Will loosing weight make me faster?

1964johnr

6' 2" 17 stones. Broad, but not fat. Currently average 15mph on a two hour ride on mixed roads, flat and hilly. Getting a bit fed up with riders passing me who seem to be averaging 18-20mph. Most of them are younger and thinner than me, but I'm wondering how much faster I might be if I shed a couple of stones? I have already improved my average speed from 14mph to 15mph through the purchase of a new carbon bike.

Bordersroadie

In a word, yes. Especially around a hilly route. Combined with getting fitter/stronger, you're onto a winner really.

The performance gains will be in a completely different league to any gains you got from your new carbon bike, which will almost certainly have been placebo effect unless your previous bike was a real clunker.

There are umpteen threads on the subject of bike vs rider weight but in a nutshell the physics is all about getting a bike+rider combo pushed along the road, up hills, against the wind etc and if you're 108 kilos, whether a bike is 10kg or 8kg is going to make a very small overall percentage difference. As a good illustration, you could potentially lose the weight of one or two entire bikes, so it's all looking good!

All the best!

nweststeyn

It's funny how different people with different levels of self confidence see themselves differently.

I'm 6ft 4, and weigh 13stone 8lbs, and consider myself still 'a bit fat'. I don't have much upper body muscle though. As a basketball player in past years, I carried a lot more weight (closer to 15.5 stone) but didn't think myself as fat.

Anyway, to get to the point... yes, losing weight will make a big difference to your speed.

imposter2.0

1964johnr wrote:

6' 2" 17 stones. Broad, but not fat. Currently average 15mph on a two hour ride on mixed roads, flat and hilly. Getting a bit fed up with riders passing me who seem to be averaging 18-20mph. Most of them are younger and thinner than me, but I'm wondering how much faster I might be if I shed a couple of stones? I have already improved my average speed from 14mph to 15mph through the purchase of a new carbon bike.

Trivially, losing weight will give you a performance advantage. But so will improving your fitness. Depends which you think may be easier. If in doubt, do both.

davep1

If you lose the weight through riding, definitely. 2 years ago I was 95 kg, and through a combination of cycling a lot more and watching what I eat and drink more, am now nearer 80kg. My average speed is creeping up from around 15 mph to around 18 and I'm now working specifically on hills.

I think the bike would have made a difference; I went from a 20 yr old steelie to an 8 yr old ally about a year ago, and just knowing it was a better bike made me put more effort in.

One thing I find helps on the weight front is to go out early morning and not have breakfast. It forces your body to use the energy stored in fat cells rather than what you have just eaten; I can go for about 2 hours without eating anything if I have a couple of gels and water.

LegendLust

Only if you lose fat and not muscle

LegendLust

DaveP1 wrote:

If you lose the weight through riding, definitely. 2 years ago I was 95 kg, and through a combination of cycling a lot more and watching what I eat and drink more, am now nearer 80kg. My average speed is creeping up from around 15 mph to around 18 and I'm now working specifically on hills.

I think the bike would have made a difference; I went from a 20 yr old steelie to an 8 yr old ally about a year ago, and just knowing it was a better bike made me put more effort in.

One thing I find helps on the weight front is to go out early morning and not have breakfast. It forces your body to use the energy stored in fat cells rather than what you have just eaten; I can go for about 2 hours without eating anything if I have a couple of gels and water.

Surely the gels are 'food'?

markhewitt1978

1964johnr wrote:

6' 2" 17 stones.

That puts you into the obese category (NHS term not mine!), to get to 'Healthy Weight' would be 14 stones. So you do have plenty of scope for weight loss and yes it will make you faster on hills. It's the most effective way to improve your cycling performance outside of just riding more.

StillGoing

Lose the weight anyway you can. It doesn't have to be through exercise. I've just trimmed down to 147lbs from 181lbs (37" waist to 31") in just over 6 weeks through a no carbs diet. Yes you will be weak for the first few rides until you're back taking in the carbs you need, but I instantly found I was quicker than previously even on the first ride and climbing hills is no longer the chore it was. Average speed has gone up, i'm no longer at the back of the cassette going up hill pleading for another gear and look more like a cyclist than a wrestler when I put my bib shorts on. As a consequence cycling is much more enjoyable than it was in previous years and I'll now go looking for hills rather than avoiding them.

