that's a loaded paragraph... but I'll put in my thoughts and take a few things for granted.

If you're a triathlete, then the short answer is no, adding mass isn't going to make you faster. You might raise raw ftp but at the expense of w/kg, which is often a more important determiner of performance. You'd also need to consider that adding weight will cost you something running as well.

As for muscle mass specifically... unless you are doing very short maximum efforts (sprints) then muscle isn't going to help make you faster, as it's not the limiter for endurance.

What you wrote that may be of slight concern is that you had a hard time keeping that weight while training... it's possible that you are/were not consuming the proper amount of calories to sustain the training load. That can certainly plateau you if you aren't recovering/fueling in pace with training.

just my opinion and I'm certainly not the most qualified on here to answer so take it with a grain of salt.

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Seems like your FTP/KG is low if you've been cycling a long time and/or you're having a hard time raising it. I think that's more a function of nutrition not weight.

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Hi Matt,

It might not hurt to take an 8-12 week block and try to raise your bodyweight 10-15lb. If you keep training throughout, your ftp will certainly increase. If done carefully and consistently for that 2-3 month period, there's no reason you couldn't keep much of that ftp increase dropping back to race weight. If you went up to, say, 150 BW and 245 ftp, and you eventually reduce that back to 136 BW and 236 ftp, you're ahead. The caveat is to take inventory of the measures you use to increase BW (extra meals, weights, etc) so you can gradually reduce/eliminate them rather than have to flash starve your way back. It might also help you find your ideal race weight (if such a thing exists); you might feel great at 142 with 3.8 w/kg at ftp, for example. A bit of extra temporary bodyweight might also be beneficial from a hormone/recovery standpoint (my understanding of this is limited), which I'd imagine would help a lot if you're turning 50 in the near future.

Thanks. Appreciate the feedback.

Sub-par nutrition may very well be part of my limiter. I've not focused that much on my fuel intake as well as my recovery nutrition. Like most triathletes, I tend to eat a lot of pasta and whatever else I feel like, but don't approach it that scientifically. I suspect that I am a bit light on protein and perhaps other nutritional elements that might speed muscle recovery / rebuilding. I do make protein shakes (mix, PB, yogurt and bananas), but I still think I probably need more protein in my diet during the training season.

In terms of my weight, I am not concerned about what adding some weight will do to my running. Running is my strongest discipline, and I am fairly lean to begin with.

In terms of my weight this year, I've probably fluctuated between 137-8 (fully refueled after a meal) and 132-3 (after a hard/long workout). In years past, I probably fluctuated between 140 and 135, so not dramatically different.

In terms of my cycling, my goal would be to raise my FTP to 245-250, which would be in the 4.0 W/kg range. I didn't think that this kind of improvement would be that hard, but it has proven to be more difficult than I thought this year ....

Chris Froome is listed as 6'1 and 157 pounds, or 71 kg. If we assume his FTP to be in the 5.8 w/kg range, which I think would be modest, that puts him around a FTP of 413.

I don't think muscle mass or added weight is your FTP limiter at this point...especially if your focus is triathlon where the amount of weight you carry on the run will be a penalty.

I follow Cody Beals and his blog posts and he talked about this a while ago (probably 2014 or 2015). His circumstances might be different than yours, or might be the same, but he packed on 20-25 pounds if I remember correctly and has never looked back. Take a review of his old low-T posts, and his science experiment posts for all of the details and see if it is applicable to you.

From my personal experience, I have raced up to the half distance stronger and faster when I am on the heavier end of my "normal". I have gone super light, somewhere in the middle, and heavier, and so far heavier seems to be healthier and faster for me. Your experience will obviously vary.

Absolutely the same for me, especially for HIM and IM.

I'd suggest doing one of these in a training block;

http://www.hunterallenpowerblog.com/2010/12/next-level.html


http://www.hunterallenpowerblog.com/2014/04/what-to-do-next-v02max-intensive-plan.html




Then make sure to refuel big time.

x3 while it probably hasn't directly made me faster, gaining a few kg has made me stronger and more durable so i can train harder and longer, recover better etc which in the end makes me faster. my running has suffered a bit thats a natural strength anyway

OP since you say you have trouble maintaining weight through training, there is nothing to be lost in trying a weight gain phase between races since you can lose it easily if it doesn't work for you. just make sure you do it by eating more good foods, including plenty of healthy fats - its not an excuse to eat junk!

