Losing Weight Through Cycling - How I Lost 10kg in 10 Weeks

 

If you've ever read any books by Tony Robbins you'll understand the concept of the 'syntax of success', in other words what sequence did someone else who has successfully already achieved what you want to achieve, then replicate it.  Another way of looking at is is what I call 'winning patterns' - what patterns of success can you install to get you more quickly to your goals.

For those that follow me on social media, they'll know that I reduced my weight by 10kg in 10 weeks in preparation to cycle up Mount Teide in Tenerife by focusing on a kg a week as my weight loss target.  No crash or fad diets, just discipline and work combined with good diet and lots of targeted exercise.  Lots of people have asked how I achieved it, so today I'm sharing some of my 'syntax of success' with you.

I achieved this under the guidance of a professional coach (@propulse on twitter) - who developed a personal training plan, individualised to my ergometrics and designed around my work schedule. 

He monitored my progress daily, including assisting me through a period of food poisoning and a cold.  We did this virtually using Whatsapp and through monitoring and evaluating each day's training session using Garmin connect (power, HR data etc) aswell as other data from my Fitbit (resting Heart Rate). Before we start on some details, let me just say this:-

Disclaimer

• Always consult a health professional before attempting any strenuous activity.
• Get a good quality coach/professional who can advise you and monitor your progress.
• If ever in discomfort, stop and seek medical assistance.

Setting the Goal

At the basics of motivation are having a goal to achieve, something you want. It's why many fall off the weight loss wagon, particular at New Year.  I've always liked this graphic which gives it some clear perspective, you need to be able to fill in all the boxes and it makes it easy to ensure you have all the boxes ticked.

Questions to ask yourself?

• How badly do I want this?
• What am I prepared to give up/sacrifice?
• What am I prepared to invest?

I also shared my goal with my wife. Her understanding and support was key as the evening training commitment meant disruption to our usual routines.

Technology/Applications 

• I have used a Fitbit Surge watch for a while now which monitors your movement and resting heart rate.  I also own the Fitbit wireless scales which automatically update your weight and body fat into the application.  This gave me a good baseline for my daily movements and added motivation to keep moving, such as having a short walk at lunchtime aswell as good progress tracking.
• I use Garmin Connect for logging rides and use MyFitness Pal for food logging.  With API's, these are all linked and it means my Fitbit dashboard shows me the consolidated view of all of my activity. Calories in, all exercise, the calorie deficit and my sleeping patterns plus resting heart rates - pretty much everything you need to understand how your body works.
• I'm into data, so monitoring has been a big part of having a 360 degree view of the pathway and sharing that with the coach.  All training sessions were conducted with a heart rate monitor on and we also kept a close eye on my resting heart rate to ensure the load was well calibrated and within my capacity.  Taking each step with certainty.

Food Logging

• By logging what you eat you can quickly get to grips with what you're eating and how to take corrective action to re- configure what you eat. Barcode scanning the things you eat (or looking them up) you can better get an angle on portion size and make more more positive choices about what goes in.  It leads to a lot of trading off, trust me.  MyFitnessPal has been superb for this.
• At the simplest level, a pound of fat is around 3,500 calories, give or take, so if you want to lose two pounds you have to create around 7,000 calories of deficit without your body thinking you're on a desert island and hungry.  This was a key piece of info for me when starting out as it gave me a number to focus on.
• By fuelling your body with what it needs you create the platform for the cardio work you need to do complete to create the weekly deficit you need.  I got a lot of advice from the coach on this, including supplements and specific eating strategies for periods of load.
• We identified I needed more protein in my daily diet, so reviewing my daily calories, it was about prioritising more intake.  This was provided via supplements, the rest through protein rich food.

A Typical Eating Day

Crash diets rarely work as your body thinks it's starving and holds on to the fat you're trying to lose or eats into your muscle for the fuel it needs.  Eating close to your daily metabolic rate is key, particularly with a training load.  Mine is around 2250 calories, I chose to ensure I eat at least 1950 calories per day (7 x 300 = 2,100 calories a week saved or around a pound).  

I can genuinely say I rarely felt hungry with this food pattern and - more importantly - avoided the sugar crashes that have you reaching for chocolate, biscuits or crisps, a previous regular feature around 5pm and 9pm in my life.

