FASTER Cycling

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.

Scott Tindal, co-founder of FuelIn and seasoned sports nutritionist, joins to demystify performance nutrition for athletes. He shares how traditional meal plans can create stress and how FuelIn's app simplifies meal prep. The discussion highlights gut health, emphasizing its importance in preventing stomach issues on race day. Scott also explores innovative meal planning strategies, including carbohydrate periodization for cyclists and the integration of nutrition into training regimens, ensuring athletes get the fuel they need when they need it.

Cross training has been viewed in two ways, One, as the best thing for athletes who are looking to perform at a high level in their sport and two, as time taken away from further developing that sport. When considering children’s sports, the topic is even more debated. Today on Faster we talk with Matt Kritz who specializes in strength training athletes in multiple disciplines. His time with the New Zealand Olympic program lead, him to develop a movement screen and a prescriptive way to get athletes to progressively load their bodies with strength training to better prepare them for their sport. During that time, he’s also developed theories around cross training for athletes of all ages. Listen to this episode to learn what type of cross training can make you and your kids faster.Watt Points: 50