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The usual advice would be that you lift weights to gain or maintain muscle mass. On the other hand, it's good to exercise by engaging in physical activity you enjoy, since that's what you'll stick with.
One possible way to find a compromise between those two ideas is to do some lifting but not a lot. You really don't need to spend three hours a day in the gym to get the basic benefit of maintaining solid muscle mass. Just doing a couple of sets each of squats, bench press, shoulder press, and lat pulls or pull-ups, and doing this workout twice a week would be fine for basic mass maintenance. Better would be to switch exercises every month or two, so you don't get bored with the same ol' same old, but still do four multi-joint exercises, one each for the legs, chest, shoulders, and upper back, for two or three sets twice a week. Maybe this short and simple lifting workout would be more workable for you if you really don't like to lift. Or, if you just can't stand to lift weights at all, give CdotSmith's advice a try, and do some body-weight exercises.
If you really don't want to do anything but biking and rowing, I'd suggest doing some interval training on both. That means repeatedly mixing in short bursts of fast, high-intensity movement--sprints or near-sprints. For an example of the fact that it's possible to build some muscle with cardio exercises, I think back to a friend of mine in college who had been kind of scrawny, and then in one summer developed a solidly athletic build just from swimming. The key there is that he swam a lot of sprints, so his exercise was high-intensity for an endurance activity. You won't get built like an iron-pumping gym rat just from high-intensity cardio, but you most likely will be able at least to maintain some solid mass that way, if you just can't stomach any kind of resistance exercises, either iron or body-weight. Still, if you can get with some basic, simple resistance training a couple of days a week, do it. That will be the best way to ensure that you maintain decent muscle mass.
Yeah, you'll get pretty skinny and thin. You can either do lots of "extreme calisthenic" bodyweight exercises or lift weights or both. If you don't like lifting, well, start liking it. If you want results but don't like doing the exercise, do it until you start to like it, till it starts becoming easy. Plus, exercising is all about challenges (physical and much more mental), and this is certainly a new challenge that you should embark on and conquer. Once you see results and improvement, it'll be a new thing for you.
This is the best advice ever!
You could also start distance running. The more long runs you do in the heat, freezing cold, sleet, rain, darkness and high winds, the more you will apprciate lifting weights in a comfortable environment.
I am a 21 year old male, but I'm not afraid to admit that I don't care for lifting weights. It's just not very fun. I'm not scrawny by any means now 6'0" and 180 lbs, and I am very happy with my weight. However, I am worried that if I don't lift weights I will lose what muscle tone I do have.
Lately, I have gotten more into cycling. I've been doing 10-15 miles rides a few times per week, and I intend to do a lot more. I also own a rowing machine which I use occasionally.
I just don't like lifting weights. Is there any way to build a little more muscle in other ways?
Other than body weight exercises rock climbing is a good way to get toned. The fastest way is lifting weights though. It can get boring but the best way to make it more interesting is by setting goals. For example, if your start out beching 135 make a goal to reach 145 by next week, 155 by two weeks and so on. You don't have to be in the gym for 4 hrs every day. 1 hr twice a week or even once a week is a decent amount.
Cycling burns through a lot of calories. Make sure you eat to support that. You can use your own body weight to build/maintain muscle. You don't need a weight set.
Just know that putting on muscle is limited to your body type. And you may not mass up until 25ish. To put on nice clean cut muscle like that takes time just like proper fat loss does for dieters. Muscle is even harder. You want to also pay attention to your nutrition. Muscle comes from activity and proper diet.
Good luck!
Don't buy into the "gym/weights must have" myth ever.
You don't need to lift weights. In the long run, it's more likely that progressive calesthenics are the better way to go, especially concerning your joint and tendon health.
Not every man wants to get "really big" and plenty of women find that look unappealing. The OP likes cycling and dedicated cyclists usually have great physiques with killer calves. No one has ever seen a bulked-out cyclist and he hates lifting weights so why not stick to cycling? Do what you love to do.
I don't want to be "huge" I just want to be generally toned. I'm an avid runner, but I do go to the gym 2 or 3 times a week to work my core and do some upper body stuff.
Not every man wants to get "really big" and plenty of women find that look unappealing. The OP likes cycling and dedicated cyclists usually have great physiques with killer calves. No one has ever seen a bulked-out cyclist and he hates lifting weights so why not stick to cycling? Do what you love to do.
I guess you've never been to time trials or Tri's. There are lot's of HUGE guys that ride. Having huge calves and quads with skinny arms is pretty trade mark for a lot of roadies that are big climbers and it's a rather awkward look.
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