The Fast Talk Labs Knowledge Base

Jessi Stensland has deeply developed her relationship with her body in the years since competing as a professional triathlete, swimming at the Olympic trials, and winning a bronze medal at XTERRA World Championships. Her ideas about shoes and sleep may be new and unusual to you, but pause and consider her enthusiasm, her agility, and her deep connection to her own body.

How accurate are threshold numbers? And why is it so difficult to find accurate threshold numbers? We discuss several common ways to find your threshold and their pros and cons.

We break down the different ways that prefabricated, semi-custom, and custom orthotics are constructed; analyze the pros and cons of the different methods used to cast feet and determine orthotic support needs; offer practical tips and advice on how to find the best podiatrist, and discuss how to determine the quality of the orthotics you’re considering.

What’s better: a bigger engine or one that’s tuned for a specific goal race? USA Cycling’s performance director Jim Miller shares his training philosophy.

We take a step back, off the bike, to focus on the alignment of your mental state.

Q&A on FTP testing, structuring recovery weeks, and the sustainability of base training, with guest coach Steve Neal

We explore how to use a training philosophy to design your program, then use metrics to guide how much, how often, and how difficult those workouts should be.

Colby and his former athlete Lydia Tanner discuss her eating disorder and how it affected her training, then her recovery.

There are several questions about your physiology and biomechanics that need to be answered before you can select the ideal shoe for you, and for the purpose of your rides.

In this Q&A episode, guest Grant Holicky discusses sweat rate, polarized training for cyclocross, VLamax, and recovery tools.

Long-time friends, training partners, and competitors, Jonathan Vaughters and Colby Pearce have a deep racing history and relationship. With decades of experience in pro cycling, they share many insights they’ve gained about training, coaching, and the trajectory of the sport.

We hit the art of cornering and descending from many sides with Emile Abraham, a 12-time national champion known for cornering and descending.

This short bonus episode is meant to clarify that formulas are a useful starting point in cycling and training, even though they have limitations.

Rambleur Rising coach and elite gravel racer Kristen Legan answers your many insightful questions on the art of listening to your body, ketogenic diets, glucose transport, and much more.

Nikki Costello joins Colby Pearce to shed light on the body’s fascia system and ELDOA, a method to improve fascia health.

Today, it’s all about performance off-road. Yes, we’re talking mountain bikes. And we’ve recruited some of the most talented folks in the sport to help us decipher this niche of cycling, from race craft, to technique, to training, and everything in between.

in Q&A episode, we cover a broad spectrum of topics including sugar consumption and its health effects, safe rates to increase volume, the pros and cons of group rides, the efficacy of topical bicarbonate products, and much more.

Charlie Merrill, a physical therapist and Tabi shoe enthusiast, explores how injury and pain affect athletes both physically and emotionally.