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View Full Version : I'm an endurance athlete, and I have a lot to learn from eveyone about diet and lifting for this winter!



hammergirl
28-08-2011, 10:08 PM
Hi everyone, I'm into endurance sports, mainly cycling. This winter my goal is going to be to strengthen my legs, and also to lose about 10 pounds without losing lean mass. I'm female and currently sitting at 22% body fat, 152 pounds. Ten pounds would put me at about 15% BF, which is just about ideal for a female cyclist. However, I've never been very successful at dieting (lack of willpower?), so I'm hoping to pick up some great tips here on losing fat without losing strength, even as I cut back on my aerobic exercise over winter. I'll be going from about 14-16 hours a week down to about 7-10 hours, because long (indoor) winter workouts suck, and long outdoor workouts are usually limited by temperature, ice and snow, and available daylight.

However, I'm hoping to add a couple hours a week of weightlifting to my regime, so I'll be looking for tips on that, too. My goal will be strength and endurance, not necessarily bulk.

The race season will be wrapping up in November, resuming in April, so I have about 2 months to figure out my plan of attack, and 4-5 months to trim down into a lean and powerful engine! Hoping pick up lots of useful information on this forum.

gicantor
29-08-2011, 01:54 PM
hello :ht

Talo
29-08-2011, 01:57 PM
WElcome.

THe best thing you could do is read lots and maybe hire a coach .

cog
29-08-2011, 06:24 PM
Squats will add power that you can notice immediately on the bike.

JifeLacket
30-08-2011, 12:39 PM
Where are you located? I'm an ex elite cyclist I could point you in the right direction.

hammergirl
07-09-2011, 10:05 AM
Thanks for the welcome everyone... I'm doing pretty well with the aerobic engine. I test very similar to a teammate of mine who is world-class. What I need to work on now is the chassis... I carry 22 more pounds of body fat than she does (we're the same height and just had DEXA scans done). So, it seems pretty clear what I need to work on! If I can even lose 10 pounds, I will be much more competitive.

I've never dieted before, so this is going to be a steep learning curve for me. I want to do it right and not lose any of my strength and endurance. Off to visit the nutrition forum!