Looking for some outside thoughts. I’ve been working with a coach since late 2022 on training peaks. I’m more of an enduro rider who lifted a ton a wanted to be in better shape as I move towards more alpine and adventure riding as I get closer to 40. I’ve made excellent gains in power outputs and am a way better rider fitness wise. I just did a 50 mile MTB race and didn’t do as well as I hoped. I’m not winning any races ever but competing against myself.
I’m moving on from training peaks and want to do my own training (I miss riding for fun) I think my biggest need is body recomposition. I’ve got good power outputs threshold /FTP is 262, 90 minute power is 220 watts. But i’m 225 lbs and mid 20% body fat, which means my watts / kg is terrible and I feel it on climbs. Since starting training, my weight and body fat according to my scales has changed minimally - goes down a bit with base training, up with SS and threshold - with some definite muscle less (especially upper body). I eat pretty well and know this subject well; I meal prep ever week but do love my pizza too. classic 80% healthy, 20% whatever I please. I used to track everything when I was doing more lifting.
combine that with what I think is an HR that is still higher than it should be for activity I’m thinking of putting myself through an 8-12 week zone 2 and hypertrophy (lifting) program late this fall. I want to lose body fat but try and keep as much of my power outputs as I can. Has anyone successfully “recomped” while maintaining as much power as they can? Looking for advice, guidance, experience.
Evening.
The only success I’ve had was a number of years ago. Bizarrely when I was your age probably thinking the same thing.
I ate less.
My biking wasn’t power monitored so I have no evidence back then from a gadget that my power was the same but I was quicker and could last longer.
My running improved dramatically.
I think there’s a lot made of keeping x or y levels of food in our day to day consumption if we also want to ‘train’. To a point that must be true to avoid actual health issues from too much exercise vs intake. But I have come to my own conclusion that we just eat less and carry on exercising and we’ll soon know if we’re undernourished.
I’m now much older and can confirm eating more again just results in me returning to my younger self weight again sadly. It’s not easy for me to do the ‘less calories’ thing. It did work when I did it though. I did do it with a pal at the time as a ‘mechanism’.