Lance Armstrong knows his optimal weight
(Photo: Yuzuru Sunada)
Doesn't everybody wish that they had access to a personal coach for their questions about training and fitness? Road Bike Action recently caught up with Johnathan Edwards M.D. Dr. Edwards is a practicing sports doctor and anesthesiologist in Las Vegas, Nevada. He has been a sports doctor for American cyclists as well as in Europe. He is a USA Cycling certified level 3 coach, has worked with athletes during the Paris Dakar rally. As a former professional motocross racer and current Cat 2 road racer, he understands the health and training needs of cyclists of all levels.
What is the ideal weight for racing bicycles?
Power to weight ratio is one of the single best predictors of cycling performance. However, the question of what is our ideal weight is complex and the answer lies somewhere between one and infinity. Rather the preferable term is ideal body composition. Even more confusing is when the seemingly overweight guy catches and then drops you. People often say, “If I was just lighter, I would climb better up those hills.” This is true in general, but there is a point where further weight loss actually makes performance worse, and the reason is because it is not all about the weight. There is a delicate balance between losing just enough and too much; one must take into consideration body fat percentage, lean muscle mass, resting metabolism, diet, rate of weight loss, genetics, muscle adaptation, and the list continues. Individuals vary so much that there is no formula to figure out the perfect body composition.
This very subject highlights the fact that we are all different human beings and not laboratory rats. The general rule is that a 1 percent reduction in weight leads to a 1 percent increase in performance. So, why not just be as thin as possible? Many cyclists are fanatical about shedding weight from their bodies and bikes alike.
Cyclists during the tour de France have the problem of maintaining their strength, but for them a little extra weight can make the difference between winning and performing dismally on days when the race has steep hills or mountains.
Andy Hampsten was quoted saying, “I knew from experience and results that I had an ideal weight — or what I thought was ideal.” He is the only American ever to win the Giro D’Italia. “If I set too low of a weight goal, I would be weak and stressed,” he said. “If I weighed 4 or 5 pounds more than ideal, I could see I was slower than my competitors.” Andy is 5 feet 9 (175 cm), and he aimed for a race weight of about 137 pounds (62 kg), dieting two months before racing season. In the off-season he would let his weight drift up to 145 pounds (65.7 kg).
When your weight approaches ultra thin, you will feel lethargic and no power. This also happens when you force weight loss rapidly. If you try to lose weight too fast or continue to lose weight up until race day, you will not have the energy needed to perform well.
Phil Zajicek of the Fly V Australia cycling team says, “It’s a fine line between losing just enough and losing too much too fast.” Often the only way to know your best weight is by trial and error. For Phil, he equates his optimal weight to when he is performing the best. You can be as thin as you want, but the price to pay is poor recovery, decreased hormones, and fatigue. “When I was able to beat Lance and Levi at the tour of the Gila last year, I knew my weight (body composition) was spot on at that moment in time.” Phil also says not to focus only on the weight as so many other factors like mental, teamwork, and the environment can change the outcome of a race.
Another example of a cyclist who knows his optimal weight is Lance Armstrong. He has been known to weigh his food to control his weight. He knows exactly where he should be at the start of a tour and when he starts his first mountain stage.
Often your ideal body composition is something below your natural body weight. Try to be at your optimal racing body composition a couple of weeks before a big event, losing about a half pound to a pound a week in the preceding weeks to get there.
It also depends what type of cycling you do, if you ride century’s all of the time, your ideal weight is going to be different that someone who climbs hills all day long. Also genetics play a role; what type of person are you? One who gains fat easy but not muscle or one who does not gain fat but finds it hard to gain muscle?
A final piece of advice is to not let the scale to rule your life each day. When you are trying to lose weight, it is to be done gradually over days to weeks. Weighing yourself on the scale each day is akin to a Chinese mind game and will eventually work against you. Look for trends in your weight and be sure to weigh yourself about the same time each day.
Dr. Edwards
The information provided in the ASK THE COACH column does not constitute formal medical advice. The information provided on this public web site is provided solely for general interest of the visitors to the site. Information in this column does not constitute medical advice nor establish a doctor-patient relationship with Dr. Johnathan Edwards. Readers of this column should not act upon any information contained in the web site without first seeking medical advice from their personal physician.
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