Mountain Biking Weight Gain

GymRatGirl13
GymRatGirl13 Posts: 157 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey everyone. Disclosure first...I have no friends on here (I don't like the influence it has on me to stray from MY goals) and I don't frequent the forums anymore (same reason as above), but I have been a MFP logger for almost 4 years and I know MY body very well. My question is...have any of you dedicated MTBers experienced weight gain during the second or third season of riding? My first season, I dropped a pants size and my yoga pants were very loose by the end of the season. At the start of the off season, I added calories and attempted a slow muscle bulk. I topped off at maintenance calories and have been there ever since. The second season of biking started and I began to look a bit leaner for the first month, then I started gaining weight. I put on 5 pounds, which is a huge gain for someone who has maintained the same weight for almost four years. I am curvier in my lower half, but not ripped looking by any means. My upper half seems bigger, too, but with less definition than years prior. I feel like I'm packing on body fat, but my boyfriend says I have filled out really well, and thinks I am putting on muscle and kind of recomping. Thoughts? I find it so hard to believe I would gain anything, muscle or fat, when I am riding 5 days a week for an hour to 4 hours. I did cut back on lifting to reserve energy for riding, but I still lift 3 days a week minimum. I decreased weight a bit and am aiming for maintenance, rather than building in the gym. Any suggestions or similar experiences would be appreciated. Thanks!

Replies

  • accelerashawn
    accelerashawn Posts: 470 Member
    In my worthless and non-professional opinion it sounds like your body adapted to the stress of bike riding for the start of season two. Are you riding more hills than before? Pedaling harder/faster? Riding a bike is a resistance style of cardio and you very well could have started to build a little bit more muscle. Probably unlikely that you put on 5lbs in a month of muscle but retaining water in your highly active leg muscles could be part of it...

    if nothing else...here's a free bump lol
  • GymRatGirl13
    GymRatGirl13 Posts: 157 Member
    Thanks for the reply. Yes, more hills and more up and down interval style climbs. It is a 5pound gain over a 3 month period, so I suppose it could be both muscle and some water retention. The retention could explain the less lean look. I did do a more structured season with the intention of progressing my endurance and power, so I probably did adapt. In your "worthless and non professional" opinion (totally not worthless btw), do you think I should up calories a bit to increase energy and performance, or stay where I'm at through the season? Decreasing isn't happening because I lose so much power and endurance when I have a low calorie day. Lol.

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