I currently weigh 107kg and am hoping to get to 98kg by mid March 2022 (roughly losing .5kg a week).
Been biking outdoors a lot the past 2 years and probably average ~50km/week. Focus has been more on weight lifting over that time frame. Biking is unstructured and not training.
Plan on training with a kickr/trainingroad over the winter and just doing supplementary weight lifting.
After my first ramp test I am 211 ftp (~2watts/kg). Planning on doing about 5 rides a week via the training plan and my mental goals are to hit that weight goal and get my ftp up to ~260 (or a 2.65 w/kg if I hit weight goal).
I guess my main question is this a reasonable goal? Too lazy of a goal? Anyone experienced foresee any pitfalls? Is this too hard of training while eating at a continuous deficit?
A few thoughts⌠its easier to set process goals for cycling than hitting an FTP target. Weight loss, on the other hand, is something more predictable and forecastable. On to your other questions. In the past, before 2021 updated plans, I found it tricky to combine TrainerRoad SSB plans with weight lifting. TRâs traditional base is easier to do that, and I suspect it would with the new polarized plans. Last year I bought a 10 week FasCat off-season plan and that really worked well, setting me up for my best fitness since 2017. Since August Iâve lost 6kg and on track to lose another 8kg by Spring 2022. After a year of combining cycling and strength, what Iâm doing this year in order to support more tempo/SS work on the bike, Iâm cutting back on strength volume and using a simple 4 workout program that Ronnestad used in studies and is described here: Does Lifting Actually Improve On-Bike Power? - PezCycling News Hope that helps.
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Thanks! Helps a lot. The lifting bit was the part I am most willing to drop/alter as I wasnât sure if I would really be able to work it in effectively. The whole reason Iâm doing the cycling training was I couldnât bear another winter of chasing lifting goals.
At 50k a week, how many hours and times a week are you riding? I would start with matching that amount of time on the trainer at most, and slowly build up, adding minutes here and there at the end of a ride. If you are currently doing three 1 hour rides a week and suddenly jump to double that on the trainer, I would expect you to struggle with that.
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IMHO, no. Beginner gains are pretty rapid, so itâs not out of the realm of possibility, but I still think itâs too aggressive. Itâs difficult to build FTP and lose a lot of weight at the same time.
I would instead focus on power and a good diet, and the weight loss will come. I think youâll probably lose a good 10 lbs, and Iâd be happy with that.
Over the last 24 months, I went from 210 lbs down to 178, and FTP went from 212w to 325w. Progress was not linear and there were a lot of 500-600TSS weeks in there.
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Internet expert here: Weâre missing a bunch of your particular variables. 107kg at 195cm vs 107kg at 170cm⌠and even at 170cm, you could be a short ball of muscle, you you could have plenty of adipose tissue to trim. (I read this as 98kg maybe an ideal body mass for you to carry, keeping most of your muscle intact?)
Losing .5kg/week seems pretty reasonable, presuming youâve got adipose tissue to lose. If youâre a 107kg competitive lifter who already manages your body fat to stay in a 108kg weight class, maybe not. Muscle disappears way less predictably than fat, except my muscles, I know they disappear as soon as I stop lifting. Poof, they gone.
I agree with BBarrera, though, focus on the process goals that lead to FTP improvements. Start low volume, add some extra zone 2 after the intervals, or a couple of âeasyâ days per week.
As far as if the FTP goal is âtoo lazyâ sure, Iâd say its âNot ambitious enoughâ rather than âlazyâ but I think its always nice to have a pair or trio of goals: Shoot for the Moon, Really Nice Accomplishment and Iâm Pleased with What I Managed. Just work on consistency, building the motor, and stretching your ability to apply that motor. Next thing you know there WILL be a breakthrough and youâll end up surpassing what you thought should be your goal.
Like Bunty said, focus on the performance (the power) and the weight will start to sort itself out.
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As said above, I think its best to focus on âprocess goalsâ as you start out, and have in mind a picture of where youâd like to be heading. I say this for a couple of reasons:
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setting an outcome goal like 260w FTP is not really something you can control and may not be realistic either - hard to know. When you canât control it then it can be hard to stay on track especially when its a pretty long term goal - in other words youâll struggle to link your daily activities with progress to that goal and hence potentially difficul to stay motivated and focused. That might be a 2 year journeyâŚ
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a process goal, like ride 4+ sessions per week, or 6+ hrs a week, or complete SSB1 and 2 with 90+% compliance, etc etc is something that is TOTALLY in your control, gives you a daily focus, is very trackable and becomes very motivating. as you see yourself successfully completing steps towards success. Every day becomes a win and progressâŚ
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in this case, as a new rider coming from a very low volume of training so far and little experience, its probably better that you trust the process rather than focus on a distant goal and potentially lose sight of the trees while aiming for the forest. Its going to be a day by day journey of building up fitness, and staying focused on the small steps is probably the best way to stay on track. I think there might be a real risk of being distracted by all sorts of possible ideas and appraches when you focus on a goal like a distant increase in FTP. Its continually proven that consistency and volume are by far the biggest factors in progress so why not set yourself goals around those, knowing they will be getting you in the right direction.
Hope that helps.
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I agree with the others. Rather than aim for an FTP improvement, Iâd focus on getting faster instead. If, say, your FTP rises only by 10 W, but you lose 10 kg, thatâs a significant increase in W/kg.
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