Cyclist come in all shapes and forms - some are skinny and small while others have legs as big as tree trunks. Why? What is the thing that dictates the muscular development of cyclists?
Form always follows function - it's as simple as that. If you look at the guys who compete in Le Tour De France you will notice that they are very lean and skinny. They don't have big muscles but are happy to remain small.
Form always follows function - it's as simple as that. If you look at the guys who compete in Le Tour De France you will notice that they are very lean and skinny. They don't have big muscles but are happy to remain small.
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| Image via: http://ryanborger.blogspot.com/ |
This is because endurance is a crucial in long distance competitions. Any additional mass even if it's muscle makes the task harder. You wouldn't do a 10k race holding a heavy bag, right? On the other hand cyclists who specialize in track cycling tend to have enormous upper leg.
Many track cyclists train with heavy weights and actually benefit from getting developed lower body - huge quadriceps and hamstrings make them better sprinters since short races are depending mostly on fast twitch fibers. Here are a few examples of huge legs built solely for the purposes of track cycling.
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| Image credit: http://mentalfloss.com/ |
Of course both - marathon cyclists and track cyclists are using steroids and other illegal substances in order to improve their performance. In this day and age it is impossible to win without some sort of a magix elixir whether it's taken for strength, recovery or endurance. Period. End of sentence!
The drug regimen and training are obviouly depending on the end goal - fast speed or slow speed.
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| Image via: http://blogs.denverpost.com/ |