
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
The official podcast of FasCat Coaching, based in Boulder, CO. Coach Frank "Big Cat" Overton shares his extensive experience as a cycling coach to help you ride faster through training and racing tips, nutrition, and beyond.
Latest episodes

Jun 24, 2022 • 1h 27min
Ask a FasCat #21
Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. Welcome to our very long overdue episode format: "Ask a FasCat". In this episode, FasCat Mike Dee reads off our athlete submitted questions and FasCat Founder, Coach Frank gives us rapid fire answers. If you're ready to nerd out on the data science of training and how to structure your training based on different scenarios, this episode is for you. At the end of this episode, we give away an Oura Ring to the best asked question, so stay tuned to find out if YOUR answer won! A few questions Coach Frank answers: Should you be moving your power around during sweet spot training? Is an indoor trainer better for training? Which wearable is most accurate? Good calorie-dense foods that aren’t gels and bars that are GI friendly? How do you psychologically get through a climb when you don’t know how much more you have to go? How to increase fitness between races during the season? How to prepare for an event that’s at altitude but live at sea level? How to race while also training for an Iron Man? Does standard FTP test give you better data than a 20 min FTP test? Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. Get daily training tips from us weekly over on Instagram: @fascatcoaching.

Jun 16, 2022 • 25min
Five In-Season Training Mistakes to Avoid
Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. Are you making one of thse five in-season training mistakes?! You could be putting in max effort this season, but if you are making one of these mistakes, it doesn't matter how much effort you are putting in, you're going to fail to see the results you want. Don't worry, Coach Frank explains these mistakes in detail and helps you understand how and why to avoid these mistakes. What we discuss: - Group ride 3 or more times a week - Racing every weekend - Under-recovering after a weekend of racing and travel - Not going back to base at some point after a midseason break (even for just a few weeks) - Not training specifically for your event with intervals that meet the power demands of your goal events - Trying to lose weight in the middle of the race season Get daily training tips from us weekly over on Instagram: @fascatcoaching. Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off.

Jun 10, 2022 • 1h
Coaches Round Table: How to Proceed After an Epic Event
Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. In the spirit of Unbound Gravel just wrapping up, we thought it would be timely to have a discussion about how to proceed forwards after an epic event. In this episode of the FasCat podcast, Coach Frank, Allie, Isaiah, Jake, and Zack do a deep dive into their own standard protocols for their riders for navigating recovery after an epic event. How many weeks should you take to recover, what should your nutrition look like, when should your next event be, and what should your first workouts look like are just a few of the questions they get answered for us! What they discuss: 3:30 - How do you define an epic event? 7:00 - When can you resume to training after an epic event? 11:00 - What data do you look at after an epic event? 20:00 - What you need to focus on after the epic event 24:30 - Best recovery plan to follow 33:00 - How to get back into your training 40:00 - Factoring in age into recovery 55:00 - Picking your events wisely Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off.

Jun 7, 2022 • 41min
Marisa Boaz: Unbound Gravel 100 Women's Champion
FasCat Athlete, Marisa Boaz, won one of the top gravel races in the world: Unbound Gravel (100). In this episode, Marisa gives us a play-by-play of the race and inside look into what it took to take home the gold. From racing with Peter Sagan, the mud, her husband to parenting her 4 children, Marisa shares her story and journey into gravel racing and talks a little bit about her future goals this Summer and beyond. Big congrats to Coach Isaiah Newkirk on their fine coach-athlete work together. Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off your next training plan!

Jun 3, 2022 • 1h 12min
Are You Coachable?! (The Do's and Don'ts for Getting the Most Out of Your Coaching)
In our 20 years of working with athletes, we always notice that some athletes get more out of their coaching than others. It's not usually about which athlete has the most time to train or the most talent. Instead, there's a variety of attributes that combine to make an athlete coachable–and the more an athlete is coachable, the more time a coach has to dedicate to the most important aspects of making the athlete faster. So what does it take to be coachable? What are the attributes you need to ensure you are getting the most out of your coaching? What mistakes do you need to avoid to make coaching you easier for your coach? We answer all these questions for you in this episode of the FasCat Coaching podcast. Coach Frank and Coach Christian dive into their coaching guidelines and explain why it’s so important to follow them if you want to get the most out of your coaching. What they discuss: 5:00 - Why you need to get your coach accurate data 12:00 - Come to your coaching calls prepared 26:00 - Being open to addressing your obstacles 40:00 - Being adaptable with your schedule and communicating your schedule with your coach 50:00 - Defining communications styles between the rider and the coach 59:00 - Defining boundaries

