Hello ladies and gents. I’m looking for some help please. Few months back I had a coach who helped me lose weight and bump up my FTP. Currently I’m trying to build for next year but I’m really struggling. I really want to hire the coach again but due to finances atm, I’m unable too.
A few bits about me - male, 34yo, 75kg & FTP of 320, calories for losing weight - 1900kcal (I’m a truck driver so lower than normal kcal… I think). Currently in my ‘build’ phase on a mid volume polarised plan BUT I’ve added an extra endurance day…
Could someone possibly tell me roughly what kcal I should be aiming for and where to spread them out for rest days, light work/easy days and high intensity training (vo2 max, threshold etc etc…
What I’m doing at the minute is what ever kcal are required for the workout, I divide it by 4 and add that number to my 1900kcal and then add 200kcal
I have around 40-60g carbs during my workouts and my recovery I work off of 1g of carbs per kilo and then .25g per kilo for protein. What ever I’m left with, I spread throughout the day
Really looking for some rough ball park figures until I can get a coach again next year. I appreciate any help
Thank you
EDIT: my aim is to build muscle and obviously increase my FTP. I’ll drop weight again with the plan I was using around March/April time
1900 kcal seems low to me on mid volume with a 320 ftp… How did you arrive at 1900? A calorie counting app?
I’m dieting right now too. I started off with a calculation to lose 1.5 pounds per week. I got 1900 calories. It was too aggressive for me. A couple of weeks in, I was really struggling - tired, cranky, hangry, sore legs constantly…
I changed the calculation in my app to lose 1 pound per week (2100 calories) and I’m putting extra focus on eating more complex carbohydrates (oatmeal, fruit, cheerios, bananas, brown rice). I’m up to 350-400 grams of carb per day and all my energy is back and I feel strong in my workouts.
I only drink sugar during 1-2 of the harder workouts per week.
I’ve been adding back 1/2 the kjs burned during the ride to my calorie budget. I do this because in the past when I added 100% back I lost weight very slowly.
I do use the other half of those kjs as a buffer. If I get to the evening and I’m starving, I’ll dip into those extra kjs and have a bowl of oatmeal before bed. It’s been rare though that I’ve run out of calories and am starving at the end of the evening. Eating a lot of slow burning complex carbohydrates with fiber seems to keep me feeling satisfied.
Building muscle, I just seem to be struggling with some of the high intense workouts. I know muscle doesn’t come on quick but I’m doing strength training and I just seem to be flat lining.
Well I took that 1900 and read that to maintain was 100kcal extra and to build was an additional 100kcal to that too. What do you think I should be hitting kcal to increase muscle mass and build my FTP up?
I read this as OP trying to build muscle and increase FTP right now, with the thought of going back to reducing weight after the season is over. Am I reading that wrong?
That said, I’m no help. I can’t put on muscle for anything.
What days are you doing the strength training and what days are you doing the high intensity cycling? Lifting can add a lot of fatigue so best to avoid doing strength work the day before a high intensity workout. Which if you’re lifting multiple times per week and also doing high intensity riding multiple times per week generally means the best option is to do them the same day, which then keeps the easy days easy. I prefer doing the cycling workout in the morning and the lifting in the evening, but I know some people who prefer it the other way round or even do them back to back.
Nutrition wise, I’m a bit confused why you’re dividing the workout kcal by 4 - do you mean you’re converting it into grams of carb? I.e. If it’s a 1000kcal workout you’re adding 250g carbs (=1000kcal) to what you eat that day? Because that would be my approach - if you’re not looking to lose weight then replace all the energy you’re using on your rides. Timing wise just fuel the work I.e. Add those extra kcals into your pre-ride meal, in ride fueling, and post-ride nutrition. So the easy days are lighter on calls, unless you’re planning to ride first thing the next day and therefore need some extra carbs at dinner the night before.
I’m doing the strength training after the high intense rides. I tried doing it on the same day but the riding takes it out of me. I wish I could train in the mornings but it would mean getting up at 0400 hrs
Sorry, I should have been more clearer. Yes 1000kcal = 250g carbs, so I add that to my macros
How you gonna get bigger muscles in a caloric deficit. Best you can hope for is to not lose too much. Eat 2.2g protein/kg weight. Cut back volume, keep intensity, add a rest day. Just my 2 cents.
Building muscle is pretty simple (though that doesn’t mean easy): you need to subject your muscles to progressive stimulus and eat in a slight surplus.
Most people will need to lift weights 3x/week to see much muscle gain after the ‘newbie’ gains are gone, and you’ll likely need to lift more over time. It might be worth keeping a log book to track your weights and reps on some key exercises at least. You shouldn’t necessarily look to add weight to the bar or reps every week, but if you’re squatting 70kg for 8 reps in week 1, you’d probably need to be doing more weight and reps a few months later to see leg growth.
You’ll also need adequate protein (though as long as you’re not a) vegan and/or b) just chomping down carbs, as cyclists can tend to, that’s actually quite hard not to do in a reasonably balanced diet).
