Empirical Cycling Podcast

Kyle Helson, a NASA scientist and national champion sprinter, joins to explore a fascinating study on muscle glycogen recovery and its surprising impact on high-intensity interval performance. They discuss how delayed carbohydrate feeding can reduce performance, even with equal total calories. Helson explains the complexities of glycogen storage and its significance in sports. They also dive into practical coaching takeaways about post-exercise fueling and discuss how these findings could impact training strategies for cyclists.

To celebrate over a million podcast listens we let you ask us anything, and we answered. You asked training questions about how we would refocus the US's cycling governing body, improving climbing, book suggestions, how long it takes to return to peak form, indoors vs outdoor duration equivalents, partial ROM lifts, if you need to be in a caloric surplus when training, tempo workouts, and more. We also answer more personal questions like our lift PRs and a game of FMK, music and food, plus updates on how and why our own training and competitive goals have shifted over the recent years.

James McKay, an Empirical Cycling coach, shares expert insights on winter training strategies tailored to individual cyclist needs. He discusses the importance of customizing offseason plans based on goals and stressors, as well as the role of low-intensity sessions in recovering from heavy race seasons. The conversation touches on integrating strength training, utilizing Zwift races as effective interval sessions, and the significance of enjoying rides to prevent burnout. Listeners gain practical advice on training loads and the importance of smart periodization.

Dive into impactful training habits that can elevate cycling performance! Coaches discuss the balance of consistency and avoiding overtraining. Learn to prepare mentally for each workout and establish repeatable warm-up rituals for race day. Emphasize realistic nutrition strategies and manage health consciousness without going overboard. Enjoy your training while still focusing on long-term progress. Plus, tips on listening to your body for optimal performance and rest!

Rory Porteus, an Empirical Cycling coach with a wealth of practical coaching experience, dives into the paradox of training volume in cycling. He discusses why less-experienced cyclists can sometimes outperform seasoned racers and how survivor and selection biases distort our perceptions of training norms. The conversation also covers the diminishing returns of excessive training hours, the importance of balancing volume with intensity, and how consistent, optimized training can lead to significant performance gains despite genetic factors. Great insights await!

This discussion features Kyle Helson, a coach and exercise physiology expert, diving deep into the nuances of creatine and its effects on cycling performance. They explore why meta-analyses help clarify mixed results from various studies. The duo transparently shares their personal experiences with creatine use. They tackle how diet may influence creatine’s effectiveness and whether weight gain offsets sprint improvements. They also examine creatine's cognitive benefits and engage with listener questions, making practical evaluations on supplementation.

Discover how to effectively diagnose and train your weaknesses during the off-season. The hosts discuss the opportunity costs of this strategy and when it may not make sense. Learn the importance of accurate assessments, from evaluating anaerobic capacity to understanding race tactics. They also explore the benefits of enhancing race skills through group rides and footage analysis. Finally, practical off-season tips on nutrition, strength training, and avoiding burnout are shared to keep your motivation high.

Coach Kyle Helson, a seasoned contributor in endurance sports, dives into the interplay of perceived exertion and threshold testing. He discusses how athletes can intuitively gauge their functional threshold power (FTP) by relying on their experiences rather than fixed models. They explore fascinating insights on RPE drift, the limits of critical power tests, and provide practical tips for pacing and testing strategies. Trusting one's sensations over rigid metrics is emphasized, ensuring athletes stay in tune with their bodies and performance.

Explore how cyclists can build strength without unwanted weight gain through an analysis of four key studies. Discover the differences between eccentric and concentric contractions and how they affect muscle growth. Unpack the ideal sets, reps, and minimum training doses needed for strength improvements. Dive into nutrition strategies, including the importance of energy balance and calorie considerations. Get practical guidelines to enhance performance without compromising cycling goals.

We take a deep look at ten commonly used ways to test or estimate FTP, and dissect how and why each method does (or is supposed to) work, how often we might expect accurate result and who it'd be accurate for, and the Empirical Cycling standards for test accuracy. We also dig into some data on ramp test accuracy and bias, plus how anaerobic capacity, RPE, and daily fluctuations in performance can play a role in test results. Plus time in zone, %FTP, normalized power, lactate tests, the "Kolie Moore" test, and your listener questions on DFA-alpha1, eFTP, and more.