To Coach or not to coach, that is the question!

[Blackheart]

No big mystery to weight loss: Burn more than you eat. Sorted.

 

I believe structured training as opposed to just going for lots of long rides is beneficial.

 

I have used several training plans, and found the best one for me is a free plan sent to me some years back by Andreas Hestler. (Rocky Mountain pro and winner of Trans Rockies).

 

PM me and I'll gladly pass it on, worth trying it out before forking any cash over.

[NickGM]

If you do decide to go the dietician route I know a very good one in Cape Town. PM me for details. 

[MTBeer]

for quick weight loss, cut carbs. You don't have to do the whole LCHF thing - just cut out as much carbs as possible. You will however need carbs to ride hard, so what works for me is day before and during ride I chow carbs.

[Popit]

Ride more .... eat less ,  is a good plan for now .

You  will find once are a  bit fitter and leaner you may need to get help .

Be it from a coach or from riding buddies .

Unless you plan on trying to win the event , I don't believe you need a coach .

[Dicky DQ]

Ja i was thinking rather get a proper diet plan. Have had one in the past but it was from a random dietitian, not a sports dietitian. At the moment i am just cutting carbs  but it does work for me.

 

Also as a side note, i have upped my training quite a bit in the past 5 weeks in prep for the argus to +- 11hours per week. Which include LT intervals and hill repeats and i can already feel an difference.

Yho 11 hrs a week is more than enough. Now you need structured training not just tits. Dudes have finished master on the podium with that time in the saddle. 

 

But there needs to be a plan, and the weight loss of course.

[New2tri]

I have a coach now that I have started doing triathlons, but more because I have no experience in it and want someone who knows what he is doing to point me in the right direction. With cycling I went from being 120kg to 85kg and did pretty OK by myself. Would say that if you are a decent cyclist and want to get to that next level it would be well advised to see a coach, but there is a lot of work you can do by yourself before you get there.

 

Best of luck with the weight, it is a constant struggle but feels great if you do drop a few kilos.

 

PS....not the biggest beer fan but a Bacon, egg and cheese burger...damn

[madbradd]

So far there have been 2 things mentioned.... diet and training.

 

You can get generic training plans and generic eating plans. If you want customised plans, feedback and optimisation on either, you pay. The key is that either of them will yield great results. If you lose weight but spend 11 hours a week on the bike just riding, you will improve. If you continue to eat like you are or just follow general rules but spend 11 hours of quality structured training a week... you will improve.

 

I would say that if you can afford it, go for both.

 

if you can only afford 1, a training coach providing structured programs and feedback is easier than a nutritional/diet coach because your Garmin tracks everything for you and gives the info to your coach. You don't need to manually record everything you eat at what times etc to get the feedback you need from the diet dude.

 

I would say a training coach will give your faster gains and be less invasive on your lifestyle/eating habits than a dietician, and will be able to provide better than generic advise on eating than vice versa.

[intern]

My approach to training and weight loss is simple: ride as hard as you can every ride (unless sick, then take it easy). I went from 75.4kg in October, to 67kg by January - doing between 8 and 12 hours a week.

As for coaches, I had one right up until the point I received feedback with someone else's name in it. Yes, the old CNTRL-C, CNTRL-V approach to athlete management. If you're prepared to pay for copy and paste encouragement, go for it.

[lerouc]

The dietitian i mentioned earlier, does all the blood test etc on you and then recommend a diet plan for you. I think that is maybe a good thing anyway. I might be wheat intorralant? or something i dont know about...

 

I think i am first going to pay her a visit and see how that goes, then i will continue with my current semi structured from a non pro yet an amateur that does racing  and then after a month or two and i am still not happy i will go the coach route.

 

If i do get tickets for the w2w i still have a bit of time on my hand to try the one before the other. 6 months to november still leaves me in may.

 

Thanks for all the help and advice.

[CleatsnCleavage]

I trained with Kate slegrova for double century in 2014 and all my 2015 race times are faster than my 2016 race times so far. So shows me the benefit! It helps motivate you and keep you focused. W2w is not easy.

[PhilipV]

W2W is a long way to go.

I reckon focus on your lifestyle now, things like swapping your brandy and coke (as dit jou keuse is) for brandy and soda, beer for that lite castle crap (I hate the taste, so I won't blame you if you ignore this advice. )

Then a more structured approach to training will be more effective, but this can be done with a generic plan that you adapt to your schedule and training loads.

I am a big supporter of technical riding training, so much so that I help out with one of the Parel Valley kids on a mentorship basis. This will make your riding a lot more fun, regardless of where you ride. Pm me if you want to chat about a session, or if you want me to refer you to another coach.

 

If you do ride w2w, and are stressing, then maybe sign up with a "real" coach for the last 2-3months. This will focus you're training like a laser if done right.

[PhilipV]

Oh, and if you have half a chance, go do w2w, it is a jol.

Good luck with the mission, keep us updated.

[dirtypot]

When I went to Klippies in Robertson they gave us Klippies and ginger ale when we went in.  I thought it would be horrible, but it was actually really good!  And a lot less sugary than coke.

 

If you want to use the money that you would have spent on a coach to pay for my W2W entry then I'll be your coach and riding buddy 

[lerouc]

W2W is a long way to go.

I reckon focus on your lifestyle now, things like swapping your brandy and coke (as dit jou keuse is) for brandy and soda, beer for that lite castle crap (I hate the taste, so I won't blame you if you ignore this advice. )

Then a more structured approach to training will be more effective, but this can be done with a generic plan that you adapt to your schedule and training loads.

I am a big supporter of technical riding training, so much so that I help out with one of the Parel Valley kids on a mentorship basis. This will make your riding a lot more fun, regardless of where you ride. Pm me if you want to chat about a session, or if you want me to refer you to another coach.

 

If you do ride w2w, and are stressing, then maybe sign up with a "real" coach for the last 2-3months. This will focus you're training like a laser if done right.

 

Ek mag jou dalk net opvat op jou offer. Dankie

 

Oh, and if you have half a chance, go do w2w, it is a jol.

Good luck with the mission, keep us updated.

 

Will find out in the next week or two whether we are in or not.

 

When I went to Klippies in Robertson they gave us Klippies and ginger ale when we went in.  I thought it would be horrible, but it was actually really good!  And a lot less sugary than coke.

 

If you want to use the money that you would have spent on a coach to pay for my W2W entry then I'll be your coach and riding buddy 

 

Already drinking my brandy with coke light, have been doing this for a good couple of years. Actually prefer it to normal coke now.

 

As for the comment about castle lite, have been doing that as well.