Exactly!
In May 2017, I weighed 195 lbs (88kg) with an FTP of 183 (2.1 w/kg). I was a former CrossFitter and was “in shape”. Fast forward today after learning about the sport of cycling, nutrition, structured training, TR etc., I now weigh 172 lbs, (78kg) with an FTP of 287 (test next Tuesday, so it will be higher), standing at 3.7 w/kg. So in less than 2 years I reshaped my body to be leaner above the waste and have legs now that I never even saw when I was deadlifting 450 lbs and squatting 350lbs. I am an average dude and I did go through a massive transformation.
EDIT: And thank God for forums like these because only here would I get a for that transformation, because everyone else in my life is wondering what happened and why I’m so scrawny now .
Like I say, this is tiresome. So this is my last word on the matter. I’ve flagged the posts regarding drug use and will let the moderators decide what is appropriate for the forum.
Froome has categorically denied using triamcinolone or any other illegal / unethical drug. I’m not aware of any of the riders you’ve mentioned being sanctioned for drug use.
If people believe they are doping that’s up to them and I’m not saying any cyclist or team should be above suspicion. But I don’t think it’s appropriate to be throwing around disputed accusations as if they are established fact. People can go to the CyclingNews comments if they want to see the thick end of that particular wedge.
I appreciate that (I know I said that was my last word but I’m breaking that promise as you’ve been nice!). And I agree that doping in general should not be a banned subject. Just doping that is, as yet, unproven.
Not 5w/KG, but close to it. I’m definitely ‘average’ around here at least, and i think its pretty attainable for most as long as they have 10 hours a week, and have a BMI of around 20.
I’ve been riding about 2 years ago, when i was 28. No structure until a year ago, but before that i rode a decent amount so built a good base, and by the time i started TR it was all about building things like Threshold. It took me about a year to get from 4.4 to 4.9.
also worth noting that sure i can drop people on hills and hold on on flats, but things like 30s, 1min, and an actual sprint where many races are won, i’ve never got anywhere. Power curve and race smarts matter more than pure w/kg
I disagree with a lot of this. I think most people should be focusing on their power, and not their weight. I am 81kg and have a 400w ftp (4.9w/kg). I think people get too hung up on their weight and forget that power is what turns the pedals.
It would be easy for me to say that ill never get there because i’m a heavier rider, but if you focus building your ftp and have proper nutrition then the power will go up, and the weight naturally will come off.
Horses for courses, I think. There will be several 80kg athletes who could never reach 400W FTP even if they put everything into training. But maybe they could lose 5kg or more.
I’m imagining that your 80kg is probably a fairly efficient machine if you can extract 400w from it. Others at your weight may have plenty of extra fat they can lose without it impacting their muscle mass and cycling power.
Matty let’s not loose hope man. I’m a short guy too, 5’4”, 125lbs and 38y/o. My goal is 4.75w/kg for this yr. Bumped my FTP to 259 last week so I’m pretty close to that goal. I’ll start my build phase next week and see what happens.
I think no matter what your physique is, it’ll be difficult to reach 5w/kg. Incremental improvement is what we should be aiming for.
So it has to do with water retention. I can probably swing 1-2 lbs of water weight when i exceed my target sodium by 1000mg.
It’s easier to do than you think.
I’d recommend baselining your water weight % on something like a withings scale, then setup a sodium target on myfatnesspal. Trend it for a couple of weeks, be honest with your intake, and you will see the correlations.
Sodium is in everything, it’s really hard to avoid.
I honestly just take a rolling average of my weight over a 7 day period (the Withings scale does this automatically).
I’ll have to carry water weight for races (especially since I’m a salty sweater that usually needs a pre-load for longer days) so I’d rather just know where my baseline is with what I normally need to consume.
Are you sure your Kickr is accurate? Like using the little ring and middle of the cassette when I used it, it overread my wattage by a lot when using the big ring. Just asking because if everything is in order 5w/kg at your weight is very impressive.
Are you a salty sweater genetically? or because you eat lots of salt? Kind of like a chicken or egg thing. I have at times been a person who will have a crust of salt on my helmet strap, but under consistent good diet/training it becomes less salty.
for that transformation, because everyone else in my life is wondering what happened and why I’m so scrawny now 
.
I’m f#cking jealous.