Qualified, experienced, evidence-based coach with an aim to help older cyclists to train effectively so that they can cycle hills faster, look and feel lighter on the bike and maintain a higher level of cycling fitness so they can ride their next event with total confidence.
I'm a keen cyclist in his 50's that enjoys the journey of keeping fit, challenging myself and having fun on two wheels. This channel is to inspire cyclists hitting 40+ that they can do more and be the best cyclist they can be if they train and eat well.
Hi Simon, quality video as always. I know you have mentioned previously that you aren't a big fan of fasted training, but I find that early in the morning I often can't eat. I have become quite fond of a 2h Zone 2 fasted workout or a 30m-1h Zone 2 run fasted early in the morning but always have your advice ringing in my ears! I try not to eat excessively when I get home but still feel like I wouldn't be able to fit these workouts in if I don't do them fasted. I have been steadily losing weight so it seems to be working as part of a wider training and eating plan, but are there any other potential pitfalls (such as hormonal issues) like you mentioned in this video?
Hey Lee. An hour early fasted is ok as long as you’ve eaten well the night before and it’s a steady run/ride. Where I see big issues is longer rides of 2/3 hours fasted for weight loss. I’m Not a fan of this and know through practice and coaching it’s not the most effective fat loss strategy.
In the next video I go into more detail but I had to set the scene before I go into more. Here are some great studies and evidence-based articles that back this video up. Calorie for calorie dietary fat restriction results in more fat loss www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4603544/ Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19246357/ Do carbohydrates control body fatness? blog.nasm.org/do-carbohydrates-control-body-fat Insulin and sugar an undeserved reputation weightology.net/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation-the-biggest-insulin-myth- Body composition changes associated with fasted vs non fasted aerobic exercise jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7 Metabolism doesn’t change as fast as we think www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613 High fat still doesn’t boost endurance www.outsideonline.com/2416226/high-fat-diet-endurance-study Low carbohydrate high-fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407976/ Good nutrition should be about health and energy, not fat loss and hyperrestriction which is unsustainable long term. When people realise everything can be on the table it gives them freedom to develop good healthy delicious choices.
Could you do a quick explainer for 'movement patterns'? Is it related to the weight training or to cycling/pedalling? I've heard you say it before but not got round to Googling it yet 😊
Great video! Yesterday I cycled 250km, over the Lakes and into Whitehaven solo. Longest ride yet, hit Wrynose and Hardknott pass at 8.30pm…spoke to 2 people all day at coffee stops…a small group of walkers shouted good luck at the base of Wrynose and a few sheep got in my way on the way up.. Exhilarating..humbling..lonely…worth every second even after the flat and having to find a bike shop for a new tyre in Hawes along with the 60mile headwind from the start.. Did it on my Ribble 653 steely rather than the R5..good training for LeJog next year I say.. Keep at it 👍
I’ve spoken many times on this subject and it’s not proven that fasting is superior or efficacious for training. It has been shown that long term fasted tides reduces performance and recovery plus can leach off precious muscle. This is not an advised method of training or diet for masters cyclists. Here’s the data to back this up.
Calorie for calorie dietary fat restriction results in more fat loss www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4603544/ Comparison of weight-loss diets with different compositions of fat, protein, and carbohydrates pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19246357/ Do carbohydrates control body fatness? blog.nasm.org/do-carbohydrates-control-body-fat Insulin and sugar an undeserved reputation weightology.net/insulin-an-undeserved-bad-reputation-the-biggest-insulin-myth- Body composition changes associated with fasted vs non fasted aerobic exercise jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12970-014-0054-7 Metabolism doesn’t change as fast as we think www.health.harvard.edu/blog/surprising-findings-about-metabolism-and-age-202110082613 High fat still dont boost endurance www.outsideonline.com/2416226/high-fat-diet-endurance-study Low carbohydrate high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407976/ Good nutrition should be about health and energy not fat loss and hyper restriction which is unsustainable long term. When people realise everything can be on the table it gives them freedom to develop good healthy delicious choices.
I’m 49 years old and noticed how I no longer can eat whatever I want and not gain anything. I’ve had to totally change my diet. Cutting out as much processed foods as possible. I gained 10 pounds recently and was really frustrated. I cut out snacking unless it’s fruit or vegetables and started eating really lean. Cut out all the beers and soft drinks and sure enough lost 11 pounds in a couple months. It’s all about changing our approach as we age.
@@veloperformance does this explain why, after slack periods we 'lose our legs'? My cardio fitness doesn't seem to suffer nearly as much as my leg fitness after a workout light period? And I recover my cardio very fast. I believe I'm blessed by genetics and a solid base level
When I was in my thirties, I couldn’t notice the effect of short intensity training, now, nearing 50 I notice the I need to find recovery time and intensity during the week and focus on the milage in the weekends. But to do short intensity well, I need to have a certain base and keep it and not the other way around.
I'm 52 and I definitely fall into the trap of still thinking my body can smash out hard rides back to back. I drill myself into the ground far too often. Factoring in strength training is a real challenge.
