I was consulted by someone considering bicycle commuting who was concerned that "cycling to work will make my legs thick."

Based on my knowledge and over 20 years of experience commuting by bicycle, I will answer whether this is a fact or just an urban legend.

Conclusion: Does cycling to work make your legs thick?

First, let me tell you the conclusion.

Cycling to work does not necessarily make your legs thick.

By the way, on Yahoo Chiebukuro, there are over 2,400 questions under the search term "bicycle makes legs thick," which shows the high level of interest in this topic.

Especially for women, some may be refraining from cycling to work due to concerns about their legs getting thicker, so please arm yourself with correct knowledge and enjoy your cycling life.

Is it an urban legend that cycling to work makes your legs thick?

As for whether it's an urban legend that cycling to work makes your legs thick, that's not necessarily the case.

Depending on how you ride, your legs might get thicker, or they might not.

Generally, if you want to make your legs thicker, you'd need to ride in a somewhat specialized way, so if you ride a bicycle normally, your legs won't get thicker.

Otherwise, simply walking would make your legs thicker.

Just as not everyone who walks has thick legs, cycling doesn't make your legs thick.

Aerobic vs. Anaerobic Exercise, Fast-twitch vs. Slow-twitch Muscles

Sprinters have thick legs, while marathon runners have slender legs.

That's because the way their muscles are developed and their quality are different.

In running, movements like long-distance running, as seen in marathon runners, are called "aerobic exercise."

Aerobic exercise develops slow-twitch muscles, which are reddish.

Slow-twitch muscles are not suited for exerting great force but are resistant to fatigue even with prolonged activity.

These muscles are thin and built for endurance; that's what slow-twitch muscles are.

The body becomes slender, forming what is known as a "lean and muscular" physique.

Conversely, in running, movements like short-distance running, as seen in sprinters, are called "anaerobic exercise."

Anaerobic exercise develops fast-twitch muscles, which are whitish.

Fast-twitch muscles are not suited for prolonged activity but can exert strong force.

An increase in fast-twitch muscles results in many thick muscles, leading to a well-built physique like a bodybuilder.

Interestingly, repeatedly performing aerobic exercise develops thin slow-twitch muscles, and thick fast-twitch muscles become thinner.

Conversely, repeatedly performing anaerobic exercise develops thick fast-twitch muscles, and slow-twitch muscles become thinner.

Increasing fast-twitch muscles makes the body more efficient at producing energy.

And the sources of that energy are "sugar" and "fat."

Sugar is used first, and when sugar runs out, fat is used.

Therefore, cutting carbohydrates (sugars) leads to fat consumption and a leaner body.

In other words, if you perform more aerobic exercise to increase slow-twitch muscles, you'll become leaner, and the sugars and fats you consume will also be easily broken down for energy, making your body "less prone to gaining weight even if you eat."

How to cycle to slim your legs and for how long (distance)

Now, let's consider how to cycle to slim your legs and the duration (distance) of cycling.

We've learned that depending on how you ride, your legs can become slimmer rather than thicker, but if you don't know what to actually do, it remains a pipe dream.

So, let's consider specific examples of how to cycle to make your legs slimmer.

First, instead of dashing to top speed when a traffic light changes, use a lower (lighter) gear and pedal with an image of "spinning" rather than "pushing."

Aim for a pedaling cadence of around 80-100 rpm.

Since rpm is not a unit commonly used in daily life, to clarify, it means how many rotations per minute.

Rpm is an abbreviation for "revolutions per minute."

Since one minute is 60 seconds, one pedal revolution would be a little faster than one second.

If you have a speedometer or cycle computer, this rpm is displayed as a "cadence function," so you'll get an accurate numerical reading.

If you are not using a cycle computer, please use one revolution a little faster than one second as a guide.

Instead of dashing short distances, ride with a bit of余裕.

Even if there's someone riding a little slower in front of you, it's better to ride behind them rather than overtake them.

As for duration, it is said that riding continuously for 20 minutes or more is effective.

It's hard to keep up with exercising at a fixed time every day.

In that sense, I think incorporating cycling into your commute to work or school is great for weight loss and slimming your legs.

If you ride at a cadence of 80rpm to 100rpm as described above, with a tire size of 700 x 23C, your speed would be around 20km to 25km/h.

To reach 20km to 35km/h on a minivelo, you would have to pedal quite fast, so attention to the type of bicycle is also necessary.

A 700 x 23C tire has a diameter of about 2.1m, while a 20-inch tire has a diameter of about 1.5m, so the distance covered per revolution changes.

What's important is the number of rotations, not the speed, so try to control your speed by focusing on just your right or left leg.

Please consider the above figures as reference values only.

The speed of pedaling is relatively easy to understand, so I think it's easier to control this.

Incorporate cycling into your life with correct knowledge and achieve your ideal body.