Cycling Commentary

Tips to Get Lean (Part 3)

The final installment of a three-part series, "tips to get lean" is written to help cyclists achieve their desired race weight and improve cycling performance.

11. Measure your progress

When asked in an interview about the most important tool for improving cycling performance, Lance Armstrong pointed to the scale. In doing so, he reinforced the notion that a goal that cannot be measured is really no goal at all. The cyclist that is seriously committed to sustainable weight loss will weigh in daily at the same time each day. Most cycling coaches recommend a weigh-in first thing in the morning, just after having gone to the bathroom and prior to eating. Track and post weight and body fat percentage (using the Tanita scale) in TrainingPeaks.com and track your progress over time. Some suggest that daily weighing is a bit excessive (I don’t agree), so choose one or two days per week when you will consistently weigh-in and post your results.

12. Train your body to burn more fat for fuel

Bob Seebohar has written an excellent book called “Metabolic Efficiency Training” that explains in great detail how to train your body to burn fat for fuel. Without taking away from the book, which is highly recommended, training your body to burn fat for fuel entails long, slow distance rides as well as eliminating sugary drinks from your shorter workouts. Go with water instead of sugar for workouts less than 90 minutes. For longer workouts, try substituting dried fruit for energy drinks and gels. Dried cherries are a favorite. Not only are they packed with carbohydrates, cherries also carry natural anti-inflammatory properties to help enhance your recovery.

13. Time your nutrient consumption

After a full night’s sleep, the human body awakens to a gas tank only half full. Stored carbohydrate and fat is burned while sleeping such that the amount of available carbohydrate for cycling performance is at only 50% of what it was just 8 hours prior. The long period of fasting and resting called sleep has taken a toll on the body’s ability to fuel performance. Accordingly, it makes sense for the cyclist to consume a higher carbohydrate food upon awakening to fuel performance for the day ahead. In fact, a strategy whereby high carbohydrate foods (whole grains and fruits) are consumed during the morning hours followed by meals that are higher in fats, proteins and low-glycemic carbohydrates (nuts, oils, seeds, lean meets, beans and vegetables) throughout the day leads to fewer cravings, greater feelings of fullness and lower overall calorie consumption.

A special note on post workout meals: Most athletes already know this, but it’s very important to begin replacing expended carbohydrate within 30 minutes of the conclusion of a workout. A recovery meal that contains both carbohydrate and protein in a 4:1 ratio has been shown to hasten carbohydrate replacement in the muscles when consumed within the 30-minute “window.” A blueberry smoothie with banana, almond milk and whey protein is a favorite recovery meal.

14. Treat yourself daily

A calorie restriction diet is difficult, so reward yourself daily for the progress you make. Allocate your calories wisely throughout the day and you will still have room for a daily treat. Try a square or two (120 calories) of 70-85% dark chocolate each night. The industry boasts that chocolate is high in bioflavonoids, but the real benefit is a little bit of chocolate takes care of the sweet tooth that often needs satiating in the early evening hours before bed. Eat it slowly, and savor it. You deserve it.

15. Buy yourself some new clothes

After a month or two of following these tips for getting lean, you will have lost weight and become leaner. As a result, your clothes will loosen, and people will notice the difference in your body composition. At first, people will say, “Have you lost weight? You look great!” Over time, as you near race weight, people may begin to ask the same question, but with more concern, followed by “you look skinny.” In our culture of overweight and obese people, skinny people are a clear outlier. People are either threatened by your leanness or associate it with illness. It can be tough to take. So, don’t flop around in baggie clothing. Buy yourself some new threads so that you continue to look great as the new, lean you.

 16. Maintain a year round focus on optimizing body composition

To achieve optimal race weight, the aspiring cyclist will have worked hard and sacrificed to reach these levels. Just as peak performance in not sustainable year round, neither is race weight. That said, just because the season is over does not mean you should take your eye of the ball. If you have lost a considerable amount of weight, take steps in the offseason to assure that it does not all come back. Gaining back 2-3 kilos in the winter is not a big deal. But don’t let all your hard work turn into mush in the offseason by gaining it all back through poor dietary habits and a sloppy exercise regimen. Be the aspiring cyclist year round, and think about how you will continue to improve cycling performance from year to year. A lean, healthy and athletic body is a solid start!

Tips to Get Lean and Improve Cycling Performance (Part 2)

These tips to get lean and improve cycling performance are part of a three part series on the topic of optimizing body composition and achieving race weight.

