“Despite the nuisance to patients, cellulite is not considered a disease”
There are very few topics that are as misunderstood and have as much misinformation as cellulite. Many so-called “experts” promote cellulite as “fat gone wrong” and blame the body for failing to eliminate toxic wastes, water, and excess fat as a way to market some gizmo product or diet regime.
Cellulite is not a disease or a medical condition that can just be eradicated. It’s a natural process that affects most women, even supermodels like Tyra Banks.
Does cycling help reduce cellulite?
If you are physically inactive or overweight, then yes, cycling will help reduce cellulite. Road cycling and mountain biking combine cardio and resistance training. Pedaling, especially uphill, extensively works your thighs, hamstrings, and butt, all areas that are mostly influenced by cellulite.
Anatomy of cellulite
“In general, the formation of cellulite is a natural process and not a disease”
80 to 98% of women over the age of 20 have cellulite. Contrary to marketers and advertising agencies, cellulite is a natural process that’s related to hormones, particularly estrogen.
During menstruation, estrogen levels fluctuate:
“Although rarely observed in males, those men presenting with cellulite are commonly deficient in male hormones”
When estrogen drops there is a breakdown of collagen fibers (connective tissue or fascia)
Each cycle creates further breakdown. After enough breakdown has occurred, the fat will start to protrude between the damaged collagen fibers, and this appearance is called cellulite
Hip, thigh, and buttock fat acts differently. Fat in these areas is under more control of sex hormones because of their necessity for pregnancy and breastfeeding.
One of the major functions of estrogen is to break down collagen, which makes childbirth possible.
Because natural fluctuations in hormonal levels are the main cause of cellulite, it’s impossible to eliminate and extremely difficult to reduce by any significant amount.
The pathophysiology of cellulite in a picture
Cellulite & exacerbating the appearance
“Between 85% and 98% of post-pubertal females display some degree of cellulite. It is prevalent in women of all races but is more common in Caucasian females than in Asian females.”
While cellulite is natural in most women, the appearance and degree of cellulite are influenced by 4 main factors.
Stress
Stresses, such as anxiety, frustration, and depression modify the reproductive hormones circulating through your body and can aggravate the appearance
Weight gain
Obesity is not the cause of cellulite but weight gain does make cellulite more obvious and visible
physical inactive lifestyle
If you are not physically active, you will lose muscle mass, strength, and muscle tone over-time. This is not the cause, but like weight gain, it does worsen the appearance
Hormonal factors
Estrogen plays the main role in cellulite
Hormonal Contraceptives - Your body makes or uses more estrogen while taking hormonal contraceptives
cellulite: diet & exercise
“Although weight loss, diet and exercise have been cited as means of improving cellulite, there are no studies to date that confirm this speculation.”
Considering that diet and exercise are ALWAYS recommended for reducing cellulite, there must be thousands of studies to support this??? Not quite. There are only a handful of studies that have researched diet & exercise and their effects on cellulite.
A 2019 study published in the International Journal of Medical Reviews says:
"Only a limited number of scientific studies have been done to investigate the possible effects of exercise training on cellulite improvement." (bolding is mine)
The few available studies show mixed results:
1) Maintaining your ideal body weight
Gaining weight aggravates the appearance of cellulite. However, losing weight too quickly also does the same thing.
If you are currently overweight, losing extra pounds will generally lessen the appearance.
2) Losing too much weight can make it worse
If you’re already at your ideal weight for your size, losing more weight could actually worsen it.
It’s more important to change your body composition than losing weight. Best accomplished through HIIT and resistance training.
3) Lack of physical activity worsens the appearance
If you’re inactive or don’t exercise, as you age, you will lose muscle tone, strength, and muscle mass. All of which makes cellulite more visible.
Start moving or exercising if you’re currently inactive, like by pedaling a road or mountain bike and lifting some weights.
4) You can’t exercise away cellulite
Being active or a regular exerciser is great for your health. However, working out longer or harder will not do much to improve the appearance of cellulite.
You can’t exercise the cellulite away since cellulite is mostly related to changes in the levels of reproductive hormones.
Cellulite & cycling
“A ‘dimple’ in the cheek is considered a sign of beauty, whereas a dimple in the thigh is considered unattractive.”
Road cycling and mountain biking are great exercises if you’re currently inactive or looking to lose weight.
Both mountain biking and road cycling force you into a High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) style workout. Natural hills need to be attacked with maximum effort to reach the top. Flat stretches allow you to recover, or you can sprint-cycle for more speed and caloric burn. Cycling is perfect for gaining muscle tone in your legs and butt and losing fat.
Bicycling combines aerobic and resistive type exercises into one fun workout. Also, since your outside, it allows you to get some sun. Having a tan is great for making cellulite less visible, and that natural vitamin D also helps you to lose even more fat.
Riding a bike is super easy on your joints, which allows you to push yourself much further and harder than you would on a jog.
Lu- Pedal Chile staff enjoying some sun after cycling
Types of Cellulite
“Photoshop is the single best way to treat cellulite ”
There are 3 primary types of cellulite:
1) Hard Cellulite
Most prevalent in the slim and physically active teenagers or young women whose skin is firm and tight.
Only visible during a change in body position or a pinch test
2) Soft Cellulite
Common in mature women older than 40
Women who don’t get much exercise
Women who lost weight rapidly
3) Mixed
Over time, hard cellulite transforms into soft cellulite from gradual losses of muscle mass, strength, and muscle tone, while simultaneously gaining fat. Once you have a majority of soft cellulite, its appearance is more obvious, even though the cellulite was present the entire time.
This transformation isn’t uniform. So certain parts of your body can have hard cellulite while others have soft or something in between.
Years of estrogen fluctuations are the main reason for the shift in cellulite type, but the appearance can be improved by being fit and healthy.
Final thought
“Trying to treat cellulite is much like trying to ignore the normal female physiology that allows for the continuation of the species. Why should women be depressed about something that is a normal part of female anatomy? Why should attention be focused on preventing or eliminating the inevitable?”
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Jesse is the Director of Pedal Chile and lives in Valdivia, Chile. Jesse has a Master of Science in Health & Human Performance and a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. Hobbies: Mountain biking, bicycle commuting, snowboarding, reading, weight-lifting, taster of craft beers, & researcher.
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Sources & References for “Cycling and Cellulite”
“It has nothing to do with water-retention, poor circulation, accumulated lymphatic fluid or the ubiquitous scapegoat—toxins.”
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