Road Cyclist Needs to Lose 10-20 lbs
Replies
-
jenna80302 wrote: »I did find myself spinning out quite a bit...I'm definitely more of a Ullrich than an Armstrong cadence wise. I may just say screw cadence for the next few weeks and focus on HR. Thoughts?
I think you're on the right track.
My personal thoughts: I think each of us has our own sweet spot, and it's clearly a tradeoff between leg muscle and cardiovascular system, so it's good to spin if your legs are feeling especially fatigued, and vice versa. But cadence is only half of the story, if you don't also know how much torque you're applying, I think cadence is of limited value.jenna80302 wrote: »I barely sweat and I feel like I didn't even exercise. I'm not hungry either. I may force myself to eat a Perfect Bar just to get some protein.
Yeah, the biggest challenge is it not feeling like exercise. Which is maybe another way of saying it's boring. But as you go on, you should get faster at the same heart rate / range. So it should get a little less boring.
Also, you just rode for an hour and twenty minutes, burning calories all the while, without making yourself hungry. Huge difference from when you're training, right?
1 -
Update... I end up soooooooo hungry and I bindged. Ugh hopefully tomorrow is better.0
-
Hi Jenna,
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but my question/s to you first is not about how to lose weight, but what your goal as a competitive cyclist is. Are you on a team, or riding independently? Are you racing in crits, one day classics, stage races, or all of the above? If you're on a team, what is your role? Regardless of all of that, it is all about putting the miles in, and you will find that the weight loss will eventually come with it. What is important though, is knowing what a healthy weight for you is. Even if you don't reach what the typical look of a cyclist might be, it ultimately is about whether you are competitive within the peloton and can achieve the goal you have set for yourself within that race.
I'm going to use myself as an example, from when I got back in to racing (after a 10yr leave). When I decided to get back in to it, I weighed 220lbs., which was gained by going to the gym and focusing on size/mass. I knew there would be quite a bit of work to be done to drop the weight, but it wasn't as difficult as you might think. I don't typically weigh myself, but by mid-season of my first year back, I was down to 167lbs. This was all done by riding/training and staying committed. With all the calories burned during those rides, you can more or less eat whatever you want, but of course you need to be smart about that as well.
With all of that said, I'm getting back in to racing again next year, after another hiatus. My reality is different this time around, as I won't be competing as much as I used to, but the main thing is that the passion and drive are still there. If you want, you can follow me on Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/wilson6 . I'll be going crazy with the indoor spins and other cycling related workouts this winter as well, but it will be worth it when it comes time to hit the road in the spring.0 -
Yes, I've heard that the winter base-training time is best for weight loss, but of course then you have Halloween, T-day .... I'm working on it to.2
-
Hi Jenna,
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but my question/s to you first is not about how to lose weight, but what your goal as a competitive cyclist is. Are you on a team, or riding independently? Are you racing in crits, one day classics, stage races, or all of the above? If you're on a team, what is your role? Regardless of all of that, it is all about putting the miles in, and you will find that the weight loss will eventually come with it. What is important though, is knowing what a healthy weight for you is. Even if you don't reach what the typical look of a cyclist might be, it ultimately is about whether you are competitive within the peloton and can achieve the goal you have set for yourself within that race.
I'm going to use myself as an example, from when I got back in to racing (after a 10yr leave). When I decided to get back in to it, I weighed 220lbs., which was gained by going to the gym and focusing on size/mass. I knew there would be quite a bit of work to be done to drop the weight, but it wasn't as difficult as you might think. I don't typically weigh myself, but by mid-season of my first year back, I was down to 167lbs. This was all done by riding/training and staying committed. With all the calories burned during those rides, you can more or less eat whatever you want, but of course you need to be smart about that as well.
With all of that said, I'm getting back in to racing again next year, after another hiatus. My reality is different this time around, as I won't be competing as much as I used to, but the main thing is that the passion and drive are still there. If you want, you can follow me on Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/wilson6 . I'll be going crazy with the indoor spins and other cycling related workouts this winter as well, but it will be worth it when it comes time to hit the road in the spring.
