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Fast Talk

Fast Talk Labs

The Fast Talk podcast offers the best guides to cycling performance and endurance sports training from world-class experts.

Cohosted by cycling coaches and sport scientists Trevor Connor and Rob Pickels, Fast Talk episodes feature fascinating conversations with world-class experts discussing the endurance sports topics they know best: the best ways to train, effective workouts, questions on polarized and interval training, sports nutrition, physiology and recovery, and sport psychology.

Fast Talk guests and regular contributors include Dr. Stephen Seiler, Joe Friel, Dr. Asker Jeukendrup, Sebastian Weber, Jim Miller, Dr. Andy Pruitt, Dr. Timothy Noakes, and elite professional athletes like Kristin Armstrong, Sepp Kuss, Brent Bookwalter, Kate Courtney, and many more.

Fast Talk is part of Fast Talk Laboratories, a new endurance sports knowledgebase for endurance racers and adventurers.

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  • 474 episodes
  • Updated Thursday

Episodes474

Newest first
  • Mar 10, 2022 · 21 min

    206: Dr, Stephen Seiler on Breathing, Beer, and Heart Rate

    We got so much great information from Dr Stephen Seiler when we interviewed him for episode 200, we wanted to make sure we shared it all with our listeners. In this episode, Dr. Seiler tells about breathing, beer and heart rate. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Feb 24, 2022 · 51 min

    204: Fast Talk Bids Our Heart-Felt Farewell to Chris Case

    Chris Case is leaving Fast Talk! For his final episode, we gather some of his close cycling friends to discuss Chris and his epic rides, his parting wisdom, and what has made him a special part of Fast Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Feb 10, 2022 · 1 hr 32 min

    202: A Brief History of Endurance Sports Coaching with Joe Friel

    When looking at the history of endurance sports coaching, there's no better guide than coach Joe Friel. Quite simply, Joe Friel is the most trusted endurance sports coach in the world. He has trained endurance athletes since 1980 in triathlon, duathlon, road cycling, and mountain biking. Joe has trained national champions, world championship contenders, and Olympic athletes. And he has coached scores of amateur athletes of all ability levels. Friel’s philosophy and methodology for training athletes was developed over more than 40 years. They are based on his strong interest in sport science research and his experience training hundreds of athletes with a wide range of abilities. Friel is cofounder of TrainingPeaks and the best-selling author of many books. These include The Triathlete’s Training Bible, The Cyclist’s Training Bible, Fast After 50, Going Long, Your Best Triathlon, The Power Meter Handbook, and Your First Triathlon. His cycling and triathlon coaching platform, Joe Friel Training, is among the most successful and respected in endurance sports. We are privileged to have him on the show today to discuss the craft of coaching. And by that I mean both his personal views on what it takes to become an effective coach, as well as his new body of work entitled The Craft of Coaching, which is a multimedia guide to becoming a better, more successful, and happier coach. Drawing from his 40-year career, Joe shares the lessons he learned about athlete performance, the athlete-coach relationship, mastering the business side—and how to make coaching more rewarding. Joining Joe on today’s episode are a group of coaches who have also had their impact on coaching as we now know it. This includes Dr. Andy Pruitt, the creator of the BG Fit system; Frank Overton, owner of FasCat Coaching; Chris Carmichael, the founder of Carmichael Training Systems; and Kristin Legan, who has been both a coach and a professional cyclist. Let's dive into the history of coaching! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Feb 3, 2022 · 45 min

