Last year early in the season I weighed 188lbs and very gradually got down to 150lbs over the course of several months. I'm 5'9. Off the bike I felt great, and on the bike I felt pretty good as well. Over the winter months, I quickly shot back up to 180lbs, and have not so seriously tried to lose weight, and still weigh around 180.

The thing that surprises me is that despite the fact I have a noticable ponch, I'm a lot stronger this season than last season. And I'm wondering why that is? I know I'll lose atleast 10lbs this season, but it's just something that will come with the biking. I'm no longer worried about my weight so long as i stay under 190.

I don't know how old you are , but you should be worried.
When you are young you can see-saw a bit with limited consequences but as you get older it will become easier and easier to gain and much harder to loose.
Nor is the see-saw particularly good for your health. As to strength, of course you will feel stronger at your present weight since 150 is skinny for your height!
If you settled somewhere around 160 healthy, meaning no flab pounds you would be better off.

I have a small frame for my height. I was 135 when I graduated high school 10 years ago. I'm about to turn 28.

how do you pack on 30lbs?

https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread...-and-Ice-Cream

You probably put on some muscle mass in addition to fat when you gained 30lbs over the winter, thus you now feel stronger.

loose it slowly 1-2 pounds a week, 1 if you can

you will preserve your strength and have the best of both worlds....strong and light

I had a similar experience.
5'10 and 1/2" weighted 185 pounds and went down to 172. After the first 8 or 9 pounds I was feeling great on the bike (particularly when climbing hills); after that, I started to feel weaker and could not increase my power.

hit the gym get your legs stronger

5'9" and 150lbs is not skinny! If that's the case then what am I??

That is the problem with North America these days...Our perception of what is a good weight and what isn't is so skewed...

I, like the OP, weighed about 135lbs when I finished high school. Went to college, discovered late night snacks and beer, got married, had kids...Shot up to 185lbs by the time I was 29!

Said screw this and lost it all over the course of 3-4 years and now at 44 I'm at a stable 135lbs...

To the OP, keep and eye on the weight because as you get older it does become easier to gain and much harder to lose. Weight gain can sneak up on you, trust me. If you are serious about cycling then not carrying excess weight is preferred. If you gained muscle in your legs then that's a good thing, but excess upper body weight (aka the dreaded gut) is not a good thing...

BTW even after all these years of controlling weight, working out and cycling....I still have a slight gut...Once you get one that is the most difficult thing to get rid of...So at your age if you can work not to have one you'll be one step a head..

You're skinny. LOL!

I'm the same height as you, and I was 150 lbs back in college when I was on the swim team. I had zero body fat. I looked at those old photos of me and holy crap I was skinny. My waist was around 29" and I had a hard time finding pants that fit in the mens section!

Having said that your body type has a lot to do with it as well. I have large bones that can support more muscle mass so at 150 lbs. that is simply too slim for me. I look much better at 180-190 lbs. It looks healthier and less like a skinny, 15-year old teenagers.

You sound exactly like me, but I can't gain weight at all. It is not good for your health to be fluctuating that much weight in that short of a period of time.

I'm just over 5'9" - Graduated HS at 127, bulked up in college for the first 2 years to 150 (a lot more muscle) and then 3rd year stopped and got up to 165 which was "fat". After my last year or so of cycling I've dropped to 150.. I'll be 28 this year.

No way too skinny! I'm the same height and joined the Army many, many years ago at a lean 133. Could pretty much out run and outwork anyone in those days. Weight stayed under 150 for at least the next 10 years until I got married, had kids, etc. In other words when I lost all my free time to be playing/execising. Heck, I'm 168 right now and still carrying way too much of a paunch around my middle. Yet my legs are heavier muscled than they have ever been.

I will agree with the danger of letting your weight yo-yo and such. I had many injuries in my later years that affected my "quality of life" Weight got up to a high of 238 in the spring of 2010. Have now lost 70 lbs but it's not easy and the effects all that extra weight was having on my body were pretty bad.

the correct answer is that you are obviously to fat for this sport.

+1! rbart, BF is prob the only place 5'9 150 is not skinny! Yes it is skinny!

