How Much Do You All Weigh?

Hi!
I got the answer to a question I was nervous of investigating the other day, namely my weight. I finally jumped on some pay scales, stuck a coin in and got my reading.
I haven't been dieting or anything and eat as much as I want (excluding junk food) and my weight is exactly 185 pounds. Strictly speaking, that's a little heavy for a cyclist but I feel O.K. at this weight. I think I must have slimmed down from 200 to 179 but I decided to put a little weight back so so I'm at 185 and stable. My energy level felt good on my ride today and I'm climbing fairly well at my present weight.
My question, though, is how much do you all weigh and what would be your ideal weight? Also how has manipulation of your bodyweight affected your cycling (i.e. losing some pounds or putting a few pounds back on).
Finally what do you all think is the average weight for a cyclist of normal height?

 

How tall are you?

The important mesure is body fat% There are a couple pro guys in the 200+ range (magnus/thor).

 

5'8", 154lbs here. I'm fittest and strongest between 152-155lbs.

 

6'2" and 175. I've been as low as 168 which is pretty darned thin for my height and I felt like I didn't have as much power though otherwise I felt OK. At one point a few years ago, I was as high as 185 and could definitely feel the weight on climbs although I didn't notice it much on flat/rolling terrain.

To answer your second question, I'm not sure what average weight and normal height are. The pro peleton seems to run between 5'5" and 5'10" and weight ranges from 150 to 175. There are extremes in both directions. The general thinking is "pure" climbers weigh 2 lbs for every inch of height (which would put me at 148!).

Personally, my weight tends to fluctuate about 5-8 lbs through the year depending on how much I'm riding (and eating). I nearly always take about a month off each year (other activities) and that time of year is always when I'm at my heaviest.

Greg

 

Yeah, Magnus was in this year's TdF. Bob Roll said he weighed 220 Lbs! 220 sure sounds heavy for a cyclist to me. I don't know how he placed in the overall standing but just getting in that race would put him in the league of Supermen.

To answer your question, Carerra, I weigh around 245 Lbs. I'd like to lose some weight but don't obsess over it. I prefer to lose subcutaneous fat gradually. What I've found is that I'm putting on muscle weight (even doing 10 hours/week of cycling!) as I'm dropping bodyfat, which is the best way to go but it takes much longer. My overal bodyweight has even increased in the past year.

The downside is really I suck at cycling. I can do a 60 minute ride on flat terrain at an average speed of 15.2 MPH with an average heart rate of 125 BPM or 65% of my known max. However, for me to ride for an hour at 17 MPH - a measly 2 MPH more! - my average HR shoots up to the mid-to-high 80's! Yesterday I couldn't even do a full hour. I threw in the towel at the 25 minute mark. Very disappointing. I'm envious as hell when I read some of the posters on this forum are doing centuries in 5 hours. That simply amazes me. I'd love to be able to do that.

The only things I can think is that 1) I'm too heavy, 2) I'm not fit enough, and 3) I am comprised mostly of fast twitch fibers. I've always been into burst sports. I was a sprinter in high school and got into power lifting in college. My best unofficial bench was 420 and I've done 405 x 2 at a bodyweight of 212. But that was 20 years ago. Today my goals and my idea of fitness has changed quite a bit.

 

I'm just under 5 feet 11 inches but I do have a very light skeletal structure. I'm not at all heavy boned. As for fat, sure, I could pinch a bit round my waist that hovers around 35 these days.
I've been lighter than I am now but somehow didn't feel comfortable, even with regard to climbing.

 

I let myself go the past few years and I got up to 200 lbs. I'm 5'9" and teedering between 185-190 lbs right now. My goal is to get back to 165 lbs. That was when I felt and looked my best.

 

i am at 174lbs right now, and 6'2". i should be about 165, i have some extra fat around me belly. i am young(19), i eat healthy and ride about 10 hours a week average (for 5 years now) and still can't lose that extra fat. although i have lost about 4lbs in the past two months since starting a job which requires lots of walking. my goal for the spring is to lose all excess fat, and gain at least 15lbs of muscle. (doing weights this off season so i sprint better) that would put me at 180lbs, with an excellent power to weight ratio on the 5 second column! according to that, i should be a cat 1 right now, but i am a 3(road).

BTW, magnus backstedt is 90 kilos or 198lbs, not 220 according to Bobke. that would be BIG for a tour rider.

 

I used to be a cox in rowing so during the summer i was 127lbs, pretty light for a fella measuring 5'9 and 18yrs old. I think i've reached my optimal weight now thought at 145lbs. I've quit rowing so no longer have weight restrictions but i've always been pretty light anyways.

I'm lucky in that when i was coxing it was my upper body that lost the weight, my legs were always problematic when losing weight. But now this has put me in good stead for cycling. I have kept my upper body weight under control and have worked on developing the muscles in my legs since i finished coxing. Perfect fot the mountains! (not bloody likely!)

 

Good post, Carrera, I'll keep up with this one!

