166: Effective Two-A-Day Workout Strategies, with Neal Henderson

If you’ve ever been a runner, swimmer, or rower, you might be familiar with the concept of two-a-days—individual workouts separated by hours within a single day, most typically one in the morning and another in the afternoon. 

In cycling, two-a-days have not had as much traction. However, that’s starting to change. The science is new, but many coaches, including our guest Neal Henderson, director of sport science at Wahoo Fitness, have been putting two-a-days into practice for years, with a lot of success. 

It brings up two big questions: Are two-a-days as effective as one single long ride at generating adaptations? That is, can they serve as a substitute? The other, in some ways more interesting question, is whether two-a-days have benefits that you can’t get any other way—for example, through glycogen depletion. 

Again, the science is rapidly evolving, and today we’ll refer to new research that opens the door to a new line of thinking. And we’ll also talk extensively with Henderson and a host of others about the practical ramifications of two-a-days. 

Our other guests include WorldTour rider Petr Vakoc, racer and coach Jen Sharp, gravel racer Ted King, physiologist Jared Berg, and pro mountain biker Payson McElveen. 

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