Losing weight can make you a better cyclist, but only if you do it at the right time and in the right way. Cut calories at the wrong moment, or cut the fuel you need on the bike, and you lose power instead of pounds.

This week, Frank lays out how to do it safely this off-season:

• Lose weight in the off-season and base phase, not during hard training or race season

• Eat what your ride needs, and take the calorie savings from the rest of your day

• Keep the deficit small enough that your power and recovery hold up

• Eat protein at every meal and keep lifting to protect your muscle

Have questions? Join Frank live on Ask a FasCat Ep. 44 this Friday, October 9, at 2:00 PM EST. He'll answer questions from the chat.

Getting older doesn't mean getting slower. It means training smarter, and CoachCat now does it with you.

Stop racing to get fit for racing. Five one-hour workouts train exactly what ZRL demands, from the start to the finale.

The goal isn't bigger legs. It's more force in every pedal stroke, and the speed to use it on the bike.

5 days on the gravel that made Girona famous, from a villa you won't want to leave, with coaches riding next to you. Every ride has a purpose, every evening has a long dinner, and you fly home with a custom training plan built around the week you just rode. This is a training camp that happens to be in Spain, not a tour with a coach attached.