Before and after pictures are very popular with advertisers. On the left, an impressive paunch swells over the waistband of the jogging bottoms, on the right an attractive washboard stomach lolls out of branded boxer shorts. Whether it's the Brigitte diet, cabbage diet or trendy intermittent fasting: the concept seems unbeatable when it comes to weight loss miracles. Joachim Franz could fit right in: 50 kilos in four months. Formerly fat, now fit. From overweight to extreme athlete. A steel bike for 400 Deutschmarks has turned his former self, weighing 123 kilos and a chain smoker, into an adventurer and extreme sportsman. He has swapped the stuffy assembly line halls of VW for the freedom that his new body has given him. Out on his bike and ride, ride, ride. When he ran his first marathon just a few months later, there was no stopping him. "These are moments in life that you never forget. It's worth so much," he enthuses. Two years later, he became an Ironman. Another one of those moments: "50 kilos less. It feels like flying!"
Very few bikers carry half a centimetre too much through the mountains, but most do have a few extra pounds in the form of small fat pads. Even a few kilos less makes you faster on the bike. This is because those who weigh less benefit twice over: firstly, the body has to supply less tissue with oxygen and secondly, less mass has to be moved. This guarantees new highs and best times, especially on climbs. So far, so good. But how do I get rid of excess fat? Joachim Franz has shed his 50 kilos without starvation, pills or powder: "Mountain bike, heart rate monitor and a plan, that's all you need."
And in doing so, he hits the nerve of modern nutritional science: If you exercise more and pay attention to your diet, you can forget about hunger orgies. On the following pages you will find a guide on how to shed the pounds with targeted training and a conscious diet.
But admittedly: What sounds so banal and simple in theory has been driving bikers to despair for decades. In the stress of everyday life, even small changes require a lot of discipline.
"You need goals," Franz knows: "Regardless of whether the goal is to cycle the Elbe Cycle Path, cross the Alps or complete the A distance at the Salzkammergut Trophy." This motivates him to implement small changes. Franz's goals continued to grow: the first time up the Brocken by bike, the first Ironman and - the highlight so far - crossing the Sahara from Paris to Dakar. Understanding the potential of his body quickly awakens the desire to realise it. With a slimmer and therefore fitter body, things suddenly become possible that you would hardly have dared to dream of in the past. "Losing weight is then just a side effect," philosophises Franz. Whether you're a proud marathon finisher, a Transalp conqueror or the fastest on the after-work lap: there are no limits to the after-image of your personal success story.
Interview with Joachim Franz: from overweight to endurance ace
What do bikers who want to lose weight need to know?
When you take the first step, the direction must already be 100 per cent set. This means that you prepare yourself perfectly instead of just running off. Make a plan and feel your way towards change.
What's so bad about wild actionism?
There's no point in just going for it. You'll only hurt yourself and overload yourself. You can't avoid dealing with the matter first: Where do I want to go, what do I want to achieve and how can I do it? Personally, I spent months preparing my body for sport with stretching and stabilisation exercises. Then it happened quickly: 50 kilos in four months.
And that went without a hitch?
Not at the beginning, of course. The body doesn't just change on the outside. I quickly realised that cigarettes and alcohol didn't fit in with my new lifestyle. The abrupt cessation of cigarettes meant that I hardly slept for months and had night sweats. This also requires good preparation: I knew in advance what was coming and was then able to react to it calmly.
The example is very extreme. What helps hobby bikers?
With two targeted measures, you can shed a few kilos in no time: Pay attention to your training. Many hobby bikers do not ride in the basic endurance range. Constantly cycling up and down is not a strategy to get the metabolism going. Ride an endurance unit with a constant heart rate at least once a week. The second point: pay attention to your diet. Simply minimise alcohol and sweets and eat lots of fruit and vegetables instead.
The perfect mountain bike body
If you starve yourself to death, you won't get any faster or happier on your mountain bike. BIKE explains how to find your optimum weight and maximise your benefits.
The analysis: An efficient body needs the right amount. This will help you recognise when too much is too much and too little is too little,
The first guideline for analysing your own weight is the body mass index (BMI). It is calculated by dividing your body weight in kilos by your height in metres squared. Adults with a value below 25 are considered to be of normal weight. Bikers with a BMI below 22 are fully fit - even up to professional level. If the BMI is below 18, this can be dangerous and performance can suffer (see right). The body fat percentage provides more precise information. Professional cyclists are below ten per cent. This is a range that amateur athletes generally barely reach.
The effect: those who are lighter save energy and ride more relaxed, especially on hills. But is the battle with the kilos worth it?
The decisive factor for a biker's performance is the maximum oxygen uptake, which is given per kilogramme of body weight. Losing weight increases this value enormously. And if you weigh less, you not only have to carry less weight up the mountain, your body also has to supply less tissue with oxygen. If you are trying to save a few hundred grams on your bike, it is better to start with your own body. Roughly speaking, bikers save three minutes on a 600-metre climb if they are three kilos lighter. Even with thousands of tuning euros, you can hardly save that much on your bike.
The limits: The lighter, the better? Not at all! Why exaggerated weight tuning ultimately only harms the body.
