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OCTOBER 8, 2018 · BY CHRISSIE WELLINGTON AND ANDY KIRKLAND Considering athlete weight in relation to performance is important when planning and executing training. But, where is the line between an increase in performance and encouraging an athlete to adopt unhealthy behaviors? Being a coach isn’t an easy job. We often work with highly-motivated people living complex lives. It’s our job to help them achieve their potential and actualize their dreams. While planning and prescribing training plans is a large part of what endurance coaches do, ultimately, we are influencing the behavior of athletes to help enhance performance. However, like many relationships, things can sometimes go wrong. A few poorly-chosen words, poor communication, or lack of understanding of the needs of the other person can lead to acrimony, or worse. “Ideal racing weight” is an important subject because the mass of an athlete affects performance. While it can be a sensitive topic for a coach to address, i...

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/optimizing-strength-to-weight-ratio-while-staying-healthy/ SEPTEMBER 13, 2018    BY TAYLOR THOMAS Striking the appropriate balance between your power output and weight is critical for a sustainable and healthy approach to training and racing. Many athletes try to maintain as low a weight as possible while still being powerful on the bike—but it can be difficult to hit that sweet spot. If weight loss is taken too far, athletes can see a decrease in overall power, along with more serious health issues. While  watts per kilo  are often top of mind, health and resiliency should ultimately be the key goals for any athlete. Here’s how to strike that elusive balance. Why is Weight Important? Weight plays an important role for all athletes to some degree, but in cycling specifically, watts per kilogram (W/Kg) or strength-to-weight ratio, has been found to be one of the  single best predictors of performance.  Simpl...

https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/a-calorie-is-not-a-calorie/ DECEMBER 20, 2012    BY PACIFIC HEALTH LABORATORIES I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “A calorie is a calorie.” It means that carbohydrate, fat and protein calories are equal in terms of their effect on body weight. This point is most often made in the context of  debates between low-carb and low-fat diet  advocates. Those who say “A calorie is a calorie” in this context mean to suggest that macronutrient proportions are irrelevant to weight management (as long as one is getting enough of each to meet one’s basic health needs). All that matters is the total number of calories consumed, regardless of whether the plurality comes from fat or carbohydrate. Weight management is a simple game of math, these folks argue. To maintain your current weight, you need to consume the same number of calories your body burns each day. To lose a pound, you need to create a caloric deficit of approximate...