FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

How many people do you know who check one of these three boxes: -has raced UCI World Cup cyclocross this year -has the tattoo from winning the Singlespeed Cyclocross World Championships -uses their PhD to help people with cancer Not many, right? Well, FasCat athlete Sunny Gilbert checks all three boxes, and on this episode she chats with her longtime Coach Isaiah Newkirk and host Ben Delaney about how she balances everything. As endurance athletes, only the professionals get to focus exclusively on training and racing — and even they stumble on life's twists and turns. Here, Sunny and Isaiah talk about keeping things in perspective, listening to the body and consulting the numbers, and keeping it fun! Want to get on board with a Coach like Isaiah. Head on over to FasCatCoaching.com to meet our Coaches. You can also use the code "25podcast" to get 25% off your first training plan on FasCatCoaching.com, where we have more than 1,000 five-star reviews.

To lift, or not to lift? That is the question. Or, more specifically, how and when should bike riders and endurance athletes lift weights? What should roadies do? What should triathletes do? What about mountain bike and gravel? Here to guide us through the why and the how is Coach Suzie Snyder, just back from the Xterra world championships. Suzie is an NSCA certified strength and conditioning specialist and a five-time national Xterra champion. Coach Suzie explains some general principles that apply to all endurance athletes, then breaks down some specific strength and conditioning exercises that each type of athlete should do. Here are five videos with Suzie demonstrating quick and effective strength and conditioning exercises: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/video-5-quick-effective-strength-conditioning-exercises Be sure to use the code "25podcast" to get 25% off your first training plan on FasCatCoaching.com. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have more than 1,000 five-star reviews.    

The term Sweet Spot is now used all the time when riders are talking about training. Countless cyclists have improved because of it. But sometimes the term gets used incorrectly — and sometimes the HOW and WHEN To Sweet Spot also gets muddled. So today we are going to clear all that up, by tackling 8 Sweet Spot Myths, and hopefully leaving you with a better understanding of what Sweet Spot is - and ISN’T - so that you can use this knowledge to get faster and stronger, and have more fun Sweet Spotting! Ready to get on the Sweet Spot train for 2023? Head over to fascatcoaching.com and use the code ”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have 1,000 five-star reviews.

It's time to start dreamin' and schemin' about your 2023 season, and on this episode we've got 23 suggestions of gravel races you could do. While road and mountain-bike events might be somewhat limited in certain parts of the U.S., gravel events are popping off every weekend in seemingly every state in the country. So, we brought in gravel reporter and gravel racer Betsy Welch to break down 23 of the best gravel races in the lower 48. Betsy and Ben Delaney talk about the what and the why, and Frank Overton breaks down the how, in terms of training and strategy. Ready to get locked and loaded for 2023? Head over to fascatcoaching.com and use the code ”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have 1,000 five-star reviews.

Apple just launched three new watches with measurements for sleep cycles, HRV, blood oxygen levels, and many other things, and Des Yap of the DesFit YouTube Channel was in California for Apple’s presentation. After testing and posting reviews on all three, Des came and joined Frank and Ben for a chat about what's new and interesting with wearables. Des specializes in wearable technology like smart watches and fitness and recovery trackers. Which is exactly what this episosde is about: tools like Whoop, Oura, Garmin, and Apple that track your sleep, HRV, and other things and how you can use that data to improve your cycling - or running, swimming, nordic skiing — any endurance sport pursuit. Frank and Ben have a lot of questions for Des, chief among them: as someone who has tested all the top wearbles, which wearable do you like best, and why?  First, head over to fascatcoaching.com and be sure to use the code ”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have nearly 1,000 five-star reviews.

