Is cycling a viable substitute for leg exercises?

[Sjujimako]

I have been going to the gym for some time now, but i am still struggling with regular squats. I have done some research, and my problems stem from lack of ankle mobility. I am now performing exercises and streches to help with this, but it still got me thinking.

I do not really enjoy the leg-specific exercises, but i can't go about ignoring them. So i read that whislt running was a total body workout, biking is more of a leg specific workout. Is it a viable substitute for general leg exercises, og should i continue searching for other leg workouts?

[Vintage]

What are your goals? And what are you thinking of doing as far as cycling?

[Zorch]

I have been going to the gym for some time now, but i am still struggling with regular squats. I have done some research, and my problems stem from lack of ankle mobility. I am now performing exercises and streches to help with this, but it still got me thinking.

I do not really enjoy the leg-specific exercises, but i can't go about ignoring them. So i read that whislt running was a total body workout, biking is more of a leg specific workout. Is it a viable substitute for general leg exercises, og should i continue searching for other leg workouts?

 

It really depends on your goals - biking is really endurance work as opposed to strength work. Just ashe only thing semi-close to strength work with respect to running are sprints, the same is generally true of biking - unless you're literally doing 30-second(or shorter) sprints as your workout, this doesn't begin to qualify as strength work.  Conventional biking is very much endurance work.

[Kvothe Gainskiller]

In my experience, biking is good for hypertrophy. Biking to school every day for a year definitely made my legs explode. However, it was probably a fifteen minute ride at most, and I really sprinted the entire way (being late is quite a motivator). I can also say that my legs got stronger during this time without any other form of leg exercise. With that said, I don't think that you can substitute biking for squats. As much as squats work the legs, they also work the core and are a much better way to develop strength in your entire body. You can bike (sprints, or possibly tabata) until your mobility catches up, but you should certainly start squatting once you are able.

[Sjujimako]

Thanks for the responses, guess i'll just have to find some leg exercises if i want actual gains. Will be working towards actually squatting though, everywhere i search they preach the virtues of squatting.

[Suited hippy]

Interesting feedback so far.

 

I've been doing a fair bit of weighted riding over the last two months. In the process of training for a long bike tour in June, and I don't want to have my fitness let me down. 

 

I've found that carrying an extra 40LBs on my bike has increased my leg strength significantly. PR in deadlift last week, and I have not lifted in months since I started the training.

 

I think hills as well add to the resistance strength building, but all of this is entirely Broscience of observations without any backing. 

[The Borg Queen]

I agree with what people are saying about adding hills and speed if you want to do "strength" cycling, but riding a bike isn't exactly the same as doing a squat, obviously. Maybe work in both at same time. That's what I do

[MariahSnow]

I think biking and squatting are just two different aspects of the same muscles.

 

Example - ever do workouts where you're squatting heavy and doing 5 reps and then try to do a bodyweight workout with squats? Holy mother of DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). It's dense muscular strength vs muscular endurance. Both are a form of "strength", they just manifest in different ways.

 

That being said, using your muscles in multiple ways (lifting heavy, bodyweight, endurance) is all good. I agree though that sprinting and hills are going to be your best bet for gaining strength in your legs while cycling. I'm currently trying to get faster in both running and cycling and most of my cycling workouts are interval sprints or interval hills.

[MariahSnow]

In my experience, biking is good for hypertrophy. Biking to school every day for a year definitely made my legs explode. However, it was probably a fifteen minute ride at most, and I really sprinted the entire way (being late is quite a motivator). I can also say that my legs got stronger during this time without any other form of leg exercise. With that said, I don't think that you can substitute biking for squats. As much as squats work the legs, they also work the core and are a much better way to develop strength in your entire body. You can bike (sprints, or possibly tabata) until your mobility catches up, but you should certainly start squatting once you are able.

Also, like Kvothe, I've personally noticed that my legs have exploded into Quadzilla since I've been cycling regularly. And this includes endurance rides (~2 hours) and short sprints and hills. I'm not currently squatting heavy so I'm not sure how this impacts lifting...

[TheFourth]

Cycling did a hell of alot for my leg strength. Thanks to cycling (my only form of exercise previous to stronglifts) I started squatting at 80kg.