Cycling

Caffeine Use in Endurance Sports

Caffeine is the most established performance enhancing agent in the endurance sports industry due to its ergogenic and cognitive potential. In 1984, caffeine was included on the prohibited list by the Olympic officials. Urine analysis of 12 micrograms per milliliter and higher was the limit to test positive until the ban was lifted in 2003. … Read more

5 Reasons for Peak Season Strength Training

Should I strength train during my season? The short answer is, Yes! The long(er) answer is below. USE IT OR LOSE IT! I always find it a bit amusing to see pictures of pre-season professional cyclists at their respective training camps performing stretches and strength training exercises. Why? Because almost none of these cyclists perform … Read more

Stay In Your Lane

There are many aspects to being a great coach… Reliable. Professional. Knowledgable. Adaptable. The list goes on. However, one aspect of being a great coach that is often left off the list is that of staying in your lane. While this falls under the ‘professional’ category listed above, unfortunately, it is all too often ignored … Read more

The Science of Stretching – Simply Explained

Pre-stretching reduces performance. Stretching is dangerous. You must hold a stretch for at least 10 seconds. These are just a few of the topics surrounding stretching that are thrown around with some frequency. So what is the truth about stretching and what is shall we say… less than accurate? To get to the bottom of … Read more

Reverse Periodization

Periodization is a pretty common term and training practice within the realm of endurance sports. When most endurance athletes think of periodization, they think of a pyramid; with the lowest intensity/highest volume at the bottom and the highest intensity/lowest volume at the top. This pyramid is typically designed to peak for one event per year, … Read more

Cycling Aerodynamics – Surprising Facts

If you’re an avid triathlete or road cyclist, you likely geek out over slippery looking bikes and have an odd knowledge of terms such as ‘coefficient of drag’ and ‘yaw angles.’ However, despite familiarity with some aerodynamic terms and all of the marketing done by bike, clothing and gear companies in terms of aerodynamics; the … Read more

GUIDE: Strength Training for Endurance Athletes

The History Ahh yes, strength training – the nemesis of any endurance athlete… or at least that is what we are often led to believe. For starters, despite being debunked many many years ago, the myth that lifting a weight or doing a lunge will automatically add pounds of muscle still persists to this day. … Read more

Lactic Acid vs. Lactate: What’s The Difference?

If you’ve been involved with endurance sports for even a short amount of time, you have no doubt heard or read that the ever so fun muscle burn that you experience is caused by a thing called ‘lactic acid.’ This obviously must be correct as so many sources cite lactic acid as the nemesis of … Read more

The Science of the Warm-Up

Whether it was your 5th grade soccer coach, your college track coach, or your running group buddies; if you’ve been participating in sports of any kind, you’ve likely heard the phrase, “You gotta warm up!” While this is a common understanding, the science of the warm up is less understood. While the general rationale for … Read more

Want More Power On The Bike? Start With Your Ankles

There was a time not too long ago, if you wanted an accurate assessment of your power output while cycling, you had to head to a physiology lab – not so anymore. Nowadays, on-the-bike power meters are as ubiquitous as heart rate monitors used to be. Due to this, there are endless articles and resources … Read more