Questions on weight loss...

beison said:

So I got a question about "dieting".... =D

Now my body type comes from wrestling, but that also means I can drop that weight easily. I know how to lose 5 lbs per week. Only problem with this, is that I'm a collegiate cyclist, and we're smack dab in the middle of our season. I'm doing a good job of training, and getting in about 10 hours per week. I'm eating a bunch to replinish the lost calories and come back strong on the bike the next training day/race weekend (we have 2-3 races every weekend).

So my question is, should I concentrate on getting super lean, down to like 5% body fat now (which I'm confident I can do), or should I wait until the preseason next year to do it? If I lose weight right now, won't my performance gains go down?

What's a fat sprinter to do? hehe

I am similar in stature 5'6" was close to 190 at one time, but I am down to 168 at the moment and chipping away at a slower pace (1/2 pound per week maximum). Leaning up very slowly will allow your body to adapt and your climbing efforts should improve. All aspects of cycling have improved as I get leaner (not carrying the extra baggage). I can't squat in the 400's anymore though. :o

Losing 1 pound or less per week (slightly less calories) would hopefully not be detrimental to your power output and recovery.

wow, robbie mcewen is 5'6" and 147.... Lose a lot of the gut and much of the arm muscle. You need realy strong abs (which I need to work on) and legs to be a good sprinter.

So lose the much of arm muscle (but dont become a climber) and replace belly fat with belly muscle.

beison said:

What's a fat sprinter to do? hehe

Sprinters (fat or otherwise) are probably going to get dropped in circuit races with 3/4-mile, 400' climbs in them. Nothing you can really do about that, so avoid them if possible.

So, at 180lbs and 10% body fat, you're asking about losing the 9lbs to get down to 5% body fat? Or, are you open to the possibility of losing a lot of the upper body muscle and reshaping yourself into the typical scrawny cycling stud?

Not sure what you're thinking, but I would *not* recommend what I understand to be the common wrestling weight-loss approaches (mostly involving massive water loss) for cycling.

frenchyge said:

Not sure what you're thinking, but I would *not* recommend what I understand to be the common wrestling weight-loss approaches (mostly involving massive water loss) for cycling.

I'm curious as to what specifically they would be. Dehydration? Glycogen depletion? Inducing diarrhea?

Steve_B said:

I'm curious as to what specifically they would be. Dehydration? Glycogen depletion? Inducing diarrhea?

Dehydration and starvation, for sure, then get creative.

wikihow.comLose Weight in WrestlingOpen ↗

amateurwrestler.commaking weight.htmlOpen ↗

No different than bodybuilding...fairly crazy but works...have done it.

http://www.t-nation.com/article/bodybuilding/shredded_in_6_days&cr=

Read this article and you can do it but not very healthy but may get the chicks giving you a second look....😄

-js

Steve_B said:

I'm curious as to what specifically they would be. Dehydration? Glycogen depletion? Inducing diarrhea?

Sweet! Imagine the impact when you stand atop the podium and lift up your jersey to reveal.....

Ba-DOW!! 😄

frenchyge said:

Sweet! Imagine the impact when you stand atop the podium and lift up your jersey to reveal.....

Ba-DOW!! 😄

I used to be ripped like that - but try lifting your Descente skinsuit like he's lifting his wifebeater and you'll look like a fool. Story of my life really......

cmacblue42 said:

wow, robbie mcewen is 5'6" and 147.... Lose a lot of the gut and much of the arm muscle.

Yes, true enough, but McEwen isn't really a pure sprinter. He's a stage race sprinter. His size helps him make the time cutoffs during hilly stages in races like the Tour de France. He often gets dropped, but not as badly as a big, pure sprinter would. He's more of a hybrid; he can sprint really well, but he can climb OK too. People forget about that when they describe him as a sprinter. Now, if you put him on a velodrome up against the pure sprinters he will lose every time. 🙁

The big question for the OP is what type of races he wants to excel in. Perhaps he should just stick with flat courses, or at least ones with very short hills, and forget about the weight loss idea. But if he really wants to do well in those hilly circuit races he will need to lose that upper-body weight. I can relate; I am a small sprinter (5'7", 150 lbs) and am trying to find what courses best suit me. Best I can tell it would be mostly flat, with a slight uphill sprint finish. 🙂