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Climbing weight and how to reach it**********

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Climbing weight and how to reach it**********

Old 06-04-09, 03:41 PM
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Climbing weight and how to reach it**********

How does one calculate their optimal 'climber's' weight?

What do Pros do to reach that weight? I read of weighing food by the gram etc. What would a pro cyclist's diet regime be in order to achieve optimal weight, which is skinny ass skinny, while not hampering training or performance??? What do they eat? And just out of interest, I am especially curious about the crazy extreme stuff pros do to make weight.
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Old 06-04-09, 04:52 PM
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Originally Posted by robotfury
How does one calculate their optimal 'climber's' weight?
Time yourself up climbs. The weight at which you are the fastest is it. If you get too light you'll be slower instead of faster.

What do Pros do to reach that weight? I read of weighing food by the gram etc. What would a pro cyclist's diet regime be in order to achieve optimal weight, which is skinny ass skinny, while not hampering training or performance??? What do they eat? And just out of interest, I am especially curious about the crazy extreme stuff pros do to make weight.
6 hour rides at 23 mph would do it.
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Old 06-04-09, 09:31 PM
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I think they old adage is 2lbs per inch of height for males (atleast for professionals)....in most circumstances this is practically impossible to achieve for the average person. I've heard the drip diet is popular with pros though.
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Old 06-05-09, 10:40 AM
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BMI of 22 or below. A rider who wants to climb a lot better will sometimes starve themselves in the preseason and get the weight way down, then keep it down during the season simply by riding a lot. I haven't heard that they do anything special, other than weighing their food, using a balanced diet, riding 20,000 miles/year, etc.

Believe me, you ride the 20,000 and you'll climb a lot better, too. It's the biggest single thing you can do. Doesn't matter how fast, just do the miles. I ride with a fellow who rode 30,000 miles last year, full time job, wife, 2 kids. Don't say it can't be done.
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Old 06-05-09, 11:20 AM
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Originally Posted by chrisvu05
I think they old adage is 2lbs per inch of height for males (atleast for professionals)....in most circumstances this is practically impossible to achieve for the average person. I've heard the drip diet is popular with pros though.
? what is that?
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Old 06-05-09, 11:36 AM
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A climbing weight is as little as possible. The notion is to have only legs, heart and lungs with just enough bone and sinew to keep the whole package together.

Actually, portly riders can climb reasonably well. It is a matter of fitness and knowing how to pace oneself up a climb.

I recall reading an article about a cycling vacation in Italy that involves a considerable amount of climbing. A not so young, plump lady showed up. Everyone thought that she would be toast at the end of the first day, if she made it that far. As it turned out, she did fine unlike many of her more svelte companions.

Weight is not everything even in climbing.
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Old 06-06-09, 06:30 PM
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Originally Posted by chrisvu05
I think they old adage is 2lbs per inch of height for males (atleast for professionals)....in most circumstances this is practically impossible to achieve for the average person. I've heard the drip diet is popular with pros though.
interesting adage. i'm about 71.5 inches, so 2 lbs/inch would be about 12 lbs lighter than i've ever been (as an adult of course), which is 155lbs. 150lbs is probably not unreasonable if i really tried, but any less than that, my wife would have me committed.
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Old 06-06-09, 08:18 PM
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Originally Posted by slynkie
interesting adage. i'm about 71.5 inches, so 2 lbs/inch would be about 12 lbs lighter than i've ever been (as an adult of course), which is 155lbs. 150lbs is probably not unreasonable if i really tried, but any less than that, my wife would have me committed.
2 lbs/inch is what most of the best pro climbers are under. That's because they are built thin. But that doesn't mean that every rider's "best climbing weight" is under 2 lbs/inch. For many that would be too light.

It also doesn't mean that if you get under 2 lbs/inch you will suddenly become a super climber. Just to illustrate, on my ride today I met up with a couple teamates. I'm a decent climber but these guys are both better climbers than I am and have done better in the CA state climbing championship. One guy (a cat 3) has a seriously built upper body from years of gym work. The other guy (a cat 2) is of medium build and doesn't look particularly lean.
if you looked at the three of us, you'd pick me as the "climber" in the group. Even though I am well into middle age I'm under 2 lbs/inch, have low body fat, and have visible veins in my legs. Yet I am the slowest climber of the group.
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Old 06-06-09, 10:39 PM
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Originally Posted by ericm979
2 lbs/inch is what most of the best pro climbers are under. That's because they are built thin. But that doesn't mean that every rider's "best climbing weight" is under 2 lbs/inch. For many that would be too light.

