, then doesn't log in again. User name is somewhat suspicious as well.


----------



## KneesUp (14 Aug 2019)

ColinJ said:


> I don't know how many time triallists do heavy weights, but this photo of Bradley Wiggins winning the gold medal in the 2012 London Olympics certainly shows that his legs were not massive!
> 
> View attachment 477523


Yes, but he has really bad asthma and hayfever so he can't access the gym.


----------



## KneesUp (14 Aug 2019)

ColinJ said:


> Probably a LOT higher than mine!


I reckon it'd be higher than mine if he stopped completely after 5 hours :-)


----------



## Milzy (14 Aug 2019)

Muscles only help on the Track.
You need to do over/under intervals of your FTP. 5x5’s 4x10’s 3x15’s 2x20’s classic staple intervals too. This is the quickest route to greatness.


----------



## KneesUp (14 Aug 2019)

Milzy said:


> Muscles only help on the Track.
> You need to do over/under intervals of your FTP. 5x5’s 4x10’s 3x15’s 2x20’s classic staple intervals too. This is the quickest route to greatness.


I'd go on the A25, or get the train to Bat & Ball.


----------



## smutchin (16 Aug 2019)

Hacienda71 said:


> Bit of trolling here methinks. Asks question that has created arguments in the past, then doesn't log in again. User name is somewhat suspicious as well.



Or has been put off coming back by the general level of mockery at the question?


----------