Why not ask TR directly and maybe they'll cover you on a podcast, alternatively post on the TR thread and normally one of them will come back with some ideas. Good luck.

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heh try 66kg, 430-440 FTP.. Your point about muscle mass is valid though-if you believe alien bodies like Froome's are created through diet and carefully managed training.

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At 5'7", 136 isn't actually underweight for a triathlete, like probably at all.

I'm 5'10", and at race weight I'm 154lbs/70kgs - and a smidge less when I was training for IM.
(I weighed 135 at that height as a Sr in HS, when I ran XC and Track)

In a former, pre-Tri life, I was a gym rat, and lifted a ton a weights, and ate a lot to support that.
(yeah, I know - you'd never know it to look at me now)
Got up to as high as 185, and I was strong as an ox (relatively speaking) - but I SUCKED on a bike - too much mass, the extra strength wasn't nearly enough to offset it.

There's a reason most professional cyclists look like POW camp survivors -
power to weight ratio is king, and it's easier to lose weight than it is to gain power (unless you're doping, then you can do both more easily)

The flipside is - I also found I lost strength/watts when my weight got too low - and it only took a few lbs below for that to happen (for me, 150 seemed like the Mendoza line for that).

Unless the veins in your abs look like the LA highway map, and you disappear when you turn sideways, you're probably not underweight now.

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5'7" 137 was my weight for Kona. According to Greg Welch, I was too fat and needed to be down at 132 lbs (his Kona win race weight at the same height).

Appreciate all of the responses. I guess it should not be surprising that there is a pretty big diversity of opinion and experiences among the ST community!

My follow up thoughts FWIW ....

1. Cody Beals' blog and experience is pretty interesting, and I can see how the weight gain made a big difference for him. It may be for me 5 extra pounds will make a big difference in terms of recovery and ability to handle more time at threshold and Vo2 max levels on the trainer. I do feel that I have experienced some of the same symptoms (i.e., poor sleep) that I haven't experienced in years past. I certainly can use the winter / base building period as a time to experiment with a few extra pounds .....

2. I agree with many of the comments that 136-7 does not seem underweight, and this has been roughly what I have weighed when I've done each of my 3 IM races. It may be that, for me, a few extra pounds and a better nutrition plan, would make a big difference. This is part of why I was asking for anecdotal experience where some added weight made a difference for other ST'ers.

3. I agree that bulking up just for the sake of getting heavier makes little sense, and the trade offs in terms of the run are too great. That being said, I think there might be value for me in doing some lower body weight work in the off-season to develop better muscular endurance. If I stop or scale back that lifting in the spring, I am sure I can drop any pounds added during the off-season, while (hopefully) at the same time not losing any added watts that I gained in the off-season.

4. Of course, it may also be that I am not pushing myself hard enough on the trainer and I just need to HTFU. This may also be one of the reasons for my FTP plateau ... :-)

Thanks again to all for the input and perspectives!

X2 this, I race and run much faster and have higher ftp at 180lbs than I did 165lbs. The key is post workout nutrition, try to take in the majority of your daily calories before during and right after your workouts. The rest of the day fill up on veggies. Lower weight does not always = faster in triathlon. Healthy weight that maintains hormonal health is faster. I would try and put on 10-15 lbs and watch your ftp skyrocket

The weight training in point 3 won't jack up your FTP. Weight training will affect fast twitch muscle fiber (around 10-20 seconds). Your FTP uses slow twitch muscle fiber for 1 hour.

What you mentioned in point 4, pushing yourself harder and longer and more often (more weekly TSS) will jack up your FTP.