Lot's of great stuff.
So to answer your questions... Goals:
1. Podium
2. Podium
3. Podium
4. Transition from Cat 4 to Cat 3 9 (based on points and experiences - not podiums specifically)
I have several riding groups I participate with regularly and I am on a Team (intentionally not including the name). As a member of our team we are required to "work" for other rides for (x) number of races and vice versa...
I race all disciplines (except for hill climbs) - last season (which was my first), I didn't shine in one specific category (still trying to find my specific niche). I have gotten a lot fitter/faster/stronger since racing last spring - early summer so I am anticipating some changes this year. Also, I am Track curious. I road a fixie around town for fun and I LOVE flats so i'm going to give that a go. As for race/ride goal settings I tend to hit my marks on a fairly regular basis and i'm strong.
The long and the short of it is.... I carry extra weight + there are mountains here + Boulder is home to a ton of world class athletes (we have 3 elite racers in my office alone) = if I'm between 135-145 lbs I'll have a more competitive edge.
Well on that note. Time to go ride!0 -
Is there a power meter in your future...?0
-
jenna80302 wrote: »Hi Jenna,
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but my question/s to you first is not about how to lose weight, but what your goal as a competitive cyclist is. Are you on a team, or riding independently? Are you racing in crits, one day classics, stage races, or all of the above? If you're on a team, what is your role? Regardless of all of that, it is all about putting the miles in, and you will find that the weight loss will eventually come with it. What is important though, is knowing what a healthy weight for you is. Even if you don't reach what the typical look of a cyclist might be, it ultimately is about whether you are competitive within the peloton and can achieve the goal you have set for yourself within that race.
I'm going to use myself as an example, from when I got back in to racing (after a 10yr leave). When I decided to get back in to it, I weighed 220lbs., which was gained by going to the gym and focusing on size/mass. I knew there would be quite a bit of work to be done to drop the weight, but it wasn't as difficult as you might think. I don't typically weigh myself, but by mid-season of my first year back, I was down to 167lbs. This was all done by riding/training and staying committed. With all the calories burned during those rides, you can more or less eat whatever you want, but of course you need to be smart about that as well.
With all of that said, I'm getting back in to racing again next year, after another hiatus. My reality is different this time around, as I won't be competing as much as I used to, but the main thing is that the passion and drive are still there. If you want, you can follow me on Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/wilson6 . I'll be going crazy with the indoor spins and other cycling related workouts this winter as well, but it will be worth it when it comes time to hit the road in the spring.
Lot's of great stuff.
So to answer your questions... Goals:
1. Podium
2. Podium
3. Podium
4. Transition from Cat 4 to Cat 3 9 (based on points and experiences - not podiums specifically)
I have several riding groups I participate with regularly and I am on a Team (intentionally not including the name). As a member of our team we are required to "work" for other rides for (x) number of races and vice versa...
I race all disciplines (except for hill climbs) - last season (which was my first), I didn't shine in one specific category (still trying to find my specific niche). I have gotten a lot fitter/faster/stronger since racing last spring - early summer so I am anticipating some changes this year. Also, I am Track curious. I road a fixie around town for fun and I LOVE flats so i'm going to give that a go. As for race/ride goal settings I tend to hit my marks on a fairly regular basis and i'm strong.
The long and the short of it is.... I carry extra weight + there are mountains here + Boulder is home to a ton of world class athletes (we have 3 elite racers in my office alone) = if I'm between 135-145 lbs I'll have a more competitive edge.
Well on that note. Time to go ride!
I was about to ask if you have access to a track, and knowing that you are in Colorado, you should definitely take advantage of the boards over the winter months. That is a great way to get your miles in, work on your handling skills, and potentially even race a bit too. If you have the strength, track riding could be a good fit, especially if you have USA Cycling coaches & riders close by who could potentially give you helpful pointers.
