Winter Cycling and Weight Loss

Pam Harris, Expert Coach – USA Cycling

According to Webster’s, endurance means (1) an enduring or (2) the power of enduring – specifically, the ability to last, continue, or remain, stand pain, distress, and fatigue. For the cyclist, the ability “to last” can be broken into optimizing – through appropriate training and nutrition – several key components relative to the annual goal, particularly –

• Body weight

• Food composition

• Fat utilization

• Muscular strength

• Biomechanics

Body Weight. Base training “endures” over three to nine months. Because of its long duration and relatively low heart-rate requirement, base training affords an excellent opportunity to shed a few pounds. One way to lose up to 10% of your body weight is to record everything you eat in terms of calories and then break down your total calories into specific calories (or grams) obtained from carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. You can find this information on all food labels. Many fast-food restaurants also offer these specifics. To determine the content of home-cooked meals, analyze the recipe with information contained in the American Diabetic Association (ADA) exchange lists, available on the Internet.

The next step is to calculate your energy needs using the following tables. Total body weight (TBW) is expressed in kilograms (kg). One English-pound (lb) equals 2.2 metric kg. One kilocalorie (kcal) equals 1000 calories. For simplicity, the term calorie is generally used to indicate the scientific kilocalorie. MHR represents maximum heart rate in beats per minute (bpm).

*Approximate, variations occur; tables taken from Performance Cycling Conditioning – Ken Kontor, Publisher

A 50-year-old, 140-pound, female cyclist pedals for 2 hours at a heart rate near 73% of her maximum. Based on these tables, she needs to eat 2782 calories on that day to maintain her weight.

(8.7) (140 lb/2.2 kg/lb) + 829 + 1400 (700 kcal/hour x 2 hours)= 2782 calories

A man of the same age and weight doing the same ride requires 3017 calories.

(11.6) (140 lb/2.2 kg/lb) + 879 + 1400 = 3017 calories

Yes ladies, it just isn’t fair!

According to Michael Sherman in High-Tech Cycling, daily caloric recommendations for women and men cyclists are 2600 and 3600 kcal, respectively. According to Sherman’s research, most women cyclists don’t eat enough; most men eat too much. Neither eats enough calories from carbohydrates.

The key to losing weight – and keeping it off – is to lose at such a rate that your body doesn’t notice. Armed with the number of calories you know you eat and the number of calories you know you should eat, you can decrease the amount you eat by 200-300 calories a day and lose one pound in roughly two weeks. A decrease in weight of two pounds per month is adequate. The key to maintaining your optimum cycling weight is to stay within 10% of your desired weight throughout your life.

It is very difficult to lose one pound of pure fat. In fact, research indicates considerable muscle mass can be lost when body weight is lost rapidly. For the cyclist, absolute power (muscular strength plus pedal speed) rules absolutely regardless of overall body weight.

Food Composition. During base training, eat a variety of foods from the standard four food groups – milk/dairy, fruits/vegetables, cereals/grains, and meat/beans. Modulate the percentage of carbohydrates and proteins consumed so you are consuming 8 to 10 grams of carbohydrates and 1.5 to 2.0 grams of protein per kg body weight each day. Select iron-containing foods at least once a day. Eating such high amounts of protein and carbohydrates on a daily basis is difficult to achieve, but not impossible, if you pay strict attention to what you eat.

For example, the 140-pound (63 kg) cyclist requires 94.5 and 504 grams of protein and carbohydrate, based on 1.5 and 8 grams per kg body weight, respectively. A general serving of carbohydrate such as 2 slices of bread, ½ cup cooked rice, potatoes, or pasta, and 1 cup fortified cereal contains 22 grams of carbohydrates. A general serving of meat such as 1 egg, ½ can tuna fish, 1 ounce of lean meat contains 7 grams of protein.

504 grams /22 grams = 22 servings of carbohydrates each day

94.5 grams /7 grams = 13.5 servings of protein each day

(504 grams) (4 kcal per gram of carbohydrate) = 2016 kcal

(94.5 grams) (4 kcal per gram of protein) = 278 kcal

Total carbohydrate and protein kcal per day = 2394 kcal

After eating adequate amounts of protein and carbohydrate, the 140-lb woman (2782-2394) and man (3017-2394) have 388 and 623 “extra” calories available if they want to maintain their current weight. These calculations don’t leave much room for fun foods such as nuts (90% fat, which the exception of peanuts which are 70% fat), cheese (90% fat), salad dressing (95+% fat) or mocha lattes.

Fat Utilization. In the most general terms, as working heart rate increases, so does your reliance on carbohydrates as a fuel source. Conversely, the lower the working heart rate, the more you rely on fat as the fuel source. Using fat for fuel and saving your limited carbohydrate stores is a good thing. Proper training ensures you have taught your body to delay the point in time at which low body carbohydrate stores produce fatigue.

Don’t confuse base training with riding endlessly for hours each day. Your longest training ride should be no more than 25% longer in duration/distance than the time it will take you to complete your goal event. Pure duration/distance cycling is limited to one (advanced cyclists) or two (intermediates and beginners) rides a week. The rest of your cycling time is better spent working on other aspects of cycling.

A pure duration/distance ride is performed at cadences of 85 to 95 RPM and heart rates between 66-82% (86% for advanced cyclists) on flat to rolling terrain. Optimum duration/distance cycling is done at heart rates near 73-75% MHR or a rate of perceived exertion of 3-4 (based on a RPE scale of 1-10). Repetitions are more important than progressions. Excessive duration/distance training can deplete energy stores and is a form of overtraining. In cycling, as in decorating, less is more. Exercise is the stimulus for improvement; rest allows improvement to occur. In the hierarchy of training, increased frequency is more beneficial than increased duration. Five workouts of shorter duration are more beneficial than four of greater duration. Two workouts of shorter duration are more beneficial than one workout of longer duration.

Duration/Distance Cycling

66 to 82% MHR at cadences of 85-95 RPM, once or twice weekly

Beginning Cyclists – Mid-week ride = Start with a ride equal to 30% goal event distance

Weekend ride = Start with a ride equal to 35% goal event distance

Intermediate Cyclists – Mid-week ride = Start with a ride equal to 40% goal-event distance

Weekend ride = Start with a ride equal to 45% goal-event distance

Advanced Cyclists = Weekend ride = Start with a ride equal to 50% goal-event distance

All riders = Add 10 minutes to each ride every week

In December, muscular strength and biomechanics.