    201: Exploring Recent Training Tools with Toms Skujins

    Multiple-time Polka Dot Jersey Holder, Toms Skujins, discusses lactate testing, CGMs, ketone strips, and taking his own blood on the side of the road. If you’re a listener of this show, you understand that nothing can replace hard work if you want to be at your strongest. But that doesn’t stop many of us from keeping an eye on the newest gadgets and tools with the hopes that one or two of them will give us that little bit more; that slight edge that pushes us over the top. What might surprise you is that is something that we share with even the highest-level professionals. And while many of us imagine a battery of physiologist and coaches precisely tuning there every decision, that’s often not the case. Many pros get their information from the same places as us and just like us, they’re often found stopped on the side of the road struggling with their newest gadget. That has been the case with today’s guest, a jersey leader at the Tour de France. Toms Skujins is a Latvian rider on the World Tour team Trek-Segafredo. He has worn the Polka Dot Jersey at the Tour de France and won multiple National Championships and one-day races. Today Toms talks with us about the many tools he’s experimented with over the years including continuous glucose monitors, ketone strips, the CORE Body Temperature Monitor, Oura rings, the Leomo accelerometer, and even conducting lactate tests on himself. Some have given him that extra edge, while others have left him bleeding on the side of the road – literally. So, let’s dive into a few of these training aids and let’s make you fast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jan 27, 2022 · 1 hr 7 min

    200: The Future of Endurance Sports! With Dr. Andy Pruitt, Kristen Legan, Rob Pickels, and Dr. Stephen Seiler

    200! For our milestone 200the episode, we address one big question: What does the future hold? And we attempt to answer that question by looking at several aspects of what’s to come: from the future of sports medicine to the future of bike racing to the future of exercise physiology research. We first address the future of sports medicine. After 40 years of watching and, more importantly, influencing where endurance sports have gone, there could be no better guest than Dr. Andy Pruitt to help us predict where we will go next. What does the future of sports medicine hold? Will the development of products make us all better, healthier endurance athletes? How will bike fit change? Kristen Legan is, in many ways, representative of modern cycling: she doesn’t just race, she doesn’t just coach. She doesn’t just do road or gravel or bikepacking events. In fact, she started as a triathlete, then evolved into a ‘cross racer, and now she does a bit of everything, from ultra-events to MTB marathon races. And more and more cyclists are doing this same thing. Kristen helps us answer the question: What does the future of bike racing hold? Never at a loss for a well-reasoned remark about anything to do with training or cycling or physiology, Rob Pickels helps us put a point on our discussion of the future of endurance training. What is the future of things that didn’t exist five years ago—things like wearables (Whoop, Super Sapiens, etc.), virtual racing, and training? Finally, we couldn’t call it a special episode without Dr. Stephen Seiler. He first appeared nearly 150 episodes ago and he’s been with us, if not on podcasts, then in spirit ever since. The Jay Z of physiology, the godfather of polarized training, Mr. 4x8 himself, Dr. Stephen Seiler addresses the question: What does the future of endurance physiology research look like? From the very beginning, this show has been driven by the audience—we aim to serve you by exploring the topics you want to know more about, and by answering your thoughtful questions. This episode continues that legacy: We gathered your best questions, and chose a few to answer on some of the most popular themes we’ve discussed in the past: polarized vs. sweet spot training; muscle soreness; weight; and nutrition. Believe it or not, we also include some bloopers in this special 200th episode. You wouldn’t believe the dirt that various cameras and microphones have collected on us over the years. Don’t judge! Finally, Trevor and Chris offer their take-home on the last 200 episodes—the most important thing each has learned from the journey that is Fast Talk. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jan 20, 2022 · 1 hr

