THE SHORT ANSWER
Larson, a dietitian who works with endurance athletes, has a point about ageing bodies that most riders chasing race weight never hear: the way you handle protein changes. In your 20s you absorb it efficiently — but once you're into the masters category, that efficiency drops, so you need a little more, not less, to hold onto lean mass. She works in the 1.5 to 2 grams per kilo range, and she's deliberate about building up to it gradually rather than overwhelming someone overnight. Her bigger warning is the one that wrecks most amateurs' body composition: don't diet on the bike. Under-fuel your sessions to lose weight and you'll strip the muscle you're trying to protect and blunt the training you're trying to absorb. The way to change your composition after 40 is to feed the work, defend the protein, and let the leanness come as a result — not to starve your way to it.
WHO IS ALEX LARSON?
Alex Larson is a US registered dietitian who has built one of the most accessible online nutrition practices for endurance athletes. Through Alex Larson Nutrition, the Alex Larson Nutrition Podcast, and her work with cyclists, triathletes, and ultra-endurance athletes, she translates academic nutrition into practical periodised plans for time-crunched amateurs. Her clinical focus on body composition through fuelling, on-bike protocols, and the link between energy availability and performance makes her a primary practical reference for Roadman listeners chasing race weight without losing power.
LARSON ON BODY COMPOSITION
Larson’s key positions on body composition.
- Body composition change works through fuelling for performance, not through restriction — most athletes get this backwards.
- Energy availability after training matters as much as carb intake during it for long-term body composition.
IN LARSON’S OWN WORDS
Verbatim from Alex Larson’s appearances on the podcast.
“we will make sure that they're not dieting on the bike they're not dieting in their workouts um where they will think oh I'm going to do this fasted and see if I can like burn more body fat or um I'm going to skip this gel because I'm going to save those calories cuz I'm trying to like drop some pounds I find that that often really backfires significantly for athletes because when your performance and your workouts suffer they feel like crap”
HEAR IT ON THE PODCAST
Episodes where Alex Larson covers body composition and related ground.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
What does Alex Larson say about body composition?
Larson, a dietitian who works with endurance athletes, has a point about ageing bodies that most riders chasing race weight never hear: the way you handle protein changes. In your 20s you absorb it efficiently — but once you're into the masters category, that efficiency drops, so you need a little more, not less, to hold onto lean mass. She works in the 1.5 to 2 grams per kilo range, and she's deliberate about building up to it gradually rather than overwhelming someone overnight. Her bigger warning is the one that wrecks most amateurs' body composition: don't diet on the bike. Under-fuel your sessions to lose weight and you'll strip the muscle you're trying to protect and blunt the training you're trying to absorb. The way to change your composition after 40 is to feed the work, defend the protein, and let the leanness come as a result — not to starve your way to it.
What is Larson's main point on body composition?
Body composition change works through fuelling for performance, not through restriction — most athletes get this backwards.
Which Roadman Cycling Podcast episodes cover Alex Larson on body composition?
Larson discusses body composition in this episode: "How Cyclists Can Get Lean & Stay Lean Forever | Alex Larson".
MORE FROM LARSON
EXPLORE THE TOPIC
Cycling & Weight Loss— The Complete Guide →OTHER EXPERTS ON BODY COMPOSITION