Like OP and many others, I was 130 when I graduated HS. I'm 5'9.5, and at 36 (here in July), I weigh a healthy 179. Aside from cycling, I lift weights, and do other sports. I bench 275, and squat 315 so I'm fairly strong and have a muscular build, and my legs are getting more muscle as I bike, yet I try to find a happy medium. Last year I went down to 162 from all the cycling and I was not happy! At 179, I feel much stronger and just as fast as 162. I will accept 175, but no less. If I get down to that weight, time to get off the bike, and or increase my food intake. I've been between 165-175 for the last 15 years.

When you went to 150 last year, you probably lost both fat and muscle and never really maxed your muscle mass at that weight. Hence, you looked good but didn't feel strong.

It's really not that small, depending on build. I've lifted a lot in the past, eaten like a horse, and never been above 175 at 6'1". Just can't do it. Currently am 165, trending down while my riding volume rises. It's just the way my body works. My weights at the gym are staying constant, though I've shifted to less volume and more power-based workouts.

All of these things are relative to how you're put together, just like the amount of weight you can lift. Ever seen a guy who just wasn't built for it try to squat or deadlift (yes, for the record I'm poor at squatting. Okay at bench and deadlifts)? There are a lot of factors to consider. It's hard for us lanky guys to build much muscular girth, and cross-sectional area is the single best predictor of strength. Additionally, there's muscle fiber type, lever systems, and other things that mean you can't just look at someone and tell how strong they are. Additionally, someone could be in good shape and still just be really bad at lifting, or cycling. Hopefully, I'll cycle until the day I die, but I'll always be mediocre, at best.

Sorry, I just hate the "oh-you-can't-bench-that-much-so-you-can't-be-in-good-shape" line of thought. Actually, it just ain't that important, and it can be hard on your shoulders. Ditto for traditional back squats and deadlifts having the potential for back injury. In fact, I've phased the traditional barbell deadlift out of my own workouts, and only use it for clients who want it, can do it well, understand the risk/benefit. That doesn't leave very many.

Now if only my mom would stop telling me to eat.

Being tall and lanky has its advantages.

First, it's easy to look good wearing cycling clothes. Second, if you have the face you can be a model for clothing. Unfortunately, when the shirt comes off....let's face it, all the ladies fall for the big muscular types. Why do you think Vin Diesel can get any chick he wants? LOL!

I keed, I keed!

I'm 5'10" and started at 188 this season. Down to about 176, but would like to be 165. I completed the Cherohala Challenge this past weekend, and I really felt the extra weight on the climbs. Brutal! I'm just not dropping weight at all lately! I have a broad build and have always had a larger upper body. Seems like a disadvantage, and I'm wondering if 165 is even going to be possible.

But why should the weight you are in high-school be right. My father in law and brother in law both were pretty big in their early teens, then got thinner and more fit. On the other hand, it seems like a lot of people get broader (side to side, not front to back) through their twenties, and shouldn't weigh the same as at 18. Besides, unless you're really overweight or underweight, what's the big deal?

I've always struggled w/skinny legs. Cycling is helping, along with other exercises at the gym. I'm sure that's why I'm the heaviest I'ver ever been at my current 179, even though my upper body is still about the same. I still have to work very hard to keep my size. If I quit lifting, I would probably lose 8-10 lbs.

OP, I feel the same way I am 6'1" and graduated at 175-180# pure bone, muscle, skin and organs! Very low body fat. Through a generally active lifestyle I've definitely gained muscle over time, as well as the inevitable high BF%, and since then I've bounced around 200# - and now it feels like that's my healthy "fighting weight". I've been as high as 235#, and was hating life. I was happy to lose that (thanks Paleo!). But, if I get much below I start to feel weak and tend to get sick more often - even though I love feeling lighter on the bike. It seems that there's a healthy "set point" my body seeks to maintain. I can push it lower using certain ways-of-eating, but go too low and the gains start to diminish.

I think if we're honest with ourselves, competitive bike riding messes with your body image!

Big up top, toothpick legs that dont put out any power at all. Im 180, 155 when I graduated high school. When the road goes up, I come off the back. My knees are screaming for a cool down. There are guys in my group that have legs my size and they are 135 to 140 so I am at a hug power to weight disadvantage. Only option is for me to get it back to 150.