• Breakfast - Sugar free Alpen muesli with blueberries, skimmed milk or natural yoghurt. Pint of water. Range of supplements C, D, E, Fish Oil. Double espresso (a treat).
• Mid morning - 750 ML whey protein shake (50g protein).
• Lunch - Couple of slices of ham, couple of boiled eggs, small portion of pasta, plenty of salad.
• Mid afternoon - piece of fruit.
• Evening - Chicken or Fish and salad/small portion of carbohydrate.
• Around 9pm - 750 ML whey protein shake (50g protein).
• Water - around 3L per day.
• No caffeine after 2pm.

Exercise

• Around 75 minutes per weekday cardio on a Wattbike with intervals. The intervals were designed around specific heart rate zones to achieve specific outcomes with varying load.
• Saturday ride around 3 hours with some intervals and sprints of increase increasing intensity as time elapsed.
• Sunday ride around 4 hours with some intervals and sprints of increase increasing intensity as time elapsed.
• Total around 13-14 hours per week with specificity in the design.

Outcomes

Just doing the math. If you think an hour of decent cardio should give you around 550 burned calories, 13 x 550 = 7,150 calories plus the daily deficit of 2,100 from diet (see point above) = 9,250 deficit per week.

With long rides at the weekend, they need fuelling, plus there are times in the week when you may go over your daily rate or need extra fuel for a training session, knock off 2,250 calories and you're left with about 7,000 calorie deficit (which give or take give you around a kg).

That at its simplest level is the basic formula I worked to in my head when looking at what I eat vs. the exercise and how to generate this gap whilst still giving the body all the essentials it needs to cope with the load.

Starting weight/body fat  = 205 pounds or 93 KG /25% body fat

Current weight/body fat = 182 pounds or 82.5 KG/21% body fat

Looking at my overall performance, my previous average speed on the bike I can produce with around -7% less heart rate effort, meaning greater efficiency. My resting heart rate is now 46 and my VO2 max around 53.  

I've broken just about every Strava record I've ever set in the previous five years in the last four weeks showing the impact of reduced weight, whilst building resiliency and threshold based tempo.

Quick Wins I Implemented to assist with weight loss

• Switched from flat white coffee to Espresso (130 calories per day in a Flat White to Double Espresso around 6 calories per day).  7 x 124 = 868 calories.
• Passed on bread. No sandwiches, toast or wraps.
• Skipped deserts when out at business dinners.
• If on a night out, alternated between alcohol and soda water every other drink (cuts out 50% whilst not living like a monk).
• Cut down on overall alcohol intake (generally around 180 calories plus in a pint of anything so if you have a ceiling of 1,850 you can quickly burst through it).  My 12 week period included a heavy three day session in Palma for a friends 50th birthday, however I offset a lot of it by walking for 10 miles a day and drinking a lot of water in between beers (all about offsetting if you're going to go for it).
• Always have some positive food on hand in your fridge if you get the munchies. It's better for you and long lasting in terms of effect.  For me, this was mostly chicken.
• If going away on business, I booked at hotels with gyms to train, also took food with me if necessary to avoid the easy burger and fries choice.
• Drove more to evening business functions rather than take taxis, meant alcohol was off the choice list.

Commentary from Niko (The Coach)

"Successful business people have similar characteristics to pro-cyclists. Dedication, targets, discipline are already there. The coach has to have the ability to transfer these into an effective combination of training plan and correct food intake while monitoring the training load, heart rates and recovery times. This is not easy. The very busy schedule of a CEO doesn't leave any time to waste - every moment is precious. Phil managed and continues to manage everything in a unique way.

Nobody should crack under pressure if a plan is well calculated, keeping the energy stores always recharged and the training load well balanced. The discipline of following a rigourous training plan should pay dividends for successful business people in their work lives, by enabling even greater energy, clear thinking and focus - but it still takes strong dedication to stick to the plan and achieve the results. "

Summary

So that's it.  After the 10 weeks you develop the winning mindset of eating better, finding time to train and better understanding the relationship between what you eat and what you burn.  On the bike, you get faster, more efficiently and climb better too.  You're body shape changes, leading to new clothes and increased confidence.  It's well worth the investments you make to get the returns.  

As with all things, this is what worked for me.  It may or may not work for you, always seek advice from a professional before embarking on any big training loads and good luck if you fancy doing something like this yourself.

