Alle afleveringen
487 afleveringen, van nieuw naar oud
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229: Doing It All — Pro Triathlete Rach McBride on How to Race and Thrive at Triathlon, Gravel, and Mountain Biking
18 augustus 2022 · 1 uur 20 min
How do you reach the podium in not one sport, but three—and all in the same season? We chat with McBride and their coach, Mateo Mercur, to find out more.
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228: Potluck Discussion: The Value of Marginal Gains, Attacking in Training Races, and What to Do in an Emergency
11 augustus 2022 · 58 min
In this week’s show, we talk about marginal gains in the Tour, how best to approach training races, and what to do if you encounter an emergency mid-ride.
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227: How to Make VO2 Max and Threshold Workouts Work for You - with Hunter Allen
4 augustus 2022 · 1 uur 9 min
Threshold and VO2 Max intervals are two of the most common workouts for endurance athletes. However, what is the difference between the two, and how do you best execute each one? We dissect these questions with coach Hunter Allen.
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226: What Will Coach Education Look Like in the Future?
28 juli 2022 · 57 min
We explore the past, present, and future of coach education with Joe Friel and Jon Tarkington.
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225: Is There a Benefit to Altitude Training? - with Dr. Peter Hackett and Jon Jonis
21 juli 2022 · 1 uur 6 min
Not everything that happens to us at altitude is positive, nor do we all respond the same way. We discuss the ins and outs of altitude camps, and how to make sure you benefit from them.
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224: Is Virtual Racing the Future? - with Ben Delaney
14 juli 2022 · 1 uur
Road racing has been on a decline, while virtual racing has been accelerating as a legitimate type of racing. We discuss what this means for both sports.
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223: Potluck Discussion - Ideal Mental States, Mixing Energy Systems, and Memorable Failures
7 juli 2022 · 50 min
Our hosts continue their potluck discussion and talk about what’s the ideal mental state for performance, whether we should be consistent with our intervals or not, and why failure is so important for an athlete to experience.
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222: Finding the Balance Between Nutrition and Fueling
30 juni 2022 · 1 uur 18 min
We discuss the difference between nutrition and fueling, and why focusing on performance versus health can lead to different dietary choices.
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221: Addressing Sweat and Electrolyte Loss with Dr. Robert Kenefick
23 juni 2022 · 1 uur 21 min
We discuss sweat rates, sodium & other electrolyte losses, general guidelines, and how everyone's sweat rates vary with Dr. Robert Kenefick.
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220: Q&A on Burning, Tingling Nether Regions! Exploding Back Pain! + Knee Health and Fitness After 40 with Dr. Andy Pruitt
16 juni 2022 · 55 min
Author and renowned expert on injury and fit, Dr Andy Pruitt, answers questions about back pain, knee issues with increased training, numbness and pain where we sit, and how much we can still adapt as we age.
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219: The Best Strategies for Gravel Racing with Alex Howes and Kiel Reijnen
9 juni 2022 · 1 uur 3 min
Learn the “ins and outs” of gravel racing as we discuss everything you need to know with pro-cyclists (now turned gravel racers), Alex Howes and Kiel Reijnen. From gear to weather to developing a good start and finish strategy, we cover it all.
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218: Potluck Discussion: Ride Nutrition, Two Minute Intervals, and How to Quickly Get Your Form Back
2 juni 2022 · 53 min
Our hosts have a “potluck discussion” about athletes' different needs for carbohydrates, how 2-minute intervals compare to Tabata’s, and why current athletes can come back much quicker from time off.
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217: Understanding and Training Your Breathing with Dr. Stephen Cheung and Steve Neal
26 mei 2022 · 1 uur 9 min
Heart rate, power, and now breathing: they all have their own languages and tools that are critical to endurance sports, but you might not have known that breathing is also trainable.
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216: Favorite Workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, Part 4
19 mei 2022 · 35 min
Fast Talk all-star guests including Dr. Iñigo San Millán, Kendra Wenzel, Joe Friel, Lennard Zinn, and Brent Bookwalter reveal their favorite workouts.
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215: The Most Important Cycling Innovations of the Past 40 Years with Lennard Zinn
12 mei 2022 · 1 uur 17 min
Bike tech guru Lennard Zinn talks with us about the biggest innovations in bicycle technology that have improved performance, ease of use, and perhaps most importantly, comfort.
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214: Why Balance and Timing, Not More-Is-Better, Are the Secrets to Peak Performance
5 mei 2022 · 1 uur 16 min
We explore how our bodies adapt to training and why that doesn’t mean maximally stressing the body, but stressing it the right amount at the right times.
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213: T-Minus Four Days: prep for Race Day Success with Neal Henderson
28 april 2022 · 1 uur 31 min
Your training is done. It’s only a few days to your big event. This is when many athletes unravel months of training with a few bad choices. Top coach Neal Henderson discusses with us how to avoid the pitfalls and get the most out of those final days.
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212: Q&A on Indoor Training, Effective Sleep, Recovery Needs for Women, and Vitamin D with Jennifer Real
21 april 2022 · 46 min
Medical Doctor and elite Zwift team manager Jennifer Real talks with us about indoor training and racing, and how to get effective recovery including monitoring sleep and taking Vitamin D.
