Can you work out your best weight?
datsunman
Posts: 39
Someone I rode with lately said that if they drop below 75kg they feel like they lose too much power and their performance suffers. They're about 5'9". I can appreciate that their power may drop off, but I'd have thought that their power/weight ratio could go up or down, depending on how much weight/power they lose.
I've never given my weight much thought, but after hearing this I'm now wondering if there's anything in it. I'm slower than the person who said this, and whilst my training gives me fairly reasonable results for the time I put in, my gains seem lower than everyone else I ride with.
Apart from putting on weight/losing weight and testing the theory is it worth thinking about? Do you have sweet spot where your body works best? (I'm 5'11" and 68kgs)
I've never given my weight much thought, but after hearing this I'm now wondering if there's anything in it. I'm slower than the person who said this, and whilst my training gives me fairly reasonable results for the time I put in, my gains seem lower than everyone else I ride with.
Apart from putting on weight/losing weight and testing the theory is it worth thinking about? Do you have sweet spot where your body works best? (I'm 5'11" and 68kgs)
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If they are losing muscle mass, then they will lose power. If they are losing fat, the power will remain the same. Losing weight and losing fat are different things.
If you want to know your ideal lean weight, the only way to know is to talk to your doctor about it. Everyone's body dimensions are different.0 -
According to my cycling buddy you should be 2lb per inch to be at your best!
I'm 72 inches and 182lbs, fat bass that can't climb.0 -
Bhima wrote:If they are losing muscle mass, then they will lose power. If they are losing fat, the power will remain the same. Losing weight and losing fat are different things.
If you want to know your ideal lean weight, the only way to know is to talk to your doctor about it. Everyone's body dimensions are different.
This is pretty much spot on and as far as I'm concerned it's all about power to weight ratio. I rode some pretty nast hills last week with a supposed good club cyclist who was pretty bang on 9st, and I got up every hill much quicker than him and i'm 12, 4/5.
Even on the flats he was struggling to maintain the pace.0 -
If you are 5" 11" and 68 kg, you are way too heavy.
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holmeboy wrote:According to my cycling buddy you should be 2lb per inch to be at your best!
I'm 72 inches and 182lbs, fat bass that can't climb.
Christ! That's the sort of advice that could launch 1000 eating disorders! I'm also 72 inches/183cm tall, so I should ideally be 144lbs/65kg?! Think I'll ignore that, stay happily at around 185lbs/84kg and concentrate on the power bit of my power/weight ratio.0 -
Power to weight ratio often has this mystique surrounding as though it were some holy grail when the reality is that it's importance is very much dependent on the type of riding you plan on doing. For a tt rider who isn't very bulky then losing power from weight loss is of no benefit however for someone who wants to ride hilly sportives with the top riders (even though its not a race we all know there are those that have to be at the front) then as long as they have the fitness then power to weight will be hugely important.
If you do plan on losing weight then you should do that slowly (like Bradley Wiggins did ) that way you retain much, if not all of your old power, but significantly increase your power to weight ratio and thus your ability to climb more strongly.
If others are making gains quicker than you are then it is simply because they either respond better to their training or your training isn't as effective as theirs. If you are doing much the same events as these guys then there is no better to ask about their training programmes than them if you are tyring to emulate their gains (though they may be a little cagey if they perceive you as a potential threat).0 -
nasahapley wrote:holmeboy wrote:According to my cycling buddy you should be 2lb per inch to be at your best!
I'm 72 inches and 182lbs, fat bass that can't climb.
Christ! That's the sort of advice that could launch 1000 eating disorders! I'm also 72 inches/183cm tall, so I should ideally be 144lbs/65kg?! Think I'll ignore that, stay happily at around 185lbs/84kg and concentrate on the power bit of my power/weight ratio.
Hey a fellow Fat bass who's shite on hills! We should go out together sometime, i need to find somebody I can keep up with!0 -
My thoughts are generally the same as those above and I agree that it's power to weight, depending on your discipline.
doyler - I don't compete against anybody apart from myself so I'm not massively fussed about the gains I make versus anybody else, I guess I was wondering whether or not it really is as simple as power to weight, or whether certain muscle types work better in different forms, eg if you err towards slow twitch/fast twitch whether you'd be better to carry a bit more muscle or a bit less.
I just need to train more, I know that much. :-) Oh, and I don't want to lose any weight, I'm skinny enough as it is!0
