Overtraining, under-fueling, stuck in a rut? Lose the weight and get your mojo back!

This podcast was inspired by a recent athlete asking for help, and we think many of you can relate to the situation: 

"I've been cycling for nearly 20 years (now 44). I have a stressful job, two kids, and over the past few years I’ve gain 15 pounds that I can't shake, despite training 10-15 hours in the summer and 6-8 in the winter. What do I do?"

Symptoms like low energy, inability to sustain high heart rates, and lack of sweat could point to low energy availability (LEA). Even with calorie counting, your body might not be getting enough fuel to support both your workouts and daily life demands (job, kids, stress). This can lead to a suppressed metabolism and fatigue, making weight loss and performance harder.

Weight gain can be age-related hormonal changes that occur in men in their 40’s.  Namely a gradual decline in testosterone levels which can affect metabolism, muscle mass, fat distribution, and energy levels. This is sometimes referred to as andropause or age-related hormonal decline.

Coaching Advice:

The #1 thing you can do is to get tested: A simple blood test can check testosterone, thyroid, and other hormone levels. This will help rule out any medical issues.

Then here’s what we recommend to get out of the rut, get your mojo back to your training and lose that weight: 

1. Nutrition First: Focus on fueling your workouts with carbs. Try eating a small carb-rich snack (e.g., a banana or toast with honey) before your morning rides. Post-ride, prioritize recovery with protein and carbs to replenish glycogen and repair muscles.

Coach Andrew Giniat and Nutritionist Alex Winnicki recently recorded a podcast about how much carbohydrate you need to consume even if you are trying to lose weight. And why low carb diets are bad and will result in rut like this athlete.  

The take home point and analogy is that you, as an athlete, are Ferrari and carbohydrates are your fuel (gas) . But the body does not work like a Ferrari in terms of going fast even as they tank empties.  Athletes do better when their tanks are kept at full as possible at all times. This includes before, during and after exercise.

2. HRV and Recovery: Use your HRV data to monitor recovery. If it’s consistently low, it might indicate overtraining or stress. Your 7 hours of sleep is solid, but stress and under-fueling can still take a toll.

The CoachCat app has a free Whoop offer that will combine your sleep and HRV data with your training data to let you know if you are recovered or not.  Then when you are not ‘feeling it’ you can ask for daily adjustments. 

Start each morning with personalized recommendations based on your sleep and recovery.   This is so clutch for a masters athletes balancing life’s daily demands: job, kids, stress.

3. Training Adjustments: Consider dialing back intensity for a few weeks. Focus on Zone 2 rides to rebuild your aerobic base and avoid burnout. This aligns with your winter training history.

 

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Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Justin:

https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/justin-bowes

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