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211: Does Strength Training Hurt or Help Endurance Sports with Dr. Bent Rønnestad
14 april 2022 · 1 uur 3 min
We’re joined by Dr Bent R. Rønnestad to dive into questions about concurrent strength and endurance training including whether they interfere with one another, and if endurance athletes should strength train. Lees meer
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210: Nerd Lab: Eccentric Damage and a Heated Polarized Debate
7 april 2022 · 1 uur 13 min
Exercise physiologists and resident nerds Rob Pickels and Coach Trevor Connor continue their discussion of new scientific research in sport science. Though the discussions we have of these studies may not always directly apply to your weekly training plan, understanding the questions that have been asked by physiology researchers can give you context about what is known and knowable by science as it relates to human performance.
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209: The Balance of Race Experience, Scientific Knowledge, and Coaching with Julie Young
31 maart 2022 · 58 min
We explore how important it is to have race experience, a scientific background and a coaching background to fully guide athletes with coach, physiologist, and past pro Julie Young. Lees meer
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208: Q&A on Pacing for a Gran Fondo, Juniors Training, Two Minute Climbs, and 5x5 Minute Intervals with Houshang Amiri
24 maart 2022 · 45 min
We’re joined by Houshang Amiri, a UCI Elite Coach and Trevor Connor’s coach at the Canadian National Center, to address questions about both building endurance and top end work.
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207: Addressing Endurance Athlete Gut Issues with Dr. Patrick Wilson
17 maart 2022 · 1 uur 15 min
The author of The Athlete’s Gut talks with us about digestive issues like bloating, cramps, pain and inflammation - all of which can derail the best event preparation plans.
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206: Dr, Stephen Seiler on Breathing, Beer, and Heart Rate
10 maart 2022 · 21 min
We got so much great information from Dr Stephen Seiler when we interviewed him for episode 200, we wanted to make sure we shared it all with our listeners. In this episode, Dr. Seiler tells about breathing, beer and heart rate.
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205: The Physiology and Biomarkers of Recovery with Dr. Iñigo San Millán
3 maart 2022 · 1 uur 11 min
Dr Inigo San Millan, the coach of Tadej Pogačar, discusses the physiology of recovery, biomarkers of training and why we don’t want to be in a constant catabolic state.
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204: Fast Talk Bids Our Heart-Felt Farewell to Chris Case
24 februari 2022 · 52 min
Chris Case is leaving Fast Talk! For his final episode, we gather some of his close cycling friends to discuss Chris and his epic rides, his parting wisdom, and what has made him a special part of Fast Talk.
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203: Q&A on Cardiac Arrhythmias, Ultra Endurance Training, Cramping in Juniors, Low Cadence Effects, and Workout Analysis Tools.
17 februari 2022 · 50 min
We asked for your questions on our 200th anniversary episode and we got so many of them that we decided to dedicate another episode to answer them. Here are your questions answered!
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202: A Brief History of Endurance Sports Coaching with Joe Friel
10 februari 2022 · 1 uur 32 min
When looking at the history of endurance sports coaching, there's no better guide than coach Joe Friel. Quite simply, Joe Friel is the most trusted endurance sports coach in the world. He has trained endurance athletes since 1980 in triathlon, duathlon, road cycling, and mountain biking. Joe has trained national champions, world championship contenders, and Olympic athletes. And he has coached scores of amateur athletes of all ability levels.
Friel’s philosophy and methodology for training athletes was developed over more than 40 years. They are based on his strong interest in sport science research and his experience training hundreds of athletes with a wide range of abilities.
Friel is cofounder of TrainingPeaks and the best-selling author of many books. These include The Triathlete’s Training Bible, The Cyclist’s Training Bible, Fast After 50, Going Long, Your Best Triathlon, The Power Meter Handbook, and Your First Triathlon. His cycling and triathlon coaching platform, Joe Friel Training, is among the most successful and respected in endurance sports.
We are privileged to have him on the show today to discuss the craft of coaching. And by that I mean both his personal views on what it takes to become an effective coach, as well as his new body of work entitled The Craft of Coaching, which is a multimedia guide to becoming a better, more successful, and happier coach. Drawing from his 40-year career, Joe shares the lessons he learned about athlete performance, the athlete-coach relationship, mastering the business side—and how to make coaching more rewarding.
Joining Joe on today’s episode are a group of coaches who have also had their impact on coaching as we now know it. This includes Dr. Andy Pruitt, the creator of the BG Fit system; Frank Overton, owner of FasCat Coaching; Chris Carmichael, the founder of Carmichael Training Systems; and Kristin Legan, who has been both a coach and a professional cyclist.
Let's dive into the history of coaching!
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201: Exploring Recent Training Tools with Toms Skujins
3 februari 2022 · 46 min
Multiple-time Polka Dot Jersey Holder, Toms Skujins, discusses lactate testing, CGMs, ketone strips, and taking his own blood on the side of the road.
