Racing Weight: Balancing Performance and Health

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Kylee and Zoë wade into the murky waters of "racing weight"—a concept that’s been messing with athletes’ heads since the early days of endurance sports. From ancient Greek wrestlers sweating it out in bathhouses to modern-day endurance athletes chewing gum to spit out extra grams (yes, that’s a thing), the obsession with weight and performance has a long, bizarre history.

We unpack the origins of this idea, critique the pseudoscience and harmful messaging it often comes with, and dig into why lighter doesn’t always mean faster. Along the way, we examine why weight has become such a fixation in endurance sports and how that obsession can derail not just your performance, but your overall health.

Whether you’ve been told you need to hit an “ideal weight” to perform your best, or you’re just curious about why athletes fixate on the scale, this episode is a deep dive into why chasing racing weight can do more harm than good. Spoiler alert: You’re more than your power-to-weight ratio.

Tune in for the history, the science, and the many reasons you don’t need a scale to measure your worth—or your speed. Plus, a surprising history lesson involving figs, bloodletting, and why we don’t recommend using Horny Goat Weed to prep for your next race.