    199: Training as a Time-Crunched Athlete, with Chris Carmichael

    Many of our listeners, in fact, most of the staff here at Fast Talk Labs, could be considered “time-crunched athletes”—people with only 6-8 hours to train each week. We’re athletes who, because of commitments like parenting and work, must try and find ways to fit training in around life, rather than the other way around. And if you’ve heard that term before—the time-crunched athlete—it’s because of our guest today, who literally wrote the book on it. But before you jump to the conclusion that the prescription in the book is high-intensity intervals all the time, think again. That isn’t the case, and today we explore the specifics of the method, as well as the science that informs this training approach. We also discuss its limitations, and whether, as we are so often asked, if it can play nicely with the polarized approach. Our featured guest today is, of course, Chris Carmichael, author, coach, and the founder and CEO of Carmichael Training Systems, or CTS, which now boasts 50 professional endurance coaches who have worked with more than 25,000 amateur and professional athletes since 2000. Chris was a member of the 1984 Olympic Team and the iconic 7-Eleven Pro Cycling Team, and is a bestselling author of more than 10 books on training and nutrition. He was also coach to the U.S. Olympic Cycling team in 1992 and 1996. We're also joined by a host of other experienced coaches, including Menachem Brodie, Jared Berg, Julie Young, and Neal Henderson. It’s time to explore training with limited time. Let's make you fast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jan 13, 2022 · 32 min

    198: Favorite Workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, Part 3

    We ask every guest of Fast Talk—coach, athlete, or scientist—to describe their favorite workout—the what, why, how, and when. In this episode, we share the favorite workouts of legendary physiologist Dr. Ed Coyle, coach Jeff Winkler, pro off-road racer and coach Hannah Finchamp (who has since married and become Hannah Otto), coach Julie Young, physiologist Iñigo San Millán, TrainingPeaks cofounder Dirk Friel, and cycling journalist Ben Delaney. As each guest describes the specific details of their chosen workout, notice that it reveals a bit about their training philosophy and the “style” they bring to the execution and prescription. For more workouts of Fast Talk All-Stars, check out part 1 and part 2 of this series. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Jan 6, 2022 · 1 hr 3 min

    197: Cardiac Remodeling in Endurance Athletes, with Dr. Brad Petek and Dr. Tim Churchill

    On several previous episodes of Fast Talk, we have discussed the structural and biochemical changes that take place through the process of adaptation—through training. Today we’re going to address one of the most important and interesting structural changes, something called exercise-induced cardiac remodeling. As you train, your heart changes: This remodeling includes things like increases in chamber volume and muscle wall hypertrophy. Of course, these changes don’t happen after one set of intervals, so today we’ll discuss how long they take, and how quickly they are lost if you detrain or stop training because of injury. We’ll also explore both the performance changes and health consequences of this remodeling. We’re excited to be joined today by two leading experts in this area of research and clinical practice, Dr. Bradley Petek and Dr. Timothy Churchill. Dr. Petek is a cardiology fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital and one of the authors of the journal article entitled “Cardiac effects of detraining in athletes: a narrative review” that you’ll hear us refer to in the show. And Dr. Churchill is a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and an Instructor at Harvard Medical School. He is a member of that hospital’s Cardiovascular Performance Program, where he studies cardiovascular adaptations to exercise as they apply to health, disease, and human performance. We’ll also hear from coach Julie Young to get her sense of how this remodeling effects physiology testing. We’ll also hear from coaches Julie Young and Jared Berg to get their understanding of how cardiac remodeling effects athletes of all abilities. Let's make you fast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Dec 30, 2021 · 43 min

    196: Q&A on Annual Training Plans, Race Stress, and Body Image, with Julie Young

    We're joined by long-time contributor Julie Young who helps us field unique listener questions on how to build an annual training plan, coping with race stress, and overcoming body image issues. Building annual training plans The first question comes from our forum, from Devin Knickerbocker. He writes: “I just read the Houshang Amiri article “How to Develop a Yearly Training Plan” and I notice that he uses a spreadsheet. I have also been using a spreadsheet, but what resources and formats do you guys use to design and manage an ATP? Are there any apps or programs that facilitate this better than Microsoft Excel? I have tried to use TrainingPeaks, but I have found that it is difficult to get the right level of view. For example, their ATP builder is a combination of too high-level (e.g., you can’t look at planned progression of weight lifting, core, flexibility, skills and training all next to each other) and also, somehow, too granular (e.g. you have to pick the amount of TSS that you plan to be doing seven months in the future, which feels absurd). TrainingPeaks is great for planning a week and/or designing individual workouts but for the ATP functionality, i just don’t feel that it fills the bill. Any other ideas?” Coping with racing stress This question comes from John Ingram of Dublin, Ireland. He writes: “I’m new to road racing. I love it. But my love of racing is matched only by my hatred of pre-race nerves. The stress, the anxiety—sometimes to the point of nausea—takes away from the experience. What do I do to make it go away so I can enjoy this sport even more?” Body image This question comes from Amanda Newell in Providence, Rhode Island. She writes: “As a sprinter, it helps to put on muscle weight. Commitment to this discipline often means I’m surrendering to the fact that buying jeans will be more challenging than not. How can I better accept the beauty in strength and performance versus one that is defined more by the traditional image of beauty and femininity as skinny and less muscular?” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Dec 23, 2021 · 1 hr 2 min

