No this article isn’t about hormone cycling but since we are discussing athletic performance, hormones will come into play.

When it comes to getting exercise and trimming the waistline there are many options available. There are many aspects of each type to consider but a major concern with one form could be putting sexual organs at risk which should be of major interest to any alpha.

The Olympics are the highest level of international sports competition and cycling is one of those sports. With any extreme level of sport there are always detriments but with cycling there is a concern that sexual organs could be taking unpleasant abuse with detrimental effects. When men sit on a seat for a long period of time they are putting pressure on an area filled with arteries and nerves that supply blood and sensation to one of their most important organs. If the nerves or arteries are compromised you end up with erectile dysfunction.

One doctor claimed there are two types of cyclists, those who are impotent and those who will be. You don’t have to subscribe to that but one interesting study came out of Boston University School of Medicine comparing erectile dysfunction in age-matched men doing 3 different forms of cardio¹:

• Runners 1.1%
• Swimmers 2%
• Cyclists 4.2%

Another study showed similar issues by having occurrences of urethral stricture, genital numbness and sores². It’s safe to say that no male reading this has an interest in experiencing any of that.

With all of this potential trauma to a delicate area another male consideration is the prostate. It has been shown with a small group of cyclists that after a long distance their PSA levels were significantly raised which only adds confirmation that at least in some circumstances there are some negatives to cycling. If you have an upcoming PSA test, you may consider avoiding cycling before the blood draw³.

Reducing the Risks

The big question that leaves us with is can these negatives be overcome or at least managed to minimize negative consequences. A meta-analysis performed in March 2014 concluded that it was the type of seat and position of the rider that played more of a role with dysfunction than the act of cycling itself⁴. Since we know this all comes around the seat contact area it’s just about managing that:

• A seat without a nose could be used. A great option for stationary bikes in the gym but may have steering limitations for trails. Why don’t we see this more?
• Use a wider split bicycle seat.
• Adjusting handlebars to be lower than the seat will tend to cause the rider to lift up off the seat limiting pressure.
• Wearing padded bike shorts will take pressure off of everything.
• If cycling on the road a recumbent bike will completely change the angle of where pressure sits.
• Taking breaks or limiting your time will allow more blood flow.

We don’t want to completely talk down cycling and certainly not cardio in general. There was a meta-analysis that found a 24% reduction in all-cause mortality and 25% reduction in cancer mortality among cycling commuters⁵. It could also be easily argued that if direct nerve and blood flow damage is taken out of the equation the cardio aspect of cycling alone would promote proper systemic blood flow.

The best form of cardio is the kind that you will do. No matter which type of activity you do, learn about it and train optimally.