What about x-country skiing? I know lots of cyclists who ski in the winter, as a form of cross training and keeping the endurance up. Either way, you have a great playground to ride in out there.0 -
SingingSingleTracker wrote: »jenna80302 wrote: »Over the past year I have decided to become a competitive road cyclist.
During this season I have been able to maintain my weight but I am unable to lose. My post ride binges are gone and I try to watch my gluten/dairy/sugar intake.
I understand weight loss is calories in vs. calories out but I'm wondering if my intensity is just far to high. Additionally I notice gigantic +5-8 lb fluctuations before long sustained periods of exercise or a hard week. (Muscles retaining water to account for recovery)...
I digress... I need to lose 10-20 lbs, I would like to continue riding while doing so, and I do not want to atrophy. How do I do this? Any advice.
Over the past year I haven't lost any weight while biking but I have noticed small changes in my body composition.
My current training plan is:
• 3-5 rides per week
• 110 miles or +5,000 ft climbing
• I track my heart rate
• Incorporate intervals and climbing
• I train at altitude
• I shoot for 1,340-1,700 kcals a day
• pre / during ride nutrition varies
Stats
• 155.2 lbs
• 36 c bra / medium shirt
• size 6 pants
• medium to large frame
Long story short, in order to be competitive I need to drop weight. So how to a lean up and stop 'bulking' while not suffering from atrophy.
Curious to see what works / worked for you... training camp is in March/April I would love to be 135-140 while still being able to push 210+ watts.
Thanks!
Bike performance will not improve during the weight loss period (nice study cited on this in the excellent book "Racing Weight" by Matt Fitzgerald), but at least it will hold where it is now and you can build a big aerobic base. Once the weight is shed and you switch back to maintenance weight eating, the on the bike performance improvement will begin at the lighter weight through targeting back to your higher intensity intervals, and this combined with your new and improved power to weight ratio will be a big benefit on the climbs. You could easily target losing your 10 - 20 pounds by shooting for a goal of 1 pound per week. So allow yourself 10 - 20 weeks to reach your weight goal. Going for a loss of 20 pounds would take you from now right into March which is perfect as it fits with your timeline of the training camp in March/April.
You will lose fat, muscle, water, and glycogen stores during the weight loss. To mitigate the amount lost in muscle, doing some weight training while losing will help preserve as much muscle as possible, but if you are riding during the loss your legs will be fine as the cycling specific muscles will be getting worked throughout the loss period. You will get "lean and mean" during the process (and need new clothes to fit the smaller you).
To lose, you are going to have to cut your calories to maintain a daily deficit. 12 pounds on 12 weeks is a typical "off season" training plan (in fact, there are several of these training plans available at Training Peaks and other coaches sites). I'd suggest at least a 300 calorie to 500 calorie daily deficit to shed the weight.
I pretty much do this every off season for mountain bike racing as I enjoy my Fall eating through the holidays, and then start the weight cut in January. I try not and gain more than 8% in the Fall so I can shed it easily in the Jan - March time frame.
Here's my typical off season base training "cut" where hours on the bike go up and what I eat in terms of calories goes down....
Yes, I get a little grumpy during that time frame, but am always surprised how easy it is to do by staying disciplined. Coffee for an afternoon snack, accurate counting of my intake - and just giving it the time. Jump on the scale every morning, track the progress, maintain the daily calorie deficit - and presto, the age old CICO works.
My favorite brutal primer about it is HERE. Three years ago I was sort of stuck in February at a plateau and somebody here on the boards pointed me out to that link. It was an eye opener and turned me around quickly. As you lose weight, you will have to adjust your daily calorie goal down. I prefer to use this calculator compared to MFP's: http://www.calculator.net/calorie-calculator.html
I then manually type in that number here at MFP.
Best of luck with your cut, but it all boils down to eating less calories and the off season is the perfect time to do this. Fire up the higher intensity again once the weight cut has been completed.
D'oh I can't believe your post got lost in the shuffle!! This is great (love the brutally honest article). Which was my sneaking suspicion all along.
