Silly legs

Oh dear. After I started riding fixed about 6 months ago, I pretty much gave up all other forms of strenuous excercise. I looked down at my legs this morning, and saw limp, ladyman thighs with one huge, pulsating blob of muscle above my knee where I resist down hills. Anyone suffering a similar fate here?

FUCKT THAT SHIT I AM ALL MUSCLE ARGHHhhhh THE STEROIDS ALSO HELP.

congratulation, you're nearly a man.

My legs are rather amazing, thank you very much.

i have excellent legs. you're doing it wrong.

Oh dear. After I started riding fixed about 6 months ago, I pretty much gave up all other forms of strenuous excercise. I looked down at my legs this morning, and saw limp, ladyman thighs with one huge, pulsating blob of muscle above my knee where I resist down hills. Anyone suffering a similar fate here?

If its on the inner side of your thigh, that would be your vastus medialis. It is quite difficult to build it up, you should be happy. Most peoples outer quads get too big causing problems with patella tracking etc. Making things like running potentially uncomfortable/damaging.

I too have a pulsating muscle just above my knee, know what I mean ladies? ;-)

If its on the inner side of your thigh, that would be your vastus medialis. It is quite difficult to build it up, you should be happy. Most peoples outer quads get too big causing problems with patella tracking etc. Making things like running potentially uncomfortable/damaging.

bloody hell, 5 posts in, someone has already derailed what could have been a perfectly nice vaguely pisstaking thread with all this 'useful', 'scientific' bollocks. What's the world coming to?

I too have a pulsating muscle just above my knee, know what I mean ladies? ;-)

No, prove it please

Oh dear. After I started riding fixed about 6 months ago, I pretty much gave up all other forms of strenuous excercise. I looked down at my legs this morning, and saw limp, ladyman thighs with one huge, pulsating blob of muscle above my knee where I resist down hills. Anyone suffering a similar fate here?

^^cure - put in more effort uphills.

haha, since i started cycling and doing upper body at the gym, my beer gut has just grown and grown.

No, prove it please

Not tonight, it's a bit cold!

Who wants to turn this into a 'show your legs' thread?

Ill do it if I can find a picture.

do it do it do it.

If its on the inner side of your thigh, that would be your vastus medialis. It is quite difficult to build it up, you should be happy. Most peoples outer quads get too big causing problems with patella tracking etc. Making things like running potentially uncomfortable/damaging.

Sorry why would that make running potentially damaging ?
Curious as I have taken up running again but was not cycling as much as I do now

Sorry why would that make running potentially damaging ?
Curious as I have taken up running again but was not cycling as much as I do now

just take it easy with the running, don't jump into high intensity/mileage too quickly, and you've got nothing to worry about. also stretch properly.

cycling and running are fine, plenty of triathletes manage it.

Sorry why would that make running potentially damaging ?
Curious as I have taken up running again but was not cycling as much as I do now

Its not something you have to worry about really. Some peoples cycling gait/style ends up mainly building the large muscles on the outer thigh. Also any bilateral leg exercises like doings squats or leg press emphasise these outer quads too.

All of these things combined can cause patella (kneecap) to be pulled outward whilst using legs. When running your are bending at the knee and receiving repeated impact, if your patella isnt tracking properly you can end up with discomfort, cracking sounds, soreness and be more prone to injury.

Im no expert, just have done a fair bit of research as I have had a knee injury & tracking problems myself. I fixed it though.

The OP, alfie has obviously had the opposite issue. It is unlikely to cause a problem for him, but if it does, wide stance squats will sort it out.

everyone has their own biomechanical issues, so what's true for one person isn't necessarily true for another.

unless you have problems, i wouldn't worry about it. just make sure you do all the usual good things to prevent injury (stretch, recovery, don't go too hard too soon etc etc).

if you do have problems, go and speak to someone who is qualified and has diagnosed them properly (ie a physio).

badtmy - you're a runner - how on eart does Eddie Izzard manage to run 43 marathons in 52 days? don't you get hurt running that distance?

I've had exactly these patella problems, painful knees etc caused by cycling and no other exercise.

The physio gave me a load of silly squat exercises to do, anyone suggest something more interesting?

Well so far ok with my knees at the moment
Thank you for the advice so just keep stretching out as well

LPG: you run at a slow steady pace (he was basically shuffling), wear very good shoes, probably get a bit of massage every day or two, and HTFU.

who knows how it will affect him over the next couple of months. it's amazing what the body is capable of though.

I've had exactly these patella problems, painful knees etc caused by cycling and no other exercise.

The physio gave me a load of silly squat exercises to do, anyone suggest something more interesting?

leg press machine at the gym? plus adductor machine. cycling builds no muscle on the inner thigh, these may help redress the balance!

leg press machine at the gym? plus adductor machine. cycling builds no muscle on the inner thigh, these may help redress the balance!

Not true, like I said it all depends on your particular gait/riding style.

The OP alfie sounds like he has an overbuilt inner quad (VMO) from just cycling. Most single leg exercises where the leg gets to fully extend *unusally *builds up VMO.

Also, adductor machines are useless pieces of crap which are more likely to injure you. If you need to build up hip adductors do x-band walks. If your knees cave inward during a single leg squat/lunge it means you have weak adductors.

The OP alfie sounds like he has an overbuilt inner quad (VMO) from just cycling.

i don't think it's very helpful to base a diagnosis of the OP's biomechanical issues and possible solutions without
a) seeing his legs
b) understanding his activity and the nature of the actual problem (not just "my legs are bit lumpy")
c) some qualifications at assessing and treating this issue

so absent any of those things, I reckon advising him to lift certain types of weight is a bit silly.