6. Eat more healthy fats

A message that says eat more fats is a tough message to swallow, especially since our goal in becoming leaner cyclists is to lose fat. Eating fat may seem counter intuitive. However, our bodies need essential fats to perform the most basic functions. And while it’s important to eliminate trans fats from the diet and to limit the amount of highly saturated animal fat, the consumption of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty foods from sources like nuts, olive and canola oils, and fatty fishes like salmon and mackerel is not only essential to good diet and a healthy body, they have the added benefit of making you feel full.

7. Drink plenty of water, especially before meals

Drinking water not only keeps you well hydrated (most Americans, for example, are chronically dehydrated), the consumption of water before a meal also helps create a feeling of fullness sooner than you otherwise would. Try it – have a 16-ounce glass of water before your next meal. It will help you control the amount of food you consume in a sitting, which leads to the next point…

8. Control portion sizes

Controlling portion size is difficult for the hungry cyclist or endurance athlete, particularly after a big workout. Just ask my cycling coach! The key here is to begin with a modest size plate of food. Consume the food slowly; savor the taste; then wait 20 minutes prior to going back for a second serving. Signals from the stomach to the brain lag. Know the lag, exercise some self-control and wait a few short minutes before strapping on a larger food bag. If you’re still hungry after 20 minutes, then it’s okay to consume more. Your body is telling you that you need the calories.

9. Make strength-training part of your workout routine

As cyclists we tend to emphasize aerobic conditioning and intensity workouts and neglect strength training. This is particularly so once the weather improves (if you live in colder climates) as trips to the gym are relegated to the colder winter months in preference to miles on dangerous, snow covered roads. Granted, the development of aerobic conditioning and the ability to tolerate intense workouts is essential to improving cycling performance and burning calories. But these types of workouts really do very little to build lean muscle mass according to sports medicine specialists, and lean muscle mass in the key to achieving optimal body composition. Lean muscle mass burns more energy in a resting state than does fat. So, a cyclist with a higher percentage of lean muscle mass (read, lower body fat percentage) burns more calories in a resting state than his or her “fatter” friends. The most effective way to build lean muscle mass is through a strength training regimen. One to three times per week will do the job.

 10. Track and count your calories

Tracking calories consumed against calories expended is probably the single most important activity an aspiring cyclist can do to achieve optimal body composition and reach and sustain race weight. The reality of weight loss is simple math; calories expended must be greater than calories consumed. Since there are 3,500 calories to a pound of fat, the cyclist seeking to get lean must restrict calories by 500 per day if he or she wishes to lose a pound of fat each week, a realistic goal. But how will you know if you do not track it? You won’t. So, the only way to make sure that you are on the right path is to track calories expended versus calories consumed. Again, TrainingPeaks.com offers an excellent tool to help you with the task. It offers an easy to use meal journal and a meal-building tool that enables you to track what you eat quickly and easily. Likewise, the training log feature allows you to track calories consumed on a daily basis. TrainingPeaks.com also provides a tool to help you estimate your resting metabolic rate (the amount of energy you expend sustaining daily bodily function) and average daily caloric expenditure to give you an accurate picture of your calorie restriction profile. At first, it’s a bit of a hassle to track your food consistently. But with TrainingPeaks.com easy-to-use tools and mobile accessibility, there is really no reason not to track your progress on a daily basis. Again, tracking calories consumed versus calories expended is the single most important component of a sustainable “get lean for maximum cycling performance” program. So, why not do it?

(Continued... Tips for Getting Lean and Improving Cycling Performance Part 3 provides more tips ranging from burning more fat for fuel to nutriet timing and buying new threads!)

Race Weight and Body Composition: Tips to Get Lean and Improve Cycling Performance (Part 1)

Achieving optimal race weight and body composition is essential to cycling success. In fact, optimal body composition is almost as important as building aerobic capacity, improving lactate threshold and achieving cycling economy for the aspiring cyclist.

You’ve seen the guys in the Tour – the top performers boast power to weight ratios in excess of 6.0 and body fat levels in the 4-6% range. Whatever you call them - skinny or lean - these guys are built to go fast. And while you may not be able to achieve their power or weight, you can improve cycling performance by optimizing both weight and body composition.

