FatMax is a popular topic amongst endurance athletes. While it’s a great number to improve, there’s a false belief forming that carbs are the enemy. The truth is, in order to perform at our highest level, we need to fuel our bodies with carbohydrates. The brilliant Scott Tindal from FuelIn joins us again for a fascinating discussion on training your body to use carbohydrates for your race. Along the way we cover lots of details on carbs vs. fat, carb loading, and the types of carbs to consume. Listen to this episode to learn how to use carbs to your advantage so you can become faster.Watt Points: Save yourself from going to 0 watts.

Training and aerodynamics are two the largest watt savings topics we hear about on FASTER. Today on FASTER we are talking with Sebastian Schluricke and Bjorn Kafka from Aerotune who are optimizing aerodynamics and performing metabolic testing in a web based software. On the aero side they allow you to upload ride data to determine your CdA. On the training side they’ve developed a user friendly metabolic testing protocol that gives the athlete tools to optimize both VO2 Max and VLamax. Later this year they will be releasing custom training plans based on your metabolic test results which will simplify a very complex field for the everyday athlete. Today’s show is broken into two halves. We talk about aero in the beginning and metabolic testing in the second half. Bjorn has a way of explaining metabolic testing like I’ve never heard before and my understanding is much clearer. If you’ve wanted to learn more about metabolic testing and why it’s important for you as an athlete, this is a must listen to episode. Listen to this episode to optimize your aerodynamic position and your metabolic efficiency so you can become faster.Watt Points: 70-80

What do you do with all of the data that you collect while riding your bike? Most cyclist upload it to Strava where they compare themselves to the leaderboard. In a lot of cases this can be demotivating. The Breakaway is using your data to help you compare yourself to yourself. They’re analyzing your power data and providing actionable next steps to help you improve. You’re given a ranking based on your age and sex so you can see where you stand with people that are relative to you. They also have an eight week rolling average on data analysis so you aren’t continually comparing yourself to what you could do in the past. The goal is to motivate you to be your best today. With integrations to most major platforms and workout recommendations, Breakaway is meant to be your cycling fitness dashboard when you’re not riding. Listen to this episode to learn how to use your data and results to motivate yourself so you can become faster.Watt Points: 30

If you’ve listened to our previous episodes on polarized training, Inscyd and Energy systems and have wondered how you could create your own training plan to implement this work, then this episode is for you. Today on Faster Ryan Kohler from Fast Talk Labs joins us to discuss building your own polarized training plan based on results from an Inscyd test. We walk through workouts for athletes with different profiles to help you understand what fits your lifestyle and how to structure training throughout the year. Listen to this episode to learn how to build your own polarized training plan so you can become faster.Watt Points: 30-40

Meditation has been making its way into sport more and more over the years. Historically a lot of people have thought of meditation as a spiritual or religious practice, but that is starting to change. Today on Faster we welcome back Nick Salazar to talk about meditation and his new company Stillside after making a transition from his company TriRig. We talk about the basics of mediation, meditation in sport and how it’s helping athletes, along with his new company and their flagship product the OM Chair. Listen to this episode so you can quiet your mind and become faster. Watt Points: All of Them

Breathing is something we all must do to survive. It’s also a major part of performance. Today, on Faster we talk with Dr. Dena Garner about a product called Airwaav. Their patented mouthpiece is helping athletes lower their respiration rate, cortisol levels, and lactate levels to improve performance. I was initially skeptical about the product and I found out that Dena was also skeptical. It’s why she set out to prove it wrong before realizing she couldn’t. Listen to this episode to learn about Airwaav and the science behind lower your respiration rate so you can become faster.Watt Points: 5-10 Watts

Groundedness, it’s a term that’s been used more in recent year than ever. Today, on Faster we talk with Brad Stulberg about his book “The Practice of Groudnedness” and how groundedness helps endurance athletes. If you’ve ever found yourself focusing on the goal without enjoying the journey, getting out of balance, or becoming obsessive out your workouts, this is a must listen to podcast. Learn about how presence, patient, vulnerability and community add up to make you a happier, more balanced, and faster athlete.Watt Points: Happier Watts

Have you ever been to a race and wished that you could have previewed the course beforehand? Wouldn’t it be great to get a feel for a course when you’re not close? When an athlete has this advantage, they enter race day with more piece of mind. Ben Nobury at myWindsock has been obsessing about this idea for some time. myWindsock provides a descriptive look at a course based on weather data, and rider data to help you understand that the hill your about to climb normally has a head wind. This data allows you the athlete to mentally prepare ahead of time for the course so you’re not adjusting on the fly. myWindsock also uses advanced algorithms to help you predict times on a course and tells you the right places to apply power for your race to optimize your time. Listen to this episode to learn how to cheat the wind and be prepare for your next event so you can become faster.Watt Points: 15-30

Sprinting, it seems easy right? Stand up and give it all you got. Well, that could not be further from the truth. Today, on Faster Jim Martin returns to discuss sprint finishes and the science behind making them faster.  Optimizing cadence, gear ratios, knowing when to shift, when to stay in the saddle and when to stand and how to stand all make massive difference to your sprint speed. Listen to this episode so you can add up to 100 w to your sprint and become Faster.Watt Points: 95 (In a Sprint)Jim's YouTube Video with supporting images and slides. 

This is a quick episode to recap 2021 and to welcome 2022 with our plans for the year. It's also to thank you the listener for being a part of FASTER.