I have a feeling I am going to be EXTREMELY grumpy this winter.
Do you have a favorite pre-ride food that's not a banana (but is about the same amount of calories / carbs)?
Best,
Jenna0 -
NorthCascades wrote: »Is there a power meter in your future...?
Yeah... It's like the last 'major' purchase I need to make... I keep putting it off because I'm like: 'oh the HR monitor will guide the way...' WRONG (there is nothing wrong with HR training but I think I need a meter & a monitor to fine tune my data.0 -
jenna80302 wrote: »Hi Jenna,
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but my question/s to you first is not about how to lose weight, but what your goal as a competitive cyclist is. Are you on a team, or riding independently? Are you racing in crits, one day classics, stage races, or all of the above? If you're on a team, what is your role? Regardless of all of that, it is all about putting the miles in, and you will find that the weight loss will eventually come with it. What is important though, is knowing what a healthy weight for you is. Even if you don't reach what the typical look of a cyclist might be, it ultimately is about whether you are competitive within the peloton and can achieve the goal you have set for yourself within that race.
I'm going to use myself as an example, from when I got back in to racing (after a 10yr leave). When I decided to get back in to it, I weighed 220lbs., which was gained by going to the gym and focusing on size/mass. I knew there would be quite a bit of work to be done to drop the weight, but it wasn't as difficult as you might think. I don't typically weigh myself, but by mid-season of my first year back, I was down to 167lbs. This was all done by riding/training and staying committed. With all the calories burned during those rides, you can more or less eat whatever you want, but of course you need to be smart about that as well.
With all of that said, I'm getting back in to racing again next year, after another hiatus. My reality is different this time around, as I won't be competing as much as I used to, but the main thing is that the passion and drive are still there. If you want, you can follow me on Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/wilson6 . I'll be going crazy with the indoor spins and other cycling related workouts this winter as well, but it will be worth it when it comes time to hit the road in the spring.
Lot's of great stuff.
So to answer your questions... Goals:
1. Podium
2. Podium
3. Podium
4. Transition from Cat 4 to Cat 3 9 (based on points and experiences - not podiums specifically)
I have several riding groups I participate with regularly and I am on a Team (intentionally not including the name). As a member of our team we are required to "work" for other rides for (x) number of races and vice versa...
I race all disciplines (except for hill climbs) - last season (which was my first), I didn't shine in one specific category (still trying to find my specific niche). I have gotten a lot fitter/faster/stronger since racing last spring - early summer so I am anticipating some changes this year. Also, I am Track curious. I road a fixie around town for fun and I LOVE flats so i'm going to give that a go. As for race/ride goal settings I tend to hit my marks on a fairly regular basis and i'm strong.
The long and the short of it is.... I carry extra weight + there are mountains here + Boulder is home to a ton of world class athletes (we have 3 elite racers in my office alone) = if I'm between 135-145 lbs I'll have a more competitive edge.
Well on that note. Time to go ride!
I was about to ask if you have access to a track, and knowing that you are in Colorado, you should definitely take advantage of the boards over the winter months. That is a great way to get your miles in, work on your handling skills, and potentially even race a bit too. If you have the strength, track riding could be a good fit, especially if you have USA Cycling coaches & riders close by who could potentially give you helpful pointers.
What about x-country skiing? I know lots of cyclists who ski in the winter, as a form of cross training and keeping the endurance up. Either way, you have a great playground to ride in out there.
Yeah I actually ski tour quite a bit... but maybe ill transition into cross country, that would be nice.
So rowing, abs, XC skiing. I think I am going to be set up for success.
Now to just figure out how to stop eating so much lol.0 -
So Ride today...
Well it is stupid pretty outside, so I ended up heading to the mountains.
I was supposed to do a 30 minute z1 ride (i.e. take your bike for a walk pace), but I slowly started climbing. Tried to keep my movements slow and controlled, but my HR was all over the place. Needless to say, after about ~6.2 miles & 2,133 feet of climbing (12.4 round trip), I feel like it wasn't an all out hammer fest - but I am moderately tired.