Ignore BMI figures as they are eventually to be phased out as unreliable. Jonah Lomu and other RU players would be classed as obese under BMI calculations and pro cyclists as grossly underweight. The key measurement being worked on by a lot of specialists is your waist and height calculation. If double your waist is more than your height in inches, you are at risk of medical problems. Consequently, if your waist is bigger than 37" you need to lose weight.

Kimble

yes will definitely get faster. I'm back doing serious cycling miles commuting and while getting much faster an still stubbornly stuck at 90-95KG (6FT) so despite being much fitter and fitter looking, other guys are leaving me for dead on the climbs. in a race it can be hard to bridge that gap on power alone more than once or twice before you're done in. Also if you're less 'bulky' it's easier to maintain an aerodynamic position on the drops (or aero bars) without feeling too 'cramped/restricted'

I find that doing a little higher speed running (programme) will do wonders for your climbing ability on the bike as well as strengthening your core and helping you shift some of the torso fat that cycling seems to struggle to shift.

ai_1

Lower weight for the same power equals significant speed increase on the hills. On flat terrain the difference in speed will be fairly minimal although acceleration and cornering will improve.

DaveP1 wrote:

.....One thing I find helps on the weight front is to go out early morning and not have breakfast. It forces your body to use the energy stored in fat cells rather than what you have just eaten; I can go for about 2 hours without eating anything if I have a couple of gels and water.

Not sure this is necessarily a great plan.
I don't believe there's any evidence that exercising hungry is better for losing weight. Your body can't so easily be persuaded to resort to what are essentially emergency stores. Glycogen stores will last you the first 2 or more hours of exercise anyway and if you've been depriving yourself food you will then find it impossible to maintain exercise intensity. That reduces the work you're doing and also triggers food cravings. Chances are you'll find it hard to resist high energy food afterwards. Furthermore you're depriving yourself of low GI foods and then taking gels to compensate - that makes no sense! It's the exact opposite of what you would want to do to reduce calorie intake and maintain stable blood sugar levels (again this will make it easier not to binge on calories after your cycle). I'm no expert but I think your approach is very likely counter-productive. You may have lost weight doing this but if so I think you did it the hard and less healthy way. This approach will almost certainly make your training, mood and relationship with food suffer and likely reduce the rate of weight loss.

pashda

Yes you will get faster but losing weight only really affects climbing. Power to weight ratio affects you a lot more going against gravity. Do some strength training such as squats a couple of times a week and ride as much as possible and you will be faster. I found riding with guys slightly faster than me helped as you push yourself harder and when you get tired you can draft for a rest. Good luck

Captain Slackbladder

markhewitt1978 wrote:

1964johnr wrote:

6' 2" 17 stones.

That puts you into the obese category (NHS term not mine!), to get to 'Healthy Weight' would be 14 stones. So you do have plenty of scope for weight loss and yes it will make you faster on hills. It's the most effective way to improve your cycling performance outside of just riding more.

The whole BMI thing is flawed....nothing to do with me being 6,4 and 16st-5lbs though

markhewitt1978

haha, I'm still 10kg 'overweight', I've lost 8kg so far which I have very much noticed in my hill climbing.

VmanF3

I've lost around 13 or so kgs recently and it has made a noticeable difference on climbs. A hill I used to refer to as *astard Hill has now been renamed Quite Pleasant Hill.

LegendLust

Ai_1 wrote:

Lower weight for the same power equals significant speed increase on the hills. On flat terrain the difference in speed will be fairly minimal although acceleration and cornering will improve.

DaveP1 wrote:

.....One thing I find helps on the weight front is to go out early morning and not have breakfast. It forces your body to use the energy stored in fat cells rather than what you have just eaten; I can go for about 2 hours without eating anything if I have a couple of gels and water.

