TrainerRoad Testimony

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Guys, not sure if I have this in the right place or not; however, I wanted to conduct a little write-up on TrainerRoad. I also hope this does not come across as arrogant, but this is written for others (who may be struggling, or wondering what is best for them, or maybe have questions on what has worked for others).

First off, I’m unsure if you follow what I’m doing if it will work for you. I’m 37-years-old, lead an active life, but have always struggled to cut weight. I foolishly bought into the “carbs are bad for you, so I’m going to cut carbs to cut weight;” however, this has NEVER worked. I have never been below 195 pounds in years.

I bought the Endurance Athlete’s Diet book, and began training SSB V1 under the low volume, and after completing SSB V1, I went to SSB V2 mid-volume, and started eating in reference to the book. I have gone from 198 pounds to 182 pounds from December to today, and my FTP continues to grow. My pants no longer fit me.

My FTP began at 200, and now I’m at 235. My plan is to do the Sustained Power Build next. I have followed the TrainerRoad program to a T. I’m a firm believer in this organization, and what it has to offer. I give great thanks to you great people, and this awesome program. TrainerRoad, you have made a believer out of me.

My wife says I look like skeletor, but I feel awesome, and I have not had an issue completing any of the workouts. My diet consists of a lot of fruit, sweet potatoes, rice, whole grain pasta, chicken, oatmeal, chia seeds, bananas out the wazoo. I have cut out ALL unnecessary sweets, and only drink coffee, milk, and water. The greatest thing about the Endurance Athlete “diet” is it’s NOT a diet. It’s a way of life, and I have taught myself how to push the plate away, and I listen to my body tell me when I need to re-fuel.

What changed from last year to this year? I was hit and miss on my workouts last year, and my nutrition sucked. This year, I do not miss a workout (although military training and coming off graveyard to days did make me miss one workout last week).

I think the key is to follow the TR plans as prescribed. They hurt, but they work. This is getting winded…have a good day folks.

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I’m 36 and have had a similar trajectory, almsot identical numbers as well lol. Stick to the plans as best you can, recognize when you’re fatigued, and keep eating well. I got down to 173lbs (from 197) over the summer with an FTP of 285 (from 225) after only 18 months of training. Your gains will plateau a bit but stick with it. Check out Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald… you’ll get even more insights as to how to eat healthily. good work!

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How tall are you? Being ‘like skelator’ at 185 does not compute. Keep up the good work.

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@ErickVH I’m 5’10. She is used to me being a bit chunkier. At my worst, I was 5’10, 246 pounds, and a 39.5" waistline, sucked all the way in. I changed my lifestyle, and got into heavy weightlifting. I was preparing for an all natural bodybuilding contest (DISCLAIMER: I WASN’T GOING TO WIN ANYTHING, BUT WASN’T GOING TO EMBARRASS MYSELF EITHER), and I did a deadlift improperly. Now I have a bulge at L4L5 and a minor protrusion at L5S1. This injury was absolutely debilitating, and ended my heavy weightlifting “career.” After a year in physical therapy, and a deployment to Afghanistan, I bought my first bike, and got into triathlon. My brother and I have been on trainerroad since, and have quite a few events lined up this year. My hope is to get down to 170 pounds. My wife doesn’t like it :slight_smile:

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@kbeers81 This is inspiring. Well done! Do you have a link to the book you mentioned?

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@azk I’m not sure what the policy is on posting links, but go to amazon and type in “Endurance Athlete Diet” by Matt Fitzgerald. I purchased the e-book. Thanks to @bluescatjm, I just purchased his book called Racing Weight as well. I like them both.

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@kbeers81 Thanks, I’ll look it up :fist:

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Take your wife to some races. She’ll become familiar with cyclist skinny vs average person skinny and you won’t hear any more complaints:)

I’m 6’2” and ~157lbs and I’ll probably drop a couple pounds before the season starts. My wife is always shaking her head at me and enjoys commenting about my thighs being wider than my shoulders.

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Nice work! I’m also around 5’10 and a little under 190lbs. I would like to get myself down to 180, but I’m yet to be quite strict enough with my food intake (I also subscribe to the Matt Fitzgerald’s Endurance Diet guidelines)…my love of craft beer doesn’t help either!

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@Tanner1280 you’re a freakin stud! nothing impressed me more than seeing a dude with huge legs and a smaller upper body. It takes a shit ton of dedication to build ones physique like that. I’m the opposite. After my injury, I was told to stay away from the gym, and only do my PT stuff. It was heart breaking to see my body dwindle to nothing, so I defied doctors orders, and I did what I could only do: upper body. You could imagine what happened. My upper body workouts are now only a plethora of pull ups and push ups. I tried doing deadlifts again about 6 months ago, and I could barely move after…never again. I’m very grateful I can still ride my bike and do triathlons. This injury is no bueno, my friend

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I completely second what @Tanner1280 has to say about having your wife attend a race or two. I’m in the same boat (5’11” @ 147 lbs).

Good for you for being so disciplined on your diet. Sounds like you eat a lot of whole food. That’s a tough one. :+1: I’ve been considering his book for a while now. I think I’ll finally go for it.

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I will third it. My wife has said, to me and her friends, Why would I not want to go someplace and watch in shape guys running around in spandex?

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