Ex Rugby Player - Cycling is new passion

swa90

Hi All,

I just wanted to first introduce myself and second to get some general advice.

I am currently in the final weeks of my University degree and have been a Rugby player my whole life. However, since an injury I sustained last season I have decided to give it a rest (at least for now). I have always been a cycling fan but never really taken it up. I have also recently brought a B'Twin Triban 3 (student budget before anyone starts :roll: ) mainly for cutting around campus but more so for fitness now.

I would love to start racing however I have one main obstacle. My weight. Due to my stopping to play rugby yet drinking like I still train 4 times a week has lead to me putting on some serious weight over the past year and a bit. I am 6' 6" tall and currently weigh in at 290lbs (I know, absolutely crazy right) - thank goodness it doesn't look as bad as it sounds.

Anyway, I know enough to understand that this excess weight will greatly impede my potential on the bike and frankly I don't want to embarrass myself at racing until I have got it down. I would like to get back to down around 15' initially and then re-assess and go from there.

I am generally looking for some advice on how best to adapt my diet and also how to fit in the riding training necessary. I have got a turbo trainer so that is available to use however I just seem to sit and pedal at the moment. I want to employ quite a high intensity of training therefore I am cautious of restricting my diet too much.

Please could anyone, perhaps who has overcome a similar dilema to myself point me in the right direction? Even perhaps give some ideas of how to drop the weight... meal replacement shakes, calorie cutting, breaky/lunch/dinner ideas etc would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any help or advice you can give.

Cheers. 8)

elderone

Hi,and welcome to the forum.There is a lot of info on the site for all your questions and many have lost lots of wieght so it can happen with the proper application.Basically a healthy balanced diet is the way to go.Cut out the crappy junk food and eat lots of fruit and veg and smaller portions.riding your bike will lose you wieght but only if you don,t over eat.Get out and ride as much as possible and on the turbo you can still work very very hard,but it,s a tad boring.Try sufferfest vids or some such.
Some of the stories on here have told how others have done what your looking to do,so keep going,dont lose heart and it will heppen.
good luck.

fatdaz

Hi - I'm another former rugby player and in my first proper year of cycling I dropped from 17st to under 14. As per the previous response you need to watch the diet. I had to reasses my liquid intake; rugby and beer go hand in hand and I played it for 36 years so beer became a way of life. Alongside a more sensible balanced diet start getting the miles in. Fortunately for us heavy folk, providing your bike fits you correctly, you won't suffer the pressure on joints like you will with running. If your bike fits correctly with a bit of work you'll be able to ride 3-4 hours at a time and that'll burn serious calories. I'd also recommend finding one or two like minded mates if you can, any training is more fun when you're no alone. The good news for you is that if you've played any half decent level of rugby you'll be used to putting yourself through pain in training, you just have a new pain to get used to

swa90

elderone wrote:

Hi,and welcome to the forum.There is a lot of info on the site for all your questions and many have lost lots of wieght so it can happen with the proper application.Basically a healthy balanced diet is the way to go.Cut out the crappy junk food and eat lots of fruit and veg and smaller portions.riding your bike will lose you wieght but only if you don,t over eat.Get out and ride as much as possible and on the turbo you can still work very very hard,but it,s a tad boring.Try sufferfest vids or some such.
Some of the stories on here have told how others have done what your looking to do,so keep going,dont lose heart and it will heppen.
good luck.

Thanks for the insight. Fully understand the requirement for squaring the diet away. Won't be an issue.

fatdaz wrote:

Hi - I'm another former rugby player and in my first proper year of cycling I dropped from 17st to under 14. As per the previous response you need to watch the diet. I had to reasses my liquid intake; rugby and beer go hand in hand and I played it for 36 years so beer became a way of life. Alongside a more sensible balanced diet start getting the miles in. Fortunately for us heavy folk, providing your bike fits you correctly, you won't suffer the pressure on joints like you will with running. If your bike fits correctly with a bit of work you'll be able to ride 3-4 hours at a time and that'll burn serious calories. I'd also recommend finding one or two like minded mates if you can, any training is more fun when you're no alone. The good news for you is that if you've played any half decent level of rugby you'll be used to putting yourself through pain in training, you just have a new pain to get used to

That's fantastic and exactly the type of results I am looking for!!!

I am sure that on graduating University the amber nectar intake will reduce significantly which wont pose an issue as I had had my fill for this decade!

How often should I look to get out on the bike. In the normal working week I can see it being difficult especially during the winter? The turbo is great but I wouldn't like to sit on it for 4 hours!

