By Dr. Linda Kennedy MS SLP ND

In order to cycle fast, whether training or racing, you must have a high VO2 max¾a measure of the amount of oxygen that you can consume each minute.  The higher the VO2 max, the faster you can ride.  One of the critical variables that determines your VO2 max is your body weight.  Let’s say that you went to your local university exercise lab and they determined that you were able to consume 4,000 ml of oxygen per minute at your peak.  In order to calculate your VO2 max, you need to divide 4,000 into your body weight in kilograms.  So, a 70 kg rider would have a VO2 max of 57.1 ml/kg, not too bad.  From this example, you can see that by losing weight, your VO2 max can increase, even if nothing else changes.  Let’s take this same rider and assume he loses 11 pounds (5 kg).  His new VO2 max from weight loss alone becomes 4,000 / 65, or 61.5 ml/kg.  This doesn’t sound like a huge improvement, but this increase in VO2 max from weight loss actually translates into an extra 1 mph on the bike, which is nothing to sneeze at.

Given how these numbers play out, your natural reaction might be to lose as much weight as humanly possible.  Well, not so fast.  There are limits here and going below these limits can actually worsen your performance.   How do you determine your ideal cycling weight anyway?

There are many different ways to do this, but this article will outline the two most practical methods.  The first is to calculate your body mass index, or BMI.  The BMI is just a measure of your body weight in relation to your height and it’s calculated like this:

BMI = body weight (lbs) x 703 / height (in) / height (in)

For example, a cyclist that is 5’10″ and 160 pounds would have a BMI of 160 x 703 / 70 / 70, or 23.  What does 23 mean anyway?  Well, here’s the scale.

• 18 or under:    underweight
• 18-25:              ideal
• 25-30:              overweight
• 30 or more:     obese

Now, your goal is to enter the ideal range if you’re overweight or obese.  Not only will your health improve, but your cycling speed will also increase about 0.1 mph for every pound you lose.  There’s not a lot of sense in upgrading to a new frame that’s 2 pounds lighter if you’re carrying around 20 extra pounds around your mid-section.

Now once you get into the “ideal zone”, it gets a little tougher to estimate your ideal weight.  This is because BMI is a pretty accurate measure of body fat for most people.  However, the calculation starts to lose some accuracy in leaner people.  Therefore, if your BMI is considered ideal, there is a better way to calculate your ideal weight.  And that’s with a body composition test.

Body composition can be measured with several different methods; the most common are skin fold calipers, bioelectrical impedance and underwater weighing.  Regardless of the method, these tests will tell you your body fat percentage, or the percentage of your body weight that is composed of fat.  The table below shows body fat classifications for men and women.

Classification	Men	Women
Unhealthy	3-5	6-10
Lean	6-7	11-12
Healthy	8-15	13-20
Slightly Overfat	16-20	21-25
Fat	21-24	26-32
Obese	25+	33+

In order to train and race at your best without sacrificing lean mass or compromising your immune system, body fat should be kept in the “lean” or “healthy” categories.  Let’s say that as a 160-pound female cyclist with 22% body fat, you are hoping to drop your body fat to 15%.  What is your new ideal body weight?

At 160 pounds and 22% body fat, that means you have 35 pounds of fat.  The remaining 125 pounds is the lean tissue which is composed of bone, muscle, water and everything else that is not fat.

To calculate your ideal body weight, take your lean tissue weight (125) and divide it by your desired body fat percentage, in this case, 0.15.  That’s 19 and that is how many pounds of fat you will have on your body at 15% body fat.  Now add your lean mass (125) back to 19 to come up with your body weight at 15% body fat which is 144 pounds.  So you have now determined that you will need to lose about 16 pounds to achieve your goal of 15% body fat.

The best way to achieve this goal is with a combination of cycling, weight training and a diet abundant in plant based nutrients called phytonutrients.  If  seeking  to boost your phytonutrient intake even further, organic aloe vera juice is a nice addition to the daily regime. In order to burn fat, you must burn more calories than you eat.  Cycling is a great way to burn calories and, depending on how hard you train, you will burn 500-1000 calories each hour.  Weight training is also critical because, although it only burns 200-400 calories per hour, it will maintain or increase your lean body mass.  This will not only make you stronger and more resistant to injuries, but it will also keep your metabolic rate high and help you burn more calories even when you’re not exercising.  Finally, and maybe most important, is diet.  A healthy diet that incorporates a broad variety of whole foods and natural vitamins and minerals is important to achieving the ideal body weight.  Attention must be given to your diet at all times because just a few hundred extra calories each day can make the difference between maintaining your current weight and losing around a pound a week.

There are, however, dangers in becoming too lean.  First, when you lose weight, you tend to lose some lean mass as well.  Although weight training can help to offset these losses, they will likely still occur, resulting in subtle losses in leg power especially on hills and at the end of long rides.  Second, when body fat is very low, immunity can be compromised and you may find yourself getting sick more often.  Last, your body weight is controlled by hormones that keep your body weight within a narrow range.  By becoming too lean, your body will have a tendency to store more of the calories you eat and to burn fewer calories during rest and exercise, all in an attempt to raise your body weight back to your normal range.

Overall, the ideal weight for a cyclist should be determined by the weight that puts you between a BMI of 18 and 25, regardless of your gender, and a body fat percentage range of 6-15% for men and 11-20% for women.  This goal is best achieved by a combination of cycling, weight training and a diet with fewer calories than you burn each day.

Should MTB Riders Worry About Weight Gain

–About–

By Dr. Linda Kennedy MS SLP ND – Dr. Linda Kennedy writes professional articles in the areas of natural and standard health care. She has a solid educational background with degrees in organic chemistry, psychology and a Masters in Communication Sciences and Disorders.

Dr. Kennedy sports a diverse work history including experience and expertise in acute care neuro-rehab services, special education, autism support and therapy services, spinal cord injuries, senior neuro rehabilitation services, oncology familial support services and she currently consults to both patients and colleagues in natural health care.

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Source: Cool Biking Zone – Your source for great cycling, sports and fitness articles!

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