Weight and Body Fat

Both are a common concern for athletes, and an important part of race preparation. Many gain weight during the “off ” season, due either to training less, eating the wrong foods, or both.

There are three important reasons weight and body fat are important for competition. First, if your body weight is too high for your frame, it can slow you down. That’s due to more gravity stress, not to mention that more oxygen is required. But it does not mean the thinner you are, the faster you’ll be. Like everything else in life, both extremes are dangerous.

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A second potential problem is if you’re too thin and have lost too much lean body mass, you’ll have less muscle for competing. And, if you have too little fat stored, your metabolism as well as protective padding may be jeopardized, adversely affecting performance and health. That cushioning prevents damage to the bones in your feet when running, the pelvis when riding, and even organs and glands, which rely on fat padding for support.

A third factor is that those who have too much or too little body fat usually have muscle imbalance. In other words, if you’re less fit and less healthy—a cause of too much or too little body fat—there is usually more muscle imbalance. Obviously, muscle imbalance will adversely affect race performance, but it also predisposes you to injury.

The ideal, of course, is not to gain weight or excess body fat in the winter. So, if your program is effective, your weight and fat content will come down to “normal” healthy levels.