Legs

I've been doing regular cardio for quite some time. If I'm not not running
3-4 miles daily, I'm riding my bike for 10-20 miles. I do this 5-6 days a
week, however, my legs just aren't responding the way I'd like them to.
They're still pretty flabby in my opinion and I *really* want to change
this. I've been drinking protein shakes for a couple of weeks and I can
feel a SLIGHT difference, but not a whole lot. I really hate weight
training, but is that what it's gonna take? Why doesn't cardio do the
trick? I'm sweating like crazy at the end of my workout!!! Can anyone
suggest something that will work??

V wrote:
> I've been doing regular cardio for quite some time. If I'm not not running
> 3-4 miles daily, I'm riding my bike for 10-20 miles. I do this 5-6 days a
> week, however, my legs just aren't responding the way I'd like them to.

Well, for one thing, you might not be putting much of a strain on those
muscles, despite all the time and (cardio) effort you put into it. You
really need to say more about the quality of your run and rides in
order for anyone to evaluate their effectiveness.

> They're still pretty flabby in my opinion and I *really* want to change this.

If by "flabby", you truly mean fat, you cannot target where the body
chooses to lose fat. But I wonder if some of the "flabbiness" is loose
muscle -- or even loose skin over taut muscle, if you have recently
lost lots of weight quickly.

> I've been drinking protein shakes for a couple of weeks and I can
> feel a SLIGHT difference, but not a whole lot.

Forget the protein shakes, if you have an otherwise well-balanced diet.
If you don't, concentrate on that rather than protein supplements.
I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me on that point. But I
believe that unless you are working your muscles to failure ("ouch!"),
I suspect that you are simply excreting most of the extra protein.
Your body will use only as much protein as it needs.

> I really hate weight training, but is that what it's gonna take?

Probably. There is a lot that you can do, especially on your rides,
that could have a similar effect; for example, lots of hill-climbing or
simply emphasizing high gears. But if you cannot control the terrain
you run or ride over, you will need to get that extra resistance
training another way.

> Why doesn't cardio do the trick?

Because cardio per se targets, well, the cardio system (heart, lungs,
endurance, energy efficiency, etc). But you can certainly combine a
great cardio workout with a good muscle workout. For example, pedaling
at 90-120 RPM in your "granny gears" on level terrain will not do much
for the quads and hams. (Although that does depend on your technique.)
But doing that in our higher gears should cause quite a "burn" in the
thighs -- which is an indication that your stressing your muscles
sufficiently.

> I'm sweating like crazy at the end of my workout!!!

Footnote: The degree of sweating is not much of an indicator of
intensity of effort for cardio exercise, much less resistance training.
For example, I break into a sweat just trying to balance on one foot
(sigh).

> Can anyone suggest something that will work??

Do those comments help at all?