It also doesn't mean that if you get under 2 lbs/inch you will suddenly become a super climber. Just to illustrate, on my ride today I met up with a couple teamates. I'm a decent climber but these guys are both better climbers than I am and have done better in the CA state climbing championship. One guy (a cat 3) has a seriously built upper body from years of gym work. The other guy (a cat 2) is of medium build and doesn't look particularly lean.
if you looked at the three of us, you'd pick me as the "climber" in the group. Even though I am well into middle age I'm under 2 lbs/inch, have low body fat, and have visible veins in my legs. Yet I am the slowest climber of the group.
well obviously the majority of us will never achieve that kind of weight but the goal would be to trend in that direction though. Yes there is a point for all riders that they lose power to wt ratio with too much weight loss.
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Old 06-06-09, 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Jynx
? what is that?
https://www.cyclo-club.com/public/926.cfm
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Old 06-07-09, 02:48 AM
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Forget climbing "weight". Watts per KG is where it's at. If you can reach the required watts/kg ratio to be a good climber, then it doesn't matter if you are 200 or 120lbs.
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Old 06-07-09, 05:26 AM
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Just ride your bike an be happy with where you are. . . I guarantee that you'll climb better happy than all the paralysis-by-analysis in the world will give you.
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Old 06-07-09, 09:51 AM
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Originally Posted by paulclaude
Forget climbing "weight". Watts per KG is where it's at. If you can reach the required watts/kg ratio to be a good climber, then it doesn't matter if you are 200 or 120lbs.
Well in order to reach the Watts/kg ratio you either have to lose weight or gain power. It is usually easier to lose weight to a certain point.
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Old 06-07-09, 01:17 PM
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Thanks guys. Really informative. Just what I wanted to know... more just to know. Reading that drip diet now, though not likely to do it myself.
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Old 06-07-09, 03:02 PM
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Originally Posted by robotfury
Thanks guys. Really informative. Just what I wanted to know... more just to know. Reading that drip diet now, though not likely to do it myself.
Yeah the Drip diet is a little over the top. Honestly the best diet I've ever done was weight watchers. It focuses mainly on portion control. You don't really have to change what you eat but it teaches you the proper amount to eat and as you lose weight you decrease the amount you need to eat.
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Old 06-07-09, 04:08 PM
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Eating disorders. No just for teen girls and models. . . athletes experience it in huge numbers, but because thye're "athletes" . . it doesn't have the stigma. . . but the pain is very real.

"Dieting" is a very slippery slope.
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Old 06-07-09, 04:42 PM
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How to reach climbing weight:
Step 1. Learn as much as you can, from websites like www.bodybuilding.com and www.t-nation.com about the physiologic effects macronutrients (carbs, fat, protein) have on the body. Learn about when you need fuel, when you dont, what you need to repair, etc.
Step 2. Create a caloric defecit. Luckily we ride bikes here, so its kind of easy for us. Go out and ride on an empty stomach. Yes it will suck, yes you'll go slow, yes you will be pushing yourself, and yes, it works. Theoretically, doing this can train your body to turn fat into usable energy easier, especially if you do intervals on an empty stomach. Intervals build mitochondria in your muscles, and with glycogen low the new mitochondria will adapt to using fat, thus your ratio of total fuel usage will shift a little bit. In theory, you will be able to burn fat easier in the long run. It is a theory, but I believe it to be true based off of my personal experience.
Step 3. Body Composition, in my opinion, is more important than just weight with regards to climbing. I've been 130 and muscle-less and terrible at everything on a bike. I've been 145 and rather average at everything on a bike. Right now I'm around 135, lean, but I have a really strong core and muscle on my frame and my biking is good. So dont just try and lose weight and only do that, you'll go nowhere and everything will become hard.
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