Racing Weight Quick Start Guide
I recently read the book Racing Weight Quick Start Guide by Matt Fitzgerald. It is the companion book to Racing Weight. It implements the ideas into a practical plan for weight loss in the outseason. The primary goal is fat loss but it also works on building fitness for the race focused training cycles.
Peter Noyes started a very good discussion on Racing Weight at the link below, for those looking for more context: http://members.endurancenation.us/Forums/tabid/57/aft/16918/Default.aspx
I've included my notes below. I am considering doing a four week cycle. I am at around 168 now and would like to drop down to 162. Not looking for a dramatic weight loss, just want to burn some fat off to increase my W/kg and run speed.
I am coming off the four-week IM transition plan from IMAZ. Coach Rich has me rolling onto the Get Faster plan since I have an early season event at Oceanside HIM in March. I'd do a Quick Start and then finish off with Get Faster before rolling into the HIM training plan.
I have the following questions:
- Does anyone else out there have experience doing the Quick Start plan?
- Alternatively, I could do Get Faster on a calorie deficit. Has anyone done Get Faster while working on weight loss? The workouts seem too intense to be highly fat burning. I'd worry that I would sabotage power gains by being calorie restricted.
Racing Weight Quick Start Notes
- Diet quality
- Balancing your energy sources
- Nutrient timing
- Managing your appetite
- Training for race weight
- Uses DQS outlined in Racing Weight
- DQS of 15+ is healthy
- For Quick Start, aim for 23+, which would be super clean eating
- For training 7-10 hours/week, endurance athletes should eat 3.25-3.75 g/lb of carbs. The weight is your ideal race weight. For me, this works out to over 500 grams of carbs per day -- what I would usually eat during carb loading!
- During the Quick Start, up your protein intake to 30% of daily calorie intake. This will prevent muscle lose during a calorie deficit.
- Rules:
-
- Eat early -- a good breakfast will reduce the amount you eat during the rest of the day
- Eat often -- three meals plus two snacks
- Eat before exercise -- at least 100g of carbs within the four hours before your workout
- Eat during exercise -- fuel your workout with 60g of carbs per hour
- Eat after exercise -- Take advantage of metabolic recovery window with 0.5g of carbs per pound of body weight within an hour. Target a ratio of 4g carbs to 1g protein.
- For the Quick Start, some of the moderate-intensity workouts are done in the fasted state to promote fat burning
- A high DQS diet will help because high quality foods are less calorie dense
- Avoid eating when not hungry
- During the Quick Start, maintain a calorie deficit depending upon how much wieght you need to lose. 5-10lbs = 300cal defict for 4 weeks. 11-20lbs = 400cal for 6 weeks. 20+ = 500cal for 8 weeks.
- General rule is 3500cal deficit = 1lbs weight loss.
- All weight loss should be fat during to increased strength training and high protein diet
- Primary goal of the Quick Start is fat loss. Secondary goal is building foundational fitness for race focused training cycles.
- Training volume is lower than the race focused cycles.
- Key workouts:
-
- Very-high-intensity-interval sessions -- burns fat during the hours after the workout and builds speed and power.
- Strength training -- preserves muscle mass and increases base metabolic rate.
- Prolonged moderate intensity workout in fasted state -- burns fat and builds base.
| Day | Workouts |
| Monday | Strength circuit training |
| Tuesday | Interval swim + Bike power intervals (e.g., 12x10s at max effort in a high gear) |
| Wednesday | Easy run with hill sprints + Strength circuit training |
| Thursday | Swim pull sets + Easy bike |
| Friday | Hill interval run + Strength circuit workout |
| Saturday | Endrance swim + Fat burning bike in fasted state OR Bike hill sprints (alternates every week with the Sunday run) |
| Sunday | Easy run with hill sprints OR Fat burning run in fasted state |
- He recommends hill sprints for running because there is less risk of injury than sprints on the flat.
- Intervals are short, usually 10-15 seconds max effort.
Comments
In terms of a calorie deficit, I am of the school of thought that once you have harvested a few gains (via nutrient timing, increasing the quality of your diet and changing your body composition based on changes in your overall fitness and metabolism), essentially the weight-loss game is a calories-in, calories-out equation. So if you're going to lose weight, you will need to run a deficit. In the OS I fuel all workouts but usually run a slight deficit and lose a few lb while experiencing a lot of gains in FTP and VDOT. But again, I do fuel the workouts. That is key.
.... but to your main-question -> No I don't think doing the GF Plan + being on a caloric-deficit diet is a good idea! I've done the GF plan 3x already in the past 2 years and it's by far the most intense plan I've ever done. This is the best time to eat A LOT of healthy carbs!! If you want to go for a quick-start insert at least one fasting workout (I'd suggest two) per week and keep the intensity level moderate (maybe slightly increase volume though).
Do at least 2-3x strength workouts each weak and don't forget to use HEAVY loads!
I tried to loose some weight last OS and I failed - for me this is just not the time to loose weight .... as soon as I can ride outside again weight does start to drop a lot faster
Stefan...I see your fasting workouts on Strava all the time. What's the deal with that? I read Fitzgerald's book too....if that's in there, then I am officially not good at retaining information! Has that worked for you? If so, how do you do that (how long, how often, how hard, etc.)?
I too find that it is extremely difficult to lose weight without weather compatible with outdoor (longer) rides. I can maintain weight about 10-15lbs more than ideal IM race weight (without gaining any more), but losing weight with shorter runs and rides takes more dietary restraint that my weak mind (and belly) can muster. Plus...the stupid Thanskgiving and Christmas feasts and snacks which seem to be everywhere I look, just kill me.
My biggest problem is my husband does some of the cooking and does not like to eat "clean". He enjoys food,wine and cooking(very handy in season after 6 hour workouts!!!). And when I have a few more lbs on my bones. :-/ Tricky.
I usually don't have enough time to make these workouts last longer than 50' but even though I believe the help me at least to maintain my weight especially during the OS where we don't have much volume but the hunger is pretty high (at least for me).
As Matt already said I also do believe that "Nutrition timing" and "Don't eat for HEAD HUNGER" are most critical
Stefan....thanks. I'll dig the book out and find that stuff.
"head hunger".....man do I have that!..all the time I haven't heard that phrase before, but it is soooo true..
Such a weak mind I have....sweets are playing Jedi mind tricks on me I'm sure.