If you’re a listener of this show, you understand that nothing can replace hard work if you want to be at your strongest. But that doesn’t stop many of us from keeping an eye on the newest gadgets and tools with the hopes that one or two of them will give us that little bit more; that slight edge that pushes us over the top.
What might surprise you is that is something that we share with even the highest-level professionals. And while many of us imagine a battery of physiologist and coaches precisely tuning there every decision, that’s often not the case. Many pros get their information from the same places as us and just like us, they’re often found stopped on the side of the road struggling with their newest gadget.
That has been the case with today’s guest, a jersey leader at the Tour de France. Toms Skujins is a Latvian rider on the World Tour team Trek-Segafredo. He has worn the Polka Dot Jersey at the Tour de France and won multiple National Championships and one-day races.
Today Toms talks with us about the many tools he’s experimented with over the years including continuous glucose monitors, ketone strips, the CORE Body Temperature Monitor, Oura rings, the Leomo accelerometer, and even conducting lactate tests on himself. Some have given him that extra edge, while others have left him bleeding on the side of the road – literally.
So, let’s dive into a few of these training aids and let’s make you fast!
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200: The Future of Endurance Sports! With Dr. Andy Pruitt, Kristen Legan, Rob Pickels, and Dr. Stephen Seiler
27 januari 2022 · 1 uur 8 min
200!
For our milestone 200the episode, we address one big question: What does the future hold? And we attempt to answer that question by looking at several aspects of what’s to come: from the future of sports medicine to the future of bike racing to the future of exercise physiology research.
We first address the future of sports medicine. After 40 years of watching and, more importantly, influencing where endurance sports have gone, there could be no better guest than Dr. Andy Pruitt to help us predict where we will go next. What does the future of sports medicine hold? Will the development of products make us all better, healthier endurance athletes? How will bike fit change?
Kristen Legan is, in many ways, representative of modern cycling: she doesn’t just race, she doesn’t just coach. She doesn’t just do road or gravel or bikepacking events. In fact, she started as a triathlete, then evolved into a ‘cross racer, and now she does a bit of everything, from ultra-events to MTB marathon races. And more and more cyclists are doing this same thing. Kristen helps us answer the question: What does the future of bike racing hold?
Never at a loss for a well-reasoned remark about anything to do with training or cycling or physiology, Rob Pickels helps us put a point on our discussion of the future of endurance training. What is the future of things that didn’t exist five years ago—things like wearables (Whoop, Super Sapiens, etc.), virtual racing, and training?
Finally, we couldn’t call it a special episode without Dr. Stephen Seiler. He first appeared nearly 150 episodes ago and he’s been with us, if not on podcasts, then in spirit ever since. The Jay Z of physiology, the godfather of polarized training, Mr. 4x8 himself, Dr. Stephen Seiler addresses the question: What does the future of endurance physiology research look like?
From the very beginning, this show has been driven by the audience—we aim to serve you by exploring the topics you want to know more about, and by… Lees meer -
199: Training as a Time-Crunched Athlete, with Chris Carmichael
20 januari 2022 · 1 uur 1 min
Many of our listeners, in fact, most of the staff here at Fast Talk Labs, could be considered “time-crunched athletes”—people with only 6-8 hours to train each week. We’re athletes who, because of commitments like parenting and work, must try and find ways to fit training in around life, rather than the other way around.
And if you’ve heard that term before—the time-crunched athlete—it’s because of our guest today, who literally wrote the book on it. But before you jump to the conclusion that the prescription in the book is high-intensity intervals all the time, think again. That isn’t the case, and today we explore the specifics of the method, as well as the science that informs this training approach. We also discuss its limitations, and whether, as we are so often asked, if it can play nicely with the polarized approach.
Our featured guest today is, of course, Chris Carmichael, author, coach, and the founder and CEO of Carmichael Training Systems, or CTS, which now boasts 50 professional endurance coaches who have worked with more than 25,000 amateur and professional athletes since 2000. Chris was a member of the 1984 Olympic Team and the iconic 7-Eleven Pro Cycling Team, and is a bestselling author of more than 10 books on training and nutrition. He was also coach to the U.S. Olympic Cycling team in 1992 and 1996.
We're also joined by a host of other experienced coaches, including Menachem Brodie, Jared Berg, Julie Young, and Neal Henderson.
It’s time to explore training with limited time. Let's make you fast!
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198: Favorite Workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, Part 3
13 januari 2022 · 33 min
We ask every guest of Fast Talk—coach, athlete, or scientist—to describe their favorite workout—the what, why, how, and when.
In this episode, we share the favorite workouts of legendary physiologist Dr. Ed Coyle, coach Jeff Winkler, pro off-road racer and coach Hannah Finchamp (who has since married and become Hannah Otto), coach Julie Young, physiologist Iñigo San Millán, TrainingPeaks cofounder Dirk Friel, and cycling journalist Ben Delaney.
As each guest describes the specific details of their chosen workout, notice that it reveals a bit about their training philosophy and the “style” they bring to the execution and prescription.
For more workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, check out part 1 and part 2 of this series.
