Clydesdales/Athenas (200+ lb / 91+ kg) - Just curious: Are you a fat or fit clyde?

I'm not trying to start any B.S., just get a picture of my clydesdale bretheren.

I'm a clyde when my BF is a healthy 10-20%
I'm a clyde when my BF is in race trim (below 10%)

I fit both of these categories. It's more like:
I'm a clyde, and my BF is a healthy 10-20%
I'm a still a clyde if I could get my BF down to race trim (below 10%)

At 260 pounds, I'd have to drop 61 pounds to loose my status here. That's about 23% of my total weight. Given my current 18% bodyfat, I'd have to lose another 5% in muscle mass.

I have a big build right now anyway, I'm trying to get below 200 but I'm not sure I can!

I have a big build right now anyway, I'm trying to get below 200 but I'm not sure I can!

My doctor actually said that I'd have to lose AT LEAST 50% of my optimal muscle structure to get below 200. Basically I'd be tall, bony, and skinny.

I'd rather settle for the 225-250 where he thinks I will be "a tank" than focusing on a damn number :)

Fortunatly I was genetically predisposed with large muscles and bones.
Unfortunatly I was genetically predisposed with large muscles and bones.

The fortunate part, I can push, cary, pull lots of weight. Sprint like a bat out of hell. Burn fat faster and look good when I am down below 12% bf. Also, because of the thickness/density of my bones I have yet to break any, other then my fingers and toes. Lots of brusing and slight fractures but never a break.

Unfortunatly, I can not buy normal pants/shirts (my thighs do not fit, shoulders and chest are to thick), I have had to work my arse off when I was younger to be good at endurance sports, put way to much strain on my frames/wheels and due to having very thick obliques I get huge love handles when over 12%.

Right now I am at 17% bf and tip the scale at 278. The leanest I have ever been was during my boot camp days when the drill instructors were determined to get me below 200lbs. Well that never happend and I ended up graduating BC at 202lbs and 3% body fat.

MSF:beer:

Yeah, no choice in your poll for me either...

I'll be a clyde regardless of % body fat.

Yeah, no choice in your poll for me either...
I'll be a clyde regardless of % body fat.

Choice three for you then.

Choice three (I'm a clyde when my BF is in race trim (below 10%) for you then.
I assume then you have great faith in the long range success of my diet. Thank you for your vote of confidence...

Non-fat, half decaf clyde.

Inside me is a thin man dying to get out.
(He is kept comfortable by some pie, a half case of Bud, two cheese-dogs and a big screen Sony.)


-Sweet Jesus that's great

perma-clyde me - but then again being built like an nfl linebacker/rugby prop helps :)

I'm 6'7" and 260ish pounds. Former D-I college offensive lineman. I'm always a clyde at any body fat percentage.

I think I will too unless I lose a lot of muscle mass which I'm not anxious to do.

If I get below 200 lbs, there is something medically wrong with me. My Dr. said that an optimal weight for me would be about 220 lbs. due to bone and muscle structure.

I've been down to 215 and I was in great shape. Below that point, I look sickly.

SOOO glad I'm not alone. So much is said about the BMI, and that "magical" 200 number that it makes me want to projectile vomit in the face of weight weenies.

I don't care about the damn number, I just want to be happy! If I find happy to be 300lbs, then so be it. Hell, I was happy at 407, then I decided this summer I wanted to take it to the "next level". And I love biking, and fast bikes. So I've gotta drop some more so I can get that Volpe and Stumpjumper I've been eyeing :).

Again GREAT to hear I'm not alone. I hear so many people saying "bull****" when I tell them my optimal is right around 250 that it drives me nuts. Go society! Go BSBMI!

-Sweet Jesus that's greatThanks

Can you put me down as "both"? I'm 5'10" and in the high 280's but at this point, I ride 100 miles/week. I'd like to get down to 200 lbs, but if I don't, I'm not exactly worried. I lift more than most of the tykes at the gym, and when the mood strikes me, I'm quite capable of riding at dawn and not returning until dusk. I have a big gut, but I'm still in the 90th percentile in regards to my overall fitness level.

