How do atheletes sustain high power output, physiologically?

[FinalAvenger]

TL;DR

How do pro athletes (the human body) sustain high power output?

I am ~180lbs and have been lifting weights for about 12 years straight. I have also been running 3-4 times per week for the last 8 ish years.

I have recently gotten into cycling, and noticed at the gym on the Schwinn "spin" bike, I will have peaks of around 400-500 watts, but it's definitely working my system pretty hard to maintain about 260-320 watts. There is another machine called the "SCHWINN 111446-001" Airdyne exercise bike which is a bike that has a fan as the "wheel". As I cycle and push my arms, the fan spins faster which puts more drag on it from the air, increasing the resistance at an extremely high rate. The bike is often used for high intensity interval training. On that bike, I've put out peak output of 900 watts before, but even doing 400-500 watts is something I cannot sustain for more than I would say 1-2 minutes. I can do ~800 watts for 15-30 seconds and I will be at near total exhaustion, and have to drop to about 50 watts of output for 2 minutes before I could do another round.

So my question is this - professional cyclists are said to be able to put out upwards of 400 watts for sustained periods of 20-40 minutes. I also saw a quote of up to 1,050 peak wattage at one point for a champion. What variables of the human physiology allow for this? I ask because many pro cyclists are rather lean, do not have much muscle so as to be very light. What allows their body to generate so much power for so long? Is it the muscle tissue itself? Is it the cardiovascular system? A combination of the two? I am somewhat naive in this area, but I would expect to see a higher watt output from, say a power lifter, given the much greater muscle mass.

Second related question is - It seems that some pro cyclists output more watts cycling than runners do running, but running purportedly burns more calories. Why is this?

 

[berkeman]

I think mostly genetics and extended high-intensity training.

Summary:: How do pro athletes (the human body) sustain high power output?

Second related question is - It seems that some pro cyclists output more watts cycling than runners do running, but running purportedly burns more calories. Why is this?

Runners maybe burn more calories per mile, but cyclists definitely are at a higher power output. Compare their speeds...

I have the good fortune of living next to an olympic cyclist (retired). He and his wife are animals on their road bikes He is about 5'6" tall and lean, and all taut muscle. He still rides long steep hard routes every day. Amazing (and a very nice guy BTW).

 

[hutchphd]

Summary:: How do pro athletes (the human body) sustain high power output?

Second related question is - It seems that some pro cyclists output more watts cycling than runners do running, but running purportedly burns more calories. Why is this?

How are watts measured? Calories?

Summary:: How do pro athletes (the human body) sustain high power output?

I am somewhat naive in this area, but I would expect to see a higher watt output from, say a power lifter, given the much greater muscle mass.

Power is force times velocity. It takes great force to lift weight...I know velocity is required for physiologic reasons but it may not be as important nor capable of being produced. The bicycle is also optimized to hit the sweet spot for any athlete's power output

 

[Rive]

What variables of the human physiology allow for this?

Absurdly long list
Just do not take pro cycling as any kind of reference.
What you wrote about your peak and sustainable power output is pretty decent.

I ask because many pro cyclists are rather lean, do not have much muscle so as to be very light.

Depends on their style. Just as long distance runners and sprinters has very different physique, cyclists also vary. But if you check their legs after a good workout - what they need will be there in excess...

 

[pinball1970]

Absurdly long list
Just do not take pro cycling as any kind of reference.
What you wrote about your peak and sustainable power output is pretty decent.Depends on their style. Just as long distance runners and sprinters has very different physique, cyclists also vary. But if you check their legs after a good workout - what they need will be there in excess...

Summary:: How do pro athletes (the human body) sustain high power output?

I am ~180lbs and have been lifting weights for about 12 years straight. I have also been running 3-4 times per week for the last 8 ish years.

I have recently gotten into cycling, and noticed at the gym on the Schwinn "spin" bike, I will have peaks of around 400-500 watts, but it's definitely working my system pretty hard to maintain about 260-320 watts. There is another machine called the "SCHWINN 111446-001" Airdyne exercise bike which is a bike that has a fan as the "wheel". As I cycle and push my arms, the fan spins faster which puts more drag on it from the air, increasing the resistance at an extremely high rate. The bike is often used for high intensity interval training. On that bike, I've put out peak output of 900 watts before, but even doing 400-500 watts is something I cannot sustain for more than I would say 1-2 minutes. I can do ~800 watts for 15-30 seconds and I will be at near total exhaustion, and have to drop to about 50 watts of output for 2 minutes before I could do another round.

So my question is this - professional cyclists are said to be able to put out upwards of 400 watts for sustained periods of 20-40 minutes. I also saw a quote of up to 1,050 peak wattage at one point for a champion. What variables of the human physiology allow for this? I ask because many pro cyclists are rather lean, do not have much muscle so as to be very light. What allows their body to generate so much power for so long? Is it the muscle tissue itself? Is it the cardiovascular system? A combination of the two? I am somewhat naive in this area, but I would expect to see a higher watt output from, say a power lifter, given the much greater muscle mass.

Second related question is - It seems that some pro cyclists output more watts cycling than runners do running, but running purportedly burns more calories. Why is this?

A neat table on slow twitch fast twitch fibre types below

https://blog.nasm.org/fitness/fast-twitch-vs-slow-twitch

Genetics or rather genetic potential determines whether you will be best suited a marathon runner or sprinter, power racer or tour cyclist

No amount of training diet or even anabolic steroids would allow me to have legs like this cyclist

Lets not forget technique too

Two guys similar build, fitness, same bike and one is naturally better than the other.

Michael Johnson springs to mind, he looked so awkward when he ran, head back, arched back, hardly any leg lift yet he was able to demolish his contemporaries in the field.

The track liked him.