Racing Weight by Matt Fitzgerald
The day after Christmas seems like a good time to write a review on a book about nutrition. I just finished massive dinner — number 2 of a 3-night holiday eat-fest. Thankfully, it will be over soon and hopefully the damage will be minimal.
I grabbed a copy of Matt Fitzgerald’s new book, Racing Weight: How to Get Lean for Peak Performance while I was doing some holiday shopping. I am always a sucker for books on sports nutrition, especially if they come from writers or publishers I trust. Fitzgerald’s book is the latest addition to the myriad of books on the subject. I expected this book would once again identify a new diet that would trump all others. Instead, Fitzgerald offers a consolidation of sorts.
Drawing on common sense, experience, and solid research Fitzgerald shapes a very practical approach to nutrition. I liked this book, not so much because I learned a lot of new information. Instead, I came to the realization that many different diets work for many different types of athletes. Many athletes have performed very well on high fat, high protein, and/or high carb diets. There is no one way to a lean physique other than more calories out then calories in. The kicker for endurance athletes is maintaining an ability to perform or improve while continuing to lose unwanted fat. Based on my experience, following his plan will most likely award you with a leaner body and allow you to sustain significant training loads.
Fitzgerald’s book is divided into 3 parts. Part I helps the athlete identify his/her optimal racing weight. Part II takes the athlete through a 5 step process for eliminating excess fat. Part III provides the athlete with menu options. Identifying your optimal racing weight will depend on your sport and your experience racing at different weights. For most of us, certainly in the cycling world, lighter is better. For some this may not be the case. The 5 step process focuses on eating a good balance of high quality foods at the right times and training with more intensity. The menu options are practical with easy to obtain ingredients. For the average athlete who is busy and on a budget, Fitzgerald’s approach is attainable.
Fitzgerald does a fantastic job debunking the multitude of diet myths, many of which are still practiced by pro athletes. He does this with sound research. Study after study does NOT show half the stuff we believe to be true about losing weight. Racing Weight contains many insights, too many to mention. His best nugget of advice: “Shape your diet to meet a daily carb target. Add in fat and protein in reasonable amounts.” I like this a lot. Fitzgerald offers recommendations on carbohydrate intake based on weekly training hours. Experiment with different levels of fat and protein to see what works. I personally shoot for 20% protein, 20-30% fat, and 50-60% carbohydrate depending on the time of year.
January 1st approaches. For athletes in the North East, this is the best time of year to drop some weight. Grab a copy of Racing Weight or head to www.racingweight.com and try some of Fitzgerald’s strategies. You might just drop those nagging five extra pounds you’ve been carrying around season after season.
mb
CYCLEtrainer Workout 8 Xmas spin
Need a pre or post present-frenzy spin try this:
10 minute warm-up followed by 10 x 2 minutes (:30 right leg, :30 left, :30 both legs w/cadence at 110+, :30 relaxed). Follow these single pedal drills with 10 minutes at a cadence of 105+ and then cool down for 5 – 10 minutes. This is a good workout for early mornings, especially if you want to throw in a second, harder workout later in the day.
Happy Holidays, mb
CYCLEtrainer Workout 7
If you celebrate Christmas, it is probably a good idea to get a ride in at some point. The cookie intake will be extremely high today. Try this one:
Warm up for 10 minutes. Then do 8 minutes high cadence (105+) followed by 8 minutes low cadence (50-55). Repeat 2 times for a total of 3 sets. No rest between intervals. Alternate sitting and standing during the low cadence work to add variety. My heart rate is usually high zone 3 to low zone 4 on these (6-7 on a 1-10 scale). Cool down for 10 minutes.
Enjoy the holidays, mb
CYCLEtrainer Workout 6
Man o’ man did I put away some food this weekend. I had the wonderful opportunity of attending the Christmas Party of our latest sponsor, The Music Emporium outside of Boston. The spread was unbelievable. Especially the desserts. I couldn’t stop eating. I promised myself in the midst of my binge that I would hit the trainer hard as soon as I got home!
This was the workout I concocted while I was driving home from Boston. Remember, I am not following a periodized training plan right now (that will start on January 1). I am merely trying to minimize the boredom of the basement and offset the drastically increased food consumption during the holidays.