I'm also a clyde no matter what. I'm 6'-4" and 240. I consider myself 30 pounds overweight right now. At 210 I feel really good/healthy.

Shayne

My BMI is 30, which means that according to the experts that created this farce, I'm not just overweight... I'm dangerously obese.

My bodyfat percentage (as determined by 3 measurement caliper technique) is 18%. This puts me in the "healthy" range as determined by the American Dietetic Assoc.

The BMI charts are meant for the average person. Non-bike commuting, non-athlete, doing a small amount of exercise a couple times a week. From what I'm reading, a lot of us here are either working on getting back in top shape after a lapse, or continuing a healthy exercise routine which has involved some heavy strain (weightlifters, military, ruggers, etc.,) in the past so we carry more lean bulk than average. The BMI charts just don't seem to apply for many of us here.

The BMI charts just don't seem to apply for many of us here.

...or anyone in the real world. One of the fittest people I know was almost refused entry to an elite group on the basis that his bmi wasn't within guidelines - he got in by starving himself and then got best, i.e., fittest, strongest, smartest, student and was an instructor in half the normal time all at his normal "bmi fat" weight

bmi is inaccurate, skinfold testing is a little more accurate.
the slim guide skinfold calipers are pretty cheap.

bmi is inaccurate, skinfold testing is a little more accurate.
the slim guide skinfold calipers are pretty cheap.

Do you have a link?

I'm perma clyde also. I think the lowest i could get at any bf% is 245. Shoulda went pro football ;)

I have a scale that claims to tell me bodyfat %age, but I have my doubts about how well it works.

I have been much lighter than I am now, and I would guesstimate that at a healthy bf%age I would be under 200.

I'm 6'3", fluctuate normally between 210 and 212 (down from 220-ish earlier this year), and have weighed as little as 170 in the past (not healthy though, just really emaciated at that point.)

I figure 180 to 185 is a doable, healthy eventual target weight... the scale says 22% bodyfat, but I have a hard time believing it. Never had a skinfold test done or whatnot, so I don't know how to confirm my suspicions.

I have skinny wrists and ankles- all of my weight is in my torso. I'm 6'3" 250. My ideal weight is about 190, so in theory, I could get out of the clyde category- but why- I get a lot harder workout in less time being a fat guy!

I have skinny wrists and ankles- all of my weight is in my torso. I'm 6'3" 250. My ideal weight is about 190, so in theory, I could get out of the clyde category- but why- I get a lot harder workout in less time being a fat guy!There was a long thread on this. Unless you are doing mostly hill work, the benefits of larger body mass (or any extra weight on the bike) are pretty small -- as far as additional calories burned.

There was a long thread on this. Unless you are doing mostly hill work, the benefits of larger body mass (or any extra weight on the bike) are pretty small -- as far as additional calories burned.

Hambone- you really know how to ruin a guy's day! :(

I was actually just kidding around- my body type (kind of pear shaped) is one of the highest risks for a heart attack according to my doctor. I'm slowly changing my diet and cycling regularly- with 2 young children, I want to hang around for a bit!

There was a long thread on this. Unless you are doing mostly hill work, the benefits of larger body mass (or any extra weight on the bike) are pretty small -- as far as additional calories burned.

as clydes we're never going to win king of the mountain so if you haven't got anything constructive to say please don't say anything

Fat Louie - as long as you're focused on fat to muscle replacement rather than fit to gut en-slobment then just do what makes you feel healthy - for me that's light weights, high reps, lots of 70-80% cardio sessions, cycling to work - that means I don't bulk up and run rings around most other guys my height/weight

for most of us clydes strength isn't a problem and putting on muscle mass is easy so I try and focus on endurance which seems to work

as clydes we're never going to win king of the mountain so if you haven't got anything constructive to say please don't say anything
I remember playing a game called King of the Mountain when I was a kid. The point was for everyone to try and knock someone (the King) down from whatever milk-crate or suburban power-box thing (the 'mountain') they were standing on. I'm huge. I'd totally rule at that game now.:D

There was a long thread on this. Unless you are doing mostly hill work, the benefits of larger body mass (or any extra weight on the bike) are pretty small -- as far as additional calories burned.

