# Does biking build upper body and forearm strength???????



## scubastud (Apr 9, 2007)

I'm just curious if anyone has been able to tell if alot of biking has built up there chest muscles, triceps, and just all your body muscles in general ???

It seems after I long ride my upper body is full of blood and really pumped up !!

Whatcha think????


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## skiahh (Dec 26, 2003)

In general, no.


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## Sir Stuey (Apr 15, 2007)

It's likely to be negligible. I mean, there might be some workout since your arms are helping you keep things steady, but you're not doing any strength building exercises.


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## Guest (Apr 17, 2007)

no.

however, i found that doing pushups and lifting light weights helped increase my ability to lift the front end over obstacles and sprint. (go figure)


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## markf (Jan 17, 2007)

i found that after a 10 week bike tour i could do pushups all day long. a strong upper body will help you through/over rougher terrain but there's not enough reps to get much of a workout just biking.


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## xKREDx (Aug 8, 2006)

Not really.

I found my arms got bigger from building stuff like shore ramps from lifting all the logs then actually riding the bike.


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## ZoSoSwiM (Dec 2, 2005)

Your muscles will get tired but its more of an endurance issue.. 

If you want to increase your ability to pull the bike around and lift it wheelie style try some bent rows, seated rows, shoulder shrugs etc..


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## Bird (Mar 26, 2004)

The more riding i do the smaller my muscle's get,i lift to offset this.


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## timms (Feb 15, 2007)

Bird said:


> The more riding i do the smaller my muscle's get,i lift to offset this.


agreed, no matter how good of a fit you find, the natural biking position takes your body out of posture. I try to keep a straight back when riding but it just doesn't work. You can keep your back straight but than you'll probably end up opening up your hips too much and you'll end up looking like a bike cop.


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## onegymrat (May 31, 2006)

Although there is some movement, there isn't enough contraction for your upper body muscles get worked. So no, riding your mt. bike does not help build your upper body. But like the others have said, having a strong upper body, especially your core muscles, will help your biking. There are some muscles that just has to be strengthened and grown off the saddle.


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## LyNx (Oct 26, 2004)

I have found that you'll get some muscle tone, but not size from riding. Actually the more endurance type riding you do the smaller your upper body gets and let's not even talk about road cycling and upper body.


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## PoorBehavior (Sep 1, 2005)

A lot of no's but I agree with markf. SS & rigid, I am out of the saddle a lot and I see real improvement in my upper body when I am riding more. Pushups are cake, to the point that I don't have to do anything before I take an Army PT test to max the pushups with ease. I imagine that if you are spinning all the time then no but if you get out of the saddle a lot, you will notice a nice improvement.


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## Jawz (Jun 1, 2004)

Yeh i dont think the gains are neglible, unless your already in peak conditioning. When i used to be in much better shape i could ride alot longer but now ive fell of the fitness train and the lack of core muscles and arm muscles is felt everytime i ride. It depends how you ride possibly as well...i tend to use my body weight to corner and counterbalance alot and i can definately feel it burning on certain days.


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

do dh runs again and again and again and you will...


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## burtronix (Jun 5, 2006)

PoorBehavior said:


> A lot of no's but I agree with markf. SS & rigid, I am out of the saddle a lot and I see real improvement in my upper body when I am riding more. Pushups are cake, to the point that I don't have to do anything before I take an Army PT test to max the pushups with ease. I imagine that if you are spinning all the time then no but if you get out of the saddle a lot, you will notice a nice improvement.


I have an upper-body & torso routine I do twice a week, & it has helped my upper-body endurance & downhill technical control tremendously:

I start out with finger-tip push-ups, followed by knuckle push-ups, followed by regular (palm-down) push-ups. Then I finish up with a set of knee push-ups (girl-style). I do each set to full exhaustion with no more than 20 seconds rest between sets.

Next comes a fore-arm workout. I use some light dumbells to do wrist curls & inverted wrist curls, followed by regular arm curls. Then I use spring grip-exercisers. Again, no more than 20 seconds rest between sets.

Then I'm down on the floor for leg-lifts, scrunches, & oblique scrunches.

The whole workout takes just 20 minutes - 30 minutes with stretching (highly recommended). So with 1 hour per week, I've improved my upper-body strength & endurance. I've increased the number of reps, but maintained about the same workout time. I increased the hand weights slightly, but not much because my objective is lean strength & endurance - not bulk. I find if I try to ad a 3rd workout per week, I increase muscle soreness & chance of injury. Besides biking, I'm also swimming 3-4 times per week.


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## man w/ one hand (Dec 29, 2003)

Doing multiple dh runs gives me decent arm pump. Riding a big bike through tight twisting single track w/a 66 on the ft "flopping from side to side" works my upper body more than any other riding. I say yes, it does build the upper body. I also agree that pushups helps big time w/riding. Especially on those epic rides where you're worn out & you still have some serious dh to deal with.


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## Fairchild (Mar 9, 2007)

I don't think so. You'll have some upper body "fitness" but I don't think it's really a workout.

