hills

ShutUpLegs

Brian B wrote:

I can climb and hold my own with best of them on sportives.

Do you think this is actually a good benchmark :?:

Brian B

For me yes since thats the type of riding I do and it's in line with the original post.

Brian B

Laser man wrote:

Brian B wrote:

What pish - is this a forum for anorexic people! I am 6ft2" and weigh 83kgs in my birthday suit and not carrying any spare fat and I can climb and hold my own with best of them on sportives. I do agree with hill training and lots of it and regular runs including lots of hills up to 100miles and over if you can manage it. I was not a natural climber but over the years due to practice I am have become efficient and I am 42 years of age and still improving despite many long years in the saddle now.

I'm 5ft 10" and 58 kg...

I suppose it all comes down to your build as I am(or was) a big lad and people are shocked when they see how thin I am now. I could not lose any more weight without becoming ill or affecting my recovery. I got severe food poisoning last year and dropped to 76kgs in one week and the doc at the hospital gave me right proper row saying that I was far too thin and had no reserves for fighting illness. Sometimes you just cant win.

mattshrops

Brian B wrote:

mattshrops wrote:

How old are you?

I wouldnt change your gearing as you already have a triple which really should get you up anything.

Weight- I'm 6ft and 75 kg and could do with losing ~5-10 kg. I think you really need to look at this.

+1 for hill repeats. do 'em, do 'em again, then do 'em some more.

What pish - is this a forum for anorexic people! I am 6ft2" and weigh 83kgs in my birthday suit and not carrying any spare fat and I can climb and hold my own with best of them on sportives. I do agree with hill training and lots of it and regular runs including lots of hills up to 100miles and over if you can manage it. I was not a natural climber but over the years due to practice I am have become efficient and I am 42 years of age and still improving despite many long years in the saddle now.

Afraid not- pish that is. I am that weight and height.And i could do with losing that weight. Fact not pish.
The op is 5ft 6" and 76kg if i remember right therefore he would improve his climbing if he had a look at his weight. FACT. Now he may well have the build of a short Arnie.- but he would still be able to climb better if he lost some weight-even if it has to be some of that useless(FOR endurance CYCLING) fast twitch muscle.
Some people are training to ride about with their mates,some for sportives, some for racing.How far you want to go is your business. the op asked for advice and got it.not pish.

mustol

I don't think the OP wanted to hear that he should lose weight and/or ride more hills - that would require some effort, I think he wanted that magic piece of equipment that would make him as fast as all the people riding past him.

dw300

I'm 5' 10" - 68kg and could probably get down to 62-63. Thing is, when I get there, i'll probably find there's more to come off.

Most people underestimate how fat they are .. usually by quite a lot.

SPOC

dw300 wrote:

I'm 5' 10" - 68kg and could probably get down to 62-63. Thing is, when I get there, i'll probably find there's more to come off.

Most people underestimate how fat they are .. usually by quite a lot.

Aye this.

I'm 70kg and way too heavy still for really good climbing at 5'8 in comparison with what I can do on the flats.

I was talking to someone the other day who is 5'11 and weighs 90kg and swears by they are at their ideal weight for cycling and climbing. I was like talking to a brick wall when he claims he hardly has an ounce of fat on him that he could lose.

Brian B

If you are going with BMI you are at the high end of normal and probably could do with loosing the weight. BMI is only a guide though and most people know if they are carrying some spare fat. I certainly did before I slimmed down and it payed dividends on the hills for me.

Years ago I was well over weight and lost 15kg when I took up cycling and then lost a further 12kgs when I really knuckled down and slimmed. I am now at my optium weight and struggle to keep my weight up due to the amount of miles I am putting in. I now have a six-pack but have also lost a fair amount of muscle all over from my original build.

You have to know when to stop however and there is balance to be struck to avoid illness and ensure you are eating enough to recover and maintain a healthy life.

You see the pro's beside the podium girls and then you see how actually thin they are and they look like little boys but they do this because its their job and dont race for a hobby and most pro's put on at least 10kg when they 'retire'.

You would not call Tom Boonen fat or overweight and he is heavier than some weights posted here and it does him no harm on the hills.

Mr cyclist

If you look at any of the pros they look dangerously underweight, so looking at yourself and thinking you look fit and healthy probably isn't a great gauge of where you are weight wise, but then again the average rider does not need to be as lean as the pros.

dw300

Brian B wrote:

If you are going with BMI you are at the high end of normal and probably could do with loosing the weight. BMI is only a guide though and most people know if they are carrying some spare fat. I certainly did before I slimmed down and it payed dividends on the hills for me.

Years ago I was well over weight and lost 15kg when I took up cycling and then lost a further 12kgs when I really knuckled down and slimmed. I am now at my optium weight and struggle to keep my weight up due to the amount of miles I am putting in. I now have a six-pack but have also lost a fair amount of muscle all over from my original build.

You have to know when to stop however and there is balance to be struck to avoid illness and ensure you are eating enough to recover and maintain a healthy life.

You see the pro's beside the podium girls and then you see how actually thin they are and they look like little boys but they do this because its their job and dont race for a hobby and most pro's put on at least 10kg when they 'retire'.

You would not call Tom Boonen fat or overweight and he is heavier than some weights posted here and it does him no harm on the hills.

So you are optimal weight .. everyone else is too thin? Riiiiiight .. 8)

mattshrops

Now BMI- THAT is pish.

As you say it is all about your prorities in life. If you want to race then you're definitely not at your "optimum" weight. As you said yourself you're carrying a fair bit of muscle. Fine- your choice, not optimum for cycling tho', in fact most upper body muscle is fairly useless(for cycling).

I started to lose weight when i was about 14 stone and have always had a fairly bulky upper body. I reckoned i needed to lose about half a stone and only of my stomach. Haha. Two stone later i reckon another half (and a bit)
I dont really care whether i still look muscular or not- my priority physically is to be at my cycling peak.(work in progress)

Brian B

Was not trolling for argument but I admit I came on a bit strong at first and I am big and ugly enough to apologise. The original brief was about sportive riding and not racing and about getting up hills - being thin may help on the hills but its the whole fitness package the counts as well. Regarding BMI I did say it was only a guide.

If you are racing and want to loose as much lbs as possible thats your choice but with my build I can waltz up Mt Ventoux in 1hr35 and thats good enough for me and probably most of the average UK cyclists. As I said I have lost a lot of mass and not just fat and I am toned now with a six pack and Mrs B is happy with that but my better half is pretty thin herself and she wants her man to be wider than her svelte girl like form.