Er, I took part in that thread, and that wasn't exactly the case. According the Kreutzotter calculator, a doubling of weight resulted in a 47% increase in calories needed to propel at speed. On the Caloriesperhour website, the calories required to pedal at the same speed as a lighter rider was more like 100%.

I am almost 6'2" and when I am leaned down, I am ~190, currently, I am about 205 (gained 4 lbs going to my daughters wedding) but that is already dropping again.

As long as I can comfortably fit in 34" waist pants - I ain't worrying about my weight. I might be a little soft in the middle yet, but I can pedal up almost anything and still be enjoying it.

by the way, are my days numbered in the group if I drop below 200 lbs?

Lean legs, fatback and fat gut. Damn beer!http://www.stack.myby.co.uk/smile_files/drink.gif

Im an ex powerlifting/bodybuilding clyde and 205 at 10.5% and about 6'0

I mainly ride now and cut my llifting back so ill probably drop below 200 soon and settle at about 190 and 9% or so, I have no desire to be 150 pound guy and will try to retain some LBM

BMI is a joke guys and most athletes and especially bodybuilders need use skin calipers to check. Accumeasure makes a single site "supra illiac" one the is within 1% of the gold standard. It also comes with a chart that gives you your % for your age as we gain visceral fat as we age.

do a search on accumeasure, its like $20..

At present, I'm 6'#" at last weighing was 316. Went from 315 and a XXL waist size to 316lbs with a XL waist.Lost one size and gained a pound, go figure! However I feel fit doing a 15.6 mile ride in 1:12 mins.Up and down hill on a FM road!So, you tell me!

If it ain't broke, you ain't trying hard enough!

Muscle mass is heavier than fat! You dropped fat, gained muscle and reproportioned! Still a net gain in health!:D

I remember playing a game called King of the Mountain when I was a kid. The point was for everyone to try and knock someone (the King) down from whatever milk-crate or suburban power-box thing (the 'mountain') they were standing on. I'm huge. I'd totally rule at that game now.:D

i remember playing that game. we played on large mounds of sand/dirt at construction sights.

i pretty much store everything in the love handles/stomach. burns off pretty easily when i cut out everything that i shouldn't have and ride a lot & exercise. hmmmm i see an infomercial here.

6'3", 285 lbs. The gut may go away someday, but the shoulders and legs are pretty much permanently attached. The only way I'd stop being a Clyde is if (1) I lost every last last ounce of body fat and (2) had a leg amputated. I wouldn't mind coming close on #1. Think I'll pass on #2, though.

5'11" (was 280) now 265lbs. 48 years old. Sedentary lifestyle between 30 and 40, cancer diagnosis at 42, still alive at 48 and have been riding regularly since my chemo treatments stopped 4+ years ago. Started out, couldn't ride more than five miles without feeling like passing out and now I have done 55 miles in hilly country in 85 degree weather. I have a gut for sure but my legs are stronger and leaner than five years ago. I did weight lift steady between age 20 and 30 plus biked to work 16 miles round trip and martial arts twice weekly back then so I am familiar with excercise. Work and family obligations kept me busy and out of a good excercise routine for ten years so I have no idea at my age what I should weigh but its definately not 265!!! I'd guess that 200 is a manageable weight. I currently ride three to five times weekly for between 10 and 40 miles each day. ( knee troubles, lots of spinning) I am starting a weight routine for the winter and will be buying a recumbent excercise bike in addition to riding outdoors weather permiting. I recently did 40 miles in 3:03 , not sure if thats speedy for a 48 year old/cancer survivor/fat guy riding a 28 pound touring bike but I am trying. Just gotta stop eating so much after riding and remember to stay below by 500 or so cal. a day if I want to make consistant progress.:eek:

I think I'll wind up permaclyde, lets see if we can compute it from my latest measurement:

233lbs, 27% bodyfat (electronic scale)