Burning Fat whilst Riding a Road Bike

With the prospect of climbing Mount Teide later this year, it's time to get in shape and lose some weight.  The cheapest way of getting faster on your bike isn't to invest in a new bike, it's to invest in losing weight by changing your diet and your exercise regime to trigger the body into knocking those pounds off.

Dual Fuel

If you've not got to grips with heart rate zone training, in the simplest of terms, your body either uses fat or carbohydrate to fuel (or a combination of both) depending on your effort and ride intensity.  The lower the effort, the more likely fat, the higher the effort - carbohydrate.  

This is why gels and energy bars exist, to quicky replace carbohydrate when you are putting in big efforts in higher heart rate zones.  To lose weight effectively, riding slower, in a lower heart rate zone encourages the body to use fat as it's fuel source and speed up your ability to lose weight. You're effectively not looking for intensity, as this would need carbohdrate.

The cost of this is that you have to ride much slower than your capability.  It's all about longer rides, with higher cadence, in your fat burning zone.  

It takes some doing to get the sweetspot right.  You always seem to be changing gears and - if riding an undulating route - going fast, then slow. You go up inclines really slowly and descents really quickly (as you need to pedal down to maintain heart rate).It can take a few hundred miles for it to commit to muscle memory and for you to get in the flow.

It feels very unfamiliar, you are spinning away, yet going slower than your capability.  It messes around with your head, people of all capability whistle by you.  You know you can ride much faster but you have to slow yourself right down.  This is the sort of stuff that goes through your head...........

Irrational Brain

• You're going too slow.
• Everyone is riding past you.
• You need to jump on their wheel.
• You need to speed up.
• You're Strava numbers will make you look super slow.
• I bet that rider is saying to themselves 'All the gear, no idea".

Rational Brain

• I'm not racing them.
• I'm riding to lose weight.
• Going slow(er) will make me fast(er). 
• Think of the longer term outcomes.

The results of riding in this way can be considerable, particularly if you can devote six or seven hours at a weekend and some time in the week on a turbo trainer or static bike. 

After four weeks of creating around a 7K calorie defecit each week, primarily through exercise and re-configuring what I eat but staying within distance of my base metabolic rate (what your body needs as energy to function), I'm knocking around a kg a week off, nice and steady does it.

As usual, if you are dieting, crash diets is not where it's at.  It's about eating sensibly, training sensibly and creating the conditions for your body to shed those pounds.

Riding back to Fitness

Coming back to the bike after a long break is hard work.  Regular readers will know from my recent post about my year end mileage that I had a poor last quarter to 2012, covering only 143 miles, so it's back to the grindstone to re-build my fitness for the Spring.  

On the positive side, within the first week of 2013 I've already covered 133 miles, nearly what I covered in the last twelve weeks of 2012.  I wanted to come into the New Year, having cleared all my colds, with a good start and get straight back into a routine of at least 100 miles per week.

Building Your Base

The key to building a good base is not going straight out there and blasting it as fast as you can go.  With poor fitness, you won't go far and you'll end up breathing through your ears before long and blowing.

It's all about covering distances within heart rate zones 2-3, which are the basic endurance and aerobic endurance zones.  It's not about miles covered, or how fast you can ride, it's simply going out for two to three hours and controlling your heart rate through your gears and cadence to stay within certain parameters by wearing a heart rate monitor.

My maximum heart rate is 187 bpm, so I would ride for around three hours ensuring my heart rate is at least 75% of my maximum (140bpm for aerobic endurance) as I already have 3,000 miles of training from 2012.  If starting from zero, 65% of your maximum works on your basic endurance (120bpm or otherwise known as 'base miles).   

You end up pedalling super slow up inclines, super fast down descents and at a smooth, steady average on the flats.  You'll be pedalling below what you think is your ability, people will be passing you, but don't worry just stick with it.  

In the long term it's the best way to build a deep aerobic engine which will allow you to ride long distances in an aerobically efficient way.  Before long, you'll notice that even riding at the same heart rate, your average speed will increase, that's the sign you're getting stronger.

2% slower speed, 8% lower heart rate

To give you some idea, here's some comparable ride data from my last three rides. Ride one was my first one back after a long break, conditions were awful with gusting winds and I felt terrible.  You can see from my heart rate how hard the going was, 150bpm to achieve 13.4mph - possibly one of my worst rides ever!