I am no stranger to endless and exhausting agony at the stimulation of sadistic forwards coaches so hopefully I will not find too many issues in breaking barrier - although climbing is a new beast altogether!

Thanks for the post.

Camcycle1974

Ditch the beer. 2-300 cals per pint. That alone will help you lose weight. Intermittant fasting is the easiest route to consistent and sustainable weight loss in my opinion. Have a look at Leangains on the web for more info. It's as simple as cutting out breakfast really. Other than that eat a sensible balanced diet and consider doing some shortish fasted rides. A stone a month is not unachievable at your current weight.

doug5_10

+1 cut out the booze completely, it really works! I found the myfitnesspal app really useful to monitor calorie intake. Just bash in your target fighting weight, I guess round 14/15 st for your height, and away you go. Don't eat after 9pm and always go to bed feeling hungry! Fuel up properly for longer rides though. Get out as often as possible!! Once you are 'ar$e fit' consecutive long rides won't be a problem. I don't know how much joy you would have racing being a bigger guy, first port of call would be to join a club and have a bash at sportives and local TTs etc. Being a bigger guy with a large power output, you could look at track racing if you have velodrome near you?

swa90

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Ditch the beer. 2-300 cals per pint. That alone will help you lose weight. Intermittant fasting is the easiest route to consistent and sustainable weight loss in my opinion. Have a look at Leangains on the web for more info. It's as simple as cutting out breakfast really. Other than that eat a sensible balanced diet and consider doing some shortish fasted rides. A stone a month is not unachievable at your current weight.

Do you have any more advice/info on the intermittent fasting? I remember watching a programme about it on BBC not too long ago...

doug5_10 wrote:

+1 cut out the booze completely, it really works! I found the myfitnesspal app really useful to monitor calorie intake. Just bash in your target fighting weight, I guess round 14/15 st for your height, and away you go. Don't eat after 9pm and always go to bed feeling hungry! Fuel up properly for longer rides though. Get out as often as possible!! Once you are 'ar$e fit' consecutive long rides won't be a problem. I don't know how much joy you would have racing being a bigger guy, first port of call would be to join a club and have a bash at sportives and local TTs etc. Being a bigger guy with a large power output, you could look at track racing if you have velodrome near you?

Absolutely keen for cutting the booze out! It's the obvious one really! I have that app although find it really difficult to maintain accuracy when eating anything which isn't 'off the shelf'. Guess some weighing scales/measurers may help with this...

Why would being taller stop my enjoyment of racing? I am just interested to know? I plan to have a look at clubs when I go home after University... not too keen on track racing, I have a real interest in the road, however. Would be really interested to read more on why you think that racing in its traditional form may not be for me..... If I get the weight down is height still a barrier to racing?

Thanks again for all the comments, guys - really appreciate it.

doug5_10

It won't stop your enjoyment at all, have a bash! You won't (safely) get much below 13-14st. at 6ft6, so no matter your aerobic capacity, the little 10st gits will play the physics card in the hills :x You can have a look at more power orientated racing such as sprints and TTs, or Criteriums (laps of town/city centre courses). Height is no barrier at all, join a club and get stuck in! I'm just hinting that the mountains may never be your friends

zardoz

80 pounds is a lot of weight to shift, my advice is try to do it gradually otherwise you may find you just have no energy for cycling. I shed 53 pounds but did it over about 12 months with a combination of improved diet, cutting out snacks, reducing Alchohol consumption to almost zero and of course getting out on the bike. You need to burn around 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight assuming you don't eat anything.

Good luck hope it goes well!

Camcycle1974

SWA90 wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Ditch the beer. 2-300 cals per pint. That alone will help you lose weight. Intermittant fasting is the easiest route to consistent and sustainable weight loss in my opinion. Have a look at Leangains on the web for more info. It's as simple as cutting out breakfast really. Other than that eat a sensible balanced diet and consider doing some shortish fasted rides. A stone a month is not unachievable at your current weight.

Do you have any more advice/info on the intermittent fasting? I remember watching a programme about it on BBC not too long ago...

doug5_10 wrote:

+1 cut out the booze completely, it really works! I found the myfitnesspal app really useful to monitor calorie intake. Just bash in your target fighting weight, I guess round 14/15 st for your height, and away you go. Don't eat after 9pm and always go to bed feeling hungry! Fuel up properly for longer rides though. Get out as often as possible!! Once you are 'ar$e fit' consecutive long rides won't be a problem. I don't know how much joy you would have racing being a bigger guy, first port of call would be to join a club and have a bash at sportives and local TTs etc. Being a bigger guy with a large power output, you could look at track racing if you have velodrome near you?

