Squatting seems to work.

[HMS_Dave]

Ride an Elephant bike with a load of shopping most days and you will end up with tree trunk thighs. No squats required. I said to my missus the other day, i can't lose any more weight. She said you don't need to, you are all ass and thighs now!

 

[ColinJ]

I went out on my favourite little tour of Todmorden's smaller hills this evening. I was grunting my way up a 10% slope, deliberately overgeared (42/15), and it dawned on me halfway up it that I have done it every day this week so I am making that route a strength building exercise!

Once I had watched a couple of videos about squats and seen where I was going wrong, I actually thought that I might start doing 50+ a day too, unless I have a long ride planned.

 

[ColinJ]

I've often wondered why F1 drivers spend so much time in the gym.

A bunch of us booked a Go Kart circuit for an afternoon for a friend's 50th birthday present. I couldn't believe how exhausted I was after just a couple of hours of karting! I reckon that the forces acting on the drivers at F1 speeds must be incredible so they would need to be superfit to cope with them?

 

[ColinJ]

Squats are good because you can just do them, you don't have to ride a few miles before you get there!

I have 15-20% climbs less than 1 km away by bike!

But yes, if it is raining like it was here this afternoon, a nice alternative.

 

[ColinJ]

Once I had watched a couple of videos about squats and seen where I was going wrong, I actually thought that I might start doing 50+ a day too, unless I have a long ride planned.

Ah - doing squats with feet apart does make a big difference... My right knee was aching when I tried yesterday with my feet together!

I don't have a problem doing them this way, so obviously my legs are strong enough from my hilly rides to cope with my own body weight. I'll try some more tomorrow while holding a 7.5 kg kettlebell. Once I get used to that I could add my other one. I don't think I'd want to add more than 15 kg for now. If I wanted heavier weights in the future then I'd buy some, but I don't really want to bulk up so I'd rather just do more reps.

I liked the feeling of having stretched body parts a bit further than they normally get stretched.

Q: How deep to squat? A couple of people online were saying to go only as far as thighs parallel to floor. Other suggested lower as long as nothing hurt. I'd be worried that going too low might put too much strain on the body?

 

[Chislenko]

When I saw the title I thought it was a thread about living illegally in someone else's house!

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Excellent work. When you're 85 and can't hoist yourself off the loo you wouldn't be wishing you'd done more cardio...

Squatting on the loo eh?

 

[Moodyman]

Ah - doing squats with feet apart does make a big difference... My right knee was aching when I tried yesterday with my feet together!

I don't have a problem doing them this way, so obviously my legs are strong enough from my hilly rides to cope with my own body weight. I'll try some more tomorrow while holding a 7.5 kg kettlebell. Once I get used to that I could add my other one. I don't think I'd want to add more than 15 kg for now. If I wanted heavier weights in the future then I'd buy some, but I don't really want to bulk up so I'd rather just do more reps.

I liked the feeling of having stretched body parts a bit further than they normally get stretched.

Q: How deep to squat? A couple of people online were saying to go only as far as thighs parallel to floor. Other suggested lower as long as nothing hurt. I'd be worried that going too low might put too much strain on the body?

That is a legitimate concern. Too low with heavy weights can cause the back to round and lead to a slipped disc. Ouch!

Imagine sitting on an invisible chair. That’s as low as you need to go.

 

[Moodyman]

Whether body weight or metal weight, squats will help with cycling but only on those short steep inclines where you’d be tempted to gear down or stand on the pedals.

On long climbs squats help less, as these are about endurance and cardio efficiency. Remember, squats involve short bursts of power (anaerobic) rather than continued constant power supply on long climbs (aerobic).

 

[ColinJ]

Whether body weight or metal weight, squats will help with cycling but only on those short steep inclines where you’d be tempted to gear down or stand on the pedals.

On long climbs squats help less, as these are about endurance and cardio efficiency. Remember, squats involve short bursts of power (anaerobic) rather than continued constant power supply on long climbs (aerobic).

That's what I think too, and I tend to stand for short steep inclines anyway.

I think squats probably do reach other parts that cycling doesn't do so much for, so I'll give them a go.

 

[GuyBoden]

I did a lot of leg squats, leg presses, leg extensions and calf extensions with weights in my 20's at the gym. I became a lot faster in a sprint and on flat roads.

But, my leg muscles were huge and my hill climbing was worse than ever due to the excess weight.

So, my experience was that leg exercise in the gym were great for sprints and flat road cycling.

It's balancing act between power/weight ratio.

Edit: Obviously, leg exercises in the gym are good for the track racing. See Chris Hoy below.

 

[CXRAndy]

There is a video giving an explanation of what foot position is good for you, through how your hips flex. It involves doing a simple leg rotation test. I found I'm slight toe out to wide position allows good degree of hip range. Others need to be more toes directly forward.


View: https://youtu.be/ubdIGnX2Hfs

 

[CXRAndy]

Remember, squats involve short bursts of power (anaerobic) rather than continued constant power supply on long climbs (aerobic

You can make them more an aerobic exercise by doing dozens of reps at once. I do my squats in sets of 50-75 with quick movements to mimic pedal cadence.

I find squats help across the whole range of cycling, but short to medium efforts has the biggest rewards.

 

[cyberknight]

Ride an Elephant bike with a load of shopping most days and you will end up with tree trunk thighs. No squats required. I said to my missus the other day, i can't lose any more weight. She said you don't need to, you are all ass and thighs now!

Had a grifter stuck in top gear ,had thighs like tree trunks,losing a bit now as I'm hitting mid 50s muscle loss and have to be careful with my knee

 

[BoldonLad]

Oh, I thought you were talking about a cure for constipation!

I am pleased I am not alone, I thought the thread was about taking over an empty property and living in it

Edit: I see @Chislenko shared my confusion