Our 'Ask a FasCat' episodes are always fun because we take your questions, give them some thought, and FasCat founder Frank Overton delivers advice on a wide range of topics. On this episode, we dig into HRV, weight training, weight loss, overcoming plateaus, dealing with post-event blues, which workouts to prioritize when traveling, and much more. Ready to move forward with your training? Head over to fascatcoaching.com and be sure to use the code”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have nearly 1,000 five-star reviews. Reference links mentioned in show: What to eat before early workouts:  https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/video-effective-fueling-for-early-morning-workouts Using your Powermeter for Weight Loss Training:  https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/using-your-powermeter-for-weight-loss What it takes to be a FasCat Coach, as relates to our Mission Statement and Core Values: https://fascatcoaching.com/pages/our-values What makes a good coach: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/what-makes-a-good-coach Coach Jake's tip (and demonstration) on using Zwift to FtFP his way to 200 TSS on his training plan: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/sweet-spot-tss-rides-indoors University of Queensland study 'A Validation of Six Wearable Devices for Estimating Sleep, Heart Rate and Heart Rate Variability in Healthy Adults' funded the Austrialian Institute of Sport: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8220/22/16/6317/htm  

Top athletes are always looking ahead and planning long term. One of the best ways of doing this is by taking time to look back at how your training went this year: what went right, what went wrong, and what edits might help you improve next year. Using power data to review your season is an invaluable tool. With TrainingPeaks, you can use these charts to lay out some quick metrics to track your season.  On this podcast, coaches Isaiah Newkirk and Frank Overton talk with Ben Delaney about how to do exactly that. Ready to move forward with your training? Head over to fascatcoaching.com and be sure to use the code”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have nearly 1,000 five-star reviews. Other relevant info: Use your power data to find the right training approach (video) Text version of this podcast  

Off-season training doesn't mean off the bike! In fact, the time away from competition is the best time to improve and build your body up for racing.  In this podcast, we dig into the five pillars of off-season training: creating the Annual Training Plan, the fall foundation, lifting weights, Sweet Spot base, and adding intervals. Before you get going on your off-season training, take a break! In this pod we touch on OTS - Optimized Training Stress. For a deep-dive on this cutting edge new metric, check out this podcast with Dr. Phil Skiba. Our popular Ask a FasCat podcast is coming up soon, so get your questions in at forum.FasCatCoaching.com, via chat at FasCat Coaching.com or via email at help@fascatcoaching.com by September 8th. We are giving away a new Garmin Forerunner 955 to the listener with the most thoughtful question!  And the ForeRunner 955 measures your sleep and HRV and will be compatible with our new app Optimize! Ready to get on the 30-week Off-Season Training Plan? Head over to fascatcoaching.com and be sure to use the code”25podcast” to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have nearly 1,000 five-star reviews.

We all know that we need good sleep for optimal recovery and performance on the bike, but many of us still skimp on getting enough quality rest. We break down some simple tips and tricks for improving your nightly rest so you can fully recover and prime yourself for quality training and racing. We also drop some science from recent studies on sleep and athletic performance, as well as some suggestions for natural sleep aids and a list of things to avoid. -- Feeling tired and need a break from the season? We got you. Here are some tips on how to best take an off-season break: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/post-season-break Ready to move on to the next phase? Here is a 30-week plan for training in the off-season: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/off-season-training-plan Don’t forget to use the code "25podcast" to receive 25% off your first FasCat training plan. All our plans are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee and we have close to 1,000 five star reviews. https://fascatcoaching.com/pages/reviews-feed

Fresh off pro racing in Europe on the road this summer, Coach Ricky Arnopol joined five of his Project Echelon teammates at SBT GRVL, the big gravel race in Steamboat Springs, Colorado. On this episode, Ricky and show cohost Ben Delaney talk about the similarities and differences between the two styles of racing in terms of tactics, power numbers, stress, and fun. There are four distances at SBT GRVL, and Ben won the 100-mile Blue course in the men's division, with Tiffany Cromwell of Canyon-SRAM taking the women's Blue title. Keegan Swenson and Lauren De Crescenzo won the 140-mile Black race that Ricky participated in. You can see Ben's power file and analysis up on fascatcoaching.com now. The whole FasCat team who attended SBT GRVL had a great time, so much so that we have even bigger plans for 2023, when we hope that you can join us in Steamboat for long weekend. Further, we are cooking up an SBT gravel training camp for next year, likely in June.   Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off.   Follow us on Instagram for training tips: @fascatcoaching