6'3" 196-199 (CANNOT break 200 lbs.!)

I'm just getting back into the swing after a 3 year hiatus. Wednesday I'll take delivery of an '03 Marin East Peak w/ `04 Marz. Marathon SL's, wish me luck!

 

I am 12 stone (how many kgs is that?) and I am 6ft tall

 

I think you're right to rule out the idea of diets. I felt I was definitely too heavy some months ago so I started to watch everything I ate and cut down on my food. True, my cycling performance was O.K. at the time but my joints ached like crazy, I had pains in my shoulders and wrists e.t.c. What I do now is try and do a hard 3 hour ride once a week, if possible, and then eat really really well after the ride. This way I tend to lose fat more efficiently (although I have a tendency to lose equal amounts of muscle).

As for your comments on miles per hour over 60 minutes, I guess I know what you mean. I don't know whether any people have had an experience when they'd been an hour into the ride and spotted another cyclist ahead? I recall seeing this guy on a decent roadbike ahead, so I figured I'd try and catch him up to relieve the boredom of my training-run. So, in order to catch him up I had to cycle a lot faster and changed to a bigger gear.

I noticed that the effort I needed to draw upon to close the gap had me breathing pretty hard and sweating (since it was a hot day). Finally I closed the gap and was right behind the other rider but then I realised I had very little gas left in the tank. My whole body felt like noodles and I felt depleted. It made me realise how tough it is to catch up another rider and then maintain your original speed once this has been accomplished.

I guess the answer to the problem is persistance. For you that may mean riding an hour at 16 mph for one hour, 17 mph for 20 minutes e.t.c e.t.c. This is what Roger Bannister did when trying to break the 4 minute mile. He could run, say, 2 miles in 1 minute 35 seconds and had to try and mentally put it all together in working out the 4 minute run. He failed on many occasions but finally broke his own barrier (and the global barrier at the time).

Just one question, though. Any idea why my bench press has gone down so much as a result of weight loss and cardio work? I can still squat O.K. if I work up to it, my back's still strong and arms are O.K. But my bench press and overhead pressing has fallen dramatically. I'm not worried about it but curious as to why I can only press heavy when my waist is around 38 inches - not what I want as such.

 

Acually, I'm suprised you have maintained strength in your squat. Losing bodyweight always affected my lifts back when I was using heavy weights. Even a 15 Lb difference in bodyweight made quite a bit of difference in my squat and deadlift. Bench didn't seem to be as affected but I still couldn't do 350 - 364 for 5 x 5 if I lost much weight.

Went out today for an hour ride and kept the pace very steady. Had an average HR of 144 BPM or 75.4% of my known max. Had an average speed of 16.0 MPH. Very disappointing indeed. It was a little windy out so I may have been able to squeeze an extra 0.2 MPH out if the day was perfect. It's no wonder I didn't do any endurace activities when I was younger. I suck at them.

 

Not that Im in danger of turning pro or de throning anyone....

My current weight is 238, down from an extremely obese and unhappy 320. The riding here in west Texas is much different than I was doing in New Orleans, and Im finding that the more I get in the better Im feeling. Ive been back on the bike now for a little over a year and a half, and ever since taking a new job here in Del Rio, am able to get in good rides as much as I need. I have noticed that some days here its all but impossible to ride as the temperature topped 115 degrees.

In changing my diet and getting more ride time and working on specific things (foundation miles, sprinting, endurance) all from a basic standpoint of course, I have noticed a reduction in body fat with an increase in muscle.

Take care,

bruce

 

Hey Bruce, I'm going to spend a weekend in October in the Big Easy, any recs. on where to ride?

 

5'8" and 137lbs (male BTW)

 

Your cycling performance isn't bad at all, particularly for someone who hasn't ever done endurance or aerobic activity. Are you riding in a group now and always getting dropped?

Just enjoy your training, and don't get disappointed. If this stuff could be done in one season, everyone would be a great cyclist. Bet you'll pick up another mph or two in speed next year.

 

I weigh 190 lbs at 6'. My body fat index is a little on the high side, but a week of backpacking or a few centuries will get me to 180. My preferred weight is 175 and that's when I'm a cycling machine!

Keep up the cycling, and remember that I only do 24km/hour average on my ride home because I'm on the railway right of way! The new bike knocked 5 minutes off the commute, and now it is up to me for the rest.

 

Wow! Double your bodyweight in the bench is impressive. You're one strong dude.

I'm wondering though about something. I remember back when I used to lift weights regularly there was one guy in there who I'd see lifting all the time, and then he was gone a couple of months. When he came back, he was only coaching some lady and not lifting anymore. He said that his doctor told him the weight lifting was raising his blood pressure. Do you think there's anything to that? I just figured it was him and kept lifting at the time.

 

17 years old (soon 18), 5'9, fluctuates from 140lbs to 147lbs. I have been this weight forever :lol: I am more than happy with it, and don't mind the fluctuation.