According to Joe Friel, top cyclists have a body mass – defined as pounds per inch of body height – in the 1.8 to 2.0 ranges for male climbers and 1.6 to 1.8 for female climbers. That means that a top climber like Andy Schleck (2^nd in the 2010 Tour de France) who is 73 inches tall likely has an optimal body weight between 135-140lbs come race time. Top time trial specialists, who are often the most powerful cyclists, have a slightly higher body mass in the 2.1 to 2.4 range for men and 1.9 to 2.2 for women. That suggests that Fabian Cancellera (also 73” tall) has an optimal body weight of 151-155lbs, while Kristin Armstrong (68” tall) has an optimal body weight of 129-133lbs.

While these metrics are great for top cyclists in the world, what does this mean for the recreational cyclist and their cycling coaches seeking to improve cycling performance?

Tips for Getting Lean

If you are serious about optimizing body composition, then these experientially proven tips will help you arrive at the start line with optimal race weight and improved chances of cycling success.

1. Set a goal to optimize race weight and body comp

Having the desire and commitment to reach a certain weight or body composition is absolutely essential to success. Begin with a realistic goal and take the necessary steps to achieve that goal. So, if you’re 72” tall and weigh 175 lbs (body mass = 2.43), a reasonable goal might be to achieve a body mass of 2.3 or 165lbs. Yes, achieving this goal will require diet, exercise and discipline, but it’s not as difficult as you might think.

2. Establish a reasonable time frame to reach your goal

Many diet books promise quick and sustainable weight loss. And while some of these methodologies (Atkins, for example) result in quick weight loss for those who are overweight, these diets and rarely sustainable, nor are they optimal for the aspiring cyclist or endurance athlete. If, your goal is to achieve a .13 reduction in body mass (10lbs in our example), then give yourself at least 3 months to achieve that goal and build sustainable dietary habits designed to keep you lean throughout the year.

3. Invest in the tools to measure your progress

To achieve your goal of optimizing body composition and reducing weight, you will need the tools to measure your progress along the way. Specifically, you will need a meal journal, an accurate scale that provides weight and body fat percentage (Tanita has a good one), and an accurate estimate of the number of calories burned per workout. TrainingPeaks.com offers a free training journal that includes a meal journal, estimates of resting metabolic rate and a good way to accurately track calories burned. TrainingPeaks.com software is highly recommended.

4. Choose nutrient rich foods

To lose weight, optimize body composition AND improve your overall health, you simply must emphasize nutrient-rich foods in your diet. That means choosing fruits, vegetables, nuts and lean protein over grains and especially sugary and starchy foods. This is much easier said than done. Our culture and our grocery stores are chock full of highly processed foods that are full of sugar and trans fats. These foods are not the fuel for performance you desire to build a lean, mean racing machine. So, skip the chips, the cookies and the bread, and shop the outer aisles of the grocery store. Avoid the processed foods and select fruits, vegetables, lean meats, beans and nuts.

 5. Break yourself of the sugar habit

When an athlete consumes highly processed sugary and starchy foods (yes, that means white bread), the body responds by releasing insulin from the pancreas to absorb the sugar into the cells to convert it to energy. Sugary and starch-laden, low fiber foods are considered high glycemic index foods, according to a favorite sports medicine specialist practice. When consumed, these high carbohydrate, high-calorie foods cause a spike in insulin, followed by an equally drastic fall. The rapid fall in insulin causes the athlete to feel hungry again, even though a high calorie food source has just been consumed – a prescription for weight gain. Avoiding the consumption of these types of foods requires discipline and focus. Begin by substituting sweet tasting fruits (even dried fruits) for foods with added sugar. Substitute whole grain breads and granola for white breads and pastas. Experience shows that eliminating sugary and starchy foods from the diet results in a commensurate reduction in pounds from your waistline and/or buttocks, where fat is stored.

(Continued... Tips for Getting Lean Part 2 provides more tips ranging from eating healthy fats to tracking calorie consumption and expenditure)

Improve Cycling Performance with FTP Intervals

Classic periodization theory suggests that winter is the time of year for cyclists to spend long hours on the bike working the "aerobic base." Long endurance or zone 2 rides are encouraged as a means of establishing a strong aerobic foundation upon which to build cycling success for the year ahead. But if you live in colder climates where snow covered roads are the norm, that means a lot of long, boring trainer rides.

One cycling and triathlon coach we know turns classic periodization on its head. Instead of prescribing long endurance rides on the trainer, this coach prescribes regular FTP (functional threshold power) workouts to his athletes during the winter months. What is the rationale behind such an approach designed to improve cycling performance?

