Reader Q&A – Muscles worked while biking

This question came in yesterday from a reader in Oregon.

I know biking is good cardio, but it also seems to be good resistance exercise as well.  I can feel the muscles in my legs working hard while I bike.  Can you tell me which muscles those are and do I still need to do a legs workout if I bike?

That’s a great question and I’m going to answer it in three separate parts.

Is biking a resistance exercise?

Well, all exercise is resistance training to a certain degree.  Even walking consists of pushing myself forward using my legs which means my muscles are working against a certain resistance.  However, compared to other cardio workouts, biking is indeed a decent resistance exercise for your legs.  It’s not quite as good as swimming for the whole body, but it does involve a lot of pushing, which is good.

Which muscles does biking exercise?

Biking works out most of the muscles in your upper legs.  That involves the Glutes, Hamstrings, Vastus Lateralis, Rectus Femoris, Vastus Medialis and the inner thigh muscles.  In fact, most of the work involved with biking is done by your upper thighs, which push your leg down over and over.  There is some lower back involved, but it’s relatively minor.

Do you still need a leg workout if you bike?

I would say so, yes.  Biking is a nice repetitive exercise, but it doesn’t use the same controlled form and weights.  You may not want to do a leg workout on the same day that you bike, just to avoid the risk of overstraining your legs, but you will still want a good controlled leg workout using weights or machines.  It will make you a better biker.