Ride 2 was an aerobic endurance ride, so it's all about the heart rate during the three and a half hour outing on Saturday morning.  Without the wind, my speed was around 9% faster.  Ride 3, which I did the day after ride 2 I decided to slow the pace down in terms of my heart rate like a recovery ride, however you can see only 2% negative difference in my average speed but with a heart rate 8% lower than the day before.

Before you rush out and think you can achieve this within two rides, a word to the wise.  I've already built my underlying aerobic engine over three years, my rides are simply kicking it back into action.  What I want you to understand is the principle of effectively going slower, to go faster in the long term by controlling your heart rate and therefore your training outcome.

I'll be spending Jan-March riding in this way. to put at least 1000 miles on the clock in my zone 3 aerobic endurance zone, ready to step-up training between April-June prior to riding from London to Paris again.  Let's hope the weather keeps up!

May Ride Stats

I've picked up the pace and the ascent this month.  I'm religiously following my training plan from Total Cycling Performance, which means I'm only in the saddle for around six hours per week but spending additional time in the gym.


The month was kicked off with the Circle of Hope bike ride which was a century with a few lumps in and the rest of the month has been mostly focusing on base mile rides at the weekend and HIIT intervals during the week, with a couple of gym sessions thrown in for good measure.

We've established that my optimum heart rate is around 148bpm for the six hour weekend rides, so it's on with the heart rate monitor and onto as flat a route as possible.  It does make for an interesting ride as you tend to go fast on the flats and super slow on the drags to keep everything under control.

Something positive is definitely happening.  I'm increasing my average speed at a slightly lower heart rate.  This was evidenced on a ride that I did on Tuesday this week, when I returned from a 40M run with 1.6K of ascent with an average of 16mph.  Going up the long drags in Scotland, the pedals were just turning and I definitely felt a difference in my core, primarily where I am focusing my gym sessions.

If you compare the month data to the YTD data, it also points to that outcome.  My ride ascent ratio, is higher, but so is my averge speed - bazinga! London to Paris is only a few weeks away now, so all being well, everything is going to plan.

Month to Date
Mileage- 370 miles
Ride Time - 24hrs 10mins
Climbing - 11,750 ft
Avg. Speed - 15.3 mph
Avg. HR - 135bpm
Avg. Cadence - 86rpm
Calories (estimate) 17,314
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -  32

YTD
Mileage- 1,763miles
Ride Time -117hrs 00mins
Climbing - 37,537 ft
Avg. Speed - 14.7 mph
Avg. HR - 138bpm
Avg. Cadence - 82rpm
Calories (estimate) 66,761
Ride Ascent Ratio (Ascent/Miles) -   21.4

Andy Tennant's Ticker

Rapha Condor Sharp rider  - Andy Tennant

"What's your heart rate doing Andy?"  As we rode the back ten home of a chilly forty five mile run out yesterday, I glimpsed down at my heart rate monitor to see my ticker beating away at around 155bpm (HRZ4 for me which would be described as an intensive zone). 

"120" came the reply from Andy Tennant, road racing professional for Rapha Condor Sharp, 24 years of age with a heart rate maximum of 210bpm.  Effectively, he was at about 55% of maximum  heart rate, I was nearer 82%.  It gave me a good chuckle as my high intensity workout was Andy's recovery ride!  Let's put it this way, my base mile ride would probably see Andy walking alongside me in his cleats :-)

Preparing for London 2012

Andy is part of the six man squad currently competing for four places in the pursuit team at London 2012.  He's been bouncing back and forth from Majorca over the last couple of months on training camps, working on technique, fitness and strategy to deliver the big prize at London 2012.  Seems all is going to plan and without giving any crown jewels away, the team are performing well and where they need to be at this time.

On our three hour ride out, we talked extensively about training, preparation and rest both in the context of Team GB aswell as Rapha Condor Sharp.  Outside of the glamour of racing, the life of a professional cyclist can be pretty boring when it comes to time off the bike, particularly when considering rest and recovery.

Rest is of critical importance if you are wanting to get stronger on the bike.  Andy Tennant will tell you that when he is declared to "rest" by the coaches at Team GB, they mean total rest.  Not to go shopping, catch up on errands and do some non-bike running about, they mean feet-up plus minimal energy usage to allow the body to repair and renew.

What that means at training camps is long periods in hotel rooms with DVD players, laptops and game consoles, mmm - perhaps it doesn't sound too bad after all!

