# Do your arms look like this?



## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

Do your arms look like this? - Damn.... if I was fast AND had guns like these, I could pull chicks all day.
 










Joaquin Sobrino (Burgos Monumental - Castilla y Leon) is thrilled to score a win for the regional team. 
Photo ©: AFP Photo

https://www.cyclingnews.com/photos....r09/castillaleon09/castillaleon091/Par2471615


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

get down to 6% bodyfat, ride about 20-25 hours a week, and they will be yours.


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## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

Creakyknees said:


> get down to 6% bodyfat, ride about 20-25 hours a week, and they will be yours.


I do ride 20 to 30 hours per week and I'm at about 11% bodyfat... but my guns look more like the Rock Racing and Euskaltel riders in the background.
;-)


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## RoadCyclingNZ (Mar 3, 2009)

WeakMite said:


> Do your arms look like this? - Damn.... if I was fast AND had guns like these, I could pull chicks all day.


Yuck, you couldn't pull this chick with arms like that. Foul


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Creakyknees said:


> get down to 6% bodyfat, ride about 20-25 hours a week, and they will be yours.


I'm at that % bodyfat (5-7 usually) but I don't have such big arms!


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

Very low body fat + dehydration + a bit of muscle pump from riding out of the saddle.


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

his arms are not "big"
- he's a pro and therefore if you saw him in person you'd think "man that dude's uber skinny"
- this makes his arms look relatively large by comparison
- he's max flexing w/ adrenalin booster b/c he just won a pro race
- the light and shadows are hitting it just right for emphasis. I know you've experienced this effect when admiring your own legs. Admit it.


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## uzziefly (Jul 15, 2006)

Creakyknees said:


> his arms are not "big"
> - he's a pro and therefore if you saw him in person you'd think "man that dude's uber skinny"
> - this makes his arms look relatively large by comparison
> - he's max flexing w/ adrenalin booster b/c he just won a pro race
> - the light and shadows are hitting it just right for emphasis. I know you've experienced this effect when admiring your own legs. Admit it.


Very true. George Hincapie looks very small sized too in person from what our Loungers have said.

Alberto Contador looks super skinny. Janez Brajkovic, well, worse. Rasmussen, erm, can anyone spell stick?


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## CleavesF (Dec 31, 2007)

I don't have huge arms, but they're bulging with veins. I personally think I could do without so many, but they're literally everywhere. 

It's kinda gross. Good thing they're only pronounced when I do upper body/arm workouts as opposed to everyday tasks... actually, they show up everytime I pickup something like my backpack, that's when I notice them the most. 

Oh well, at least I'm proportional, which is good enough for me.


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## bigmig19 (Jun 27, 2008)

Thats cycing for you. The first pro event I went to, I laughed myself silly at all the "big" George's, and "massive" Tom Boonens. These guys are skinnys compred to normals. Chicks wouldnt notice. I think the biggest dude I can recall up close is Tom Zirbel.


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## Sprocket - Matt (Sep 13, 2005)

Yeah. I met Big George in person... 
And he's taller-ish.. probably 6 ft 3 inches... or more...
but I would be surprised if he was more than about 160 lbs.


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## Wookiebiker (Sep 5, 2005)

I've definitely got bigger arms than he does...just not the uber low body fat %. As others have said, if you saw him up close you wouldn't be that impressed.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

All I know is that it's nice to be part of a sport where guys are concerned about staying skinny. 

So many people want to gain weight and get big, it compromises your health over time having to eat like that. 

I constantly get picked out because my body fat is so low that my face is sometimes sunken in. Women say it's gross, but nothing feels better than pushing yourself at your maximum and holding that pain for as long as you can stand. I'll take that over looks any day.


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## katarddx (Mar 24, 2007)

Creakyknees said:


> get down to 6% bodyfat, ride about 20-25 hours a week, and they will be yours.


yep, cause biking will get your guns big....


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

My arms in 03. now they almost look like a cyclists' arms.


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## StevenG (Nov 19, 2005)

Skinny arms are very underrated. Takes a lot more work and dedication to have sweet tanlined, pipecleaner arms, than the big monster roid 'guns'.


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## iliveonnitro (Feb 19, 2006)

grrrah said:


> My arms in 03. now they almost look like a cyclists' arms.


That's a pretty gay picture.

Flexing into a reflection is bad enough. Taking a picture of yourself flexing in a reflection tops the cake.


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## BAi9302010 (Mar 7, 2002)

That dude has bigger arms than most pros. He's obviously a lean guy, but when most pros flex you can barely notice. Probably just factors some lifting into his training schedule, but it doesn't take much to look cut when you're +/-5% bodyfat.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

With the collar bone breakage being so common among racing cyclists I would think some gym time doing shoulder presses, incline press, chest flys, shoulder shrugs and so on would be very smart. 

