Colorado Kid

Today I had a simple checkup at the doctor's office. He noticed that I picked up a few (under 5) pounds recently. Eventually the weight gain was tracked down to riding fixed gear everywhere. Some weeks I put in close to 100 miles! Anyone else run into that type of problem?

General Geoff

Muscle gain is a good thing!

mcours2006

Not to bust your bubble but the weight gain, if genuine, was more likely due to eating more than muscle gain. It's unlikely that you would have gained any significant muscle mass from performing an aerobic activity.

Gaining muscle mass is difficult to do, especially for older folks who are well past their peak testosterone levels, and requires some commitment to pushing big, heavy weights. If you are middle-aged and have gained five pounds in a short period of time, it's fat. Not muscle.

It's easy enough eat more than what you might expend while riding your bike.

noglider 

I think muscle mass gain is possible. I lost a bunch of weight a year or two ago. I stopped losing weight and don't want to lose any more. I continue to lose inches off my waist, and my weight has remained the same. What else can explain the change? I need all new clothes, as all my clothes are too big on me. I'm eating more than ever and am back to my college weight. I'm 56 years old.

groovestew

Riding a fixed gear uphill is not an aerobic activity, it's weight lifting. At least it seems that way to me. Plus, stopping a fixed gear bike using back pressure on the pedals (skidding or not) works muscles differently than pedalling forward. I think it's conceivable to gain a bit of muscle mass on a fixed gear that you may not on a geared bike.

Now, in my case, any recent weight gain is certainly fat.

wipekitty

Before I got back into cycling, I was unhealthy and skinny, with a BMI around 18. I'd quit running or other sports, and lost the weight that I had when I was a high school athlete.

Once I started racking up the miles, I gained a good 15 pounds. Some was muscle - especially in my legs - and some was other weight, just from eating a bit more and eating fewer empty calories. My BMI went up to just under 21.

I only rode fixed gear for a good half a decade, usually 3,000-4,000 miles a year. This year I went back to a geared road bike, and currently have about 1,000 miles on the fixie and 2,800 on the geared one for the year. My weight hasn't changed from previous years of cycling, but what I've noticed is that the fixed gear years led to more muscle mass in the legs but not a ton of fat burn otherwise (though I honestly wasn't concerned about burning fat), and the geared bike has done more for core strength and fat burn in that area, but less to produce muscle mass in the legs.

YMMV.

SloButWide 

In February, I had my annual physical. Sitting on the exam table, my thighs looked funny. They're not huge, but they have good definition, and the way I was sitting made them look even more prominent. After she examined my knees, she tapped a thigh and asked, "What's this?" I told her this is what happens when you average a hundred miles a week on a bike, and she said, "Keep it up!".

rachel120

Back when military basic training was still gender segregated, I knew a woman who said nearly everyone in her platoon gained 15 pounds but lost two clothing sizes.

The best way to tell if you are gaining fat or muscle is to measure areas on your trunk in various places. If your belly is shrinking you're gaining muscle mass.

SylvainG

Same here. Started biking last August so a year ago. Was 164lb then and my weight has now stabilized at 147lb but my belt needs to be pulled in further and further (used to be on the third hole, then 4th and now 5th). Mind you, like you, beside commuting, I also do weights (started that last Winter). I'm also eating way more than before I was exercising.

OBoile

Yeah, I think this is a pretty easy way that works for MOST cases. Waist shrinking generally means you're losing fat. If your weight is steady or going up while this is happening you're gaining something else (probably muscle).

wolfchild

I doubt that your weight gain has anything to do with riding fixed gear...I've been a fixed gear rider for 10 years now and never gained any muscle from it...It was only after I started doing resistance training, lifting weights and eating massive amounts of food that I managed to gain over 40 pounds in 8 months and still maintain a lean body.

RECfromPA

Tom,
Do you do weight training, something else or just ride?

Menopause has really done a number on my body composition. I started visiting the gym again, concentrating on weight lifting. Some cardio.

Roberta

noglider 

I started lifting weights a year or so ago. It helps a lot. There comes a point in a person's life when they can't build muscle mass, but at that point, lifting weights still has a benefit, which is to prevent muscle loss. Then comes a point when you can't stop the loss, but lifting weights slows that process down.