Translating that to everyday cyclists, what this means is to ensure that you give your body the time to rest and recover if you've had a big day on the bike.  It's always recommended after a long ride to have a recovery drink and a good stretch post-ride but to also flush the legs out with an easy recovery ride the next day.  Don't think that getting on the bike and hammering it, ride after ride will make you a stronger cyclist.  Training + Rest + Recovery will.

Back to tickers (hearts) then.  Clearly, you can't compare a 43 year old businessperson with an interest in cycling to a 24 year old professional and GB squad member.  However, the principles of training are similar.  You need to understand your zones, to understand what intensity to train and recover at.  I'd recommend anyone coming into the sport to buy a trip computer with heart rate monitor in order that you can make the best use of your training, relative to your own body, capability and age.

By getting to know what your ticker is doing, you'll get quicker, stronger and be able to achieve greater things in a shorter period.

Base Miles - A Coaches Perspective

Guest Blog by Colin Batchelor of www.totalcyclecoach.com.  Find Colin on Twitter @onthebanking.

 I’ve been following the excellent discussion on base miles and thought it worth putting in my views as a working coach.



As we ride the training effects/adaptations happens at different %’s of our Max’s. (That can be % or Max heart rate, VO2 max, Max minute power etc) Knowing what happens at what % can help us tailor our riding to meet a specific goal. If we get this wrong we can risk failure to develop in areas that need developing. So lets look at base in a little more detail.


Zone 2 – 65-75% of max heart rate


Zone 2 can best be summed up as the ‘improves efficiency’ zone. Here we see the best results for fat burning and the best increase in the ability to use oxygen to produce power. In other words if we ride a lot in zone 2 (and all else is equal) we will lose fat and be able to produce more power with the same level of effort. In Zone 2 the combination of high volume rides and cardiovascular overload provides core development of baseline aerobic endurance and improves biomechanical and physiological efficiency (your cycling will get better/easier).


Zone 2 is where new cyclists should start to train and provide the core endurance base for competitive and sportive riders. At zone 2 you should be able to hold a conversation, but at the same time be able to concentrate on developing your skills, for example cornering and riding close to other riders.


Ideally don’t have more than two zone 2 sessions back to back (Saturday, Sunday and rest on Monday) to allow your body to recover and to build back from your training, remember the holy trinity of training: Ride appropriately, Nutrition and Rest, miss any one of the triangle out and the other two are liable to falter.


Remember as you train more and get fitter your zones will start to slowly move out, so it’s well worth taking a baseline after 4 or 5 months of regular training.

Heart to Heart (Base Miles)

My Heart Rate and Cadence from Today's Ride

I wrote last week about heart rate zones and base mile training.  The idea being to draw more on fat than carbohydrates as your fuel for your ride aswell as building an aerobic base.  Ideally your heart rate should not exceed heart rate zone 2 for you to fully benefit.

When I ride base miles, I have a light breakfast like a banana and use water as my fluid, steering away from energy drinks as you don't really need to be inputting carbohydrates into your system.  You're not exerting so much energy by controlling your heart rate through your speed, cadence and gearing (Disclaimer - Our biologies are all different, so please consult a coach if this is something that you want to really drill into).

My maximum heart rate is 184bpm, so my heart rate zone two (HRZ2) - which is 65-75% of your maximum - means that my training zone is between 120bpm - 138bpm.

If you have a look at my heart rate data above, you can see that the pace of today's club ride meant that my heart rate average was 136bpm, however I consistently went above that, particularly in the third quarter of the ride as the ride elevation had a gradual ascent.

My highest recorded heart rate was 173bpm, which puts me right at the top of HRZ5 - which means my system switched to carbohydrate for fuel.  Carbs need to be optimised, so you end up having energy drinks or gels to replace them to keep you going. Ultimately, you end up putting calories in, which reduces your overall calorific reduction/benefit (albeit it delivers other benefits, particularly if you do this as an interval in your ride).

If you compared heart rate zone data from all of the riders our today, it will be different. A young, fit 23 year old may have a completely different maximum.  If their maximum heart rate is 194bpm, then their HRZ2 is 127bpm-146bpm.  What that means if I were to ride with that individual, their HRZ2 median is nearly top of my HRZ2 maximum (my heart will be working harder to ride at the same speed).