I've been lifting weights at least 4 times a week for years and I credit that with holding my joints together on several wrecks that could have messed up my upper body. Of course one should balance strength to weight ratio.


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## BAi9302010 (Mar 7, 2002)

heathb said:


> With the collar bone breakage being so common among racing cyclists I would think some gym time doing shoulder presses, incline press, chest flys, shoulder shrugs and so on would be very smart.
> 
> I've been lifting weights at least 4 times a week for years and I credit that with holding my joints together on several wrecks that could have messed up my upper body. Of course one should balance strength to weight ratio.


I definitely agree. I started lifting about a year ago and it makes a world of difference in terms of upper body fatigue and just feeling more solid. The thing is most people won't even gain much weight unless they're eating specifically to, but I think a lot of pro endurance athletes get a little too worried about every little bit of upper body muscle and don't realize that the pros outweigh the cons. Lance Armstrong and Gilberto Simoni are two great climbers that have always advocated upper body lifting and I'm sure there are others, but the old-school mindset is to stay out of the weight room.


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

iliveonnitro said:


> That's a pretty gay picture.
> 
> Flexing into a reflection is bad enough. Taking a picture of yourself flexing in a reflection tops the cake.


Thanks! Admittingly I was showing off to one other person in a stupid manor, and my gf at the time snapped a quick pick, that I wasn't expecting. obviously I took the picture myself as you can see in the reflection.

I do agree with you that it is lame though.. haha


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## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

That rider.... Joaquin Sobrino Martinez was really overjoyed with his win_!_ Here's a clip of the final.






...and I love the helicopter shots of the old monastery they fill with at the end. Living in north america I'm only used to seeing strip malls and highway interchanges.


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## WeakMite (Feb 20, 2005)

bigmig19 said:


> Thats cycing for you. The first pro event I went to, I laughed myself silly at all the "big" George's, and "massive" Tom Boonens. These guys are skinnys compred to normals. Chicks wouldnt notice. I think the biggest dude I can recall up close is Tom Zirbel.


Yeah I saw the Postal team in '04. When they walked to team introductions Pavel Padrnos looked like Godzilla next to Azevedo, Beltran, Armstrong and even George. 

But if you saw him away from the rest of the team signing autographs or something, he just looked like pretty skinny 6 foot 3 inch dude.


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## husonfirst (Jul 15, 2006)

What's a cyclist doing with big arms?


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

BAi9302010 said:


> I definitely agree. I started lifting about a year ago and it makes a world of difference in terms of upper body fatigue and just feeling more solid. The thing is most people won't even gain much weight unless they're eating specifically to, but I think a lot of pro endurance athletes get a little too worried about every little bit of upper body muscle and don't realize that the pros outweigh the cons. Lance Armstrong and Gilberto Simoni are two great climbers that have always advocated upper body lifting and I'm sure there are others, but the old-school mindset is to stay out of the weight room.


IMO. No amount of muscle is going to help when you do an endo, which is how most clavicle fractures happen.
150lbs(or more) of Meat+Gravity+Speed+Earth=Bone Breakage.
I'm not a doctor, but I tell the ladies I am one.:aureola:


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## pgrice (Oct 11, 2004)

I am amazed at the size of some of the sprinters. This guy looks like he could break his bike


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## jlandry (Jan 12, 2007)

"If you poop it out, I'll catch it."


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## grrrah (Jul 22, 2005)

jlandry said:


> IMO. No amount of muscle is going to help when you do an endo, which is how most clavicle fractures happen.
> 150lbs(or more) of Meat+Gravity+Speed+Earth=Bone Breakage.
> I'm not a doctor, but I tell the ladies I am one.:aureola:


I know for sure I saved myself from endoing a couple of times while mountain biking, mainly because of my upperbody strength. Of course there were many times I couldn't.


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## heathb (Nov 1, 2008)

*pgrice* That has got to be photo shopped. That dude is fricken huge. 

Some track cyclists are indeed scary though. 

I'm not sure why anyone would argue the benifits of a strong upper body in cycling. Your core balances and your upper body serves to anchor your power. Long distance endurance cycling is one thing. A fast and furious techinical course like many in America would be served well with some gym time. 

The connective tissues, muscle, tendons and bones are made denser by lifting weights and heavy at that. That will in some cases prevent or at least limit the damage.
I personally don't know any really good road racers in Kansas that don't lift weights. The best ones look ripped. Of course were on pretty flat roads here.


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## husonfirst (Jul 15, 2006)

Did he break something? What's that sticking up on his right scapula area?


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