I tried to eat immediately following my ride... 2 chicken tacos from chipotle (corn tortillas, chicken, fajita veggies, corn and tomatillo salsa, a touch of guacamole & lettuce. I think the reason I binged yesterday is because I waited to long to eat after my ride.
Can't wait to see how I feel hunger wise later...
0 -
jenna80302 wrote: »
D'oh I can't believe your post got lost in the shuffle!! This is great (love the brutally honest article). Which was my sneaking suspicion all along.
I have a feeling I am going to be EXTREMELY grumpy this winter.
Do you have a favorite pre-ride food that's not a banana (but is about the same amount of calories / carbs)?
Best,
Jenna
No worries. No favorite pre-ride food. I pretty much go with my three square meals during the weight cut, and that's all I eat. As I said, I always have a cup of black coffee in the afternoon around 2 - 3 PM. I can jack out anything 2 to 2 1/2 hours or less without any additional fuel for my training rides. A GU (100 calories) if needed would be my pre-ride, or a banana (about 110 calories). But that is rare. When cutting weight, I want my body to feed upon itself.
Grumpy and tired is not that big of deal to get down to the lean and mean body weight.
The study in the Fitzgerald book with 4 different groups was quite eye opening. I'm too tired to look up a previous post about it, but suffice it to say - performance gains do not happen while losing the weight. Hence, cutting the weight in the off season when there is no need for performance gains is the ideal time.
http://www.cxmagazine.com/training-tuesday-matt-fitzgerald-talks-offseason-weight-loss
Stop your binging!
1 -
Hi Jen - Just wanted to say that I checked your strava summary and you and I have pretty much done the exact same distance and vertical for the year. Within 1% on both. I don't race; I'm just an old guy on a bike that fell into a fast group ride group and learned to keep up.
I wish I could figure out how to lose 10 more pounds... all the climbing would be so much easier. But I'm the sort to do hill repeats just because, so if it got easier, I'd just go to bigger hills.
How do you have the discipline to do a Z2 ride? I've never figured out the trick as I seem to just like to push, push, push... normally 60% + in Z4&5. Do you feel that a Z2 ride really helps?0 -
Agreed. I could never do a zone 2 ride.0
-
I switched to a ketogenic diet. I do ultracycling and it gives me a lot of freedom. Also, it's muscle sparing. It's given me access to good management of power vs weight ratio, which is really beneficial for me, since I don't climb well. Going this route for cycling that involves a lot of sprinting might not be so beneficial, by the way. But for the winter months, going keto and doing lots of endurance, might be good for the start of spring.0
-
jenna80302 wrote: »jenna80302 wrote: »Hi Jenna,
I haven't read all the posts on this thread, but my question/s to you first is not about how to lose weight, but what your goal as a competitive cyclist is. Are you on a team, or riding independently? Are you racing in crits, one day classics, stage races, or all of the above? If you're on a team, what is your role? Regardless of all of that, it is all about putting the miles in, and you will find that the weight loss will eventually come with it. What is important though, is knowing what a healthy weight for you is. Even if you don't reach what the typical look of a cyclist might be, it ultimately is about whether you are competitive within the peloton and can achieve the goal you have set for yourself within that race.
I'm going to use myself as an example, from when I got back in to racing (after a 10yr leave). When I decided to get back in to it, I weighed 220lbs., which was gained by going to the gym and focusing on size/mass. I knew there would be quite a bit of work to be done to drop the weight, but it wasn't as difficult as you might think. I don't typically weigh myself, but by mid-season of my first year back, I was down to 167lbs. This was all done by riding/training and staying committed. With all the calories burned during those rides, you can more or less eat whatever you want, but of course you need to be smart about that as well.
With all of that said, I'm getting back in to racing again next year, after another hiatus. My reality is different this time around, as I won't be competing as much as I used to, but the main thing is that the passion and drive are still there. If you want, you can follow me on Strava: https://strava.com/athletes/wilson6 . I'll be going crazy with the indoor spins and other cycling related workouts this winter as well, but it will be worth it when it comes time to hit the road in the spring.