May 27, 2022 • 47min
How to Properly Taper for Peak Performance
Summer Kickoff special: Free interval training plan if you buy our 16-sweet spot plan first. Use SUMMER22 to redeem over at FasCatCoaching.com Have you ever heard of the expression "All the hay is in the barn" ? To many cyclists and farmers alike it has great meaning: the hard work is over and now it is time to reap the benefits of a job well done. In order to 'peak', you need to reduce your training load and 'taper down' into peak form. One to two weeks before your "A race" further fitness gains are unlikely, i.e. the barn is full - you've made the hay. The temptation to train more should be met with firm resistance. Instead, consider a well planned taper in your training plan design. That is exactly what you teach you how to do in this episode of the FasCat Training podcast. Coach Frank and Coach Jake give us a deep dive into how to taper, how to plan your overload before tapering, and how to ensure you are taper correctly and not just giving yourself a rest week. If you’re ready to nerd out on all things tapering, this podcast episode is for yoU! What we discuss: How we design overloads and tapers Practical and specific real world examples of how to taper Cycling for peak performance How we prescribe overloads for athletes before initiating their taper. Typical guidelines, weekly hours, CTL for a taper Our go-to taper length What taper weeks look like What type of tapers we prescribe for athletes who are competing in different types of events How we use the performance manager chart to plan a taper. Check out our Taper blog post here: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/tapering-in-cycling-for-peak-performance?_pos=1&_sid=ce941accf&_ss=r Summer Kickoff special: Free interval training plan if you buy our 16-sweet spot plan first. Use SUMMER22 to redeem over at FasCatCoaching.com.

May 20, 2022 • 15min
Upcoming Podcasts: Being Coachable, Tapering, and Resuming Training Post Epic Event
Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. In this episode of the FasCat Coaching Podcast, Coach Frank introduces 3 upcoming podcast topics and touches on what FasCat is up to – May is a busy month and there's a lot going on! Coach Frank introduces the topics of what it means to be “Coachable” and makes you think about whether or not you are coachable when it comes to training. He also dives into how to properly taper for an event, how much training should you do beforehand, and how much recovery your body needs. Lastly, Coach Frank chats about how to know when you are ready to train again after an epic event. Links mentioned: New Athlete Handbook Tapering in Cycling For Peak Performance How to Leave Post Activity Comments for your Coach and Be “Coachable Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off.

May 13, 2022 • 34min
Step-By-Step Guide to Anaerobic Intervals + Why Everyone Needs to Do Them
Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off. Should you be performing anaerobic intervals? If you’re unsure, you should know that anaerobic intervals are essential for criteriums, cyclocross, road racing , track, your local group ride and mountain biking - even for fondo’s and gravel events in small amounts. With that being said, you should probably be doing anaerobic intervals and that’s why in this episode of FasCat Coaching, Coach Frank gives you the a complete step-ny-step guide on how to incorporate and execute anaerobic intervals into your weekly training routine. He explains the how, what, why where, when and how hard. The term anaerobic comes from the physiological fact that the energy required is so rapid that oxygen is not used to make the power unlike a longer vo2 or threshold interval that is more aerobic. They are less than one minute, as hard as you can go intervals. We prescribe them in 30 to 60 second interval lengths at intensities 120 - 150% of your threshold power - and/or as hard as you can all for all of them much like the way we prescribe VO2 intervals. Be sure to listen to the end because Coach Frank also gives you some basic, intermediate and advanced level anaerobic interval workouts, pacing recommendations and what to look at in the power analysis. What’s discussed: 5:00 - What is considered anaerobic? 7:00 - Examples of Zone 6 Anaerobic intervals 10:00 - Step-by-step guide for how to perform Anaerobic intervals 15:00 - Best practices for optimal intervals 19:00 - Things to avoid when performing your intervals 22:00 - Interval pacing 28:00 - Who needs to be doing anaerobic work? Check out www.fascatcoaching.com and use code 25PODCAST for 25% off.

May 6, 2022 • 1h 40min
Alexey Vermeulen: Recap of Winning the 2022 Belgian Waffle Ride
We have a special podcast guest this week: The Belgian waffle ride winner, Alexey Vermeulen. Alexey went full on beast mode this past Sunday, riding away from his comrades with an incredible display of wattage and courage. In this episode, we not only get a full recap of Alexey's experience of winning BWR, but also background on where he came from, his racing pedigree, and what his big plans are for the rest of the season and the future. Plus, we also diving into Alexey winning Junior National Road Race in 2011, getting called up to the big leagues with Lotto Jumbo and his new Jukebox cycling team with our good friend and FasCat Athlete, Phil Gaimon. Lastly, we have two huge announcements to share in this episode... 1. Our Mother's Day sale is LIVE. Use MD50 for 50% off any and all of our five star rated training plans. Head over to www.fascatcoaching.com to redeem. 2. FasCat is hiring full stack software engineers! If you want to work on new sports science to make training fun, simple, most importantly effective, hit up Coach Frank! But don't delay. We're moving fast and we're paying competitive salaries. Email frank@fastcatcoaching.com.

Apr 29, 2022 • 40min
How to Measure Your FTP without Performing FTP Tests
Do you have fun performing FTP tests? We know the answer is a hard no. We don’t always have to perform an FTP field test in order to measure our performance. Often times the BEST data is in yuor hard group rides or races. That's why in this episode, we give you alternatives for FTP tests that will give you similar data. Coach Frank explains... How you can get your FTP data through group rides and races. How to use deductive reasoning to estimate your FTP. What to look at in your power data to see improvements and evidence that your power output has increased. Essentially, he shows you how to look at your data correctly to see how you progressing. If you learn how to do this, you may spare yourself a field test or two