Posted on October 10, 2011 by Dave W

The ideal cycling weight for what?

The word ‘Ideal’ implies that there is one perfect weight for a given cyclist but this is not true. The answer to the question posed in the article title depends on what the aims and lifestyle of that cyclist are. The needs of a professional athlete are very different to those of the cycle tourist or someone who just uses a bicycle for transport. Having said that, there is a truth understood by anybody who has ever toiled up a steep hill on a bicycle – fat is hard work when the road rears up!

Cycling for health

If you only cycle to keep fit and well and are not interested in performance, then you don’t need to concern yourself with your weight, beyond keeping it within a healthy range. Some people refer to Body Mass Index (BMI) for this, but I don’t like it because it doesn’t take into account how muscular your body is. Muscle is good, excessive fat is bad but BMI ignores the difference.

My advice would be to use your cycling to help get your weight down to the point where you don’t have a roll of fat round your waist, or at most just a small one. Don’t go so far as to have all your ribs sticking out. If you achieve this then you will be maximising the health benefits of your time on the bike.

Cycling for fitness

If you are trying to maximise your cycling performance, you should pay close attention to your weight. Any excess fat is a burden to carry uphill. You will go downhill faster than your skinny buddies, but that will never make up for the time lost climbing. The steeper the hills, the worse it gets.

Upper body muscular bulk will not help your cycling either. Lance Armstrong came from a triathlon background and his swimmer’s upper body muscle was a handicap on the bike. It was only when he reduced the size of his upper body that his road cycling performance improved. If he’d still been a triathlete, his swimming would have suffered when he did that. This is why I say that the ideal cycling weight depends on what type of cycling you do, and what your goals are.

The specialist climber

If you look at the ‘mountain goats’ of the pro peloton, you will soon notice that they tend to be incredibly skinny. The truth is that they constantly battle to keep their weights down to that level and some have eating disorders. That isn’t a healthy thing to do, but it is an individual choice to make. If you consider yourself to be a climber, just be very careful not to overdo your weight loss – winning a bike race isn’t worth dying for and Anorexia Nervosa isn’t something to play about with.

What is my ideal cycling weight?

I have a lot of experience of cycling in the Pennine hills of northern England. I have done it fat and I have done it skinny and I can tell you straight that cycling round here is easier when skinny! I overdid it a few years back and got too thin. I looked gaunt, I kept getting ill and I didn’t have the stamina that I have now. I could climb the first few hills quickly, but then I’d get exhausted and perhaps come down with a cold a few days later. 

Over the years, I piled a lot of weight on. Sure, I stopped getting ill but I got to an unhealthy size and felt really unfit.

I’m 6’1″ tall and a medium build. For me, as a cyclist who enjoys riding in the hills and mountains, below 168 pounds is too light, above 182 pounds is too heavy so I’m aiming for about 175 pounds. You should be able to work out a range of weights like that for yourself. Aim to lose weight until you are slimmer and fitter. If you overdo it, put a couple of pounds back on and maintain that weight from then on.

I’m no weight loss expert, but I’ve found a guy who is! Read my review of his acclaimed weight loss guide and finally reach your ideal cycling weight!

Nothing ruins a good bike ride quicker than wearing poor quality cycling shoes. Your feet deserve the best – why not treat yourself to a fantastic pair of Sidi Bike Shoes – I did!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Colin_J

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