Leg help

[VoteArjay]

How can you get used to riding when even cycling a mile or so kills my legs? Am I faulty?

[Painkiller]

everyone has to start somewhere, just keep going at a normal pace that works for you. Make sure you have the seat height up enough. too low cab cause leg cramps and pain.

[meamoantonio]

(03-20-2026, 05:53 AM)VoteArjay Wrote:  How can you get used to riding when even cycling a mile or so kills my legs? Am I faulty?

not at all, that just means you're very fresh in cycling, keep going and keep showing up, it'll get better and it'll get even more fun down the line

[davidkop]

Cycling builds endurance gradually, and heavy leg burn at the start is normal as muscles adapt (often 4–6 weeks). Start with shorter, easier rides and increase slowly. Recovery, cadence, and bike fit matter a lot.

[ReapThaWhirlwind]

You have biological factors to build up. These include your mitochondrial mass and your bone density. Sprinting and endurance riding will naturally stimulate new mitochondria and build up over time. Pressure applied to your knees and legs will calcify them and also stimulate them to grow stronger. You just need to know that this pain is natural and that you need to roll with this punch until these factors build up and make you stronger. The more you ride, the stronger you will become. The pain however, will probably never totally go away. But it's okay. That pain is what will keep you healthy and constantly growing stronger. It keeps the body in a building mode, and that's exactly where you want it to be. Focus on your diet and make sure you're getting extra protein, other macronutrients (fat/carbs), and micronutrients (vitamins and minerals) to give your body the resources it needs to recover. Don't starve yourself of food or sleep. This is pretty much the one thing that will take your effort to self-improve and totally desecrate you instead.

[Mr. Beanz]

Start easy, 1 mile in an easy gear. Think of high revolutions incorporating the heart rather then pushing a hard gear killing the legs.

Think of squats. One can squat 300 pounds a few times then you're toast. Use 50 pounds, you can do much more before fatigue. Too many cyclists think they have to push hard.

Use and easy gear, get the heart involved and the legs used to spinning and moving. 1 mile around the hood, then 5 then, 10. Then before you know it, you'll be doing 100 miles with 10,000 ft of elevation gain, 🏆🥇🏆