How excessive cycling actually affects your performance?

Cycling is a popular mode of aerobic fitness that burns calories as well as strengthening your leg muscles. Different people have different purposes for cycling, some occasionally ride for fun, while some serious riders who spend fixed hours every day on a bike to work or to exercise. However, you may have no idea that excessive cycling will have serious side effects on your body. Especially for men, the health benefits of bicycling may involve the troublesome trade-off. Middle-aged men who spend nine hours a week on their bike are more likely to be diagnosed with prostate cancer, a new study in America suggests. Therefore, it’s vital for men to be aware of the health risks they might face as a result. Here I will give you clear instruction of these negative effects of excessive cycling so as to help you get rid of them.



Erectile Dysfunction
A male cyclist will often put a significant percentage of his weight on his perineum which is an area between the anus and scrotum. It plays an essential role in men’s sexual life. Recent studies have shown that the shape and size of many bike seats and saddles will also exert great pressure on the perineum. With such large amount of pressure put on his perineum for a long time, even a young man may lose the ability to achieve an erection, says a director of San Diego Sexual Medicine. Worse still, this problem also naturally has other side effects, when the man suffers from a greatly reduced sex life, he can lose confidence in himself and lives in a great stress. Those men who tend to cycle often, it’s of large possibility that your perineum will suffer from permanent damage. Therefore, it is necessary for those regular male cyclists to choose a comfortable and well-built seat to reduce your risks.

Prostate Cancer
The prostate is a gland located below the bladder. Similarly to the perineum, the prostate also has to endure large amounts of pressure while cycling. Several studies have shown that those who often ride the bike are more likely to develop prostate cancer, for example, men aged 50 and above who ride over nine hours a week are approximately five times more likely to develop this form of cancer. However, it is important to note that these studies are not conclusive. The prostate-specific antigen(PSA)levels are linked to the possible problems to a large extent, and cycling actually has a significant connection with PSA levels. “We speculated that the saddle and vibration of the bike caused the PSA rise, however, like the other saddle issues, you can minimise or even eliminate this problem with proper saddle adjustment and bike fit,” says Pruitt, who has worked with men with prostate disease using PSA as a bike-fit marker.

Testicular Cancer
Reportedly, Testicular cancer affects around 8000 men in the US each year. First of all, we should figure out what is Testicular Cancer. Cancer that starts in the testicles and causes the development of one or more tumours in one or both of the testicles is called testicles cancer. Testicles are part of the male reproductive system and have a direct impact on the men’s fertility. Fortunately, this kind of disease is one of the most curable forms of cancer, with only about 5% of cases becoming fatal finally. However, you may be confused that why cycling is connected with this horrible disease? According to some researches and studies, for those frequent cyclists, their risk of suffering the testicular cancer is relatively higher than others. The main reason is that firm saddles can cause injuries to the testicles in those who spend much more their time on their bikes. Therefore, try to choose the comparatively soft and comfortable saddles and go for check-ups for your own health sake.

Testicular Cancer
Well, I have to say genital numbness is a kind of embarrassing issue and it is never a good thing. There are numerous articles have proclaimed and warned you that frequent as well as long-time cycling will do a great harm to your penis, however, a great number of people still doubt it. Some cyclists claim that they can ride nearly any saddle all day and not experience genital numbness because their nerves and veins have been under the protection of many layers of tissue, which can help to reduce the pressure put on your penis to some extent. Still, you need to be careful because no amount of numbness is okay, even though it is just a little and you may ignore it. You have to realise that when cycling, a huge amount of your body weight is supported by a small bike seat, which will put large pressure on your perineum and damage the vessels as well as the nerves of it. Gradually, your penis will become less sensitive and the blood flow will also reduce. Saddles with grooves or cutouts are well known to release pressure on the perineum, of course, you should also make sure that the size and shape of the saddle match your shape and physiology. And the saddle needs to be in the right spot.

Sperm cells lose their vitality
The evidence that cycling can do harm to the men is very persuasive, but it should be kept in perspective, says John M. Martinez, MD. Countless studies have shown that regular cyclists have a higher risk of suffering from a lower sperm count and reduced sperm quality than the average men. Even though the real reason is still in question, men, you must pay your attention to this issue. The pressure exerted on your perineum during cycling will reduce the quality and amount of sperm produced, which in a long term will lead to fertility issues.

Prostatitis
We all agree that cycling is a wonderful exercise for us, but it can lead to repetitive trauma and irritation to your prostate, which will lead to chronic prostatitis or chronic pain similar to chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CPPS). Although only a small number of male cyclists actually suffer from prostatitis for riding bikes, it is beneficial for all male riders to take preventive action and know how to recognise the signs prostatitis. Prostatitis which is inflammation of the prostate gland can be difficult to diagnose and treat. It is very crucial for you to choose the right kind of bicycle seat, because many bike seat will put great pressure on your prostate area, causing irritation and prostatitis, especially when you have sat and bounce on your bike for a long time. Try to choose such seats as soft as possible, a split seat, a seat with holes, or a seat with a soft central part.



Groin injury
It has been normal phenomena that many regular cyclists will constantly complain about their groyne pain when cycling, which can do great harm to your health. In order to help you better understand groyne injuries, let’s have a look at the source of it firstly. Groyne injury originates in your perineum for much pressure exerted on it, which will lead to prostate trouble and sexual dysfunction. For those male cyclists who tend to ride their bikes in a long period, it is normal for them to suffer from irritation, numbness and so on for sitting and bouncing on your tiny saddle in a long period. Thus, it is helpful to choose a comfortable saddle and avoid excessive cycling.

Testicles pain
Cycling should be an enjoyable journey for the beautiful sunshine, gentle breeze and fantastic landscape along the road. If you feel uncomfortable with your bike, then there is something wrong between you and your bike, and you need to figure out. For most male cyclists, when you feel soreness, a dull ache, or any sensitivity in your testicles after your cycling, it turns out that you have chosen the improper saddle, bike fit, or both. Another common problem is fluid accumulation, which is much easier to happen in summer or hot weather. All sorts of cells and liquids are present within the testicles, and the body needs to work hard to maintain a balance within the scrotum. If you ride your bikes at a time too long, this problem will occur easily and hurt your testicles. In one way, choosing a comfortable saddle for you, and don’t ride excessively, you will enjoy yourself in cycling.

To recap

If you love cycling and you are a regular cyclist, it is no need for you to give up your hobby for getting rid of all these terrible diseases. What you need to do is prepare yourself and limit the time of cycling accordingly. Since you have known how important it is to get a comfortable saddle and bike fit, go to get the proper one right now. Be aware of the potential dangers you face and have the clear idea in mind that how to prevent them. You will have a good time with your beloved bike!