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197: Cardiac Remodeling in Endurance Athletes, with Dr. Brad Petek and Dr. Tim Churchill
6 januari 2022 · 1 uur 3 min
On several previous episodes of Fast Talk, we have discussed the structural and biochemical changes that take place through the process of adaptation—through training. Today we’re going to address one of the most important and interesting structural changes, something called exercise-induced cardiac remodeling.
As you train, your heart changes: This remodeling includes things like increases in chamber volume and muscle wall hypertrophy. Of course, these changes don’t happen after one set of intervals, so today we’ll discuss how long they take, and how quickly they are lost if you detrain or stop training because of injury. We’ll also explore both the performance changes and health consequences of this remodeling.
We’re excited to be joined today by two leading experts in this area of research and clinical practice, Dr. Bradley Petek and Dr. Timothy Churchill.
Dr. Petek is a cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and one of the authors of the journal article entitled “Cardiac effects of detraining in athletes: a narrative review” that you’ll hear us refer to in the show.
And Dr. Churchill is a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He is a member of that hospital’s Cardiovascular Performance Program, where he studies cardiovascular adaptations to exercise as they apply to health, disease, and human performance.
We’ll also hear from coach Julie Young to get her sense of how this remodeling effects physiology testing.
We’ll also hear from coaches Julie Young and Jared Berg to get their understanding of how cardiac remodeling effects athletes of all abilities.
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196: Q&A on Annual Training Plans, Race Stress, and Body Image, with Julie Young
30 december 2021 · 44 min
We're joined by long-time contributor Julie Young who helps us field unique listener questions on how to build an annual training plan, coping with race stress, and overcoming body image issues.
Building annual training plans
The first question comes from our forum, from Devin Knickerbocker. He writes:
“I just read the Houshang Amiri article “How to Develop a Yearly Training Plan” and I notice that he uses a spreadsheet.
I have also been using a spreadsheet, but what resources and formats do you guys use to design and manage an ATP? Are there any apps or programs that facilitate this better than Microsoft Excel?
I have tried to use TrainingPeaks, but I have found that it is difficult to get the right level of view. For example, their ATP builder is a combination of too high-level (e.g., you can’t look at planned progression of weight lifting, core, flexibility, skills and training all next to each other) and also, somehow, too granular (e.g. you have to pick the amount of TSS that you plan to be doing seven months in the future, which feels absurd).
TrainingPeaks is great for planning a week and/or designing individual workouts but for the ATP functionality, i just don’t feel that it fills the bill. Any other ideas?”
Coping with racing stress
This question comes from John Ingram of Dublin, Ireland. He writes:
“I’m new to road racing. I love it. But my love of racing is matched only by my hatred of pre-race nerves. The stress, the anxiety—sometimes to the point of nausea—takes away from the experience. What do I do to make it go away so I can enjoy this sport even more?”
Body image
This question comes from Amanda Newell in Providence, Rhode Island. She writes:
“As a sprinter, it helps to put on muscle weight. Commitment to this discipline often means I’m surrendering to the fact that buying jeans will be more challenging than not. How can I better accept the beauty in strength and performance versus one that is defined more by the traditional image of beauty and fem… Lees meer -
195: Favorite Moments of 2021
23 december 2021 · 1 uur 2 min
Join us as we go through our favorite moments of 2021 including talks with Dr. Asker Jeukendrup, Kristin Armstrong, Jim Miller, Jeff Winkler, Neal Henderson, Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson.
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194: Q&A with Adam Saint Pierre
16 december 2021 · 38 min
Q&A on Nordic Skiing, Recovery, and Mixing Training Modalities, with Adam St. Pierre Lees meer
Adam St. Pierre, the head coach of the Nordic ski team at Montana St. University, and a former physiologist and jack-of-all-trades at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, joins Fast Talk to discuss nordic skiing and how it fits into endurance training, oxygen debt versus deficit, muscle recovery, and mixing running and cycling training modalities effectively.
Nordic ski training
This first question comes from Ashley Masen in California:
“Since cross country skiing is full-body and pushes higher stroke volume than cycling can, could there be a really beneficial way to do VO2max training in the early season, then focus on extending threshold and adding specificity on the bike as you get closer to your race?”
Oxygen debt versus deficit
This question comes from Rodney Simpson in North Carolina. He writes:
“What is your explanation of oxygen debt and oxygen deficit? Is the latency heart rate at the beginning of applying power for a zone 3 interval due to O2 debt or O2 deficit? Also, the duration to return to pre zone 3 interval heart rate due to fitness or fatigue?”
Muscle recovery
This question comes from Kjeld Bontenbal in the Netherlands. He writes:
“Where resting HR and HRV seem to be proper guidelines for cardiovascular recovery, how about muscle recovery?
As a speed skater I often find my rest HR and HRV ‘at rest’, while my legs still feel sore. The soreness translates itself into lower power output in both the aerobic and anaerobic area. It makes me wonder:
What is a good measure to determine the recovery state of the muscles? When the legs feel sore, should I give them more rest for optimal super-compensation?”
