{"id":5291,"date":"2015-03-24T14:58:09","date_gmt":"2015-03-24T21:58:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.trainerroad.com\/?p=5291"},"modified":"2020-03-04T08:29:17","modified_gmt":"2020-03-04T16:29:17","slug":"train-hard-race-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.trainerroad.com\/blog\/train-hard-race-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Train Hard, Race Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

Of all the numbers a cyclist keeps track of, the most telling indicator of their speed is their power-to-weight ratio (often times expresses as watts per kilogram).\u00a0The\u00a0pursuit to become a faster cyclist\u00a0normally places us on either side of this ratio, and in some cases, we find ourselves on the extreme ends of the spectrum.<\/p>\n

For some, the goal of losing weight<\/a> can take priority over everything else. Constantly counting calories and being more concerned with what the scale is going to read rather than meeting the nutritional needs of an endurance athlete\u00a0will often lead to\u00a0both lower weight and watts.<\/p>\n

On the other side of the spectrum\u00a0are the athletes who are only interested in\u00a0boosting their\u00a0FTP by any means necessary. With a mindset of “I’ll burn it off”, these riders eat what they want, when they want, and stick to extremely high intensity intervals on a regular basis, as these are known to provide the biggest boost in threshold. While FTP usually does go up (before quickly reaching a plateau), an ideal “race weight” is never reached and thus watts\/kilo shows minimal improvement.<\/p>\n

These are extreme examples, but every cyclist\u00a0is probably leaning in one direction or another on this spectrum. While both weight and power are important, only a healthy respect and focus for both can allow an\u00a0athlete to make serious improvements to\u00a0their speed. So what’s the secret to doing this?\u00a0Balance, structure, and consistent hard work.<\/strong><\/p>\n

With that, I’d like to introduce you to Dave, an avid TrainerRoad user with a powerful success story that perfectly embodies the balance, structure, and hard work that we at TR preach to our athletes.<\/p>\n

\u201cEat, drink, rave, repeat\u201d is a saying my kids use. Honestly, not sure what it means but I feel that it implies a process for doing something you enjoy over and over and over again.\u00a0Prior to TrainerRoad I had the same mantra, just a bit easier for me to understand using words I related to when it came to cycling. Maybe you relate \u2013 \u201cRide longer, go faster, and don\u2019t forget to pedal harder\u201d! That was my training methodology for many years \u2013 sure I\u2019d heard about intervals, power, W\/kg, etc. but none of it meant anything to me. I was, and still am, a busy career minded individual focused on doing well at work and raising my family \u2013 I\u2019m not a professional bike rider, rather a recreational racer who always strives to do better.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dave picked cycling back up about 6 years ago but felt as though he was unable to reach his full potential as an athlete for two reasons:<\/p>\n

“1.<\/strong> \u00a0I ate poorly and my weight wasn\u2019t healthy as I peaked at close to 250 lbs about four years ago (a dangerous level according to my doctor).<\/p>\n

2.<\/strong> \u00a0I didn\u2019t know how to train \u2013 eat, drink, rave, repeat \u2013 right?”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Dave identified room for improvement on both\u00a0sides of his power-to-weight ratio.\u00a0Rather than seeking easy results, he went after real results through 2 steps:<\/p>\n

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“1.<\/strong> \u00a0My wife and I\u00a0changed the way we ate \u2013 gone were all the processed, sugar and fat laden foods that we loved. We replaced them with fruits, vegetables and lean proteins \u2013 all the stuff we should eat. My weight dropped to 180 \u2013 for a 6\u20191 guy that felt great. I know I\u2019ll never be a light-weight climber, but dropping the combined weight of two toddlers definitely helped me feel better physically, emotionally and mentally.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t2.<\/strong> \u00a0I discovered TrainerRoad. With this discovery I moved away from my non-focused training cycle of \u201cRiding longer, Going faster, and Pedaling harder\u201d. All of a sudden I had a plan, something that focused me on measurable improvements. I slowly saw my FTP grow and, as I religiously followed the training plans, I ultimately jumped to an FTP of 281 \u2013 that output, combined with my weight loss, shot my W\/kg to 3.46. “<\/p><\/blockquote><\/div>\n

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By taking his diet by the horns and incorporating a well-rounded and structured training plan, Dave was able to drop his weight by 25% and raise his power by 20%. Looking at the before picture from the top of this post, and the after photo above, you can see how much progress Dave has made.<\/p>\n

Dave did what all cyclists strive to do – he lowered his weight and increased his power.<\/strong><\/p>\n

What You Can Do:<\/h3>\n

Identify strengths and weaknesses<\/h4>\n

How close to “race weight” are you? What areas of your fitness were strong points last season and what were your weak points? Ideal power-to-weight ratios\u00a0can only be achieved if you know exactly what you are striving for\u00a0from the start. By being honest with yourself as an athlete and a person, you can identify where you can improve and how \u2013 then you\u00a0can start working towards it.<\/p>\n

Create a Plan<\/h4>\n

Let’s say you are 15 lbs. over “race weight” and your first race is in two weeks.\u00a0Dropping 15 lbs. in two weeks is sure to hurt your performance. Plus,\u00a0if you drop that much weight in that timeframe, it’s almost guaranteed to come back on immediately. Instead, look beyond the first race and take control of the rest of your season. A healthy weekly weight loss for most athletes\u00a0is 2-3 lbs. With that in mind, you can plan to slowly take off the weight over the next month, while still being able to race\/train at full power. Be careful and smart about dropping weight, and refer back to my prior posts on the subject for advice:<\/p>\n