Lot's of great stuff.
So to answer your questions... Goals:
1. Podium
2. Podium
3. Podium
4. Transition from Cat 4 to Cat 3 9 (based on points and experiences - not podiums specifically)
I have several riding groups I participate with regularly and I am on a Team (intentionally not including the name). As a member of our team we are required to "work" for other rides for (x) number of races and vice versa...
I race all disciplines (except for hill climbs) - last season (which was my first), I didn't shine in one specific category (still trying to find my specific niche). I have gotten a lot fitter/faster/stronger since racing last spring - early summer so I am anticipating some changes this year. Also, I am Track curious. I road a fixie around town for fun and I LOVE flats so i'm going to give that a go. As for race/ride goal settings I tend to hit my marks on a fairly regular basis and i'm strong.
The long and the short of it is.... I carry extra weight + there are mountains here + Boulder is home to a ton of world class athletes (we have 3 elite racers in my office alone) = if I'm between 135-145 lbs I'll have a more competitive edge.
Well on that note. Time to go ride!
I was about to ask if you have access to a track, and knowing that you are in Colorado, you should definitely take advantage of the boards over the winter months. That is a great way to get your miles in, work on your handling skills, and potentially even race a bit too. If you have the strength, track riding could be a good fit, especially if you have USA Cycling coaches & riders close by who could potentially give you helpful pointers.
What about x-country skiing? I know lots of cyclists who ski in the winter, as a form of cross training and keeping the endurance up. Either way, you have a great playground to ride in out there.
Yeah I actually ski tour quite a bit... but maybe ill transition into cross country, that would be nice.
So rowing, abs, XC skiing. I think I am going to be set up for success.
Now to just figure out how to stop eating so much lol.
Meh...there are good calories and bad calories. Eating to replenish what you burned during a ride is not a bad thing though. If you leave yourself feeling hungry, that's when you start searching for junk food to fill the void.0 -
With all the hills, it's super hard to do low intensity rides outside. I save them for the trainer and watch a movie, or binge watch a T.V. series all winter.0
-
columbus2015 wrote: »Hi Jen - Just wanted to say that I checked your strava summary and you and I have pretty much done the exact same distance and vertical for the year. Within 1% on both. I don't race; I'm just an old guy on a bike that fell into a fast group ride group and learned to keep up.
I wish I could figure out how to lose 10 more pounds... all the climbing would be so much easier. But I'm the sort to do hill repeats just because, so if it got easier, I'd just go to bigger hills.
How do you have the discipline to do a Z2 ride? I've never figured out the trick as I seem to just like to push, push, push... normally 60% + in Z4&5. Do you feel that a Z2 ride really helps?
After only a single Z2 ride i was left feeling hungry and bored and not exhausted (which I like). So IDK. I'm thinking i am going to leave Z2 stuff to the rollers. 'Winter is coming' and my garage is calling.
And I honestly think the same thing happened to me. Being in a hyper competitive environment, I'm always like 'what's next...?' and if I did get lighter I'd just end up with a fast group or a bigger climb.
I think I'm going to slash my calories, be more cognizant of my HR and try to up my mileage a bit. And see if that helps.
0 -
-
BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »With all the hills, it's super hard to do low intensity rides outside. I save them for the trainer and watch a movie, or binge watch a T.V. series all winter.
Agreed.... Do you ever just wish we lived in Kansas? hahah0 -
I switched to a ketogenic diet. I do ultracycling and it gives me a lot of freedom. Also, it's muscle sparing. It's given me access to good management of power vs weight ratio, which is really beneficial for me, since I don't climb well. Going this route for cycling that involves a lot of sprinting might not be so beneficial, by the way. But for the winter months, going keto and doing lots of endurance, might be good for the start of spring.
What's does your ketogenic diet look like. I'm just unfamiliar with it... so I'd love to learn more.0 -
columbus2015 wrote: »Do you feel that a Z2 ride really helps?