I do upper body body and core at the gym to supplement my riding. I find that it helps to maintain my endurance so that I don't get sloppy on long rides.

Core is very important for helping your body transfer the energy from your legs through the bike to the ground.


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## Timeless (Mar 23, 2007)

It builds it up some but really not enough to make it worth anything. Now you building up your own upper body strength though weight lifting, push up and what not well help you out a lot more in biking because mtn biking we take a lot of hits and bounces that our upper body going to have to absorbed. Having the strength to take those hits and not get tired is very helpful.

Plus the lean muscle look is very cool and you will like it.


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## porkchop (Jan 16, 2004)

I don't noticed much fatigue on the upper body when I road bike of ride my FS on the trails. Riding my ridgid Single-Speed wears my upper body out though.


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## No MSG (Nov 19, 2005)

*Builds some strength, but mainly muscle endurance*

When I was riding 200/week miles on the road, I'd be able to do 60 pushups in one set. At the time, riding was all I did. But when I went to the gym, I couldn't bench press much at all.


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## venus1 (Aug 4, 2006)

Realistically, if you want build notable upper body strength you will need to weight train. You can’t get it from biking. I can give you a routine for unbelievable gains in upper body strength that you could never achieve by hard trail riding but will show you a new world on the bike.


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## willtsmith_nwi (Jan 1, 1970)

MTB is an all body workout, but it works the torso and legs more than the arms. The more time you spend in the saddle the more it favors the legs. Hence ... roadies.


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## dhslovak (Sep 8, 2004)

mrpercussive said:


> do dh runs again and again and again and you will...


Exactly. At my home trails I have a three mile climb to get to my downhill trails, and I find myself using my arms to pull back and down on the handlebar, and once I get to the trails the act of maneuvering a 40 lbs bike at speed can build up my back and shoulders.

Here's the extent of this everyday: When I was riding everyday and lifting weights for 20 minutes every week, I wound up being able to deadlift 160 and bench 170. Now that I'm in college in the lovely state of Kentucky with all its flatness, I'm down to lifting 130 and bench 150. So for me, biking was the only way that I built up muscle tone.


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## plume (May 26, 2006)

scubastud said:


> I'm just curious if anyone has been able to tell if alot of biking has built up there chest muscles, triceps, and just all your body muscles in general ???
> 
> It seems after I long ride my upper body is full of blood and really pumped up !!
> 
> Whatcha think????


only if you single speed.


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## plume (May 26, 2006)

mrpercussive said:


> do dh runs again and again and again and you will...


agreed. especially forearms. This XC kid has learned a thing or two from DHers, mostly proper brake lever posistioning.


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## mrpercussive (Apr 4, 2006)

plume said:


> agreed. especially forearms. This XC kid has learned a thing or two from DHers, mostly proper brake lever posistioning.


Yeap learned how to fix broken brake masters... Replace'em... hahahahaha
:madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman: :madman:

Lol, but seriously... riding stuff like this again and again without down time definitely builds upper body especiall arms, forearms and back...


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## CougarTrek (Jan 27, 2007)

I'm blaming it for increasing my ribcage span enough for me not to fit in any of my formal dresses any more. Yes, actual ribcage span, not stomach or other measurments.

Other than that my upper arm strength is not that great. I do feel it after a good downhill with lots of rocks and sharp turns, so it's doing something, but it's not a huge difference. Of course I don't ride near as often or as hard as I'd like to either.


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## [CrazyRick_11] (May 14, 2006)

no. if you want true upper body strength...hit the gym on a regular basis


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## robotkiller (Jan 20, 2004)

Riding a rigid singlespeed through technical terrain is a serious upper body workout.


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## AndrewSC (Aug 14, 2006)

I found when riding my rigid bike that tight technical trails wore my upper body out well before my legs (I have no upper body strength). The endurance improved, but I think this could be an area where I could do something other than biking to help my riding.


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## SlowSSer (Dec 19, 2003)

plume said:


> only if you single speed.


finally-it's been said.

I've finished long climbs and felt like i've just finished a bench press set.

SSing can definitely build upper body due to the climbing position of out of the saddle and cranking side to side.


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## chas_martel (May 14, 2006)

Not at all so says my Dr.

His point is that there is an order of magnitude in difference between arm and leg
effort while riding.

I am 45 and have been riding for about 1.5 years. I am very typical in that 20 years 
ago I was very, very fit. Upper and lower body. I got in to a complete non athletic
state and two years ago decided to eat right, lose weight etc etc.

Well, I lost 30 lbs, my heart, lungs and legs are in tip top shape (for me anyway)
but now am confronted with the need to exercise my upper body using something
other than MTBing. Which is a pain as the only thing I really, really enjoy
is MTBing.

I'm off to the gym


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## frisky_zissou (Jun 4, 2006)

There is one ride I do that is solely for fitness. The first half is a half hour descent in DH type conditions. The second half is the ride back to the top. Great on the way down for your upper body. On the way up its all in the legs...


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