ReferencesChazaud, B. (2016). Inflammation during skeletal muscle regeneration and tissue remodeling: application to exercise‐induced muscle damage management. Immunology and Cell Biology, 94(2), 140–145. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1038/icb.2015.97
Demarle, …
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193: How Much Speed Can Be Bought? With Ben Delaney
9 december 2021 · 1 uur 2 min
Today we’re talking speed, but not necessarily the kind that comes from hard work, although we touch on things like coaches and training plans as the first and most important step to “buying” speed. This episode is about what makes you faster by focusing on aerodynamics and reducing drag or that CdA coefficient that is so important. This is an episode about the things that directly bring speed. Lees meer
We’re joined by our friend and colleague Ben Delaney who has spent decades riding and reviewing countless bikes and pieces of gear for VeloNews and BikeRadar, as well as time in the industry with Specialized. He takes us through his tiered hierarchy of options when it comes to spending your way to a faster you.
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192: The Evolution of the Perception of Supplements, with Dr. Louise Burke
2 december 2021 · 1 uur 3 min
While we’ve talked about supplements on Fast Talk before, we’ve never sat down with one of the world’s preeminent nutrition researchers to dive into the history and overall value of supplements.
But that’s just what we do today. Dr. Louise Burke is a sports dietitian with 40 years of experience in the education and counseling of elite athletes. She worked at the Australian Institute of Sport for 30 years, first as Head of Sports Nutrition and then as Chief of Nutrition Strategy. She was the team dietitian for the Australian Olympic Teams for the 1996 through 2012 Summer Olympic Games.
Her publications include over 350 papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and the authorship or editorship of several textbooks on sports nutrition. And her list of accomplishments and accolades goes on. She is now a Professorial Fellow at Australian Catholic University.
With the limited time we had with Dr. Burke, we discuss the rise and fall of many supplement fads, the evolving classification of supplements, and the role she played in the creation of an evidence-based categorization system. Then we take a closer look at some of the most popular and effective supplements, discussing the history, development, and efficacy of each.
Today we also hear from a host of other athletes and coaches to get their opinions on supplements. These include Amos Brumble, Houshang Amiri, Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Rebecca Rusch.
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191: Q&A on Thanksgiving Mind Games, Jan Ullrich Effect, and Food as Medicine
24 november 2021 · 46 min
This first question we’ve saved for this special occasion. Brenda Castile from Essex, Connecticut, writes:
“Thanksgiving! I love it. I love the food, I love the drinks, I love the desserts. I love being around family. All of which means I’m exposed to calories and germs, a cyclist’s worst nightmare. And, as usual, it comes just a couple of weeks before I want to be at my best for the finale of ‘cross season.
So, how can I have my cake and eat it too? How does someone who takes the sport seriously, as I do, but who also has the perspective on ‘normal’ life to know that I shouldn’t boycott a special gathering that I love for a chance at a dinky medal at ‘cross nationals this year.
Am I just playing mind games with myself? Can I splurge for a day, do my best to limit my exposure to germs and other creepy crawlies, and then get straight back on the wagon the next day, no worse for wear? How do I keep the mind games from making me feel guilty and exposed right when I want to be buckling down for a chance at amateur glory?”
Binge before or after?
This next question comes from Sid Merriman in Dover, Delaware. He writes:
“Simple question: before or after? Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and turkey trots, but do I feast first and then trot, or trot then feast?
My wife and I debate the topic of timing every year. I want to get my turkey trot in first, then binge like there’s no tomorrow—which means she’s pushing back the Thanksgiving meal until late afternoon to accommodate my schedule. She wants me to eat first, so that I get to the turkey trot later in the day to work off that ginormous plate of pecan pie—which means I'm pushing her to have the Thanksgiving meal at or before noon so I have time to digest 8,000 calories before running my brains out. Who’s right, me or my wife?”
Avoiding the Jan Ullrich effect
This question comes from Casey Hickock in Bend, Oregon. He writes:
“When I was first getting into cycling in the late 1990s, I remember watching the Tour de France… Lees meer -
190: Is Perceived Exertion the Most Important Metric?
18 november 2021 · 1 uur 36 min
There are many ways to measure intensity. This is an episode about the one that is often forgotten: RPE.
Perceived exertion is a standardized way to classify a subjective feeling. We've touched upon RPE in many episodes, often referring to the fact that top pros all know "the feel."
Today, we argue that the metric of feeling—perceived exertion, RPE, sensations, whatever you call it—is in many ways the most important metric. Yes, we're arguing that it is even more important than power and heart rate.
We set the stage by defining RPE. Next, we lay out our argument for why RPE may be the most important metric—whether in the training or racing context.
Then we turn our attention to ways to learn how to understand or interpret feelings to determine RPE. It's not an easy task, but there are certain steps you can take to hone your sense of, well, sense.
Finally, we discuss the best ways to use RPE, from the ability to assess where you're at to knowing what efforts of a given length "feel like" so that you can then use that to pace in races; from adjusting power and HR in training to how the sRPE scale can be used to integrate off-the-bike workouts into overall training load.