Absolutely keen for cutting the booze out! It's the obvious one really! I have that app although find it really difficult to maintain accuracy when eating anything which isn't 'off the shelf'. Guess some weighing scales/measurers may help with this...

Why would being taller stop my enjoyment of racing? I am just interested to know? I plan to have a look at clubs when I go home after University... not too keen on track racing, I have a real interest in the road, however. Would be really interested to read more on why you think that racing in its traditional form may not be for me..... If I get the weight down is height still a barrier to racing?

Thanks again for all the comments, guys - really appreciate it.

Intermittant Fasting is all the rage now but the original and best guide to it is in Blog form. The blog is by a guy called Martin Berkhan and the blog is called "Leangains". He is a bodybuilder but the principles of weight loss apply. If you look at the site you will see he started out over weight and out of condition. Look at the before and after!

Essentially his system depends on fasting for 16 hours and having a "window" of 8 hours in which to eat 2 or 3 meals. A typical day for me would look like this. Up at 6am, cycle to work, lunch at 12. No calories are consumed until 12. Coffee is fine but not too much milk. 12pm-8pm get your food intake for the day then fast from 8pm-12pm the next day. Very simple and easy to do. As a student its even easier as most of the fasting period is spent asleep!

Socialising in the evenings might be a problem in which case you just push back your eating window i.e from 11pm to 3pm the next day. As long as you get your 16 hour fast in then its all good.

You could adopt a 5 day on weekends off approach as long as you don't go crazy at the weekends. Keeps it manageable and not too onerous.

It really is effective and much better than the 6 small meals a day dogma peddled by the mainstream fitness community. You will also find you have more energy during the fasting period although it might take a few days to adapt to.

Camcycle1974

zardoz wrote:

80 pounds is a lot of weight to shift, my advice is try to do it gradually otherwise you may find you just have no energy for cycling. I shed 53 pounds but did it over about 12 months with a combination of improved diet, cutting out snacks, reducing Alchohol consumption to almost zero and of course getting out on the bike. You need to burn around 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight assuming you don't eat anything.

Good luck hope it goes well!

Yes, but its all culmulative. At 6"6 and 290lbs he probably has high maintenance calories (guessing around 3500 cals a day) so if you cut that to 2500 and then add in exercise you have a significant deficit and weight loss will occur quite rapidly, at least at the outset. it gets harder as you come down towards target weight but IF can help to promote continuous weight loss down to the desired weight. It is also good for maintenance.

pride4ever

Its a shame the OP wasnt a RL player instead of a RU player, he'd at least understand what being fit really means lol. Seriously though you need to cut your calories BIG TIME and put in tons of miles. The Aussies train 8 hr days on water alone to cut weight.

swa90

doug5_10 wrote:

It won't stop your enjoyment at all, have a bash! You won't (safely) get much below 13-14st. at 6ft6, so no matter your aerobic capacity, the little 10st gits will play the physics card in the hills :x You can have a look at more power orientated racing such as sprints and TTs, or Criteriums (laps of town/city centre courses). Height is no barrier at all, join a club and get stuck in! I'm just hinting that the mountains may never be your friends

Understood! I am still keen to give it a go! Always liked the Criteriums!

zardoz wrote:

80 pounds is a lot of weight to shift, my advice is try to do it gradually otherwise you may find you just have no energy for cycling. I shed 53 pounds but did it over about 12 months with a combination of improved diet, cutting out snacks, reducing Alchohol consumption to almost zero and of course getting out on the bike. You need to burn around 3,500 calories to lose a pound of weight assuming you don't eat anything.

Good luck hope it goes well!

I am under no illusions it will be tough and I am wary of doing it safely and sensibly too. How did you improve your diet exactly?

Camcycle1974 wrote:

SWA90 wrote:

Camcycle1974 wrote:

Ditch the beer. 2-300 cals per pint. That alone will help you lose weight. Intermittant fasting is the easiest route to consistent and sustainable weight loss in my opinion. Have a look at Leangains on the web for more info. It's as simple as cutting out breakfast really. Other than that eat a sensible balanced diet and consider doing some shortish fasted rides. A stone a month is not unachievable at your current weight.