    195: Favorite Moments of 2021

    Join us as we go through our favorite moments of 2021 including talks with Dr. Asker Jeukendrup, Kristin Armstrong, Jim Miller, Jeff Winkler, Neal Henderson, Dr. Simon Marshall and Lesley Paterson. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Dec 16, 2021 · 37 min

    194: Q&A with Adam Saint Pierre

    Q&A on Nordic Skiing, Recovery, and Mixing Training Modalities, with Adam St. Pierre Adam St. Pierre, the head coach of the Nordic ski team at Montana St. University, and a former physiologist and jack-of-all-trades at the Boulder Center for Sports Medicine, joins Fast Talk to discuss nordic skiing and how it fits into endurance training, oxygen debt versus deficit, muscle recovery, and mixing running and cycling training modalities effectively. Nordic ski training This first question comes from Ashley Masen in California: “Since cross country skiing is full-body and pushes higher stroke volume than cycling can, could there be a really beneficial way to do VO2max training in the early season, then focus on extending threshold and adding specificity on the bike as you get closer to your race?” Oxygen debt versus deficit This question comes from Rodney Simpson in North Carolina. He writes: “What is your explanation of oxygen debt and oxygen deficit? Is the latency heart rate at the beginning of applying power for a zone 3 interval due to O2 debt or O2 deficit? Also, the duration to return to pre zone 3 interval heart rate due to fitness or fatigue?” Muscle recovery This question comes from Kjeld Bontenbal in the Netherlands. He writes: “Where resting HR and HRV seem to be proper guidelines for cardiovascular recovery, how about muscle recovery? As a speed skater I often find my rest HR and HRV ‘at rest’, while my legs still feel sore. The soreness translates itself into lower power output in both the aerobic and anaerobic area. It makes me wonder: What is a good measure to determine the recovery state of the muscles? When the legs feel sore, should I give them more rest for optimal super-compensation?” References Chazaud, B. (2016). Inflammation during skeletal muscle regeneration and tissue remodeling: application to exercise‐induced muscle damage management. Immunology and Cell Biology, 94(2), 140–145. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1038/icb.2015.97 Demarle, A. P., Slawinski, J. J., Laffite, L. P., Bocquet, V. G., Koralsztein, J. P., & Billat, V. L. (2001). Decrease of O2 deficit is a potential factor in increased time to exhaustion after specific endurance training. Journal of Applied Physiology, 90(3), 947–953. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1152/jappl.2001.90.3.947 Howatson, G., & Someren, K. A. van. (2008). The Prevention and Treatment of Exercise-Induced Muscle Damage. Sports Medicine, 38(6), 483–503. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.2165/00007256-200838060-00004 Minett, G. M., & Duffield, R. (2014). Is recovery driven by central or peripheral factors? A role for the brain in recovery following intermittent-sprint exercise. Frontiers in Physiology, 5, 24. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2014.00024 Mizumura, K., & Taguchi, T. (2016). Delayed onset muscle soreness: Involvement of neurotrophic factors. The Journal of Physiological Sciences, 66(1), 43–52. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1007/s12576-015-0397-0 Peake, J. M., Neubauer, O., Gatta, P. A. D., & Nosaka, K. (2017). Muscle damage and inflammation during recovery from exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology, 122(3), 559–570. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00971.2016 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Dec 9, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min

