BALANCING THE SCALES DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT?
Cycling Weekly|June 08, 2023
The next time you find yourself thinking, 'if only I could shed a few kilos, I'd be so much fitter, faster, happier...' - pause! Dr Eimear Dolan provides a framework for a careful, considered weight check
Dr Eimear Dolan
BALANCING THE SCALES DO YOU REALLY NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Body weight and composition are widely discussed, and sometimes hotly debated, topics among cyclists. That's hardly surprising, given that your body weight - along with the nutrition and training habits that got you there - has huge potential to influence your performance, for better or worse. So how can an individual cyclist know what's best for them? When does weight loss benefit performance, and when might it be detrimental? These are the questions this feature will investigate, to help you figure out whether you really need to lose weight.

When asked about how weight influences performance, cyclists generally talk about wanting to be lighter and narrower, so as to improve their power-to-weight ratio while decreasing aerodynamic drag. They are not wrong. But it's also more complicated.

Reaching optimal performance is about harmonising body weight with your training load, fuelling needs, sleep, rest and recovery. It's about tailoring your own individual goals and strategy to find that sweet spot where you can maintain a healthy weight in a way that's harmonious with all other aspects of your life.

In an ideal world there would be a simple formula to calculate where your own personal sweet spot lies. Sadly, no such formula exists. The best we can do here and now - is to examine how body weight influences performance and health, to define our personal goals, then to combine this information to develop a strategy that helps you to feel strong, light and comfortable in your own skin.

Step one: define your goal

The glorification of weight loss is so ingrained within many cycling circles that the practical objective gets skewed by toxic skinnier-the-better rhetoric.

Esta historia es de la edición June 08, 2023 de Cycling Weekly.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

Esta historia es de la edición June 08, 2023 de Cycling Weekly.

Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.

MÁS HISTORIAS DE CYCLING WEEKLYVer todo
"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"
Cycling Weekly

"We tore around the Sydney suburbs at 60kph in a terrifying, feral pack"

Fast, furious and furry tales from Australia

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499
Cycling Weekly

RIDDEN AND REVIEWED BROMPTON G LINE £2,499

A Brompton for running riot in both town and country

time-read
4 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?
Cycling Weekly

How do different gravel conditions impact your tyre choice?

There are a myriad of tyres on the market but selecting the right one is easier than you think

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
FEAST OF SWEDEN
Cycling Weekly

FEAST OF SWEDEN

Soon after landing in Gothenburg, I began to realise how little I knew about Sweden.

time-read
6 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS
Cycling Weekly

THE WORLD'S GREATEST GRAVEL EVENTS

Globe-trotting gravel racer Joe Laverick chooses his eight favourite events, from coastal Wales to the wilds of Kenya

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
THE CALL OF THE WILD
Cycling Weekly

THE CALL OF THE WILD

Tempted to embark on a long-distance bike adventure? Let former round-the-world record holder and author Julian Sayarer inspire you to strike out and hit the road

time-read
7 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes
Cycling Weekly

Saint Piran accused of using non-UCI legal bikes

Cornish team also alleged to owe former staff tens of thousands of pounds

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE
Cycling Weekly

JOE LAVERICK GETTING INTO THE FEED ZONE

I've ridden through hundreds of feed zones in my time racing a bike.

time-read
1 min  |
October 17, 2024
Lowden not ready to stop after retirement
Cycling Weekly

Lowden not ready to stop after retirement

Former Hour record holder eyes UK time trial scene

time-read
2 minutos  |
October 17, 2024
Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia
Cycling Weekly

Pogačar makes history (again) at Lombardia

Slovenian makes it four in a row at the late-season Italian Monument

time-read
3 minutos  |
October 17, 2024