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

May 17, 2019 · 1 hr 16 min
74: Why women are not small men, with Dr. Stacy Sims
In episode 74, we speak with one of the leading researchers on how women’s physiology influences optimal training and performance. There has been a long history of gender-neutralizing sports science. Money in sports science research is tight, and...
May 3, 2019 · 1 hr 18 min
73: How to balance your VLamax, with Sebastian Weber
Balance becomes an increasingly important concept as we get stronger. If you’re unfit, or just getting off the couch, everything is trainable. Everything can get better. But we reach a point where it’s not that simple. We love to look at peak...
Apr 22, 2019 · 1 hr 43 min
72: Do we need training zones? With Dr. Andy Coggan, Dr. Stephen McGregor, and Hunter Allen
There’s possibly nothing more ubiquitous in cycling than training zones. Trevor and I have lost count of the number of questions we’ve received from Fast Talk listeners that begin with something along the lines of “I was training in zone 4…”...
Apr 5, 2019 · 1 hr 32 min
71: How to train for and race gran fondo-style events, with Colby Pearce
Not long ago, gran fondos were these strange events popping up in a few places that most racers didn’t understand. Now, when you talk to most younger riders, they know all about fondos, but they might ask you what this road racing thing is all...
Mar 22, 2019 · 1 hr 19 min
70: Finding your strengths through failure, with Armando Mastracci
The days when training software simply showed a power and heart rate curve are a distant memory. Whether you use TrainingPeaks, Golden Cheetah, or some other software, you’ll know that nowadays basic data is mined to reveal a wealth of information...
Mar 8, 2019 · 1 hr 26 min
69: Functional training with Menachem Brodie
We all ride bikes because we love being out on the road or trail, we love performing, we love the thrill. It’s the part of our meal we look forward to. Our vegetables are all the functional work we know we need, but tend to push to the side of the...
Feb 22, 2019 · 1 hr 35 min
68: The big picture — the three types of rides you should do
In this episode we’re taking a step back — way back — to see the forest for the tress. Let me explain: Many of you have been fascinated by our recordings with scientists and coaches like , , , and . We’ve received a stack...
Feb 8, 2019 · 57 min
67: What is VLamax? With Sebastian Weber
In this era of training data, one number reigns supreme for many athletes: FTP. It’s a badge of pride, or maybe an obsession, and many cyclists pay coaches good money to improve it. But is FTP the only number we should be looking at — or even the...
Jan 26, 2019 · 1 hr 9 min
66: Demystifying periodization with Joe Friel
Periodization is, in many ways, the pinnacle of advanced training. Taking the steps to periodize graduates you to a professional approach, one with purpose, long-term vision, and organized planning. But periodization can also be confusing and,...
Jan 11, 2019 · 1 hr 9 min
65: Debunking supplements — what works, and what doesn’t?
Those who take their training and racing seriously are always looking for something to give them an edge — that marginal gain. The obvious and easiest fixes are often equipment upgrades — lighter bikes, more aerodynamic wheels. Then come...
Dec 28, 2018 · 1 hr 23 min
64: Inside the Canadian team’s world championship success, with Mike Woods and Rob Britton
In episode 64, we ask the question: What does it take to stand on the podium at the world championships? It’s a simple question without a simple answer. Strength buys you a seat at the table, but playing a winning hand takes effective training,...
Dec 14, 2018 · 1 hr 21 min
63: Training gift ideas with Colby Pearce and Frank Overton
It’s the holidays and if you’re like us, right about now, you’re scrambling for gift ideas. So we’re trying something new on Fast Talk and doing a gift episode. Of course, there are a ton of great gifts you can give that cyclist in your life,...
Dec 7, 2018 · 38 min
62: Listener questions on short rides, diet, vegetable oils, and training sub-threshold
We’ve been getting a ton of questions from listeners, and many of them have had similar themes. (We appreciate the feedback, look forward to your questions, and generate many future podcast topics from them, so please keep them coming.) While...
Nov 30, 2018 · 1 hr 15 min
61: Do you need a coach? With Neal Henderson and Rebecca Rusch
In the famous book “Daniels’ Running Formula,” Jack Daniels lays out what he considers to be the four ingredients of success. The fourth ingredient is “direction,” and he describes it as follows: “Direction, the final ingredient of...
Nov 17, 2018 · 1 hr 19 min
60: Rethinking the science of trainers
In episode 60 we’re discussing trainers… hey, for those out there who hate them, we get it, but stay tuned, as we’ll tell you why you shouldn’t completely ignore them. For those who love them, we’re going to tell you why riding outside every...
Nov 1, 2018 · 1 hr 17 min
59: Preventing cycling’s most common injuries, with Dr. Andy Pruitt
PAIN, INJURIES, SORES… they are an unfortunate but nearly inevitable part of cycling. If you want to be among the best, you need to wear them with pride. And if you believe that, then get out of the 1980s. Yes, this is a sport for the tough man...
Oct 26, 2018 · 32 min
58: Inside Colby Pearce’s world record hour attempt
In episode 58, we talked with Colby Pearce about what it takes to make an attempt at the hour record on the track. Not long after, Pearce set the master’s 45-49 world record with a scorching 50.245 kilometer effort. For this special episode, we...
Oct 12, 2018 · 1 hr 16 min
57: Trail, rake, and flop — bike design with Lennard Zinn
SO, YOU THINK YOU KNOW BICYCLES? Well, think again. Today we’re sitting down with a legend of the cycling industry to talk about a variety of factors in frame design that most cyclists have never heard of. Yet these design elements — things...
Oct 1, 2018 · 1 hr 31 min
56: The Hour with Colby Pearce
THE HOUR. Those two words represent many things to many people. Some believe it to be the ultimate test of man and machine: out there on the track, with nowhere to hide, an athlete must come to terms with what he or she is truly capable of....
Sep 14, 2018 · 1 hr 17 min
55: How to win with mind power
The best riders understand… mindset wins races. And controlling your thought patterns in races is one of the most powerful things you can do. Mindset in cycling is an important and frequently neglected side of our training and racing. It’s avoided...