    193: How Much Speed Can Be Bought? With Ben Delaney

    Today we’re talking speed, but not necessarily the kind that comes from hard work, although we touch on things like coaches and training plans as the first and most important step to “buying” speed. This episode is about what makes you faster by focusing on aerodynamics and reducing drag or that CdA coefficient that is so important. This is an episode about the things that directly bring speed. We’re joined by our friend and colleague Ben Delaney who has spent decades riding and reviewing countless bikes and pieces of gear for VeloNews and BikeRadar, as well as time in the industry with Specialized. He takes us through his tiered hierarchy of options when it comes to spending your way to a faster you. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Dec 2, 2021 · 1 hr 2 min

    192: The Evolution of the Perception of Supplements, with Dr. Louise Burke

    While we’ve talked about supplements on Fast Talk before, we’ve never sat down with one of the world’s preeminent nutrition researchers to dive into the history and overall value of supplements. But that’s just what we do today. Dr. Louise Burke is a sports dietitian with 40 years of experience in the education and counseling of elite athletes. She worked at the Australian Institute of Sport for 30 years, first as Head of Sports Nutrition and then as Chief of Nutrition Strategy. She was the team dietitian for the Australian Olympic Teams for the 1996 through 2012 Summer Olympic Games. Her publications include over 350 papers in peer-reviewed journals and book chapters, and the authorship or editorship of several textbooks on sports nutrition. And her list of accomplishments and accolades goes on. She is now a Professorial Fellow at Australian Catholic University. With the limited time we had with Dr. Burke, we discuss the rise and fall of many supplement fads, the evolving classification of supplements, and the role she played in the creation of an evidence-based categorization system. Then we take a closer look at some of the most popular and effective supplements, discussing the history, development, and efficacy of each. Today we also hear from a host of other athletes and coaches to get their opinions on supplements. These include Amos Brumble, Houshang Amiri, Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Rebecca Rusch. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Nov 24, 2021 · 45 min

    191: Q&A on Thanksgiving Mind Games, Jan Ullrich Effect, and Food as Medicine

    This first question we’ve saved for this special occasion. Brenda Castile from Essex, Connecticut, writes: “Thanksgiving! I love it. I love the food, I love the drinks, I love the desserts. I love being around family. All of which means I’m exposed to calories and germs, a cyclist’s worst nightmare. And, as usual, it comes just a couple of weeks before I want to be at my best for the finale of ‘cross season. So, how can I have my cake and eat it too? How does someone who takes the sport seriously, as I do, but who also has the perspective on ‘normal’ life to know that I shouldn’t boycott a special gathering that I love for a chance at a dinky medal at ‘cross nationals this year. Am I just playing mind games with myself? Can I splurge for a day, do my best to limit my exposure to germs and other creepy crawlies, and then get straight back on the wagon the next day, no worse for wear? How do I keep the mind games from making me feel guilty and exposed right when I want to be buckling down for a chance at amateur glory?” Binge before or after? This next question comes from Sid Merriman in Dover, Delaware. He writes: “Simple question: before or after? Thanksgiving is a time for feasting and turkey trots, but do I feast first and then trot, or trot then feast? My wife and I debate the topic of timing every year. I want to get my turkey trot in first, then binge like there’s no tomorrow—which means she’s pushing back the Thanksgiving meal until late afternoon to accommodate my schedule. She wants me to eat first, so that I get to the turkey trot later in the day to work off that ginormous plate of pecan pie—which means I'm pushing her to have the Thanksgiving meal at or before noon so I have time to digest 8,000 calories before running my brains out. Who’s right, me or my wife?” Avoiding the Jan Ullrich effect This question comes from Casey Hickock in Bend, Oregon. He writes: “When I was first getting into cycling in the late 1990s, I remember watching the Tour de France on TV when Lance Armstrong and Jan Ullrich were battling. When it came to Jan, a topic of conversation that always seemed to pop up was about his weight, and how much he would put on in the off-season and how hard it would be for him to lose it the following season. Well, I know how the man must have felt. Leaving everything else from that era aside, can you help me avoid the seemingly inevitable weight gain of winter—I slow down, the food and beer seem to get richer and more plentiful, and the weight gain speeds up. Every year it gets harder to shed the weight come spring. Surely, you’ve heard this before or even dealt with it yourself. I imagine discipline is key here… but besides that, what can I do to avoid this up and down cycle year after year?” Food as medicine This question comes from Brad With. He writes: “I recently read an article by Trevor where he discusses health issues, inflammation, and sickness during his cycling training. I've raced bikes for about 18 years in Colorado. I have been plagued with frequent colds (8-10 a year), digestive issues, and Celiac disease. I have also had a bout of viral postural orthostatic tachycardia (POTS) syndrome. I also had a rare and serious pneumonia that almost took my life in 2012. I always felt that there was possibly a major factor contributing to these problems. I am seriously considering whether it's the food I'm eating. I'm trying to find some evidence that a drastic change in diet could contribute to improving my health. Paleo is one of the avenues I would like to try. I would like to find other (anecdotal) evidence that Paleo has improved the health of others.” Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Nov 18, 2021 · 1 hr 36 min

