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Gaining mass: Do I need to do squats if I cycle every day?

Hi there,

Here's my issue. I have really short legs (about 25" length) that have always been very bulky compared to my normal-legged friends. Over the past year, they've become even bigger since I started riding to and from work (about 15 minutes each way). I don't want them to get any bigger because they already look ridiculous on my relatively thin upper body. However I do want to gain mass in the upper body by following programmes like Starting Strength/StrongLift. There all emphasise squatting as a core exercise.

What do you guys think about removing squatting from the programme and/or replacing it with something else?

Reply 1

SR255

How can 30 minutes cycling a day possibly make your legs bigger?
Use your common sense man. if you don't want big legs then cut out the exercises that give you big legs. You don't have to work your legs to gain upper body mass.

Reply 2

Serentonin

Cycling doesn't make your legs bulky lol. Not in the slightest. You see wiggins/froome/sanchez/schleck/porte etc with bulky legs? lolno.

and 30 minutes a day is practically nothing.

Just get squatting

Just squat at maintenance.

Reply 5

Piggsil

If you want to get strong, then squats are probably the most important exercise you can do. Yes they train legs, but they also train core and your back to a large extent.
You can add in extra upper body work on stronglifts or starting strength if you want.

If you're training purely for aesthetics and think your legs are big (I highly doubt you'll get Chris Hoy thighs from cycling 30 mins a day) then don't do leg exercises. I personally could never contemplate a strength routine without squats, but that's my own preference.

Reply 6

Hopple

Original post by Serentonin

Cycling doesn't make your legs bulky lol. Not in the slightest. You see wiggins/froome/sanchez/schleck/porte etc with bulky legs? lolno.

and 30 minutes a day is practically nothing.

Sir Chris Hoy on the other hand... :tongue:

To the OP, squatting is going to increase the size of your legs, but you must be doing something else other than your commute for them to look 'ridiculous'. You say you have a thin upper body, so I'd suggest sticking with whichever programme you choose and seeing if your upper body gains counter the gains in your legs so you look more well-proportioned.

Reply 7

Serentonin

Original post by Hopple

Sir Chris Hoy on the other hand... :tongue:

...is pretty much entirely due to the massive weights he does :tongue:

Reply 8

RollerBall

Pics of 'massive' legs from 30 minutes cycling all day required.

More than likely the rest of you is just small.

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 9

rcummins1

If you think that your legs are out of proportion with your upper body, then I'd refrain from squats and other lower-body exercises until your upper body catches up...seems pretty simple.

Reply 10

LukeM90

not only for the muscle building reasons but I've read many times that squats and deadlifts produce more growth hormones naturally than a bench or curl would, meaning adding them too your workout will help overall growth.

I believe thats why most beginner strength workouts have squats and deadlifts, and also because that covers your legs bum and back lol.

but yeh I'd say its important for overall body proportion, stability and strength also, I dont think I could do as good a standing overhead press if my legs were weak for example

Reply 11

McHumpy92

Do what you want....if you want strong legs you will need to squat.

If you're not bothered and you have naturally quite stocky legs and want trousers too fit, I wouldn't bother.

Reply 12

SEHughes

Can you define thin, hard and wiry in a way that actually means something? Like, something that would be used by a biologist, doctor or sports coach?

Sprint distance will have completely different effects on body composition to endurance distances in both sports. It's highly misleading just to refer to them as just cycling and running.

No such thing.

Who, the powerlifters or the Olympic lifters? Actually, neither train like this.

Your conclusion is correct but is not connected at all to your premises. I know it sounds like I'm just *****ing about semantics but it's clear you don't understand exercise physiology or at least how to properly explain what you may have come to understand in your own training. Posting stuff like you did makes it harder for beginners to understand, not easier.