Question about training for Ragbrai and still have weight lo

jdelana

So my overall goal is to drop a few pounds. My boyfriend and I really want to do Ragbrai this summer and will need to start training with stationary bikes then once the weather clears up start hitting up the road on bikes. So here is my question..... How will I still lose weight (or hit my goal weight) while I will be gaining weight from muscle gain? I will need to intake more calories for all the training I will be packing on and my thighs get big pretty easy. Not sure how I should go about training while focusing on having enough energy and being able to drop weight :happy:

JohnnyNull

How many fat marathoners have you seen? Or serious bike-racing-type-folk? I'm betting very few.

Second, how many built-up marathoners have you seen? I'm betting even fewer.

Doing cardio like a bike race breaks down muscle, it does not build up muscle. You may get a little toning, tops. Muscle is heavy and a fairly significant expenditure for your body to be carrying over long distances. So your body does not aim to pack on muscle.

Even if you did build a pound or two of muscle, that's more muscle to burn more calories. That's why lifting weights is so beneficial for weight loss and improving body composition.