Warm up for 10 minutes then slowly build up the intensity to your lactate threshold (7 on a 1-10 scale) over a 20 minute period. Spin easy for 5 minutes and then do 6 x 2 minutes hard (9 on a 1-10 scale), but not maximal. Rest for 2 minutes between each one. Cool down for 10 minutes.
This workout felt terrible while I was doing it. It was a good reminder that 3 slices of bread pudding on an already full stomach is a bad idea.
Music Emporium signs on as sponsor for 2010
One of the country’s oldest fretted instrument shops, The Music Emporium has its roots in the burgeoning Cambridge folk scene of the late 60’s, when the vintage and fine acoustic guitar market had its first renaissance. For the past 38 years TME has seen thousands of instruments pass through its doors and has been privileged to both witness and influence the work of many of today’s finest builders, including Bill Collings, Julius Borges, Bill Tippin, Kevin Ryan and C.F. Martin. Their goal has always been to help customers, near and far, find the right instrument that is inspiring to play and reflects the quality and passion of fine guitar builders. The Music Emporium is located on Mass. Ave. in Lexington, Massachusetts. Impulse CYCLEsport welcomes their support for the 2010 racing season.
Fit Werx signs on as 2010 sponsor
We are proud to announce that Fit Werx of Waitsfield, VT and Peabody, MA has signed on as co-sponsor for the 2010 racing season. In 2001, Fit Werx was the first company to combine the specialty fit and biomechanical knowledge found only at the very best bicycle fitting studios with the products, selection and mechanical approach only found at the very best cycling shops. Today, from bicycle fit science to the latest products, Fit Werx continues to focus on remaining at the forefront or the industry. Their fit studios are some of the most technologically advanced available and they carry some of the very best products available. Impulse CYCLEsport welcomes their support in 2010.
Spinning Classes and Health Clubs
I have never been much for spinning classes. I never found them to be very focused or inspiring. I can probably count on one hand the number of spinning classes I have participated in. I am also not fond of spending tons of hours in the basement on my trainer either. Cycling is supposed to happen outside. Unfortunately, outside right now is not very pleasant. In fact, temps this week, at least in northern Vermont, have hovered near zero. Seemed like a good week to try a spinning class.
My wife and I decided to buy a membership at a local club that had a pool, so our kids could swim this winter. Of course we were supposed to work out there also, but that doesn’t seem to be happening much either. I thought I might as well try a spinning class at “my” club just to get out of the basement for a workout or two. I dug through my old gear, found a pair of mountain biking shoes with spd clips, and off I went.
Upon arriving at the club, I grabbed my seat and made my way to the spinning room. When I arrived I was greeted by a wide variety of folks I would most likely never see out on the road. The instructor encouraged me to hurry up as I was a few minutes late. The first bike I mounted did not work. I found this out AFTER I spent 10 minutes dialing in my position. I have spent a ton of money dialing in my position on my road and time trial bikes. I just can’t ride if it doesn’t feel right. I couldn’t get my second bike to feel right either, but by this time the instructor was getting visibly frustrated as his thick legs spun madly. I decided just to go with it. I jumped on the bike and started spinning only to realize the crank had a wicked creek, most likely from sweat corrosion.
Music can go either way in a spin class. This particular evening I was treated to some of the worst music from the 70s and 80s I think I have ever heard. Warming up to Diane Ross just does not do it for me nor does embarking on a “standing climb” to Michael Jackson. No offense to Michael (God rest his soul), but I just can’t get fired up for a climb when I am listening to Human Nature. If that weren’t bad enough, the instructor chose the one hit wonder, “One Night in Bankok” for our interval set. Somebody please kill me now. Thankfully, midway through this tune, the cd player stopped working. No music was better than one more one-hit-wonder from the 80s. The instructor forgot to notice that he had asked everyone to stand and “run” on the bike as the cd player malfunctioned. Run on a bike? I sat down, but nobody else did. What is this? Simon says. The instructor changed cds and we did one final climb to some very mellow Genesis tune. Then it was over. Hallelujah.
