VO2 Max has been a lab measurement discussed for decades in regards to the world’s top-performing athletes. It is synonymous in endurance sports to relate one’s athletic potential to their VO2 Max measurement. Is this metric the end all be all? If you don’t possess the aerobic capacity of Olympic cross country skiers are...
Endurance athletes can be notorious for placing too large a focus on increasing their hours of swimming, biking, and running, in the “more is better” belief. Perhaps they are missing a key element in this way of thinking, which is strength training! For a while, there was push-back from endurance athletes in regard to...
Why is there a difference between the power you can put into the pedals outdoors than the power indoors? The difference between indoor cycling power and outdoor power tends to be more pronounced with shorter, higher-intensity efforts, especially when you’re out of the saddle. The reason why comes down to a few different factors....
Fitness testing is an essential part of improving as a cyclist as it allows you to quantify where you are, set training zones for your workouts (either through heart rate or power), and track your progress over time. If you are new to riding with power, where do you begin? Power testing to determine...
You’ve trained hard for your race, putting in the workweek in and week out so you’re in top form. Now comes the big day. Don’t let all of that hard work and preparation go to waste by getting your race day nutrition wrong. Just like you can’t put sawdust in the tank of an...
As much as we try to avoid it, injury at times is a part of the sport. There are the lucky few who can go throughout their careers relatively unscathed, while others seem to come upon a hurdle to clear more often than not. Whether it is your first injury or your 50th, the...
How do you quantify the quality or exertion of a workout? When it comes to training metrics, most programs will calculate this using TSS or the Training Stress Score. There are many things TSS represents in a workout and many misconceptions within the endurance community about this metric. So what does it all mean? ...
Perhaps you’ve gotten away without strength training when you were younger, but as you got older you started to notice a few more creaks and cracks in your joints following a tough session. Whether we like to admit it to ourselves or not, our aging body’s ability to handle the same training loads as...
Goals are what drive each and every one of us to strive for our personal best. They are what allow us to wake at early hours to get on the trainer or to log late evening miles. They are what we dream of when we go to sleep, and push us when we are...
Women are not small men. Some of you may be familiar with this phrase as made famous by Dr. Stacy Sims, a leading researcher on female physiology and endurance. This statement could not be more true. Though some women may train just the same as their male counterparts, the truth is our physiology differs...
With the advent of accurate, reliable smart trainers like the KICKR and SNAP, more athletes are taking advantage of the benefits of training with power. With that comes a greater focus on metrics like Functional Threshold Power (FTP). For the uninitiated, FTP is typically defined as the highest power output you can maintain for...
For most individuals who begin dipping their toes in triathlon, the goal seems to always end with one word: Kona. Qualifying and competing in the Ironman World Championships is a bucket list event for many triathletes. Ironman-distance triathlons are the equivalent of completing a marathon in the world of running or a century in...