Every cyclist knows that being lean and light will help them go faster and climb better, but what’s the best way to achieve this without compromising performance, or better yet, one’s health? Striking the appropriate balance between power to weight is critical for a sustainable and healthy approach to training and racing. The sweet spot finds you at an ideal weight while still being powerful on the bike. If taken too far athletes can see a decrease in overall power, along with more serious health issues. While the quest for more power is always top of mind, health and longevity should ultimately be the primary goals for any athlete.
Why is Weight Important?
Weight plays an important role for all athletes to some degree. Whether the goal is to be strong, lean, light, or powerful, weight has some bearing on an athlete’s success. Specifically related to cycling, weight is one of the key players when discussing Watts per Kilogram (W/Kg). This single metric is one of the best predictors of performance and gages of an athlete’s progress. The higher an athlete’s W/Kg is, the more likely it is that they will excel. To further illustrate why weight is important we can do some simple math. One pound of excess body weight takes two watts to get up a hill, or three kilograms of fat takes an extra three seconds per kilometer on a climb. Meaning that if you have ten pounds to lose you could climb 7-10% faster. Those gains would take much longer if your focus was strictly on increasing your power output.
Tools such as Best Bike Split help us to even further highlight the importance of finding an ideal weight. In the example below we can compare what a relatively small decrease of 5% in total body mass would do for performance over the course of the Leadville Trail 100 bike race. This comparison keeps everything else the same, including rider FTP, bike weight, weather, and rolling resistance. Side by side comparisons like this help to cement weights roll in an athlete’s performance.
How to Improve Strength to Weight
So we’ve identified that improving strength to weight ratio is important, as long as we can do it in a healthy fashion, but how is it done? There are three ways to improve W/Kg.
- Increase your power output while keeping your weight constant.
- Keep your power output constant while decreasing your weight.
- Increase your power output while also decreasing your weight.
Depending on an athlete’s goals, current level of fitness, and current weight, any of these three approaches could be the right one. They may also shift over time as fitness increases and weight loss goals are met. First start by calculating your W/Kg at different durations along the Power Duration Curve. The four standard durations are 5 second, 1-minute, 5-minute, and FTP (Functional Threshold Power). For the purposes of power profiling these are the ranges that best reflect neuromuscular power, anaerobic capacity, maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 Max), and lactate threshold (LT) respectively. These four durations not only correspond to different systems in the body, but also let you work on event-specific efforts to make sure you’re building strength in the appropriate areas. Once you identify where there’s room for improvement you can then select the right approach for you to begin increasing Watts per Kilogram.
Next it’s time to tackle strength to weight from both a training and diet perspective. Combining focused workouts with supplemental strength work will help replace fat with lean muscle, as well as increase your power along the power duration curve. As you replace fat with leans muscle on your way to a higher strength to weight ratio your body composition changes. The change in your body’s composition not only forces gains from a strength perspective, but also causes adaptations on a cellular level. While you train your weaknesses with sprints, intervals, hill repeats, and strength training you’re also changing the way your body consumes oxygen and processes lactate. Your body’s uptake of oxygen, often referred to as VO2 Max, is increased as you focus on building strength and aerobic capacity. This allows you to perform efforts outside of your lactate threshold (105%-110%) for longer durations. Increased efficiency in oxygen delivery helps your body to more quickly buffer lactic acid. This increased efficiency means that you spend less time anaerobic when you begin your next sprint or big climb. While your focus on W/Kg will no doubt have you feeling stronger and looking leaner, you’ll also be building a healthier and more efficient body.
A healthy diet is important for any athlete interested in maximizing their performance and looking to reach their full potential. The “right” approach is subjective based on each individual, and their needs and goals. However, there are a few guidelines to help increase the likelihood of achieving any weight loss goals.
- Improve the quality of calories coming in. Focus less on the actual caloric value of the food, and more on the nutrient value. Quality food tend to have less calories, but are more nutrient dense.
- Fuel for performance. Unlike non-active individuals that attempt to lose weight, athletes have to balance calorie burn with calorie intake. Make sure to still get enough carbohydrates, fat and protein to fuel your workouts.
- Eat more often. Taking in more frequent meals tends to help stabilize blood sugar and stathe off overeating.
- Track your calories. The goal is not to capture every single calorie, but rather create an environment where you’re mindful of intake. This awareness typically helps limit overall consumption.
How to Achieve a Healthy Balance
Balance is key! Whether the sole focus is in increased power, or you’re trying to find a healthy weight while realizing your potential on the bike, there has to be balance. From a weight loss perspective using body fat percentage is a good gage. The minimum healthy body fat for men is 6% and for women is 14%. These percentages can and will change during the course of focused training, but for most athletes dropping below these ranges can negatively affect health and performance. Body fat as a measurement is best for athletes vs. more vague measurements like Body Mass Index (BMI) due to the fact that BMI ranges are based on the general population and not the needs of athletes.
Make sure to keep your training in check. Often athletes think the answer is to just “do more” in the pursuit of their goals. Volume isn’t necessarily the answer. Focus on quality over quantity and be sure to leave plenty of time for recovery. A focused approach where workouts are written and executed based on weaknesses identified along the power duration curve will yield much more precise results, rather than those that attempt to “just ride”. The body always responds better to focus and quality, over quantity and randomness.
Most every athlete wants to be stronger, faster, fitter, leaner, or lighter. While the pursuit of all of these things is fine, it must be done in such a way that performance and health are prioritized. Taking a sustainable approach to finding an ideal strength to weight ratio will yield long term fitness and health benefits. Focus on proper diet and mindful workouts to create an approach that’s individualized and structured. Improving strength to weight ratio can be one of the greatest performance gains for any athlete, but it must be done responsibly and with great care.