Yes, absolutely. Long, moderate rides mixed with occasional Z4 & Z5 efforts are the most efficient way to be fast. The lower intensity stuff doesn't require much time for recovery which allows more training volume.0 -
Post Ride Notes from Slow hill climb (11/03)
- I feel like because I forced myself to eat some protein and carbs and fAT (yum!) immediately afterwards I was able to prevent the binge! (yess)
- I hada gyro salad for dinner and a GF brownie (with about 2 liters of water and an acidophilus)
This AM i weighed 157.4 (heavier than my 156.2 yesterday - chalking it up to slight swelling from salt in gyro meat and muscle swelling). I'll see where I'm at this afternoon. Going to go on a longer one with a coworker who hasn't been in the saddle since September so I should be able to keep my HR lower.
Also, I took a dry erase marker to my mirror and wrote my weight on it. Good reminder...
AND - AFA food is concerned so far today (bone dry cap 2% (12 oz) & 3 pieces of bacon.. Bought a local cold pressed green juice for a mid morning snack. My food goal for this weekend is to begin to ween myself of dairy again.
For any of the CO folks out here we are going Neva < Left Hand < Old Stage, hope to see you out there ;p
I'll check in post ride and post some photos.0 -
I'd love to see more photos. I was born in Denver but haven't been back to your state in 10+ years. Last time I was there we camped near Ouray.0
-
jenna80302 wrote: »BusyRaeNOTBusty wrote: »With all the hills, it's super hard to do low intensity rides outside. I save them for the trainer and watch a movie, or binge watch a T.V. series all winter.
Agreed.... Do you ever just wish we lived in Kansas? hahah
Don't overlook the training benefits of accumulated Z2 rides. You can pack a lot of punch in 4 - 6 consecutive days of doing it (save the knees/joints) and be totally exhausted after 12 - 14 hours of it all...2 -
Ride Update -
Bailed on the climb today... my legs are sore from yesterday. It was kind of a pissing contest type ride haha I can't help myself... But now I'm just hungry. I caved and ate chocolate; However, I would definitely not categorize it as a binge.
So I'm learning something. Climbs = Not hungry; Z2 = Not hungry (binge came from not forcing myself to eat immediately following my ride); Sprints = HUNGRY
Let the grand experiment continue. Sorry for not posting any selfies // nature shots, I was too busy smoking my friend uphill.
0 -
jenna80302 wrote: »Ride Update -
Bailed on the climb today... my legs are sore from yesterday. It was kind of a pissing contest type ride haha I can't help myself... But now I'm just hungry. I caved and ate chocolate; However, I would definitely not categorize it as a binge.
So I'm learning something. Climbs = Not hungry; Z2 = Not hungry (binge came from not forcing myself to eat immediately following my ride); Sprints = HUNGRY
Let the grand experiment continue. Sorry for not posting any selfies // nature shots, I was too busy smoking my friend uphill.
112/97 suffer/red score... You and I should be related. My last ride was 132/1280 -
jenna80302 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Is there a power meter in your future...?
Yeah... It's like the last 'major' purchase I need to make... I keep putting it off because I'm like: 'oh the HR monitor will guide the way...' WRONG (there is nothing wrong with HR training but I think I need a meter & a monitor to fine tune my data.
You know, before I got a power meter, I used to think of it mostly as a training tool, and also as a better way to figure your calories out. Once I'd had it for a week or two, I realized it's a UCI-legal way to cheat in a race. 0 -
Interesting thread, and a lot of good information being given as well.
I found myself in the same rut, with the exception being that I wasn't as focused on weight loss. I knew I should just slow down and ride more miles, but even though I have no intention of competing or for that matter even own a road bike, I kept doing the same thing over and over.jenna80302 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »BrianSharpe wrote: »... apparently, there's a strong correlation between time spent at low intensity and speed during race season.
I've heard this too. Never heard a perfect explanation, I think it's a bunch of factors coming together.