Not sure this is necessarily a great plan.
I don't believe there's any evidence that exercising hungry is better for losing weight. Your body can't so easily be persuaded to resort to what are essentially emergency stores. Glycogen stores will last you the first 2 or more hours of exercise anyway and if you've been depriving yourself food you will then find it impossible to maintain exercise intensity. That reduces the work you're doing and also triggers food cravings. Chances are you'll find it hard to resist high energy food afterwards. Furthermore you're depriving yourself of low GI foods and then taking gels to compensate - that makes no sense! It's the exact opposite of what you would want to do to reduce calorie intake and maintain stable blood sugar levels (again this will make it easier not to binge on calories after your cycle). I'm no expert but I think your approach is very likely counter-productive. You may have lost weight doing this but if so I think you did it the hard and less healthy way. This approach will almost certainly make your training, mood and relationship with food suffer and likely reduce the rate of weight loss.

This strategy can be made to work - only if you have recovery food and breakfast after the ride - replenishing nutrients and glycogen.

damocles10

Down hill you might be faster

chris_bass

conversely, I gained weight and now i'm faster! I was a bit underweight before though!

rob.m

I've lost a couple of stone over the last few years and its made a lot of difference to my speed, climbing and on the flat. If you are able to then pay attention to regular weight training and core stability exercises as I find that this helps, another great way to lose a bit of weight is to try a spot of running as well.

VmanF3

Agree about the running. Helped me achieve better overall fitness and really was like a weight loss turbo shot! I used to hate running, but now I run every day.

sarm34

If you want to lose weight remember not to starve yourself while trying to shed a few pounds, combine it with healthy eating, exercise, and don't forget to treat yourself every now and then. Its no good losing a tonne of weight and having no energy to do anything after

wandsworth

Rob.M wrote:

I've lost a couple of stone over the last few years and its made a lot of difference to my speed, climbing and on the flat. If you are able to then pay attention to regular weight training and core stability exercises as I find that this helps, another great way to lose a bit of weight is to try a spot of running as well.

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but any suggestions for good core stability exercises?

rob.m

wandsworth wrote:

Rob.M wrote:

I've lost a couple of stone over the last few years and its made a lot of difference to my speed, climbing and on the flat. If you are able to then pay attention to regular weight training and core stability exercises as I find that this helps, another great way to lose a bit of weight is to try a spot of running as well.

Not meaning to hijack the thread, but any suggestions for good core stability exercises?

You can try the 'plank', 'side plank','superman', leg raises (lie flat on your stomach and lift your legs a few inches) there's plenty to try. A good thing to do is to have a look on youtube there's some great core stability exercises on there.
Some other good things are full squats holding a barbell above your head and lunges holding a barbell above your head, have a look at a few crossfit vids on youtube for those.

Bordersroadie

Just ride your bike.

ai_1

Bordersroadie wrote:

Just ride your bike.

I hope that's not a reply to the request for guidance on building core strength!?
If so you couldn't be much more wrong.

markhewitt1978

I've been checking my weight same time every Monday morning and it mostly depends on how many bags of crisps I've had the previous week, but the week where I've had best results, I was doing running / walking intervals during my lunch hour at work and I lost 3lb that week , then put it back on later . My problem is that I just find running to be unpleasant.

imposter2.0

Ai_1 wrote:

Bordersroadie wrote:

Just ride your bike.

I hope that's not a reply to the request for guidance on building core strength!?
If so you couldn't be much more wrong.

Riding a bike will give you all the core strength you need for riding a bike.

ugo.santalucia

1964johnr wrote:

6' 2" 17 stones. Broad, but not fat.

Bad news for you... with a BMI of 30.7 you are classified as borderline obese. The answer is yes, losing a couple of stones will make you faster and if you could lose 3 stones you would actually be classified as normal weight, which would be awesome... and you would be awesome at cycling too...

damocles10

I think that is the problem with BMI....in general terms it is a good indicator, for athletes or people who are lean there can be issues. Obviously you can see the fat on most people but if you are lean and heavy with muscle I wouldn't worry....I imagine Chris Hoy must be well up there in the BMI scales.

BillyImp

BMI isn't really an accurate way of measuring whether somebody is at the correct weight anyway, much better looking at body fat percentage. Using the BMI calculation method then most weightifters, rugby players etc. would be classed as obese.

ugo.santalucia

Yes but nothing in the OP post (including his supposed age) indicates he is a professional rugby player or weightlifter... it seems to me more likely he might fall into the normal BMI range and hence being borderline obese.

I do admit the criteria for obesity are quite stringent, but that's what doctors have figured, so there might be a grain of truth in it