UAE Team coach emphasizes importance of Zone 2 & 3 training: "By the December Training Camp, the athlete should already be close to their ideal weight"

It's been one month since the 2024 seasons ended and so riders are slowly gathering back from their vacations to turn the switch and gears to be ready for next season which kicks off in just two months in Australia.

According to UAE Team Emirates Gen Z coach Giacomo Notari, initial weight loss is based on aerobic activities such as cycling, mountain hiking and running. He explains to bici.pro: "Hiking in the mountains is especially useful for keeping the cardiorespiratory and circulatory systems trained. But you lose weight mainly by cycling."

"Cycling at low intensity, in what is known as Zone 2, is particularly effective. Zone 2 allows our body to use fat. Zone 2 corresponds to Fat Max, the intensity at which the body consumes more fat to maintain the effort," explains the trainer.

In addition to training, nutrition plays a crucial role. Notari emphasizes that the body needs to be "educated" to optimize fat consumption: "In the first training sessions of the season, if I am a rider, I have to recalibrate my carbohydrate intake. A trained athlete can consume up to 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour, but during this period he should reduce the doses."

This adjustment is essential because the time to return to competitive weight is limited. "By the December Training Camp, the athlete should already be close to their ideal weight, as the intensity of the training will increase and they will need to consume 100 or 120 grams of carbohydrates per hour again."

He also recommends focusing more on heart rate, rather than power, during the first few weeks. "At the beginning of the season, power figures are not the same as they are for the rest of the year. Observing your heart rate helps you understand when your heart will stabilize again. Never exceed Zone 3, which corresponds to 75/80% of your maximum heart rate," concluded Notari.