    190: Is Perceived Exertion the Most Important Metric?

    There are many ways to measure intensity. This is an episode about the one that is often forgotten: RPE. Perceived exertion is a standardized way to classify a subjective feeling. We've touched upon RPE in many episodes, often referring to the fact that top pros all know "the feel." Today, we argue that the metric of feeling—perceived exertion, RPE, sensations, whatever you call it—is in many ways the most important metric. Yes, we're arguing that it is even more important than power and heart rate. We set the stage by defining RPE. Next, we lay out our argument for why RPE may be the most important metric—whether in the training or racing context. Then we turn our attention to ways to learn how to understand or interpret feelings to determine RPE. It's not an easy task, but there are certain steps you can take to hone your sense of, well, sense. Finally, we discuss the best ways to use RPE, from the ability to assess where you're at to knowing what efforts of a given length "feel like" so that you can then use that to pace in races; from adjusting power and HR in training to how the sRPE scale can be used to integrate off-the-bike workouts into overall training load. Since this is a summary episode, we pulled from previous episodes to hear from a host of the most prominent coaches, athletes, and researchers, including: Jeff Winkler, Joe Friel, Kristen Legan, Amos Brumble, Dirk Friel, Kristin Armstrong, Ned Overend, Dr. Stephen Seiler, Kate Courtney, Svein Tuft, and Julie Young. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Nov 11, 2021 · 1 hr 5 min

    189: Bike Fit Methodology, with Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Todd Carver

    In the beginning, a bike fit would include a guy at a bike shop with a plumb line and a theory. Now, bike fit is a full-fledged science with video cameras, 3D models, and a greater understanding of human anatomy and physiology as it pertains to cycling. In part 2 of our bike fit discussion, we’ll explore the practical implications of bike fit, from the debate over aerodynamics versus power to our guest’s feelings about technology versus experience and intuition, and many other subjects, generally in the realm of "methodology." Once again we're joined by three of the great minds in bike fit. Dr. Andy Pruitt is the director of sports medicine here at Fast Talk, and one of the pioneers of the study of cycling biomechanics. Our next guest has appeared on Fast Talk many times before, and he also continues to host his own podcast, “Cycling in Alignment.” Of course, I speak of Colby Pearce. Finally, making his Fast Talk debut is Todd Carver, co-founder of Retül and the head of human performance at Specialized, which now owns the Retül fit technology. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Nov 4, 2021 · 1 hr 1 min

