Height & Weight: You Vs the Pros

[Notso Swift]

6'5 197lb
195cm 89kg

Was 244lb two years ago.
Trying to get down to 185-190lb.

Snap (though today I was 91kg)
(I have wide shoulders, so I am like a sail, I don't care about rain, but I hate the Wind)

 

[Notso Swift]

I'm not a usual poster, but I am 195cm tall and 71kg. Yet even when I get down to that I can't seem to shift the fat on the lower section of my stomach, I don't understand it, has anyone got any ideas? I'm not sure what rider I can be compared to, as I don't know what sort of cyclist I am, there aren't any mountains in East Lothian (but there is some good hills) so I'm not sure about that part.
Any help is appreciated.

Back in my younger days I was a rower (National level, lightweight, and took up cycling as cross training) I was the same, I still never had more than a "4 pack".. and rowing is something that is good for developing the muscles lower in the core, I think that some people just do not have the physiology that develops the lower part of the trunk.

I never thought I was a climber, but coming back I realise that I wasn't as bad as I thought! (20 kg more and not as strong is a real eye opener) Mind you I was always sick at that weight, so it isn't where I would want to be again, about 80 is a realistic limit, I think.

 

[alvynmcq]

I am 5'5" and weigh 55kg (121lbs). I don't think I look that small though, but I probably to do most other people.

 

[markene2]

185cm
55 kg

 

[RedheadDane]

185cm
55 kg

You know... that's kinda scary! You're 25 cm higher than me but only 5 kg heavier...
Hmm... why do I sorta imagine your build being kinda... Schleckish?

 

[Herman]

Im 190 cm and 64 kg. Im a excellent climber, but i suck in cross wind

 

[Climbing]

168 cm
56 kg

 

[Mr.DNA]

6' 4-3/4" / 195cm
198lbs / 90kg

Bert Roesems (is he still riding?) is about the same height but weighs 9kg less. I like eating too much to get down below 195. I don't ride competitively so I am pretty happy with my weight.

 

[tubularglue]

175/65
5"9"/145

 

[Zoncolan]

189 cm, 86-87 kg, lots of upper body muscle.

 

[WonderLance]

Im about 182 cm and 82kgs. Here is apic of me jogging with a friend.

 

[waccampbell]

183cm and 62kg.
I really need to start riding everyday.

 

[indurain666]

I am 171cm, 147 pounds, 9-10% bodyfat. What is more impressive about these pro guys is how lean they are usually around 6%.

 

[robertocarlos]

there is no way greipel is 165. he looks large even by other sports standards. he is like 180. eventhough he is shorter than boonen he looks more muscular all arround than both cancellara and boonen. i mean they do not call him the gorilla because of his small physique. o the other hand i am 150lbs with only running shorts on and my body fat % is around 7% and even cav looks a little thiker than me and we are about the same height. my body fat% was taken by the pinch method with my quads and my arms having the lowes % because i am more of a runner build. slightly smaller legs than a cyclist but stronger upperbody and core. i am about the same size as phillipe gilbert @ 5'9".

 

[M Sport]

I am 171cm, 147 pounds, 9-10% bodyfat. What is more impressive about these pro guys is how lean they are usually around 6%.

I stay in the 9-10% range as well, I have been as low as 7% but I would only go that low during summer racing, in winter anything below 9% for me and I'm just asking to catch colds and get sick.

 

[waccampbell]

probably a simple question but how is it that one would measure their body fat %?

 

[indurain666]

I stay in the 9-10% range as well, I have been as low as 7% but I would only go that low during summer racing, in winter anything below 9% for me and I'm just asking to catch colds and get sick.

Same here, it seems my body just doesn't function well with anything less than 9%, even when I was a junior.

 

[indurain666]

probably a simple question but how is it that one would measure their body fat %?

-Calipers: are accurate, tricky, and it takes some time to get used to using them. You basically pinch your skin at several locations and calculate some sort of average.

-Scales: Some scales such as tanita have this feature. They send an electronic pulse in order to measure the resistance of your body due to fat, they are not very accurate (i.e. it goes up or down from one day to another) but it is close enough, IMO.

 

[marinoni]

Creeeepy!

