Will riding a bike increase the size of my thighs?

Question

I want to lose weight by bike riding, I'm female - but I'm scared of gaining big thighs - will riding a bike bulk it up like crazy?

Answer 1

I'm a lady cyclist, and when I get out of shape I tend to put on weight on my thighs immediately, so this was a concern for me too.

But, I've been riding for years and I can say that riding bikes makes your legs more toned, so even if you're unhappy with the current size of your thighs, when they're more toned and muscular, they look better. And, I think they've made my legs get more lean overall.

Cycling is a GREAT way to burn calories, increase your overall fitness, and improve your metabolism, so if you get serious about cycling it can really make you more lean overall, and not in a bulky masculine way. You could potentially have a very feminine, but healthy looking body.

I am taking a Spinning class twice a week with several women, and one of them told me she's lost 10lbs. since starting Spinning a couple months ago. So, if you're new to cycling, that's a great place to start since you won't have to worry about cars and traffic, and the teacher can give you advice on your form, etc.

The one danger with cycling and thighs is when you really are riding a lot, and your legs are fit and toned, if you stop and lay around and get out of shape, I think then your legs might be bigger than they would have been if you never started. But, they also get back into shape very quickly as soon as you start riding again.

But, there are so many benefits that come from cycling: adventure, fun, friends, fitness, confidence, strength, feeling like a kid again!

Answer 2

Cycling is a cardiovascular sport that will tone you legs and butt. If you want to develop larger legs do a lot of hill climbing. Riding on the flats will use your quads more. It's when you pedal harder and climbing hills it will hit your hamstrings and gluts more. You want to do a very easy 10 min warm up ride and then pedal at 70-90 rpms with a lite pressure on the pedals. Pedaling slow and mashing on the pedals is hard on the knees. You can do interval training toward the end of your ride to help build strength. Pedal as fast as you can for 30-90 seconds until you cant go anymore and then drop back to recover. Once you recover do it again. I like a protein shake as soon as I am done ridding. A 4-5 mile ride is not very far once you get into ridding so you want to keep extending the distance, an hour is a good ride.

Answer 3

No! Cycling will tone your legs it will not make them bigger. You would need to do heavy weight lifting for that to happen. The best way to burn fat is to cycle at an aerobic level which is approximately 70% of max heart rate. Which basically means you should be able to hold a conversation while cycling. If you find yourself out of breathe, you're cycling too hard and need to slow up. The other thing to remember is to spin the pedals and keep your cadence around 85-95 rpm (revolutions per minute). This uses very little muscle where as if you pedal very slowly and push the pedals hard, you're using more muscle and will fatigue sooner. 45 minutes to an hour a day a few times a week would be best.

Answer 4

No, it won't. That would happen if you did weight training. Just a thought, riding a horse bare back is a great way to get strong thighs.

Answer 5

If you're not into sprinting, cycling will only tone your thighs up. As a cyclist, I can tell you that strong, toned thighs are INFINITELY more attractive than flabby, pasty ones.

Biking is not a fashion statement, it's a lifestyle. You don't need to worry about your thighs.

Answer 6

If you cycle hundreds of miles per week then sure, you will put on a little bit a muscle in your legs. If you take your bike to the park a couple days a week to burn calories you will tone your legs. They won't get bigger.

Answer 7

well it does depend on where you bike to, (mcdonalds) but aside from that what you need to do is avoid the heavy pushing.
you see, you have 3 types of muscle tissue, one type will make you big. (like weightlifting where you push big resistance only a few times) and another type where the tissue won';t get that big and you get that by pushing low resistance a lot.

Bike easy. avoid the hills.

tom

Answer 8

I am a chinese ,and I also like to riding bike at my free time !
I think you can lose weight though bike ,
you may communicate with me
[e-mail]
best wishes to you and your family!

Answer 9

No you won't get big thighs, your thighs will shrink as you loose weight and they will get much more toned! The best of both worlds - go for it:)

Answer 10

No, I don't think so. Cicling (and other cardio excercises, like running) makes for leaner, more endurance muscles than strong, heavy ones. This is what I think. You don't see cyclist with bodybuilding bodies, do you? Look at the top cyclist, their lean and mean...