    188: Nerd Lab: FTP, VO2max, and Sprints within LSD

    Exercise physiologist Rob Pickels returns to Fast Talk to out-nerd Coach Trevor Connor as they discuss new scientific research in sport science. Though the findings of these studies may not always directly apply to your weekly training plan, understanding the questions that have been asked by physiology researchers can give you context about what is known and knowable by science as it relates to human performance. In case you missed our last Nerd Lab episode, check out Fast Talk episode 172: Sprinting, Overtraining Your Cells, Durability: Rob Pickels & Trevor Connor Nerd Out on Recent Research. FTP20 Test Review The first review, "What is known about the FTP 20 test related to cycling? A scoping review," revealed there are only a few studies that have looked at the 20-minute test of FTP. The protocols of the different studies varied a lot, so it is difficult to find significant trends. Overall, this is a thorough analysis of the 20-minute FTP test and how well it predicts/correlates with other measures. For example, it has decent correlation with MLSS and LT2, but shouldn’t replace them. Interval Protocols and Time Near VO2max In the next study, "Time Spent Near VO2max During Different Cycling Self-Paced Interval Training Protocols," the researchers compared 4-minute and 8-minute self-paced intervals with 4:1 and 2:1 recovery ratios. The findings suggest the 2:1 ratios tended to result in more time near VO2max. But it raises a question: Is time near VO2max the goal? The assumption is that time at VO2max is better for adaptations. Does this assumption drive bad training practices? Finally, this study also raises interesting questions about self-paced vs. set intensity intervals. Inclusion of Sprints in Transition Period The final study, entitled "The Inclusion of Sprints in Low-Intensity Sessions During the Transition Period of Elite Cyclists Improves Endurance Performance 6 Weeks Into the Subsequent Preparatory Period," looked at whether having some intensity in the transition period will help a subsequent preparation period. The findings suggest that including sprints improved 20 minute all-out TT, but there is still a question of whether there is a physiological benefit. The test procedure was huge; there were differences between the groups. All that improved was their ability to ride at a higher percent of VO2max. Is it a simple improvement in an athlete's ability to suffer? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

  • Oct 28, 2021 · 56 min

    187: Bike Fit Philosophy, with Dr. Andy Pruitt, Colby Pearce, and Todd Carver

    Bike fit was once purely a quote-unquote “philosophy.” In the old days, you may have experienced getting a so-called fit by a guy at a bike shop with a plumb line and a theory. Now, bike fit is a full-fledged science—there are video cameras everywhere, 3D modeling, and so on. That being said, it’s a science that is still influenced by philosophy—what each fitter brings to the exam and analysis that impacts his or her perspective. Today, we’ve gathered three of the great minds in bike fit to discuss this complex and extremely important aspect of cycling. When we sat down to discuss the topic, to no one’s surprise, they spoke for hours, so we’ve decided to split this conversation into two parts. Today, we start with a discussion about the philosophy of fit, and how science fits into that philosophy. In part 2, we’ll discuss the practical implications of bike fit, from the debate over aerodynamics versus power, to our guest’s feelings about technology versus experience and intuition. Our guests’ immense experience and influence on the world of bike fit cannot possibly be captured in a single sentence, but that’s what I’ll try to do. Dr. Andy Pruitt is the director of sports medicine here at Fast Talk, and one of the pioneers of the study of cycling biomechanics. Our next guest has appeared on Fast Talk many times before, and he also continues to host his own podcast, “Cycling in Alignment.” Of course, I speak of Colby Pearce. Finally, making his Fast Talk debut is Todd Carver, co-founder of Retül and the head of human performance at Specialized, which now owns the Retül fit technology. What do each of our guests have to say about his fit philosophy? What’s involved in a fit? What's the goal of a fit? Stay tuned. Let's get you fit… and make you fast! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices