I already searched the existing topics but could not find an answer. I would like to know how much weight you gain during off-season and what is considered 《normal》? Also I would like to know when is the ideal time to lose the extra kilos, possibly April before getting back into intensity if July is your peak?
I know this is a difficult topic, especially for cyclists (who tend to be weight obsessed which sometimes even results in eating disorders, see recent GCN episode). I for example have gained 2 kg from last seasons race weight of 65 kg.
I usually gain about 3kg during the Winter and have done for the past 3-4 years. I still use TR but don’t do the long endurance miles which help keep the weight off in the spring and summer. Also, more cake gets consumed during darker nights in my experience. I’m usually 80kg when I’m cycling a lot
I have gained about 4/5kg in winter. I’m not in the right frame of mind to be watching my diet so closesly as I have no races or big events looming and it’s such a busy time of year for socialising etc which I choose to enjoy!
Also my FTP has gone up in the SSB1 so I think I may have gained abit of muscle so if I can cut the fat come Jan/Feb time I should be flying!
Would love to get to 4.5W/KG by April for my Girona holiday and then start of race season!
May sound weird but I usually treat off season as time to lose a few pounds (If need to lose some) as easier to cut down food when not training as much or at high intensities. Since end of Sept I’ve gone from 187lb / 85kg down to 168lb/76kg. I’m about 6ft2/185cm.
However was bit too heavy before (still skinnier than most my non cycling friends!) so that wasn’t really about a rise/fall from race weight.
However if you do want to lose some weight, I believe off season is the best time.
I’ve ramped down my training from full ironman prep to 4 hrs per week and so far haven’t gained anything. However I suspect a fair amount of muscle has been replaced by fat.
Same here, I find it much easier to lose weight between October and February, the moment I start to ramp up the intensity and volume I struggle to keep the weight down. Best I can do is to try to maintain my end of winter weight, it usually creeps up during the summer.
Similar to me. My weight fluctuations are roughly along these lines:
August/September race season ends ~170 lbs
October base starts ~172-173 lbs
December build starts ~165 lbs
Maintain 165-170 during build and speciality
Season starts and float anywhere from 165-170
So the time to lose weight for me is always base, and the rest of the season I try to maintain power rather than specific weight targets
I lose weight during the winter. I don’t want to deal with weight loss while trying to fuel for hard workouts so during build/peak phases I don’t watch what I eat as much and eat to fuel. Winter base is when I watch my diet. down 6 pounds so far this season, 6 more to go.
On a similar trajectory - I am 5’11 and was at 183 lbs in September. Scale clocked me at 169 this morning (a weight I haven’t seen in 20 years). Between fat lost and muscle gained, I’ve probably never had a better physical profile for cycling or a higher w/kg. I continue to be amazed that the charts say I could lose another 20+ pounds and still be right in the middle of the normal range of weight for someone of my height and build. Really underscores how plump the general population has gotten.
I’m finding that base training and weight loss can coincide pretty happily but I’ve not seen FTP gain like I did last year. I think that will come in the build phase when I will allow my weight to stabilize, hopefully around 164 lbs, and begin to prioritize power. The trouble spot for me will be in season when the road miles start to accumulate and I get the hunger — can’t fill that empty belly with pizza and beer and fries like I used to.
I usually lose weight in winter as it’s when I actually train properly in a structured manner. Summer comes and I just go outside, forget everything I know I should be doing etc.