Since this is a summary episode, we pulled from previous episodes to hear from a host of the most prominent coaches, athletes, and researchers, including: Jeff Winkler, Joe Friel, Kristen Legan, Amos Brumble, Dirk Friel, Kristin Armstrong, Ned Overend, Dr. Stephen Seiler, Kate Courtney, Svein Tuft, and Julie Young.
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189: Bike Fit Methodology, with Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Todd Carver
11 november 2021 · 1 uur 5 min
In the beginning, a bike fit would include a guy at a bike shop with a plumb line and a theory. Now, bike fit is a full-fledged science with video cameras, 3D models, and a greater understanding of human anatomy and physiology as it pertains to cycling.
In part 2 of our bike fit discussion, we’ll explore the practical implications of bike fit, from the debate over aerodynamics versus power to our guest’s feelings about technology versus experience and intuition, and many other subjects, generally in the realm of "methodology."
Once again we're joined by three of the great minds in bike fit.
Dr. Andy Pruitt is the director of sports medicine here at Fast Talk, and one of the pioneers of the study of cycling biomechanics. Our next guest has appeared on Fast Talk many times before, and he also continues to host his own podcast, “Cycling in Alignment.” Of course, I speak of Colby Pearce. Finally, making his Fast Talk debut is Todd Carver, co-founder of Retül and the head of human performance at Specialized, which now owns the Retül fit technology.
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188: Nerd Lab: FTP, VO2max, and Sprints within LSD
4 november 2021 · 1 uur 1 min
Exercise physiologist Rob Pickels returns to Fast Talk to out-nerd Coach Trevor Connor as they discuss new scientific research in sport science. Though the findings of these studies may not always directly apply to your weekly training plan, understanding the questions that have been asked by physiology researchers can give you context about what is known and knowable by science as it relates to human performance.
In case you missed our last Nerd Lab episode, check out Fast Talk episode 172: Sprinting, Overtraining Your Cells, Durability: Rob Pickels & Trevor Connor Nerd Out on Recent Research.
FTP20 Test Review
The first review, "What is known about the FTP 20 test related to cycling? A scoping review," revealed there are only a few studies that have looked at the 20-minute test of FTP. The protocols of the different studies varied a lot, so it is difficult to find significant trends.
Overall, this is a thorough analysis of the 20-minute FTP test and how well it predicts/correlates with other measures. For example, it has decent correlation with MLSS and LT2, but shouldn’t replace them.
Interval Protocols and Time Near VO2max
In the next study, "Time Spent Near VO2max During Different Cycling Self-Paced Interval Training Protocols," the researchers compared 4-minute and 8-minute self-paced intervals with 4:1 and 2:1 recovery ratios. The findings suggest the 2:1 ratios tended to result in more time near VO2max.
But it raises a question: Is time near VO2max the goal? The assumption is that time at VO2max is better for adaptations. Does this assumption drive bad training practices?
Finally, this study also raises interesting questions about self-paced vs. set intensity intervals.
Inclusion of Sprints in Transition Period
The final study, entitled "The Inclusion of Sprints in Low-Intensity Sessions During the Transition Period of Elite Cyclists Improves Endurance Performance 6 Weeks Into the Subsequent Preparatory Period," looked at whether having some intensity in th… Lees meer -
187: Bike Fit Philosophy, with Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Todd Carver
28 oktober 2021 · 56 min
Bike fit was once purely a quote-unquote “philosophy.” In the old days, you may have experienced getting a so-called fit by a guy at a bike shop with a plumb line and a theory. Now, bike fit is a full-fledged science—there are video cameras everywhere, 3D modeling, and so on. That being said, it’s a science that is still influenced by philosophy—what each fitter brings to the exam and analysis that impacts his or her perspective.
Today, we’ve gathered three of the great minds in bike fit to discuss this complex and extremely important aspect of cycling. When we sat down to discuss the topic, to no one’s surprise, they spoke for hours, so we’ve decided to split this conversation into two parts.
Today, we start with a discussion about the philosophy of fit, and how science fits into that philosophy. In part 2, we’ll discuss the practical implications of bike fit, from the debate over aerodynamics versus power, to our guest’s feelings about technology versus experience and intuition.
Our guests’ immense experience and influence on the world of bike fit cannot possibly be captured in a single sentence, but that’s what I’ll try to do.
Dr. Andy Pruitt is the director of sports medicine here at Fast Talk, and one of the pioneers of the study of cycling biomechanics. Our next guest has appeared on Fast Talk many times before, and he also continues to host his own podcast, “Cycling in Alignment.” Of course, I speak of Colby Pearce. Finally, making his Fast Talk debut is Todd Carver, co-founder of Retül and the head of human performance at Specialized, which now owns the Retül fit technology.
What do each of our guests have to say about his fit philosophy? What’s involved in a fit? What's the goal of a fit? Stay tuned.
Let's get you fit… and make you fast!
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186: Q&A on Intensity within LSD Rides, Finding a Coach, and Coach as Teacher, with Rab Wardell
21 oktober 2021 · 36 min
Our guest coach for this episode is Rab Wardell, owner of Wardell Cycle Coaching, who competed at the mountain bike marathon world championships for Team GB in 2021 and, in 2020, set the fastest known time (FKT) for the West Highland Way in the Highlands of Scotland. (Check out the film here, which was selected for the prestigious Banff Film Festival in 2021.)
