Like with many training goals to get your best end result you will more than likely target an example or model of the outcome you have in sight. If your goal is to be more competitive in an endurance event then all you have to do is look at the podium in that event and you can identify some traits that tend to be common amoung the winners. If your target is road racing on a bike then your model body type would be light, thin on top with a significant amount of power producing mass in the lower body, whereas if you were modeling a triathlete you might find athletes who are light but they would typically show up with a little more mass in the upper body. On the other end of the spectrum if your goal event was to be a competitive olympic rower you would no doubt see bodies that were still lean but quite a bit heavier since they are required to produce enough power to move themselves and their boat or shell faster than their competitors over a relatively short period of time. Not only do different types of events suggest the optimal body type but the duration of the event will dictate which type of athlete will reach the podium. Generally longer endurance events like marathons or triathlons will favor light athletes while short sprinting type events which require explosive power over a short distance will usually favor the larger body types.
Whatever your target, one thing that is common to all these athletes is that they do not carry any excess weight that does not produce some form of power for their event. Muscle is the power producer while body fat does not produce power and is generally sufficient for your health in only relatively small amounts. So any excess in body fat is a limitation whether you are sustaining long bouts of exercise or short sprints. Granted - some sports like football and power lifting may require very high absolute mass levels to perform well and even excess fat can create a more powerful affect when trying to move another heavy mass. But if we are talking about the ability to move quickly and efficiently the LEANer mass (not fat) is most critical to high performance. This is why when we are evaluating an athlete's physical fitness and performance we typically will look at their strength relative to their weight. For cyclists we measure fitness performance by looking at their watts (power) per kilogram of body weight. A cyclist who is a mountain specialist will need to generate a very high wattage per kilogram of their body weight at their lactate threshold (LT) or functional threshold (FT) to be competive on the hills. This means they have to be light but at the same time able to generate a relatively high sustainable power to be competitive. A power to weight ratio of 5.0-6.0 or more is typically required for the top competitors. That means if you could generate 400 watts at your LT (that's a lot) than your weight would need to below 145 lbs to have more than a 6.0 watt/kg. Calc: 145/2.2 = 66 kg, that's 400 watts/66 kg = 6.1 watts/kg. Sprinters (cyclists) on the other hand will require a high sustainable power but also will need to be able to generate high levels of absolute power for the all out sprint. This means they will typically be heavier with huge power producing thighs.
Endurance runners will also need to generate a powerful pace relative to their body weight. You will typically see thinner, lighter athletes in the longer events and slightly larger athletes with more mass for short or middle distances. Some researchers have estimated that for every 1% reduction in body fat you can see a 1% increase in running speed. For triathletes the same is true, a higher power to weight ratio will equate to a faster run and ride.
Now, don't go out and start cutting weight by shutting down the fuel supply and exercising into oblivian just yet - there are limits to what you can lose and how you should lose it. As with any fitness endeavor you do not want to abuse you fitness to get light. My next post will discuss the optimal training guidelines for optimizing your strength to weight ratio.
P.S. to find out your power to weight ratio go to www.fitstop-lab.com/fitnesstesting.htm and get evaluated today. Choose the Cardio-Metabolic Exercise Profile - and check for specials at http://www.fitstop-lab.com/
No comments:
Post a Comment