Empirical Cycling Podcast

Wonder how many reps to do in the gym? How many sets? This episode will help. We discuss typical set and rep ranges, how good they are for strength, hypertrophy, or maintenance, as well as in the context of periodization.

This discussion focuses on cyclists choosing exercises for strength training, and the hosts mostly stay on track. Topics included are high and low bar back squats vs front squat, lifting shoes, injury concerns, weight belts, and the bilateral deficit.

Kolie and Kyle let their quads out in this wide ranging discussion of pointers for cyclists going into the gym for strength training. Topics touched on are gym basics, the importance of technique, weight progression, range of motion, functional training, RPE, 1 rep max testing, and easy gym days (deloading).

Patrick Smith joins Kolie for a conversation about how to not accidentally rickroll yourself. Included are the usefulness of rigid rules in training and racing, goals vs. values, dealing with disappointment, and why common psychological evaluations don't work with athletes.

In this episode Kolie asks Empirical Cycling coach Alex Carmona and coach Taylor Warren about their first full season racing USA Crits. We discuss highs and lows, the importance of cornering and positioning, and working up the USA Crits team pecking order. Alex and Taylor also put on their coach hats and go in depth about managing fitness and fatigue in a season, having a "fitness reservoir," hot takes on warmups, and tire widths and pressures.

We look deeper into how the body chooses to use carbohydrates and fats, and specifically when and how carbohydrates inhibit fat oxidation. This serves as a jumping off point to take a critical look at VLamax and how it may, or may not, affect your FTP.

What does it really mean to burn something aerobically? This episode concludes the first phase of this series by looking at both the Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain, and putting them in perspective. In what way is burning fats or carbs aerobic, and how aerobically different are they from each other?

In this episode we answer questions asked on Instagram and r/velo. The podcast isn't dead!

This is a wide ranging conversation with Empirical Cycling coach Dr. Fabiano Araujo. We discuss the immune system, inflammation, when you can and can't train when sick, nutrition strategies, and much more.

This episode starts by looking at the chemical mechanisms of glycolysis, the stepwise dismantling of glucose for energy, and finishes with some big picture learnings about this deceptively simple pathway.