Lose weight, stay strong

Cyclists and runners often go on strict diets as part of their training. But do they risk losing muscle and becoming weaker? Not necessarily. Dropping body fat improves your power-to- weight ratio without affecting muscle mass, according to a study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research. When well-trained cyclists slashed their calorie intake by 40 per cent for three weeks during the off-season, they lost nearly two kilos of fat without losing muscle or compromising their training ability.

Tagged as: lose weight, power-to- weight ratio, well-trained cyclists