Do you have any more advice/info on the intermittent fasting? I remember watching a programme about it on BBC not too long ago...

doug5_10 wrote:

+1 cut out the booze completely, it really works! I found the myfitnesspal app really useful to monitor calorie intake. Just bash in your target fighting weight, I guess round 14/15 st for your height, and away you go. Don't eat after 9pm and always go to bed feeling hungry! Fuel up properly for longer rides though. Get out as often as possible!! Once you are 'ar$e fit' consecutive long rides won't be a problem. I don't know how much joy you would have racing being a bigger guy, first port of call would be to join a club and have a bash at sportives and local TTs etc. Being a bigger guy with a large power output, you could look at track racing if you have velodrome near you?

Absolutely keen for cutting the booze out! It's the obvious one really! I have that app although find it really difficult to maintain accuracy when eating anything which isn't 'off the shelf'. Guess some weighing scales/measurers may help with this...

Why would being taller stop my enjoyment of racing? I am just interested to know? I plan to have a look at clubs when I go home after University... not too keen on track racing, I have a real interest in the road, however. Would be really interested to read more on why you think that racing in its traditional form may not be for me..... If I get the weight down is height still a barrier to racing?

Thanks again for all the comments, guys - really appreciate it.

Intermittant Fasting is all the rage now but the original and best guide to it is in Blog form. The blog is by a guy called Martin Berkhan and the blog is called "Leangains". He is a bodybuilder but the principles of weight loss apply. If you look at the site you will see he started out over weight and out of condition. Look at the before and after!

Essentially his system depends on fasting for 16 hours and having a "window" of 8 hours in which to eat 2 or 3 meals. A typical day for me would look like this. Up at 6am, cycle to work, lunch at 12. No calories are consumed until 12. Coffee is fine but not too much milk. 12pm-8pm get your food intake for the day then fast from 8pm-12pm the next day. Very simple and easy to do. As a student its even easier as most of the fasting period is spent asleep!

Socialising in the evenings might be a problem in which case you just push back your eating window i.e from 11pm to 3pm the next day. As long as you get your 16 hour fast in then its all good.

You could adopt a 5 day on weekends off approach as long as you don't go crazy at the weekends. Keeps it manageable and not too onerous.

It really is effective and much better than the 6 small meals a day dogma peddled by the mainstream fitness community. You will also find you have more energy during the fasting period although it might take a few days to adapt to.

Sounds great! I will look into it!

pride4ever wrote:

Its a shame the OP wasnt a RL player instead of a RU player, he'd at least understand what being fit really means lol. Seriously though you need to cut your calories BIG TIME and put in tons of miles. The Aussies train 8 hr days on water alone to cut weight.

Haha don't get started! Thanks

blackhands

Look up the 5/2 diet (5 normal days and 2 calorie restriction days) - there's proper medical evidence that it works. I'd be careful of any diet proposed by a bodybuilder - especially if it means skipping breakfast. Don't lose sight of the fact that the objectives of a body builder (building muscle) are completely different to those of a competitive cyclist (developing endurance).

zardoz

SWA90 wrote:

I am under no illusions it will be tough and I am wary of doing it safely and sensibly too. How did you improve your diet exactly?

Cutting out the crap like Biscuits(a particular vice!), Chocolate bars, crisps, sweets, puddings sugary drinks etc. Eating more fruit and veg, leaner cuts of meat, more oily fish (Salmon. Mackeral, Tuna) and overall eating smaller portions. I didn't calorie count but it is amazing how many calories are contained in some products so I did become more aware. There was a particular brand of biscuits that I could easily eat a whole pack of that contained 1500 of the little buggers.

And as already mentioned I pretty much cut out Alchohol altogether not that I drank much anyway,

swa90

zardoz wrote:

SWA90 wrote:

I am under no illusions it will be tough and I am wary of doing it safely and sensibly too. How did you improve your diet exactly?

Cutting out the crap like Biscuits(a particular vice!), Chocolate bars, crisps, sweets, puddings sugary drinks etc. Eating more fruit and veg, leaner cuts of meat, more oily fish (Salmon. Mackeral, Tuna) and overall eating smaller portions. I didn't calorie count but it is amazing how many calories are contained in some products so I did become more aware. There was a particular brand of biscuits that I could easily eat a whole pack of that contained 1500 of the little buggers.

And as already mentioned I pretty much cut out Alchohol altogether not that I drank much anyway,

Thanks again. Looks great. I am sure that those are achievable cut backs for me.

blackhands wrote:

Look up the 5/2 diet (5 normal days and 2 calorie restriction days) - there's proper medical evidence that it works. I'd be careful of any diet proposed by a bodybuilder - especially if it means skipping breakfast. Don't lose sight of the fact that the objectives of a body builder (building muscle) are completely different to those of a competitive cyclist (developing endurance).

