Training plan.

Dick Scruttock

I eager to drop some weight and have a go at some racing next year (mountain bike not road) but I don't know where to start?

I'm currently carrying a fair bit of bark to say the least, 13s 7lbs and am 5'9". I have everything I need at my disposal but need to apply myself properly. I have on average 3 days available a week where I can train when at home and then when away for the other 4 days I have pretty well equipped gyms available.

Am I best heading out to the flats on my road bike riding shorter distances but going balls to the wall, longer distances at a slower pace or go grovel in the hills? Where should I start? At the minute I'm going out on my MTB a fair bit but I think the road bike will help get some weight off quicker?

The part I struggle with is diet, I'm constantly working through the night, different time zones and room service menus due to the inhospitable hours I work.

diy

Others may disagree, but IMO you wont shift the spare with exercise alone. It takes a ridiculous amount of exercise to shift a 1lb of fat - 3,300 kcal or there abouts, given a hard-ish workout is going to be around 600-1000 kcal per hour you are needing to add 3+ hours of training every week just to shift 1 lb.

I personally found the 5 : 2 diet very compatible with endurance training and also resulted in substantial weight loss, not to mention significant performance gains both on short and long distances.

I also find it much easier to be disciplined on food 2 days a week knowing that I can eat what I want on the other days. For me I don't eat all day and then (depending on my exercise on that day) I will have a couple of dry fried eggs before training and then soup after to get me to my max of 600kcal.

Drink plenty of water - the brain confuses hydration with hunger.

For training (MTB races) you will need to include some full body (core and upper body) training too. High reps "body pump" style work outs are good and I'd build in some interval training 2-3 times a week if you can. BUT you wont be competitive until you get the body mass down.

I was about a similar weight when I started 2 1/2 years ago - I now hold somewhere between 69-72kg and am about 25% faster on endurance races.

bahzob

I agree with above. If you are seriously overweight then the first priority should be lose weight.

As above this means restricting calories as number one priority. This may mean riding feels harder, afraid that's just the way it has to be.

In terms of training just ride as hard as you can at an effort that you can sustain for the full duration. This will burn the most calories. Continue to do this until you hit a target weight (normal BMI is best guide), once there, if you like, it may be time to shift emphasis and start training for performance while holding weight steady.