I think this is my issue:
http://www.active.com/running/articles/training-with-the-zone-3-syndrome
From that link, I answered "yes" to all the questions but one, and since I don't do group rides that question doesn't apply to me. But due to life changes with work and such I found myself short on time to ride as much, yet still determined to break the cycle of overtraining and sticking to more Z2 rides. And due to having that competitive nature, I found myself failing over and over.
And then I found an answer that works for me.
Ditch the data that made me want to hammer it more often, and only keep the data I need, that being heart rate. I quit paying attention to average pace and top speeds, and even went so far as to tape over my pace arrows (above or below average) on my crappy old bike computer. I would set it to heart rate display and give myself an upper threshold of 130 BPM.
My "carrot on the stick" reward was that I would pick a segment from Strava, usually on the way back, and that segment had no restrictions.
It was hard to do. The first ride I took this approach I found myself constantly trying to creep beyond that max HR I set. At one point where the wind was in my face (no hills here) I gave myself a pass and lifted my max HR to 140. After a couple of minutes I went back to 130 and convinced myself that I wouldn't make an excuse to change plans again.... 130 was my max regardless of wind, traffic, desire, other riders, etc. And that 15 or so miles until I hit my "free pass" segment was brutally boring. I found an inner struggle with not lifting pace a number of times. But I kept eyeballing that HR and stuck it out, and as I got closer and closer to my selected segment I finally realized it wasn't so bad.
As I rolled through that last mile or so before my segment, all I could think about was the reward of upping pace. And when I did, it was actually as much or more fun than riding quicker the whole ride like I usually did. Having slogged some miles while essentially burning no matches, I easily set a PR time for that 1.8 miles, even though I was riding into a headwind. And I actually still had more in the tank, and realized that I shorted myself and could have pushed harder. I just wasn't used to having that much in the tank to offer, and misjudged the effort/distance factor because of it.
Since then I've actually ditched more data, and though I've been short on workout time, I actually quit logging my rides on Strava. I found myself still "competing" and looking at if I made constant improvements on my selected segments. I was my own worst enemy in finding reasons to overtrain.
So my plan for winter is to just train longer and slower, with some sprints and harder effort stuff here and there. On the bike, elliptical and some running. Maybe more running than previous years, since I like it outdoors and don't have the same issue with always wanting to push pace. I'd like to drop 10-12 pounds and be in better shape to improve paces for spring, even though the competition in my case is more just improving myself and not trying to compete with the ultra fit lightweight cyclists and such.NorthCascades wrote: »jenna80302 wrote: »NorthCascades wrote: »Is there a power meter in your future...?
Yeah... It's like the last 'major' purchase I need to make... I keep putting it off because I'm like: 'oh the HR monitor will guide the way...' WRONG (there is nothing wrong with HR training but I think I need a meter & a monitor to fine tune my data.
You know, before I got a power meter, I used to think of it mostly as a training tool, and also as a better way to figure your calories out. Once I'd had it for a week or two, I realized it's a UCI-legal way to cheat in a race.
Though I really don't ride enough to justify buying meters, comments like this make me want them. But they might make me go into my loop of so much data I train too hard for gains!0 -
jenna80302 wrote: »I'm a long distance road cyclist, and I actually find it somewhat easier to lose weight during times when I'm not training for a long distance event ... during rest phases.
So I'll eat roughly at maintenance in the month or so leading up to an event, and for about a week after, and then if I have a bit of a break, I'll eat in deficit for a few weeks.
That's a good idea. I think I need to shift my focus from actively training to maintaining, and focus on rest and cut calories just a bit... R&R sounds good right now. Have you tried Z2 training? If so, any thoughts, recommendations or suggestions?
Nope. I don't do structured training programs. I tried back in my racing days and hated it.
As I mentioned, I'm into long distance cycling now. Just did a nice 100 km, early season, randonnee with 1080 metres of climbing ... and we shaved about 10 minutes off last year's time. 0
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 427 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions