Im sure most people would say being lighter (being less fat) is better. But is it really?

I’m wondering since

Quite a while ago I was about 11 stone which is light for my height (6’2″). Obviously I was alrite up the hills, especially steep ones, but seemed ot lack a bit of power/ fatigue more easily on the flat.

I put on half a stone over time, of mostly muscle (I’d guess, I didnt seem any fatter) and felt decent.

Got back from France a couple of weeks ago and stripped my bike down to get various bits of it fixed. Decided since I wasnt riding I had no need to eat properly so Ive mainly lived on cakes and ice cream for the last two weeks.

Put on about three quarters of a stone I think (mostly fat!), went out on the bike today for the first time in two weeks and my legs felt really strong. Felt just as fast as I did when I was 3/4 of a stone lighter (although I didnt do any steep hills)

Is there an optimal weight you’re likely to perform best at? Or did my legs just feel good because I’d had two weeks rest? (I usually ride my bike pretty hard most days, perhaps thats too much??

(although I didnt do any steep hills)

Doh 🙄 and how far did you actually ride with the excess weight?

30 miles. Although its 30 miles I usually hammer, it seems to be a good way to judge how I’m feeling.

Put on about three quarters of a stone I think (mostly fat!), went out on the bike today for the first time in two weeks and my legs felt really strong. Felt just as fast as I did when I was 3/4 of a stone lighter (although I didnt do any steep hills)

You’ve had two weeks of recovery. It’s probably that rather than anything to do with your weight.

Edit: is this another one of your slightly tragic trolls?

The rest overshadows the weight gain.

Hopefully the weight will fall away as you ride again.

There is a percentage fat level (under approx 7% for men) where you will feel weaker and not have endurance, as well as feeling the cold.

Problem is how to measure % fat at home…the ‘clever’ scales are nothing of the sort and are unreliable.

How you feel is the best indicator….you will know if you feel slow on the hills because of gravity.

PaulD

Edit: is this another one of your slightly tragic trolls?

Please, stop reading this thread. I dont want it to ruin your friday night.

The rest overshadows the weight gain.

Hopefully the weight will fall away as you ride again.

There is a percentage fat level (under approx 7% for men) where you will feel weaker and not have endurance, as well as feeling the cold.

Problem is how to measure % fat at home…the ‘clever’ scales are nothing of the sort and are unreliable.

How you feel is the best indicator….you will know if you feel slow on the hills because of gravity.

PaulD

So its probably worth resting a bit more than I normally do then! Its something Ive never really bothered reading about, if its a nice night then I usually go out for a ride. I dont really consider if my legs still feel a bit tired from the day before.

A) You were well rested after 2 weeks

B) Do you actually have any numerical evidence of being as fast as before, or did you just go on feel (see (A)).

C) It wont make much difference on the flat.

D) You put on 3/4 of a stone in 2 weeks!! Did you just lie in bed and eat cake non-stop?

A) You were well rested after 2 weeks

B) Do you actually have any numerical evidence of being as fast as before, or did you just go on feel (see (A)).

C) It wont make much difference on the flat.

D) You put on 3/4 of a stone in 2 weeks!! Did you just lie in bed and eat cake non-stop?

Pretty useless I know, but I dont have any numbers, just go by how I feel.

It wasnt completely flat though, there were a few minor inclines but no 25%ers.

and to D, near enough. I can eat a fair amount if I put my mind to it.

The power of rest!

I know you haven’t mentioned this, but how would you (vaguely) accurately measure bodyfat % at home?

isn’t learning about ourselves interesting?

when we do something a little different from the way we thought was the best or correct way, just to discover we were doing it wrong all along!

I’m in my forties and have learnt lots about myself recently.. fitness and ‘self’

Are you familiar with the science of awesomeness?
If so, you have accumulated awesome by not spending it so often and it splurged it out in a big satisfying oner.
Sciencefact.

isn’t learning about ourselves interesting?

when we do something a little different from the way we thought was the best or correct way, just to discover we were doing it wrong all along!

I’m in my forties and have learnt lots about myself recently.. fitness and ‘self’

That was my thinking really, I wondered what would happen in terms of cycling if I got fat.

Cycling is all about power to weight. Clearly you will have an optimum p/w ratio. It’s probably with your bodyfat closer to 10% that 20% mind.

For most non professional riders, a b/f of under15% is more that sufficient. You may still be around that dispite the additional lbs.

Once you are over 20% then no amount of extra power will make up for it.

stevewhyte – Member
Cycling is all about power to weight.

No it isn’t. (Steep) hill climbing is about power to weight ratios.
On the flat it’s about power to air resistance (i.e. mostly just about power, since air resistance doesn’t vary much with a bit of extra weight).

OP too many other factors in “feeling good” over 1 30m ride.

It’s largely power & power to weight I guess, endurance for longer stuff..

I would agree on it being well recovered. Not to mention enjoying being back on the bike. Was it a holiday in France?

http://cycling-fitness.com/articles/power-to-weight-ratio-explained-pg256.htm

The power to weight thing hill vs flat is interesting…One of the world cup rider’s coaches was talking about this. He said, for example, the power to weight ratio of the male and female WC riders is pretty similar, yet the men average about 12% faster.

No it isn’t. (Steep) hill climbing is about power to weight ratios.
On the flat it’s about power.

Funny last time I rode on the road it was far from flat.

I think you will find zero, I say again zero fat pro cyclists. Minimal body fat. Cycling is all about reducing weight, it’s the one single thing any of us average rides can do to get better, no amount of doing150kg squats will make as much of a difference.

You talk like you don’t ride a bike.

Double post

I would agree on it being well recovered. Not to mention enjoying being back on the bike. Was it a holiday in France?

Yes, rode my road bike in the alps for a while. I was also riding alot before I went.

I think a rest has done me right, I made it up a steep hill without any issues today

He said, for example, the power to weight ratio of the male and female WC riders is pretty similar, yet the men average about 12% faster.

I’d suggest that’s wrong, women have lower power:weight generally. Even the guide on WKO has a markedly different set of boundaries for women.

I was a courier for a while and averaging 2-300 miles a week, was pretty fit weighing around 13.5 stone… a career change 😀 to rickshaw rider saw me put on another stone of muscle… continuing that career to Edinburgh added another half stone.

So, although there is no scientific data to back this up, the likelihood is at 15 stone, I had a greater power to weight ratio than at an already fit 13.5 stone, however, the weekly mileage was far less (maybe only a 10th)and it’s probable, that I had a lower level of aerobic fitness, but a higher level of anaerobic fitness.

Regardless of all this bumpf, the simple fact is, when I felt good, I performed better, whereas when I felt less motivated I performed worse.

Basically what I’m trying to say is there is so many variables, that it’s very hard to come up with a definitive answer… my guess is, you were excited to be on the bike after a break, thus motivated and in a positive mindset, so the hormonal stimulus was sufficient to overcome any additional mass, saggy or otherwise. 8)

I get this when I return from two week trips overseas where I do zero exercise and eat and drink a lot. I feel amazingly strong but the cardio-vascular fitness is down noticeably.

I was a courier for a while and averaging 2-300 miles a week, was pretty fit weighing around 13.5 stone… a career change to rickshaw rider saw me put on another stone of muscle… continuing that career to Edinburgh added another half stone.
So, although there is no scientific data to back this up, the likelihood is at 15 stone, I had a greater power to weight ratio than at an already fit 13.5 stone, however, the weekly mileage was far less (maybe only a 10th)and it’s probable, that I had a lower level of aerobic fitness, but a higher level of anaerobic fitness.

Err… So you cut your mileage by 90%, gained 1.5 stone, but concluded it was all muscle? Good luck with that! Even riding a rickshaw I’d be dubious of that!

Err… So you cut your mileage by 90%, gained 1.5 stone, but concluded it was all muscle? Good luck with that! Even riding a rickshaw I’d be dubious of that!

Cycle up the mound in Edinburgh with a vehicle totaling 450kg, or if you like, the whole of Leith Walk or Dundas Street with 200kg then get back to me on that…

the pain and hulk like growth of my legs seemed to suggest that something was going on down there, though in fairness to you I forgot to mention the mileage of my leisure time cycling (of which there wasn’t much in London, but plenty in Edinburgh), which would have helped balance out the whole aerobic hullabaloo.

Anyhoo, I’ll race ya 😀

Without doing steep hills to compare you can’t tell diddly. At 17.5 stone I can live with and even beat a lot of people on the flat and gentle gradients. Once it starts going up sharply though I start to suffer. If it’s short I can power up but if, like today in the mountains, I just have to cut back to all day pace a plod up. Being heavy on the downs helps though, I can freewheel past people blasting it.