.27*233 = ~63lbs of fat or 170lbs of the rest of me...now since 27% is almost 30%, and 1/3 of 30% is 10% we could say I'd have about 20lbs of fat at 10%, making me 190. (approximately)

otherwise we say that X is my fat mass at 10%, X/170+X = 0.1 and solve for x. this yields 18.8 lbs.
so either way I'd be 10lbs shy of being a clyde if I JUST lost fat. (sadly I did the algebraic part before the approximation because I just don't trust my ability to approximate)


but knowing that my arms look like spaghetti and I can only bench about 90. (meanwhile I leg-press something ridiculously high, like enough to max out most of those multipurpose weight machines without much strain) I know I've got some muscle mass to gain before I'll be happy.

The catch is if I gain say, 5lbs of muscle that increases my body mass, subsequently increasing the mass of bodyfat that's considered within 10%. somewhere around 8lbs the calculations say I'm both extremely fit and clyde. since I probably won't break 12-15% unless I start eating steam for 2/3 of my meals, I think I can still safely say I'm able to be a fit clyde.

233lbs, 27% bodyfat (electronic scale)

.27*233 = ~63lbs of fat or 170lbs of the rest of me...now since 27% is almost 30%, and 1/3 of 30% is 10% we could say I'd have about 20lbs of fat at 10%, making me 190. (approximately)

otherwise we say that X is my fat mass at 10%, X/170+X = 0.1 and solve for x. this yields 18.8 lbs.
so either way I'd be 10lbs shy of being a clyde if I JUST lost fat. (sadly I did the algebraic part before the approximation because I just don't trust my ability to approximate)

Body fat % calculations can lead folks to some erroneous conclusions. When we are over weight we build additional skeletal muscle to assist in carrying the extra heft around. That muscle goes away as we lose weight but it is included in the 170 lbs number. About 1/3 of each pound a person loses during weight loss is lean mass (this is an approximation but a pretty good one) Lets day you lose 43 pounds, you will lose 28.4 pounds of fat and 14.2 pounds of lean mass. This would leave you with 155.8 pounds of lean mass and 34.6 pounds of fat your body fat 18% not 10%.

I am certainly not saying your not fit, just trying to help clear up some folks perception of weight loss and body fat %.

I am 5'8, 240 lbs and roughly 14-15% bodyfat.

Fat

Fat

I applaud your simple honesty.

Okay...I was fat, working on being fit. BMI is now 25.5. In June my BMI was 40.

http://img212.imageshack.us/img212/1605/5monthhistorical01mb1.th.jpg (http://img212.imageshack.us/my.php?image=5monthhistorical01mb1.jpg)

Fit or fat? Prolly both!:D...6'1 and 235 lbs of burning love baby! OK, maybe not!:p

When I train and include climbing, I quickly drop down to 220!

BTW, you look marvelous Cheesey!...great job!:)



http://i98.photobucket.com/albums/l267/gulpxtreme/DSC02848.jpg

I'm 6'2" and 250 lbs. Started Triathlons last summer and saw an improvement in body composition. Didn't lose any weight, but definitely gain muscle. If I cut out the beer and other things that taste good out of my diet, I could probably get leaner and faster, but life is too short not to enjoy the best things in life. Plus, for the most part skinny people (on purpose) are a drag to be around.

I alsway say the Clydesdales should challenge the elites to a tackle football game after the race, but no one ever shows up.

Fat

less fat now though
Starting weight 247
Week 1 -8 = 239
Week 2 -4.5 = 234.5
Goal 175

6'5" 230 pounds. I've been running about 20 miles a week and just getting back in to cycling. It seems that short of starving myself, anything under 218 is impossible. Most important at this point is that I feel good. My energy level is usually the best indicator of where my diet and lifestyle are taking me at any given time.

Well, I'm 6'3 and 225...and I have big shoulders etc. I could use some fat, maybe 10 lbs, but if I went sub-clyde I'd have lots of people trying to get me to eat because I'd look really sick. Haven't wieghed under 200 since i was 16.