At some point you may also be genetically limited. There is no trajectory to infinity for anyone including Chris Froome. Eventually you hit your limit. The best I ever got to was 270W off 137 lbs so just around 4.4W per kilo. Most of the time, I would get into the low 260's at 138/139. But that's it. It's not like I could ever get to 280, 290, 300 without different parents or without a Tyler Hamilton style illegal blood bag or the also illegal Bjarne Riis 60% plan. On bread and water and age grouper training....270W was the max.

I do agree that bulking up the legs is certainly not going to help but having a strong and engaged core should help. I believe that a 3x a week, core circuit with light weights or just body weight is a very good thing and helps with boosting ability to drive power for longer. (Now I just wish I could take my own advice...love to run, love to ride, can't stand weight / strength training).

I've also been reading a few studies that were done (some time ago so maybe debunked now ?) that a workout consisting of box jumps and bike sprints is effective at boosting FTP. The box jumps are effectively strength work.

I am very interested in this topic, I have started a 4 month block to finally drop that final 15 lbs and boost FTP (more importantly W/kg) so I can climb better next year. Planning to do American and Powerman Zofingen again next year so need much more bike power than I have in the past.

My bike outline is something like (Running 30 - 35 / wk also)
1. 1 Long Ride per week @70%
2. 1 ride with box jumps paired with 20s sprints on the bike
3. 1 ride with intervals @95% (4x8, 3x15 etc)
4. Every other week over / under set
5. the remaining rides are all 60 - 90 minute Z2
6. Twice a week do a 30 - 45 minute core circuit with light weight (Squats, Planks, Burpee, Box jumps)

I am also counting calories (Using food prepping) at 2600 per day. 53yo male 5'10" @ 179 currently. Targeting 165 - 170. FTP 225 (peaked last year at 250). Targeting/hoping for 275 - 300. (3.8 - 4.0 W/kg).

I am noticeably faster running as I get lighter, no idea yet where I cross that line and start to lose power though. Not sure I will ever be able to get light enough to find that line.

I assume you are HTFU for your "on" intervals.

I am not sure if you considered this but RPE on the bike is higher for most at a given heart rate.

I think there is Big Bang for your buck by riding aerobicaly for your easy rides or off intervals at higher RPE.

I don't think it will beat your body up too much; and RPE will start to settle down over time.

Easy will still be easy if you stay at the top end of your aerobic zones - it just won't feel easy, at first. So, yeah HTFU!

What is a big week of cycling for you? What is your average cycling volume per week? How many interval sessions do you do per week? Do you know your average bike TSS per week?

I've generally been riding 4x per week, mostly indoors on the NEO following a TR mid-volume plan. Most of the workouts have been intervals .... alot of time at sweet spot, threshold and VO2 max intervals, not as much anaerobic stuff though. Weekly TSS typically was between 390 - 425.

How much were you riding when you had gotten your FTP up to 270? What was your weekly TSS like during that time? I know, like everyone, I've got a genetic limit to my FTP potential, I just hope I've got some room yet before hitting it :-) I am sure that an extra session per week (from 4 to 5) would likely make a difference ....

There is also a place for volume at some points in the year. A few 15-20 hour weeks of riding can allow you to accumulate more training load. It's just not possible to add enough training with just a highly intensity focused plan. How many 8000-12000K years of cycling have you done (and I understand that not all miles are created equal, we could say 300-400 hrs which is not really much cycling anyway). There is a reason top/pro cyclists log all those miles/hours. If the path to maximizing their FTP WAS 4x per week they would do that. Same deal with running or swimming. 4x per week does not generally cut it if you want to reach your full potential in a sport. More like 6-10x per week.

3.7w/kg is not far from the ceiling for most people.

I'm similar to Dev in that 260-270w seems around my limit around 4.4w/kg and I can't see it getting higher.

My biggest cycling year was 2013, when I logged about 700 hours training total, with about 350 of that on the bike.

However, in hindsight, I think most of that riding was done too easy (zone 2-3) (and perhaps wasted), and I have learned to ride harder over the last few years, particularly with the help of TR. I would like to think that, had I been training with TR back then and putting in the same hours, I would have gotten closer to my max FTP potential.

Thanks again for all of the perspective. This is a sport that I continue to be passionate about after many years, and I love the challenge of continually trying to improve and train smarter, even as I turn 50.