Im about 182 cm and 82kgs. Here is apic of me jogging with a friend.

Your posts get creepier by the day.

 

[Notso Swift]

-Calipers: are accurate, tricky, and it takes some time to get used to using them. You basically pinch your skin at several locations and calculate some sort of average.

-Scales: Some scales such as tanita have this feature. They send an electronic pulse in order to measure the resistance of your body due to fat, they are not very accurate (i.e. it goes up or down from one day to another) but it is close enough, IMO.

Yeah, Scales are crap, but if you are using I think they are consistant... you just need to ignore the % and think "units"
Calipers are not very accurate either, unless you are in the "normalised" range they tend to understate higher figures and for lower figures there is too much technique variation

Float tanks are the best bet. But you don't find them in many places.

I am 171cm, 147 pounds, 9-10% bodyfat. What is more impressive about these pro guys is how lean they are usually around 6%.

That is at the START of a GT.
At my "peak" for Rowing I was measured at our local Institute of Sport at 4% and they said that they has seen quite a few guys with less and specifically mentioned cyclists as being a group that stood out
But as I said before, I was always sick, I looked shocking, you could see the striations in the muscles, veins popped out of places that you don't expect.

Knowing that I was 4% then, and that I am now 20 kg heavier, and I am not as strong (so I have lost muscle mass) and that I am supposed to be in the "healthy" 16% sort of figure makes me pretty skeptical of the whole lot of measuring formula, I mean 70+20 = 22%, plus the 4%... but it is more than 20 because I am not as strong...
And so if you work on that I am at around 28-30% real figure, but 195 and 90 kg is actually considered "healthy lean"... it just doesn't add up to me

 

[indurain666]

Yeah, Scales are crap, but if you are using I think they are consistant... you just need to ignore the % and think "units"
Calipers are not very accurate either, unless you are in the "normalised" range they tend to understate higher figures and for lower figures there is too much technique variation

Float tanks are the best bet. But you don't find them in many places.


That is at the START of a GT.
At my "peak" for Rowing I was measured at our local Institute of Sport at 4% and they said that they has seen quite a few guys with less and specifically mentioned cyclists as being a group that stood out
But as I said before, I was always sick, I looked shocking, you could see the striations in the muscles, veins popped out of places that you don't expect.

Knowing that I was 4% then, and that I am now 20 kg heavier, and I am not as strong (so I have lost muscle mass) and that I am supposed to be in the "healthy" 16% sort of figure makes me pretty skeptical of the whole lot of measuring formula, I mean 70+20 = 22%, plus the 4%... but it is more than 20 because I am not as strong...
And so if you work on that I am at around 28-30% real figure, but 195 and 90 kg is actually considered "healthy lean"... it just doesn't add up to me

Correct me if I am wrong, but I remember reading somewhere that the lowest you can get is 3%, at 3% you basically have not fat underneath the skin only in your organs or somewhere. I know that Ivan Gotti, Tyler Hamilton and Gilberto Simoni used to race at around4%

And I agree, inmersion test is the most accurate measurement. Never done one of them though...

 

[Notso Swift]

That sounds familiar I have heard 2% being possible but below 3% you compromise the performance of your organs, I think the liver and pancreas are effected?

I know body builders for comps still only go to the 4% mark, and that is part of a taper

 

[Hoekstyn]

That sounds familiar I have heard 2% being possible but below 3% you compromise the performance of your organs, I think the liver and pancreas are effected?

At 18 I was 5'10", 136# with (I was told by a clinic) 0% body fat. Cycled, played Saturday football(soccer) and speedskated. Peaked 3 times a year.
Today @ 62 I am 5'8" 176#. Yes boys, eat right, don't drain yourselfs too often and take your calcium. Have been on calcium suplements for the last 6years as I went for an Xray for my hip and it was a shadow of it's former self.
The next year cracked 3 ribs picking up my wife's suitcase while traveling.

 

[Boeing]

6'4" 215 but I hammer all Clydes

6'3" 176 is quite thin. mix in a steak

 

[WonderLance]

Im about 182 cm and 82kgs. Here is apic of me jogging with a friend.

Your posts get creepier by the day.

You should see some of my movies then.