Yeah absolutely - Will look into that 5-2 diet as it does seem to be more highly promoted. Thanks

djm501

I wouldn't worry about the diet if you've only just begun. I (ex-prop although a go while back in my case) dropped from 20 stone to 16 stone in six months last year. And that was without any change in diet at all - I just got the long ride bug and put serious miles in - I average around 600 miles a month at the moment and didn't give a sh!t about the winter and just kept riding.
I need to worry about it now as I've plateaued but if you cut diet *and* start riding massive miles I'd worry a little about losing weight too quickly...

djm501

As an additional point - I hope you've got sturdy wheels on your bike. I thought I was heavy and I have pushed it a bit with my wheels, but 290 lb is a lot - you may want to get 36 spokes - particularly rear - wheels. Lots of miles will put lots of strain on them.

Camcycle1974

blackhands wrote:

Look up the 5/2 diet (5 normal days and 2 calorie restriction days) - there's proper medical evidence that it works. I'd be careful of any diet proposed by a bodybuilder - especially if it means skipping breakfast. Don't lose sight of the fact that the objectives of a body builder (building muscle) are completely different to those of a competitive cyclist (developing endurance).

5/2 is simply a way of cutting calories so yes, of course it works! Have you actually looked into this before posting some generalised comments? His (the author of the blog) main objective is to remain at 5.5% body fat year round which is certainly an objective of a competitive cyclist. If you read my post you will see that the fact the guy is a bodybuilder is incidental. The medical benefits of fasting are also proven by the way.

swa90

djm501 wrote:

I wouldn't worry about the diet if you've only just begun. I (ex-prop although a go while back in my case) dropped from 20 stone to 16 stone in six months last year. And that was without any change in diet at all - I just got the long ride bug and put serious miles in - I average around 600 miles a month at the moment and didn't give a sh!t about the winter and just kept riding.
I need to worry about it now as I've plateaued but if you cut diet *and* start riding massive miles I'd worry a little about losing weight too quickly...

Thanks - diet is something I need to adjust really than overhall. It's also the added benefits of complexion, not feel lethargic etc that I want to achieve!

djm501 wrote:

As an additional point - I hope you've got sturdy wheels on your bike. I thought I was heavy and I have pushed it a bit with my wheels, but 290 lb is a lot - you may want to get 36 spokes - particularly rear - wheels. Lots of miles will put lots of strain on them.

This is something which I have been thinking about. I want to get new wheels for my bike and am looking at grabbing the Shimano RS30's in a few weeks - will these suffice? If not what should I be looking at?

djm501

Oh you've got me there - I'm not a wheel expert, I just know that you need something sturdy from reading around. At 220 lb I seem to be OK with shimano R501s and Mavic Ksrium equipes but the R501s broke a spoke once and the whole wheel was unuseable until I got it fixed and that was a 24 spoke rear wheel.
I'll leave specific wheel advice to someone with much more experience than I... - aside from the Bontrager nebulas on my hybrid I have zero experience of wheels other than the ones I've mentioned here.

swa90

djm501 wrote:

Oh you've got me there - I'm not a wheel expert, I just know that you need something sturdy from reading around. At 220 lb I seem to be OK with shimano R501s and Mavic Ksrium equipes but the R501s broke a spoke once and the whole wheel was unuseable until I got it fixed and that was a 24 spoke rear wheel.
I'll leave specific wheel advice to someone with much more experience than I... - aside from the Bontrager nebulas on my hybrid I have zero experience of wheels other than the ones I've mentioned here.

Ok no worries - thanks all the same.

Can anyone offer further advice on wheels? Or should I open a more specific topic?

Camcycle1974

36 spoke handbuilt wheels (Mavic Open Pro rims) on a sturdy hub like the Shimano 105 would be my recommendation. Also won't break the bank and will be repairable (see the experience of the person above). Have a look at The Cycle Clinic or Just Riding Along.

There is a thread running about wheels for a heavier rider and countless others no doubt!

simon_masterson

I would hold off getting any wheels until you are well within the weight range. Don't be fooled into thinking that your hardware isn't good enough; if anything for racing you want kit you won't lament if some idiot takes you out in a corner!

As for food, just sticking to a healthy intake of good food can have a substantial effect - both on your weight and your energy levels and wellbeing. I would stress that unless you are doing A LOT of (very well structured) training, you should not need to adjust your diet significantly; the basic precepts that we tend to follow in cycling would have a significant impact on the obesity problem in this country if everyone followed them.