First, the coach recognizes that trainer workouts can be boring. FTP workouts keep things both interesting and challenging for the athlete. A typical FTP workout includes 30 minutes of warm-up with some 30-60 second pick ups in the last 3rd of the warm-up. Then the athlete is instructed to ride for a 6-10 minute interval at a prescribed wattage level that is at or near functional threshold (or lactate threshold) power. The FTP interval is repeated once or twice on a recovery equal to half the length of the interval, followed by a 10-15 minute cool down. This is challenging workout completed in a relatively short period of time (75-90 minutes).

Second, the coach prescribes four bike workouts per week with 3 of the 4 of those workouts featuring FTP intervals. While the workouts are short, lasting no more than 90 minutes per session, each workout yields 70-80 training stress score (TSS) points bringing the weekly total to 280-300 TSS. That forms a CTL (chronic training load) base of 38-42 TSS.

Third, the "base" that is being formed is on a foundation that consists of difficult workouts that stress the cardiovascular system more acutely than long endurance rides do. Workouts featuring FTP intervals are similar to progressive strength training workouts where the muscles are being asked to lift a heavier and heavier load each week. Once the load is reduced and the athlete recovers during an unload week, the athlete's ability to lift more weight - or push more power in this instance - is the direct result of the training block.

Once the spring comes, and the cyclist can ride outside, there is still plenty of time to do long endurance rides. But now, the aspiring cyclist who has spent the winter months working FTP will be at a higher level of fitness than if trainer time had been spent doing endurance work.

Bottom line: FTP intervals yield more bang (training stress) for the buck (time spent).

 

 

Improve Cycling Performance - Hire a Coach

A friend of mine is a classic example of why athletes seeking to improve cycling performance should hire a coach.

Each year towards the end of the December, my friend starts training in earnest. His program consists of hard efforts on the trainer, occasional lunchtime runs with his work colleagues and a strength training program that he has "designed" himself. During rare winter group rides afforded by the Northern New England climate, he shows up on his "fixie" and rides hard on the front. By February, he has all but abandoned his program, which really never was much of a program. By May when other riders are starting to come into early season race form, my pal is often found off the back of the group, struggling over the the last few miles just to make it home.

Where my friend began with good intentions - full of piss and vinegar - he did not know where to draw the line; he became fatigued; grew bored of the effort; life got in the way; and he soon fell out the good habits he struggled to develop. Enter the cycling coach.

The decision to hire a cycling coach is a commitment unto itself. The outlay of money to have someone advise you on how to improve your cycling performance suggests a level of seriousness not evident with the self-trained athletes. Only the rare athlete is able to develop, follow, monitor and adjust a training program that not only helps the athlete become faster on the bike, but to peak during key times of year for 'A' priority races.

So, what exactly does a cycling coach offer the serious cyclist?

• An experienced cycling coach knows cycling. The coach is a student of physiology and is credentialed by a recognized body such as USA Cycling.
• The coach understands the principles of overload and recovery. By working closely with you and understanding your response to certain training loads, the coach can meter out the training in a structured way that applies adequate training stress without creating an over trained effect.
• Likewise, a well-trained cycling coach knows when to tell an athlete to take a break. The coach is sensitive to early signs of overtraining syndromes and "forces" the eager athlete to recover.
• Interestingly, a good coach forces the athlete to work through a planned, heavy block of training, knowing that the appropriate load, followed by recovery creates higher levesl of fitness.
• The coach serves as a sounding board for the athlete who becomes discournaged by the results of a poor performance on an early season fitness test. The wise cycling coach also holds the athlete's ego in check when an unexpected breakout performance creates delusions of grandeur.
• A smart cycling coach emphasizes consistency, repeatability and specificity. The coach does not have you wasting time in the gym in April when you can be riding the bike.
• A good coach also respects your time by providing you with workouts designed for your goal events and focused. No junk miles here.
• Most importantly, the coach understands you as a person and as an athlete, helping you achieve the goals you have set out to do so that January's ambitions don't turn into being dropped in May in the local group ride.

 

 

 

 

Improve Cycling Performance - Optimize Body Weight

Cycling performance is ultimately about going faster on the bike. Sheer power - the ability to apply force to the pedals - is certainly important, but so too is body weight. In fact, when experienced cyclists compare themselves to one another, they often refer to the power-to-weight ratio.

