Training

We talk with Joe Friel about the newest edition of his bestselling cycling training book The Cyclist’s Training Bible. We touched on everything from periodization to energy systems, to Joe’s method of research…which believe it or not, has a lot to do with hundreds of 3”x5” note cards.

In today’s episode, learn the exercise science behind peaking for your racing season — including how long it takes, why we do a fatigue block to start the peak and the science of what happens physiologically to produce the peak. Tapering your training is tricky so we’ll review some of the more common mistakes that you can run into.

Maintaining strong training on the bike while aging isn’t as difficult as it may seem, as guest MTB champion Ned Overend illustrates.
We will delineate what age effects truly exist — for example, a drop in maximum heart rate — and others that have been traditionally attributed to aging that now appear to be trainable, such as a loss in fast-twitch muscle fiber strength.

We tackle the always-popular topic of climbing with Sepp Kuss, Dr. Inigo San Millan, Joe Dombrowski, and Ned Overend.

Cyclists can get a little lost in the weight room. Strength expert Jess Elliott helps us understand the fundamentals of strength workouts and how cyclists will benefit from time spent in the gym.

Is it possible to stay fit and fast all year round? We talk to former pro and team director Mike Creed about the toll that cycling takes on a body.

Which is better, sweet spot training or polarized training? To find out, we invited in proponents of each type of training — FasCat’s Frank Overton on the sweet spot side, and Boulder Center for Sports Medicine’s Ryan Kohler to advocate for a polarized model — and let them have at it.

In this episode of Fast Talk, we explain why serious cyclists should be spending time in the gym, incorporating weight lifting into their weekly programs. We speak to pro cyclist Svein Tuft, as well as Dr. Andy Pruitt to learn more about the benefits of strength training.

Precisely how should you structure a week, a month, or a year of training to fit in between all the time-snagging realities of life? Listen to find out.

Have limited time to train? Trevor Connor and Caley Fretz discuss the best way to get the most out of your ride time, and whether it’s possible to substitute long, slow base miles with high intensity training.