Triathlon - weight loss= speed?

Has anyone seen any studies or have personal testimony as to, on average, how much speed you gain by loosing weight. I am currently 260 and love doing tri's, but am pretty much slow as dirt due to the weight. Anyone able to inspire me to drop the pounds???

well, a roadie would spend hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars to get a bke a pound lighter. you have 50 pounds that you'd give away.

I race clydesdale and it really is easier the lighter you get. climbs are easier. you don't ache after a 10 mile run. joints work properly. you can wear a tri suit without being red.

No one can motivate you. You have to want it. I was 355+ lbs. on 7/21/03. I was 223 the other morning. I'm hopefully going to be around 215 for the San Jose Int'l Triathlon on 6/26

we'll see.

I second Zakk. You will se the most difference on hills, cycling and running. And, in general, you will probably feel better.

I'm just under Clyde weight now and feel much better then when I was 45 pounds heavier.

My drop wasn't that significant (only 6% of body weight) from 156 to 147lbs. I've always been a light weight, but all the extra 9 lbs were located right at the gut. Since the loss, my bike avg. has increased from about 15-16mph over 25miles to about 21-23mph. Hills that used to kill me is now a breeze. And I do recover MUCH quicker from a strong push (such as headwind, hills, sprints, etc...).

Just thought I'd add something I read...forget where. I'm a swimmer in college, and was reading up on the idea that more fat equals more bouyancy, and thus more speed in the water. A study was done and found that while larger swimmers were indeed more bouyant, they were slower, because of some kind of drag. They found something like, for every 50yds you lose .10 seconds per pound of fat. So for an 850 swim, that would be 1.7 seconds per pound of fat. So if you're 50 pounds of fat overweight, then you would lose 85 seconds, or 1:15.00.

As far as running goes, running long distances as a heavy running is not only harder but more dangerous. I run cross country in the off season and the heavier guys are always having problems. Everytime you have a footstrike, all your weight is compressing your joints (knees, ankles, hips, ect.) If you're heavy, then that can lead to serious problems eventually if you're really putting in serious milage.

As for cycling....I'm not a cycler :p

Yours in sport,
TJ

Rexford,

I'm 54, 6'0" and 198. I weighed 215 at the beginning of spring '03 and lost 15 lbs in a relatively short time. It was HUGE! I was "fit but fat" to begin with. Simply losing fifteen pounds made a HUGE difference in my run and in my biking. Didn't hurt my soccer any either :) ! I am now looking to lose another 10 so I can pace Rujano up some unknown Italian "Colle di something or other" in next year's Giro!

Tyson

I was 212lbs about 2 1/2 years ago - I'm 165 now. At a 10k distance I used to average 9 - 10 minute miles only running. Now I'm in the low 7s and only run 2x a week. The speed increase is mostly due to my weight loss but partially due to ChiRunning technique.

Rex take it from a shop owner. It's not you its the bike buy a bike from me thats lighter and eat more Tacos. No just kidding.

Lose the weight. Not all at once but a little at a time. Do it through conditioning and not just from not eating. If the body goes catabolic it will not only lose fat but it will also burn Muscle as a source for fuel. Right now I am betting you have extremely strong legs not from cycling but from hauling the fat around thats part of your mass.

Cut the simple carbs back such as sugar. Ad more lean protien, Egg whites ( you are an athlete the Choloesterol issue is not your issue as long as you are execising daily.) Remember keep the calorie intake at 10% fat. The body needs Fat to metabolize or it will just shut down and even a c heeto will go straight to the Saddle.

Thr a diet divided up as follows. 10% fat. 40% complexe carbohydrates. Now remember avoind Rice and Potatos They might as well be a Snickers since thats how the body will store them ( Mom is a diabetic is how I have learned that one). and make the other 50% of the callories Protien. This will secure the mass you have and get you lean all at once. Now heres the next question I am sure. How many calories. Lets say here for a sec you feel the lean part of Rex is say 200 pounds. Lets run with a body builder 1.5 Grams of protien for pound of lean mass. This would = 300 Grams of protien. Now the average per gram is 4 cal. so 1200 Calories from Protien. Now lets figure Carbs. 960 calories. Now heres where it gets tricky. Now because fat is 9 cal. per ounce heres the fun part. just 24 Fat grams. This will = 126 calories.

This givs you a total calorie intake daily of 2,376 Calories. Now divide this in to 5 smaller meals a day. Do not eat with in 3 hours of going to bed. Do a small work out before starting the first meal of the day. It may be a simple as a walk for a couple miles briskly. The body will burn fat before theres food in the body in the morning. This does not mean go do the Boston marathon before breakfast. This just means kick the ole Metobolic rate up a half notch before you eat that first meal of the day.

Now remember 20-30 minutes after a hard work out you want to take in Complex carbs and protien only. The body is looking to store food at that point to restore the muscles used as well as to help build them for the next shock you provide to them. Also try to keep any Carb in take to around 40 grams or less in a single shot.

Remeber that a sudden rush of Sugar in the body = a sudden rush of insulin in the body in which case the body is going to store the sugar as fat.

All this food talk has made me hungry. I am going to go get some Chocolate and a cheese burger. lol

I know this message is full of typos but believe me Cyclist gone Body builder gone lazy a$$ hubby I know my body building facts.

As you get to the leaner say 200 Pound Rex if you decide you want an even faster 180 pound Rex rest remove the calories in the same %'s by say 10%.

If anyone has any questions feel free to email me I will do what I can for you. In case you are all wondering Yes this just did for me what I hope it does for REX. Gets us back on bikes and in Gyms.

laterz, Neal

Having played rugby for a several years before switching to triathlons, I have had to change my training and nutritional strategies significantly in the past 2 years. One thing that has not changed is the importance of having a good source of protein no more than 1 hour (preferably within 30 minutes) of a hard workout. During a workout, you will tear down some muscle tissue. After a workout, you body needs protein for repairs. If you don't provide it through nutrition, your body will take it from other muscle tissue. Canned tuna (in water NOT oil) tastes aweful but gets the job done quickly. Have a couple pieces of fruit for complex cabs and you will be set. You may feel a little hungry but wait at least 30 minutes before indulging in any extras--chances are that your hunger will pass as you have moved onto other things. Following a sound strategy for dieting will achieve a lot more results (and will be less painful) than just starving yourself.

In case it is not obvious, be sure not to jump onto the Atkins diet (i.e. very low carbs and as much fat & protein as you like). If you don't die from a clogged artery, then the lack of carbs during a race will make you wish for death.