The power-to-weight ratio is most commonly expressed as sustainable average power measured in watts over a particular duration divided by the body weight of the cyclist expressed in kilograms.

Power to weight = average watts over time (duration) /  kilogram in body weight.

For an aspiring masters cyclist who wishes to be competitive in masters-level road races, a sustainable power-to-weight ratio above 5.0 watts per kilogram for 5-6 minute VO2 max efforts is desirable. For a time trialist competing in 30-60 minute time trials, a power to weight ratio above 4.5 watts per kilogram is necessary to be competitive.

So, let's take the example of a cyclist who weighs in at 154lbs or 70 kilograms. If that cyclist wants to be competitive in a masters level road race or time trial, then he will need to be able to sustain 350 watts for 5-6 minutes (5.0 watts per kilogram) and/or push 315 watts for 30-60 minutes (4.5 watts per kilogram) during a time trial competition. The effect of the power-to-weight ratio is demonstrably true on uphill courses as well as on even modestly rolling courses. The rider with the best power-to-weight ratio and who practices the principles of cycling economy is often on the podium when the race is over.

Our aspiring cyclist can and should work on both sides of the equation - improving aerobic capacity and lowering body weight. But while aerobic capacity (5-6 minute maximal efforts) and its close cousin, lactate threshold, are limited by genetic parameters, body weight can be managed, controlled and reduced.

What if our cyclist committed to losing 5kg of body weight by the start of the race season? At 65kgs lean, he would only have to push 325 watts for 5-6 minutes or drive 292 watts for 30-60 minutes to be competitive in the same races. Stated another way, his power-to-weight ratio increases to 5.4 watts per kilogram at 350 watts or 4.84 watts per kilogram at 315 watts. Losing five kilograms of body weight results in a remarkable 7.7-8% increase in cycling performance. That means that each kilogram of body weight is worth 4.5-5 watts of power. That's huge, especially if you're a masters level cyclist and your best VO2 max days are behind you.

So, as you begin your training year, full of goals and aspiration, consider a lactate threshold test to measure your sustainable 30-60 minute power and focus on lowering your body weight by eating nutrient rich foods and restricting your calories by a mere 250 calories per day. Over 3-4 months, you will improve your cycling performance and go faster on the bike.

 

 

 

How to Improve Cycling Performance: Cycling Economy

Of the three ways to improve cycling performance identified by Joe Friel, cycling economy is perhaps the most important. This is especially true for age group athletes who may have seen their best VO2 max and lactate threshold days behind them.

Unfortunately, sports science understands less about economy than it does about VO2 max and lactate threshold. Physiologically, cycling efficiency is really a function of how effectively a cyclist uses oxygen while on the bike. The longer the race, the more important cycling economy becomes. The most important thing is not to waste energy. We see this concept in full force in the professional peloton where general classification riders like Alberto Contador and Andy Schleck sit behind their teammates who block the wind and help their team captain conserve energy until the last big climb of the day. But what if your races entail individual long individual efforts where drafting is not allowed?

When it comes to cycling economy, there some things you can control and others that are outside your control. Biological factors such as muscle type (fast twitch vs. slow twitch), mitochondrial density, shoulder widths, and arm and leg length are God-given characteristics over which a cyclist has little control.

So, let’s focus on the things over which we do have control.

• Sport specific skills: Sport specific skills, or cycling specific skills, refer to the cyclists’ ability to handle the bike, pedal efficiently and draft if riding in a large group of riders. These skills or talents often takes years to develop and are largely a matter of practice and repetition.
• Power: Strength and power to apply more force to the pedal can be enhanced through effective training, including lactate threshold intervals and plyometrics.
• Body Weight: Body weight is important factor for cyclists, especially when going up hill. Each kilogram of body weight (2.2 lbs) requires 3 watts of energy to move up a 6% incline. Cyclists seeking to improve cycling performance can gain “free speed” simply by shedding excess body fat. Losing 5 kilograms of body weight is the functional equivalent of gaining 15 watts of power when going up hill.
• Aerodynamics: Aerodynamics is absolutely critical to going faster on the bike. Aerodynamics can be improved by improving body position and by investing in more aerodynamic equipment such as specially designed aerobars, wheels, helmets and bike frames.

Each of items – while controllable – are difficult to achieve. They take time, effort, practice, discipline and money. However, by focusing on improving these trainable skills, an aspiring athlete will improve cycling performance through efficient use of energy and technology.