Rab helps us answer questions on whether adding some intensity to your long, slow distance rides are detrimental to training adaptations, how to find a new coach when you feel you've reached your limit with previous coaches, and how much a coach should teach his or her athletes the scientific purpose of training and individual workouts.
Mixing intervals into long rides This question comes from Stuart Hardy of Addlethorpe, UK. He writes:
"Are there any detrimental effects to dropping Seiler Z3 efforts into the long slow rides (which are two to three hours for me)? Essentially, this would mean riding easy on the flat and hitting the short punchy hills (1-5 minute) we have around me hard.
Basically, I would be either easy or all-out in the same ride. I suppose the question is: Does going into VO2/Anaerobic during a long aerobic ride cause the body to change its mode of operation and shift energy systems, thus negating the benefits we’re striving for by riding for longer (i.e. FatMax/aerobic capacity)? Does it shift the body towards glycolysis and it doesn’t revert back between the efforts?”
Finding your level of coachThis next question comes from Beth Frankel of Hilo, Hawaii. She writes:
“When I started cycling seriously five years ago at the age of 22, I found a coach that I liked working with and who was also relatively new to the coaching field. We seemed to click and he has been a great partner in my progress. But now I feel like I’ve reached his limit, and therefore, mine. I’m a Cat. 3 getting decent results, but I want to take it up a level.
As I look for my next coach, what are the things I should be look… Lees meer -
185: Comparing Training Methods Across Endurance Sports, with Dr. Stephen Seiler
14 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 54 min
While the Fast Talk podcast was originally geared toward cycling, many of the concepts we discuss can be applied across all endurance sports. After all, human physiology remains the same whether we’re talking cycling, running, rowing, or cross-country skiing.
Today we’re joined by someone who has a broad understanding of endurance sports, not only because he’s studied human physiology in the lab for decades, but he’s also worked with athletes across a broad range of athletic pursuits and participated in many of the sports he studies, from rowing to cycling.
With the help of Dr. Stephen Seiler, today we compare and contrast endurance sports as a whole, exploring everything from cardiovascular hemodynamics to muscle loading. We also discuss training impacts and implications across sports—how similar are they, how different are they, and does the polarized approach work for all of them—and in the same way?
While we had him, we also asked Dr. Seiler a few questions we often get asked by listeners about the polarized approach, including what intensity should 4x8-minute intervals be done at and should we ever do sweet spot work. And just to be clear, when Dr. Seiler discusses “threshold” sessions, he uses the research definition, which is actually sweet spot training—cyclists think of threshold sessions differently. We clarify all of this and more on the show.
Adding to our conversation today are Adam St. Pierre, the head coach of the Nordic ski team at Montana St. University, Joe Gambles, a longtime professional triathlete and coach, and Glenn Swan, a former master’s national cycling champion and Coach Connor’s mentor.
To all the runners, rowers, skiers, AND cyclists out there, let's make you fast!
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184: Q&A on Triathlon, Running, GI Distress, and Knee Warmers, with Joe Gambles
7 oktober 2021 · 1 uur 6 min
Joe Gambles has been racing triathlon professionally for nearly 25 years and has been coaching for the last seven years. We've gathered many of our triathlon-specific questions for the right athlete and coach—and Joe fits that bill.
Training distribution
This question comes from Frank Bastion in Bellingham, Washington. He writes:
“I’m new to triathlon, but have a decent background in other endurance sports including running, which I did for five-plus years competitively. I haven’t yet hired a coach to work with me for triathlon training. What’s the best way (or ways) for me to determine how my training time should be distributed between the three sports?
For further background, I have the least experience on the bike. I used to swim in high school and was decently competitive. Running is what I’m most comfortable with.
Running outside after running inside all winter
This question comes from Hampton Pryor in Sheffield, UK. He writes:
“Last year I did a ton of my riding on Zwift during the winter. While I was doing that, I noticed increasing numbers of people using Zwift for running. So this winter I’m seriously considering moving almost all of my training indoors, and doing my runs on the treadmill on Zwift over the winter. But eventually I have to get outside, right? How can I make the transition to the road easier once the snow melts?”
Prioritizing events
This question comes from Stefanie Weidenhammer from Munich, Germany. She writes:
“In the past several seasons, my training and racing has been very disrupted. It has been three summers since I have been able to do a full Ironman distance event. As I rebuild toward a goal of completing one in the summer of 2022, would you recommend I use sprint, Olympic, or half Ironman events—or a combination of several of these—to prepare for a full Ironman event? How much time would you leave between each of them? How should I approach the shorter events when using them as practice for a full distance event?”
GI distress on the… Lees meer -
183: Developing Youth Athletes, with USA Cycling’s Alec Pasqualina
30 september 2021 · 1 uur 22 min
Young athletes have a host of concerns outside of sport that make their development a unique, challenging undertaking. While they can often be sponges for new information, skills, and techniques, they are also dealing with complex stressors and pressures—in many ways they are more vulnerable than their adult counterparts.