Which leads me to my point.  If you want to build your aerobic base, you are probably going to need to ride alone or with someone a relatively comparable heart rate as you.  By riding in a group, you go at the groups speed.  Each rider will be exerting different levels of energy to keep up with the group.  If you're on the front riding the wind, you'll be pushing that little bit harder.  If you're hidden in the group, you'll be pulled along by draft.  It's all a bit unpredictable, as my data shows today.

To do effective base miles, you need to pick a pretty flat route, ride at a higher cadence than normal and wear a heart rate monitor to keep an eye on what your ticker is doing.  As your heart rate increases, either slow down or change gear but reduce the effort.  It takes a bit of doing, but you soon get the hang of it.

Alternatively, you could sit on a turbo trainer.  I'm fortunate enough to have a Wattbike at home which means I can work on my pedal stroke at the same time as sitting in a specific heart rate zone, it's about as good as you can get in terms of accuracy and control.

I'll see if I can get a qualified coach to knock up a blog about base miles to qualify this issue further as it is a key part of a winter training regime.

Base (miles), how slow can you go?

The 2012 mileage account is offcially open. Setting our this morning at 9am, today's ride was all about base miles.  A cold but bright start saw me setting out from home on a loop over to Knutsford.  My ride today was all about staying in heart rate zone one/two (60-75% of my maximum heart rate) in order to fat burn. It's easier said that done.

First things first, I'd got my Garmin set up with an alarm to beep when my heart rate went above 120bpm.  Every time I hit anything with an incline, off it went - bzzz.  A lapse of concentration and you begin to push a bit harder - bzzz, a headwind - bzzzz, a rider in the distance - bzzzz, it felt like I was constantly throttling back. 

It's also difficult to find a route that is pan flat to increase your chances of staying in the zone.  Living in Cheshire, it's perhaps a little easier, so my route today had around 1k of ascent, you can see where those bits were as my heart rate rises.

Overall, my average heart rate was 114bpm, within my target zone for the bulk of the ride, perhaps erring more on a recovery ride than anything.  I also looked to keep my cadence around the 80 mark, so that I could keep a good pedal stroke, getting back my average was 78rpm, so I'll aim for higher next time.

It's funny as people go flying by you as you ride, it's so tempting to turn the gas up, however there is an important principle at stake - go slower, to go faster - don't be tempted to increase your intensity.

By riding in a lower heart rate zone, you are burning more fat as your energy source, ultimately meaning that it can contribute to weight loss, more weight loss with no power loss, means a better power to weight ratio, therefore faster on the bike - bingo, bango, bungo!

It felt good to be out today and get some early miles in, saw a good few cyclists out and about, all smiling and happy.  2012, here we come.....

Power to Weight Ratio (PWR)

If this winter is anything like last winter, it will mean plenty of time off the bike.  Snow and ice were the main problems last winter, making riding conditions difficult and at times dangerous.
 
I've used Wattbikes plenty of times in the past at Manchester Velodrome and visiting the Wattbike stand at the Cycleshow recently, I was reminded of how good they are.  You can read more about them here. 

You can rent a Wattbike for £60 per month, so I thought I'd get one for the Winter to a) have a contingency against bad weather b) do some base mile work to lose some weight c) work on my pedal stroke and d) to see if I can increase my power (one of the key attributes of the Wattbike is the ability to measure power output aswell as pedalling efficiency). 

Today, I did my first three minute test, which is a way of measuring your power output.  You warm up for twenty minutes, then push the pedals in a timed three minute period to assess your power output (wearing a heart rate monitor to record your heart rate maximum at the same time).

By doing this, you can assess your power to weight ratio (PWR), this is derived by dividing your sustainable power by your weight (KG).  The power to weight ratio is one of the key metrics used by professional cyclists to assess whether they are capable of winning grand tours like the Tour de France.  Grand Tour winners tend to have a power to weight ratio above 6.7.

My three minute test showed my average power as 285W, dividing it by my weight (97.7kg) means my PWR ratio is 2.91.  I shouldn't be making any major plans to enter a grand tour yet!

Over the winter, I want to lose some weight, focus on my pedalling stroke and see if I can increase my PWR by 10%.  I can do this in one of three ways 1) lose weight 2) increase power 3) lose weight and increase power.  It's all easier said than done.