After having decided I would never waste another hour of my life on a spinning bike ever again, I received a phone call from a guy I know from the cycling community. His name is David Means and he was calling to invite me to a spin class he was leading at Synergy Fitness, a new club in Williston, Vermont. I have a hard time saying no to people who call me on the phone, but I did warn him about my experience the night before. One thing I did know going in was that this guy was a music aficionado and if he was spinning 80s tunes, they would be good ones.
I arrived at Synergy just in time for thes spin class. Upon entering, I was greeted to a beautiful array of fitness equipment, a pristine environment, and an incredibly inviting receptionist that made me feel like she actually cared how I was doing. I’m thinking now, “How much did that other club cost me? Maybe I can get out of my membership somehow.” The receptionist directed me to the locker room and I prepared for my second spin class in as many days. I was blown away by how big the lockers were and by the fact that the locker room did not smell like my gym bag. I was there to spin however, not to sit in the sauna and watch “Family Guy” on the flat screen.
I made my way to the spinning room and was greeted by a group of folks I probably would see out on the road riding real bikes. The pre-spin music was a little alt-country which I prefer. The bikes…well…the bikes were very nice. That’s not all. They had computers. Computers. Not just computers. Computers that measure….POWER. What? Power. Watts. Kilojoules baby! And cadence. And heart rate. Sweet Jesus. Now I just needed the music not to suck and I would have reached the promise land.
David called us all to action as the music began to pump. And I mean pump. David treated us to a nice selection of indie rock, electronic, 80s progressive, and new rock. I wanted to climb, sprint, up, down, run whatever. He took us through climbs, flats, high speed sprints, jumps, long and short intervals all of which caused a significant amount of sweat to accumulate on the floor. David’s spinning routine was thoughtful and effective. I was toast by the end, but I thoroughly enjoyed the ride. I was especially taken by David’s willingness to approach each person after the class to see how they were doing. This was a nice touch. Clearly, David is what I like to term “a community builder.”
In the end, I cleaned up in a very nice, tiled shower, got dressed, and had some dinner. I couldn’t stop thinking about how much I wished I had not joined the other club and how jealous I was of those able to enjoy the Synergy environment. I had two huge plates of food for dinner and I was still hungry an hour later. “Wow, I really worked hard,” I thought. Maybe it was the music, maybe the Synergy atmosphere, or maybe the bikes with all the metrics. All I know is, I’ll be back for more.
CYCLEtrainer Workout 5 Technique and High Low
I always like to do a little technique work early in the week. Single leg drills are really good for exposing leg imbalances. I like to incorporate them into my warmup. When you do them, just unclip your leg from one pedal and rest it on the trainer. Pedal with the other leg for 30-60 seconds. Work on smoothing out your stroke by trying to pedal through dead spots.
Here is today’s workout:
Warmup with 10 minutes of easy spinning. Then do 5 x 2 minutes. Break each 2 minute interval into 30sec. right leg, 30sec. left leg, 30sec. both legs with a cadence of 120+, and 30sec. rest. After you have done 5 of these intervals, follow them with 3 x 10 minutes. For each 10 minute interval do 5 minutes at a cadence of 50-55. Alternate standing for a minute with sitting for a minute for the low cadence work. For the second 5 minutes spin in a light gear at 120+. Repeat two more times with no rest between sets. Cool down for 10 minutes.
I did this workout today and my heart rate was in the “sub-threshold” zone or a 6-7 on a 1-10 scale where 10 means “I might have a heart attack if I survive this!”
Be well, mb
CYCLEtrainer Workout 4
I tried the hour of power this morning and I just couldn’t hang in there. Either because I was tired from hosting a Christmas gathering the night before, or possibly because my power at LT is lower than I think it is. I should probably retest to see where I am, but I hate the threshold tests. Anyway, I decided to modify my workout into 3 x 10 minutes with 2 minutes rest. Here it is:
Slowly build to LT over 15 minutes then ride for 10 minutes at LT or slightly above (8 on a 1-10 scale) standing to accelerate for 10 sec. every 2 minutes. Rest 2 minutes and repeat. Ride with a cadence above 85 for the first 2 intervals. On the 3rd interval ride at a cadence of 75 and stay seated while doing the accelerations. Cool down for 10 minutes.
Even though I copped out of the hour of power this is still a hard workout and definitely left me spent.
Happy Riding,
MB
Joe Friel Talks Periodization
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