An engine needs fuel. Bikers who severely reduce their food intake run into problems. Starving down can even be seriously dangerous. If the body fat percentage drops too low (below approx. 5-6 per cent for men), this can result in hormonal dysfunction. The body reduces testosterone levels and performance plummets. Mountain bikers have to deliver a powerful performance - this only works with a healthy body. Susceptibility to infections also increases if the body does not receive enough nutrients. If the BMI is below 18, this is a warning sign.
Train yourself slim!
"It's crazy what hype there is about losing weight. More exercise, eating better - that's how banal weight reduction works." (Robert Gorgos, nutrition expert and coach of the Bavarian MTB squad)
Versatile training is key, so that the body is constantly challenged and has to adapt. After all, it also needs energy for this. If you do the same thing every day or every week, you are not stimulating yourself. There is no adaptation. Instead, it is better to work with targeted units: Rides with a relaxed intensity and intensive units should alternate. Caution: Many bikers ride too fast in basic endurance training and too slow in intensive units. This never results in the desired adaptations.
At the Basic endurance training is the best way for the body to learn to utilise fat as an energy source. If you keep interspersing units with short, intensive intervals, you will get your fat burning going at full speed. Hobby cyclists in particular, whose legs only know how to heat up on the after-work lap, benefit from low-intensity units. A heart rate monitor helps to assess the intensity.
Increased volumes lead to increased performance and weight loss. But this should be controlled and sensible, not excessive and exaggerated.
Also Strength training stimulates fat burning. The aim should be to address as many areas of the body as possible, which leads to new adaptation processes. Whole-body athletic training or alternative sports are ideal. The more muscles the body has, the more fat it burns - even at rest.
Diet myths
There are countless pieces of wisdom circulating on the subject of losing weight. But what is really true? We bring clarity to the nutritional jungle.
Low carb
Anyone who trains for performance needs carbohydrates. The myth about cutting out carbohydrates to lose weight is nonsense from a scientific and biological point of view, as nutritionist Robert Gorgos confirms. The foods that have a high nutrient density and contain less energy are primarily wholemeal products. Those who adhere to the low-carb guidelines are therefore forgoing healthy slimming foods. There are, of course, various train-low variants in which you train with empty carbohydrate stores. This can make sense for ambitious athletes. However, this is not primarily about losing weight, but about adapting the fat metabolism.
No carbohydrates in the evening
In principle, the amount you eat is crucial - no matter when. It may be that some people find it easier to eat less if they eat meat and protein in the evening. Physiologically, however, this makes no sense. It's always about the amount of energy consumed and its quality.
No snacks between meals
This is also about quality: do you eat sweets or an apple, a handful of nuts or a slice of ham between meals?
In the first case, snacks harbour the risk of simply providing more energy. In the second case, you can improve the quality of your food. Generally speaking, the more often you eat, the greater the chance that you are eating a varied diet and absorbing a wide range of nutrients. If you consistently skip snacks in between meals, you run the risk of eating an excessive portion with a huge hunger. Experts recommend eating regularly and paying attention to the quality of your meals.
Only basic training burns fat
All energy systems always run in parallel during training. If you ride at a relaxed pace, you burn proportionately more fat than at high intensity. However, those who ride intensively use more energy overall and have therefore perhaps even burnt more fat. That's right: The body learns best to utilise fat as an energy source during basic training.
Fat burning only after 30 minutes
Fat burning starts from minute one and all energy metabolisms run in parallel. Even if you only cycle to work for 25 minutes, you increase your energy metabolism and burn fat.
Interview with Robert Gorgos, qualified nutritionist specialising in training and nutrition planning at Formkante.de"A classic mistake is eating too little."
New diets sprout up every day, losing weight is a trend - what really helps?
Losing weight is not related to any products, powders or pills. All I need are natural foods that I can find in the supermarket. If you orientate yourself on nature, it's so easy to eat well. It's crazy how much fuss is made about this topic.
What do I need to bear in mind?
Avoid highly processed foods, instead opt for regional and seasonal products and cook something from them yourself. Pay attention to variety and diversity. However, there are a few guidelines: avoid sweets, fast food, sweet drinks and alcohol for long periods of time - for most people, this naturally means a huge change.
How can I tell the difference between good and bad in the supermarket?
These are very simple clues: I have cornflakes on one side and wholemeal oatmeal on the other. Or the ready-made pizza for a sourdough organic bread that I make myself and where I know exactly what goes on it. If I follow these small steps consistently, it makes a huge difference overall. The fibre from unprocessed foods fills you up and prevents cravings.
And that's enough to lose weight?
A classic mistake is eating too little. If you think you have to stick to certain portion sizes or follow rules, you run the risk of cravings. In addition, susceptibility to infections increases because the less I eat, the fewer nutrients I absorb. The aim should be to reduce your daily intake only slightly, perhaps by 100 to 200 calories, and to eat less processed foods. The body does not register this as a deficiency. On the contrary: it functions better because it receives higher quality nutrients.
Are there any tricks that help against cravings and binge eating?
Drink! We often take in too little liquid anyway. Water fills the stomach and leads to a feeling of fullness. If I eat enough and occasionally snack on fruit and vegetables, cravings are limited anyway, so I don't need any tricks to counteract them.
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Florentin Vesenbeckh
Editor CvD