To lose weight, you need to lots of training in heart rate zone 1, which is between 60-65% of your heart rate maximum.  My heart rate maximum is 184 bpm, so my fat burning zone is between 110 and 120.  By limiting your heart rate in your training sessions, your body should use fat for fuel and it should help contribute to weight loss, as the theory goes.  If you then combine that with a sensible diet, the weight should start to come off.

So, between now and Christmas, fat burning is what it's all about.  I'll keep a record of my PWR over the coming months and see "watt" (get the joke) can be achieved.

More about how you rent a wattbike here. 

Update

Having re-run the test a couple of days later, I realised I had capacity to go harder.  So, on re-test, my power output was 323W, meaning my PWR is 3.35 (around 15% improvement from the first ramp test).  So, that is now my benchmark for comparison.

In the Zone

Going backwards to go forwards, that's what it feels like when you are heart rate zone training. As I ambled along the leafy Cheshire lanes on The Unicorn today, I had plenty of time to think about the outcomes I wanted from my Winter training plan. One of them was riding straight up Mow Cop on the Cheshire Cat sportive in the Spring, the other was to get my weight down to around 14 stone (196 pounds), I currently sit around 210 Ibs.

Knocking out fifty base miles, in the aerobic zone, meant I averaged around 12.5mph all said and done. It's funny, I had my eyes fixed on my Garmin 705 screen, where I'd set the screen up to prominently show me my heart rate zone and an audible alarm when I went into Heart Rate Zone 3. I found myself going up and down the gears, every time it went too low or too high. Anytime I crept into heart rate zone 3, it was slow down, spin and get the old ticker under control.

Checking my stats out when I got back vs. a previous ride of a similar distance, my average speed is around 20-25% slower than I would usually ride. Calorie wise it was around 20% less burned, however, the difference being that I didn't need to fuel with carbohydrates on the ride to replace any defecit that I would normally get, by riding harder and faster. Arriving home, my legs felt fresh and I guzzled down a bottle of Rego, just as a precaution (don't want any more viruses or colds).

At one point, three guys whizzed past me and I was really tempted to just up the ante and get on the back of their group, they were doing about 20mph. I didn't. Opting to just gently spin the pedals whilst I watched them disappear in the distance.

After my second base mile ride, it's starting to sink in. I've firmly got my eye on the bigger picture. Lot's of steady miles, with minimal effort, building up to higher levels of effort as the winter progresses. Main objective is weight loss, before anything else, so I can improve my climbing in 2011. To do that, it's diet, training in the aerobic zone all mixed up with a little dash of commitment.

Target Heart Rate Training

Winters on the way and with it comes the prospect of fewer miles outside and putting a bit of weight on. Or does it?

After a year on the road, I'm not losing any weight and I'm stuck at my current weight, even though I've been cycling around 400-500 miles a month. I knocked about a stone off in the beginning, but after that, nothing.

It's mostly to the intensity I've been training at. When you have a heart rate monitor, you can begin to understand how hard you're working. My problem is that I spend most of my time in Heart Rate Zones 4 & 5, I like to ride fast, push myself on the misunderstood basis that it's better for you. On my recent healthcheck, my heart and lungs were judged at someone ten years younger, so that's a good start.

However, I want to lose weight to get my power to weight ratio better for the going up hills. The solution, is to do more miles in Heart Rate Zone 2 and 3. This calls for longish rides, really keeping an eye on your intensity and ensuring you don't go out of Zone 2 in the main. Staying in Zone 2 means you're body burns more fat, than carbohydrate, which should contribute to reduction in weight, when combined with a decent diet. If you're always pushing, you end up relying on carbohydrate for fuel instead of fat, well that's what the experts say.

After today's 36 mile ride, it's quite tough going slow. Reason being, is your instinct is telling you to ride fast, get out the saddle up a hill, get the old heart pumping. Today, I was up and down my gears on my winter bike, just making sure the old ticker stayed in Zone 2. It slowed me right down, at times to 8mph going up hills, 12mph on some drags and no more than 17mph on some flats, where I would normally be hitting 22-23mph.

Of course it means, you get overtaken whilst you're out, which as a naturally competitive person, is a bit tough. However, thinking ahead, a good winter of aerbobic base miles should do me the world of good and help shift the 10 - 12Ibs I want to shed over the winter and come into 2011 a bit leaner, a bit meaner and much keaner. Let's see.