The Results are in – Was it Worth it?? Pre- Test Thoughts Like yesterday, the repeat test is more just for my own curiosity and part of the ongoing experiment. There were a couple of things that crossed my mind in how to execute it…should I just repeat exactly what I did …
Heat Adaptation Block – The Sweating Continues Heat Training has a lot of benefits to athletes, whether you want to race in the heat or not, there are some benefits that will help all athletes. This post is mid-heat training block and is my own experiences of carrying it out and what …
Winning in the Heat Heat Block Sessions 4-6 Heat Adaptation Training Heat Session 4 Intervals into Heat Session – Small Signs of Progress So, for this session I experimented with doing some intervals in the first half hour. I was interested to see how that influenced the rise …
Heat Training Block First 3 Training Sessions This is an image from the Core website, it’s a great resource for information and I recommend it highly. Here they suggest a 2-4 week heat training block, then 2-3 x a week for maintenance. Heat Training Block There are lots of protocols that have been tried and …
Heat Training – The Heat Ramp Test It’s certainly something that has gained a fair bit of attention over recent years. I actually bought a Core Sensor quite a while ago. But for one reason and another I didn’t end up paying enough attention to get the most out of it. Like …
It’s all about the Base But what is so important about building a good base? What are the Advantages of a Good Base? There are a few fundamental truths in endurance training that are very hard to argue with. One of those is the requirement for good ‘base training’. What is …
Base Training – What it is and Why it’s so Important? Read More »
Lactate Testing Optimise Your Training Lactate testing and knowing your zones is a good idea no matter what time of year. However, with a lot of athletes just coming back from their off-season, now is a GREAT time to test. With fitness likely dropping (and it should be!!) this is a key …
Lactate Testing – What to do and how to use the Results I don’t know if it’s just my Twitter feed, but the amount of talk about lactate testing and lactate-based training seems to have increased a lot in recent months. As a strong believer in large amounts of Z1 training (3 …
Understanding Heat Training Given the recent heatwave, the high temperatures in both the men’s and women’s Tour de France and some really high temps in the tour of Switzerland (which I experienced directly as it was not far from where I live!!) It seems like a good time to discuss heat, what …
Planning – From Season to Session…How do you do it? Why Plan Planning your training can be tricky, especially with all the other elements of your life to balance! Whether it’s a partner, kids, busy job, social commitments, or anything else…not many people have the time to train like a pro athlete. Perhaps …
Effective Training for Busy Professionals – Part 2 In part one we covered the importance of getting the basics right over fancy gizmos, gadgets and supplements. We covered the first 2 Balance and Patience. Today we will discuss the importance of getting the intensity control, frequency and consistency right; and how to do …
Effective Training for Busy Professionals – Part 2 Read More »
Effective Training for Busy Professionals Most cyclists aren’t professional cyclists and I would wager most don’t really want to be either. One of the biggest issues for those with a life full of everything else and trying to fit cycling in on top is that you have limited time to train and …
FTP Testing: A How-to Guide? FTP (Functional Threshold Power) has had so much written and said about it that it’s hard to tell what it is and what it isn’t anymore. I started like many, by doing the 20-minute all-out test and the take 95% of the average power. It’s not a …
Planning Your Year Happy New Year Everyone! Hope you enjoyed yourself and are ready to get back to some quality training. Whatever your goal, you will always benefit from having some structure to your training. Having structure requires a bit of planning. Given the time of year, it’s pretty common to have new goals, …
Being a time trial enthusiast, when I first heard Sebastian Weber talk about this it was really eye-opening. I’d spent most of my cycling time trying to increase my threshold power without knowing this very important detail! How frustrating!! However, like always, the opportunity to improve is something that is hard to resist. The picture …
Key questions How should I make my programme progressive? What do I do when extending is no longer an option? When do I increase the intensity? How can I best create the adaptive signal? Intensify or Extend? When should I go harder? When should I go longer? This is a great question! For those following/writing …
What is Intensity Distribution? I spent years training and racing without really understanding what it was. I had an understanding that some rides should be easier/harder…but actually, looking back at my old training diaries, there was relatively little variation. The topic has become more popular with the rise in popularity of polarised training. This …
How to Manage intensity When I did my Sports Science degree back in the 90’s there was a lot of emphasis on improving endurance performance by finding and training at ‘lactate threshold’ (LT). In fact, my undergrad dissertation was on developing a ramp test protocol for determining LT in rowers. As a masters athlete, my …
Returning to Fitness If you read my post in September on Returning from a Break in Training, you’ll know I’ve had a very disrupted season due to a move of country. As luck would have it, I started using Aerotune Metabolic Profile Testing just before life overtook me and was in decent shape. So I …
Returning to Fitness – Metabolic Profile Analysis Read More »
Metabolic testing Having a Sports Science background makes me interested in all things physiology and testing. I’m sure we are all familiar with various tests, FTP tests, lactate testing, VO2max tests, etc. But it was some interviews I listened to with Sebastian Weber of InScyd that got me really interested in metabolic testing. What previously …
