Power to Weight Ratio

[li10up]

I'm not getting any younger but I still want to ride faster. I know the key is my power to weight ratio. I've been working on the weight and in the past year have dropped 25 lbs...15 in the last 3 months. The problem is I don't seem to be getting much faster. Even though I'm lighter I still fall off the back on nearly every little hill. I can usually hang with the group pretty well on the flats. What else should I be doing? BTW, I still have about 10 or 15 lbs that I need to lose.

[celerystalksme]

I'm not getting any younger but I still want to ride faster. I know the key is my power to weight ratio. I've been working on the weight and in the past year have dropped 25 lbs...15 in the last 3 months. The problem is I don't seem to be getting much faster. Even though I'm lighter I still fall off the back on nearly every little hill. I can usually hang with the group pretty well on the flats. What else should I be doing? BTW, I still have about 10 or 15 lbs that I need to lose.

don't just ride...train.

intervals on the bike. weights in the weight room. combine with endurance rides where you never stop spinning and keep your heart rate or wattage constant. make sure you're getting the most out of your workouts and that you're not cheating on yourself by getting a heart rate monitor or a power meter.

combine that with good nutrition and good rest, you'll be flying in no time!

[maillotpois]

Is is possible you've lost muscle instead of losing fat? Rapid weight loss can often include more muscle loss than desired, which would have a detrimental effect on your power outputs, leading to lower power to weight ratio, even though your weight is down.

I'm trying to lose some more weight now, but am monitoring % body fat through regular caliper testing, as well as power output testing, to ensure that the weight I am losing is the right weight (i.e., FAT) and that my power output is not affected. My climbing speed is improving steadily.

[li10up]

Here's what I've been doing for the last 3 months:

MWF - Running treadmill in a.m. Recently adding an after work run on MW. Each run is only about 3 miles or about 35-40 minutes.

MWF - after running lifting weights for 20 minutes

TThSS - weather permitting I ride my bike. Group rides of about 90 minutes with an avg. speed between 15 and 17 mph.

I wear a HRM during all my workouts and after I get warmed up I am usually in my 70-80% MAXHR zone for about 50% of the time. The rest of the time I am over 80%. So I'm getting good workouts and some "interval" work by being over 80% - right?

As far as diet I am trying to maintain a 500 calorie deficit every day which is one pound a week. I've been losing about a lb a week so I don't think I'm losing muscle mass. Actually, I'm starting to see some muscle definition.

I just don't know what else to do.

[Eden]

As I ask with all people who use a HR monitor, have you tested your personal max or are you using the pre-programmed 220 - age formula? For many people the formula can really underestimate, so you may be spending more time in your "endurance" zones than you realize.

[alpinerabbit]

Do you take rest days? I assume the "weather not permitting" days.

I'd do climbing intervals, on your "own" hill, at your pace. In a gear or two higher than you would usually go.
And make sure enough of your calories are protein.

I'm not getting much faster lately, if that helps.

[li10up]

I'm not using the 220 - age = MHR calculation. That is really off for me. It would put me at 173 and my real MAX, as best as I can determine is 190. So I'm using 190. I haven't been taking rest days unless the weather is bad. And in TX we usually have pretty good weather. But my running days aren't all that hard really...so I kind of count them as my rest days. I'm pretty good at staying in the 70-80% zone while running on the treadmill.

[Triskeliongirl]

To preserve lean body mass when dieting its important to be sure you are eating adequate protein. Try to aim for at least 1 g of protein per lb of lean body mass to be sure the weight loss is coming from fat and not muscle.

Also, perhaps since losing weight you need a bike that is better adapted to the ligher you. By that I mean when I lost 35 lb I also didn't get as much faster as I was expecting. But my position on the bike, and even gearing (mountain) was for the heavier me. Recently I got a new bike, and new position, with road gearing, and saw a huge improvement.