I.e. Good quality carbs (oats, wholewheat pasta, wholegrain rice, sweet potatoes, properly made homemade bread, etc), a protein element to each meal, and moderated fat intake. You don't have to give up beer (unless you find it hard to have 1-2). You don't have to give up luxuries (just make sure that that's what they are, and indulge occasionally). You don't have to radically change your diet, either. There are various vocal minorites who claim to have the holy grail of nutrition, from the fruitarians to the vegans. The body is pretty tolerant, and will adapt. There are many ways to skin a cat, and if you aren't training and competing like a professional, you shouldn't feel like you have to abstain like one. Find a sustainable regime that works for you and stick to it. There DOES come a point at which your self-denial is into diminishing returns; I think you'll find that most if not all professionals are a little bit above their racing weight during their off-seasons.

As for me, I have moreorless given up meat altogether (though that's at least as much about not being able to afford humanely produced, high quality meat), and tend to use beans, pulses, dairy products (Full fat milk is one thing I would struggle to give up!) and some fish for my protein. I keep my snacks small (eg. fruit, nuts, seeds), I have one pint not six, once or twice a week, and I mainly drink green tea during the day in the week; my diet generally from Monday to Friday is simple and plain. My colleagues mock me for my lunches! I don't calorie count, but I imagine I must fall well within 2500. Works for me just fine. I daresay I could lose a pound or two (6ft, about 10st7), but I think that would more likely be a consequence of doing more cycling than changing what I eat.

simon_masterson

Camcycle1974 wrote:

36 spoke handbuilt wheels (Mavic Open Pro rims) on a sturdy hub like the Shimano 105 would be my recommendation. Also won't break the bank and will be repairable (see the experience of the person above). Have a look at The Cycle Clinic or Just Riding Along.

There is a thread running about wheels for a heavier rider and countless others no doubt!

Yep, pretty much my thoughts.

Pross

blackhands wrote:

Look up the 5/2 diet (5 normal days and 2 calorie restriction days) - there's proper medical evidence that it works. I'd be careful of any diet proposed by a bodybuilder - especially if it means skipping breakfast. Don't lose sight of the fact that the objectives of a body builder (building muscle) are completely different to those of a competitive cyclist (developing endurance).

Disagree. I lost loads of weight with the help of nutrition advice from a body builder. Yes, they are looking to build muscle but that's a combination of the protein intake and weight work - just protein won't build muscle. The main thing with their diet is they need to shift body fat to improve definition. It certainly didn't involve skipping breakfast!

RiderUk

SWA90 - Hello and welcome to the forum.
Take a look at this thread,very motivational.
viewtopic.php?t=12872732#p17811870

swa90

RiderUk wrote:

SWA90 - Hello and welcome to the forum.
Take a look at this thread,very motivational.
viewtopic.php?t=12872732#p17811870

Fantastic - thank you. Will take a good look.

Camcycle1974

Pross wrote:

blackhands wrote:

Look up the 5/2 diet (5 normal days and 2 calorie restriction days) - there's proper medical evidence that it works. I'd be careful of any diet proposed by a bodybuilder - especially if it means skipping breakfast. Don't lose sight of the fact that the objectives of a body builder (building muscle) are completely different to those of a competitive cyclist (developing endurance).

Disagree. I lost loads of weight with the help of nutrition advice from a body builder. Yes, they are looking to build muscle but that's a combination of the protein intake and weight work - just protein won't build muscle. The main thing with their diet is they need to shift body fat to improve definition. It certainly didn't involve skipping breakfast!

No, it probably involved eating 6-7 small meals a day with protein at each meal. Am I right? Bodybuilding broscience at its best. Agree though that a bodybuilding type diet can be appropriated to other disciplines. The problem with BB ers is that they often look fat most of the year and only get in shape for an event or for non-competitive ones. the summer.
Lean Gains on the other hand enables year round conditioning which is applicable to cyclists.

Bar Shaker

Not sure where you are in Essex but if near Billericay, Chelmsford or Maldon, all three have very active clubs, all with race series. ERCC is probably the biggest and race around Hanningfield on Weds evenings.

swa90

Bar Shaker wrote:

Not sure where you are in Essex but if near Billericay, Chelmsford or Maldon, all three have very active clubs, all with race series. ERCC is probably the biggest and race around Hanningfield on Weds evenings.

In Brentwood myself! Looking maybe at Glendene?