Bytager the publication "Weight loss by cycling: what training often forgets"
The holidays are over, but their effects can sometimes still be seen on the scales. For many competitive cyclists, the season starts in four to eight weeks. Amateur cyclists have a slight reprieve, but their first goals are also fast approaching. While losing weight is part of the equation at the start of the season, now is the crucial time. The key is knowing how to ride effectively to achieve this.
By Guillaume Judas – Photos: depositphotos.com
At low intensity, the body primarily uses fat to meet energy needs.And when you want to lose those few extra pounds gained during the off-season, it's obviously the fat mass you want to get rid of. In the collective imagination, the recipe is simple: ride for a long time, slowly, and let lipolysis (the use of stored fat as an energy source) do its work. From a physiological point of view, the reasoning isn't wrong.
If you read us regularly, you know that We often return to the absolute importance of dedicating time to endurance riding.Because we are convinced of the benefits it brings for long-term progress. But cycling isn't just a laboratory equation, and to lose weight, The reality on the ground is more nuanced..
In pure endurance training, energy expenditure generally plateaus between 200 and 400 kcal per hour. At moderate intensity, it rises to between 400 and 600 kcal, and can reach 600 to 800 kcal during sustained efforts. However, Weight loss follows a simple and unavoidable law: over time, you must expend more calories than you consume.Ultimately, the exact proportion of lipids used during exercise is irrelevant.
The limits of long outings
As soon as weight loss is mentioned, the idea of increasing the hours spent in the saddle naturally comes to mind. The longer the effort lasts, the more the body is forced to draw on its lipid reserves.On paper, the argument is coherent. In practice, it works mainly for beginner or untrained cyclists.
For the experienced cyclist, maintaining a good level of endurance throughout the year serves other purposes. In terms of energy expenditure, the body adapts quickly. It becomes more efficient, optimizes its energy systems, and reduces relative calorie expenditure for a given intensity. If you spent the winter stringing together long, leisurely rides and the extra pounds are still there as spring approaches, the answer is right in front of you when you look at the scale: this method alone is no longer enough.
Intensity, an often underestimated lever
Conversely, Many cyclists still believe that intense effort only burns glycogen reserves (or in other words, carbohydrates).This is often mistakenly believed to be the only way to burn fat through basic endurance training. However, the physiological reality is far more complex. With training, the body learns to mobilize lipids at increasingly higher intensities, including during sustained efforts.
And above all, intense sessions offer an advantagetagthe determinant: Energy expenditure does not stop when you put your feet on the ground.After strenuous exercise, and even more so after a competition, the body takes several hours to return to its resting state. During this recovery phase, it continues to use energy to regulate body temperature, stabilize heart rate, and repair stressed tissues. The metabolism is working at full capacity. That's a lot of extra calories burned, without even pedaling.
Moreover, this phenomenon is observed when cyclists engage in activities unusual for their well-trained bodies, such as an intense running session or even weight training. The effort generally lasts less than an hour and is far from the endurance required for weight training. And yet, this type of activity, in addition to cycling, allows for... to melt faster, because the body continues to burn calories even after the session, in order to recover faster.
When the numbers speak for themselves
This explains why The best recipe for losing weight is to vary the types and intensity of your workouts in order to burn more calories than you consume.Simple. Basic. Obvious.
Let's take a deliberately simplified example. During an hour of low-intensity exercise, energy expenditure can be around 200 kcal, 80% of which comes from lipids, or approximately 160 kcal of fat. During an hour of high-intensity exercise, total expenditure climbs to 600 kcal, with perhaps only 30% coming from lipids. But that still represents 180 kcal of fat. And this calculation doesn't even include post-exercise energy expenditure, which is much more pronounced after an intense session than after an endurance session.
This parallel is enough to refute the idea that driving slowly is systematically more effective for losing weight.
Fasted training: effectiveness and downsides
It is impossible to address the issue without mentioning training on an empty stomach. The principle is clear: in the absence of carbohydrate intake, the body is forced to turn to its fat reserves to fuel the effort.In the medium term, the strategy can prove effective, provided that the body is given time to adapt and that controlled efforts are maintained.
The danger arises when the session drags on or intensifies.Hypoglycemia is a risk, as is excessive fatigue, and above all, appetite can increase dramatically once training is over. In this case, eating a meal immediately after the workout can quickly negate the desired calorie deficit. Therefore, training on an empty stomach is neither a miracle cure nor a practice to be taken lightly. : it requires caution, gradualness and a good understanding of one's own reactions.
The final kilometer is also decided at the table
No weight loss strategy can ignore diet.In the absence of any particular pathology, the principle remains simple: create a reasonable and sustainable calorie deficit. There's no need to give in to the allure of drastic regimes, which are often counterproductive.Common sense, a balanced diet, a well-structured training program, and a minimum of discipline are usually enough to achieve concrete results without compromising future performance.
A holistic approach, far removed from shortcuts
In fact, Losing weight by cycling is not limited to a single method. Endurance, consistency, intensity, and recovery must be intelligently combined to shape your cyclist's body.Focusing exclusively on long and slow outings is a reductive vision, often ineffective in the medium term.
We must also accept an obvious fact: not all organisms react in the same way. What works for one may fail for another. Observation, adaptation, and consistency remain the best allies for cyclists seeking lightness..