Today we discuss ways to develop young athletes with Alec Pasqualina, USA Cycling’s Director of the Olympic Development Academy, or ODA.
While he willingly admits he doesn’t have all the answers, the 25-year-old Pasqualina is attempting to take this fledgling program within the national governing body and bring opportunity and access to more young cyclists than ever before.
We hit him with all manner of questions about the general principles that guide youth athletic development, as well as specific questions on the ODA, how it compares to the Long Term Athlete Development model, as well as the thornier subject of how parents should and should not be involved in their children’s development.
We also hear from several other coaches with decades of experience in youth development, including Houshang Amiri, director of the Pacific Cycling Center; Coach Ryan Kohler, Coach Rebecca Gross, and former collegiate cyclist Adam Wisseman.
If you have kids, listen up. If you coach kids, pay attention.
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182: Q&A on Polarized Training, Ramping Down Your Season, and Ruining Workouts, with Rebecca Gross
23 september 2021 · 48 min
With the help of Rebecca Gross, owner of 3six0 Performance, we field questions on polarized training, how to effectively close out a season, whether you can ruin workouts with indulgences or poor sleep, and how to get the most out of spin class.
Before Rebecca began coaching, she was an accomplished cyclocross and mountain bike racer. She was the 2012 Cyclocross Masters World Championships in Louisville, Kentucky and has twice won the collegiate mountain bike short track national championship. She continues to race professionally.
Rebecca is also a veteran of the United States Air Force and holds a masters degree in sport and performance psychology from the University of Denver.
Polarized training progressionThis question comes from Eoin Cremen, from Bath in the UK. He writes:
“This question comes from a long-running debate between my twin brother and I about the optimal progression of bike intervals in a training program, moving from early / base season, into an 'A' race / short racing season.
We both subscribe to a polarized model, predominantly using sessions as the distribution, rather than durations in zone. The question has revolved around the balance between the final training block reflecting re-enforcing race pace at distances nearing race duration, or pushing to develop the higher end qualities (both centrally, VO2Max, and peripherally, fiber and cellular physiology).
We have both played with "Seiler-esque" intervals (4x2, progressing to 8x2) as the HIIT component of a training block, complemented with regular easy, Z2 sessions. Then for the final block, we’d elongate the duration and reduce the intensity of these efforts and often include them into longer rides to allow for more time at higher intensities.
We also have considered swapping the emphasis of those training blocks, essentially training long to short, race pace to VO2max intensity.
Thoughts?”
Ramping down a seasonThis question comes from Sara Larsen of Brattleboro, Vermont. She writes:
“As the… Lees meer -
181: Riding the Edge in Cyclocross, with Stephen Hyde
16 september 2021 · 1 uur 37 min
Today we’re talking cyclocross, a discipline that is as demanding as it is rewarding and educational. Because there are so many variables in ’cross, athletes are constantly being challenged and consistently faced with new opportunities to learn and progress. Whether that’s the engine or the skills. Whether that’s strength, power, finesse, or off-the-bike prowess. In cyclocross, you’re always on the edge, and that’s the focus of today’s episode. Lees meer
The short-duration, high-intensity nature of cyclocross sharpens the pointy end of fitness. Cyclocross also offers countless opportunities to improve many technical aspects of cycling. Want to exponentially improve your handling skills? Cyclocross is the answer. Always wanted to feel more “at-one” with your bike? Yup, cyclocross wins again.
Today we’ll hear from one of the greats of American cyclocross, three-time national champion Stephen Hyde, a longtime member of the iconic Cannondale-cyclocrossworld.com squad who now races for the Steve Tilford Foundation Racing team. We talk about all aspects of the sport, from dealing with the weather to skills acquisition to tactics and race-day prep.
We also hear from Alec Donahue, who once coached Hyde and who specializes in cyclocross coaching, as well as Dr. William Adams, who speaks to preparing for cold weather. All that and more, today on Fast Talk.
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180: Transformative Endurance Challenges
9 september 2021 · 59 min
In 2021, four of us on the Fast Talk Labs staff—our producer Jana, Head Coach Ryan, Trevor, and me—chose an N1 Challenge. You’ve hopefully heard us speak about it previously on the show. It was meant to be an experiment of one—each of us—offering lessons for all, particularly you, the listeners. Lees meer
Today, we explore that last bit, those “lessons for all” that each of us gained from our respective events. The most common term used to describe our events was “transformative...” That’s a big word. Yet, in each case, the adjective is appropriate. In the case of Jana, for example, it’s so appropriate that she up and moved to Spain and is traveling indefinitely, with her bike in tow wherever she goes.
Personal challenges, races, events of all kinds are meant to teach us not just how to train better or more effectively, to progress as athletes and hopefully people, but also to gain a greater understanding of what’s possible, what it means to be alive and healthy and able to do the things we love. That’s transformative. And that’s what we’ll discuss today.
One final note: Sadly, Trevor has had to call an audible several times on his N1 Challenge, after health issues and race cancellations disrupted his plans. Still, he learned lessons along the way that everyone can benefit from, and he shares those today.
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