Started low carb/Keto early in 2023….since then have dropped 10kg..gained muscle mass..hill climbing improved. Takes a good while to become properly fat adapted. Now moving towards full Carnivore. Worth listening to Prof. Tim Noakes on his most recent research.
Thanks Felix great to hear you’ve found a diet that works for you. It’s not a way of eating I’d recommend. Sadly Prof Tim N has some questionable theory’s on nutrition not been backed up by science and practice and again I’d not recommend cyclist’s follow these restrictive diets for health or performance.
I have been dealing with a busy schedule during work hours and not getting enough meals/nutrition to improve my fitness. Any ideas for meal preparation or healthy snacks?
This is down to pretence and energy needs. Best advice it to make a few small meals you know fit for health, hunger management and energy and put on repeat.
Interesting video! I'm following the Fast 800 Keto plan - 800 calories per day, less than 20g carbs. All my rides are zone 2, under an hour and I have a banana just before I head out. I do feel weaker - measuring about 5 to 10% drop in power versus fully fed and carbed up. So the way I used low carb isn't to do mega long fasted rides and expect mega fat loss because of it - instead I can go more aggressive on the food intake and know I still get the health benefits of getting out on my bike. I've lost 7kg over the last 30 days so it does seem to work if you stick to easier riding.
I will say this before I continue; low carb is different from zero carb/keto. Zero carb/keto being the better of the two for endurance. The study you linked to only allowed 3 and a half weeks to become used to a HFLC diet and then only 2 and a half weeks to return back to a high carb diet before testing race performance again. This isn't nearly long enough either way. Also, if a LCHF diet results in greater oxygen consumption at a given intensity, that can only be a good thing in the long run (i.e. off season training), when returning to carb consumption for in season racing. In the long run, on HFLC, muscle glycogen is actually spared because you don't need it as much and those stores get replenished from protein and fat consumption. ...The reason why I said zero carb is better than low carb is because the body likes to use only one substrate at a time and 'low carb' puts you in the middle so you get reduced benefits of both substrates for fuel. You can train your body to become faster and faster at switching between substrates, and if you've never trained zero carb, it will take a very long time to switch.
We’ve talked before about the efficacy of Keto and very low or no carb and I’ve tagged you in many studies to show how ineffective this way of fuelling training is for performance and fat loss. Each to their own however given the evidence and the understanding of eating to maintain lean muscle for older training populations I’m not a fan nor will recommend this way of eating.
@veloperformance I'll be glad too, but all you really have to do is open your eyes.Have you walked around in public lately? You haven't noticed all the Morbidly obese people? Insulin resistance is the cause of roughly 80% of chronic Disease. Over a million people in the U. S alone die of chronic disease annually. What is it that causes insulin resistance?
For the past four years I have been concentrating on correct carb intake when riding. 45 g/hr on easier endurance rides up to 2hrs. 60g/hr up to 3hrs, and 90 grams plus on anything longer. All carb is taken in liquid form, on 4 hours plus rides, all carbs above the 90 grams are supplemented with solid foods. Results have been great. Especially in granfondos where I have been riding stronger than ever in the final hour. Other upside is it prevents that hoovering up of all food on site when getting home. Protein shake, small bowl of muesli, fruit and yoghurt and I'm good. Recovery time is down too.
Awesome, great job out there on the bike! What do eat between rides? What's your diet like? I been seeing videos on what to fuel with during a ride, but not just your daily diet
@@veloperformance thankfully my LL challenges here (Warsaw) are shorter but next month want to improve my PB on Doi Suthep in prep for the TdS Ultrafondo Everest attempt next year hopefully 🙂
I didn’t in this as I was riding steady. When riding harder I go up to 90g and then add carbs to my fluids. On easier aerobic rides I fuel with 50/60g of carbs with energy bars as mentioned.
If you stand comfortably and your lungs are open you’ll climb better - change of position is good and makes the repositioning to sitting again better therefore overall quicker climbing
You summed it up perfectly! I cut out the crisps, the daily cans of Coke, the choccy biscuits and limited alcohol. I still made sure I was fuelling up properly for training rides apart from a couple of 3 hour fasted rides in zone two. On average, my daily intake was 1500 cal. In six weeks, I lost 5 kg ! It feels like I’m riding a bike 💪💪
This highlights the challenge with longer rides. To fuel you have to use simple carbs which tend to be ultra processed. Good for fuel. But not really for health. You burn the calories but what impact to your microbiome and long term health? There’s a dichotomy here and as someone who does longer rides too, one that is worrying me. Any thoughts?
Looking at the evidence on eating high carb when training as long as you are eating within and for your output then there is little impact on long term health. There is far too much scare mongering right now on high carb from Drs and influencers about insulin and high carb which is not supported by the evidence of scientific literature. When it comes to gut biome. This is less well studied. However as long as your main diet and meals are whole food, nutrient dense then the way I look at it is this funds a strong long term biome that we should be confident out weights any negative effects of processed energy foods.
Currently struggling in Cat C but I’m only 8 months into my cycling journey, so I figure any riding is beneficial. Will keep racing twice a week minimum, with other riding thrown in (did Ven-Top earlier) including the odd workout. Plus an extra rest day a week. Some proper structure then next year. Or is this just a bad idea ?
