Pavcast: Recent Episodes
Pavcast
My podcast returns! Same cycling performance training advice, different name - which was picked by my fans, not me! Enjoy :)
Us cyclists, we love a good coffee. Whether that is pre-morning intervals or at the cafe stop with the club, we seemingly can’t get enough. Yet, caffeine can play a role in cycling performance, and not always a positive one.
In this special episode featuring good friend and client, Guy Stapleford, we talk through the best ways to utilise caffeine to improve your cycling performance.
Links to further resources:
- More of my training content: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-training/
- Info on world caffeine consumption: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1750-3841.2010.01561.x/full
- Info on cross-training: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/your-cross-training-guide/
- More of my nutrition content: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-nutrition/
- Accurately gauging your commitment: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-to-accurately-gauge-your-commitment-level/
- Accurately setting goals: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-prioritise-your-cycling-events/
If you are a regular reader of my blog, or have followed me online, you will have heard me state the importance of personalising your cycling training. In the main, the way to personalise your training will be to look at your individual phenotypes and construct training accordingly.
Phenotypes play a massive role in how I work as a coach. While there are other factors I consider, the following blog post might open your eyes to the depths that I, and other good coaches, will go to when building your training or coaching plan.
Discussed in this podcast episode. What are phenotypes, including what are the main phenotypes considered in cycling training, establishing baselines for cycling specific phenotypes, and what are the other factors considered in cycling training; age, gender, heat or climate, and altitude. Adapting your cycling training for your phenotypes and getting help.
Links to further resources:
- Link to my blog: https://coachpav.com/blog/
- Link to my Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pavbryan/
- Link to the Oxford Languages definition of phenotypes: https://languages.oup.com/google-dictionary-en/
- Link to blog on stretching: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/why-you-should-get-bent-and-stretch/
- Link to blog on base endurance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-improve-your-base-fitness/
- Link to info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- Link to info on heat adaptation training: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-train-and-race-in-heat/
- Link to blog on goal setting: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/the-importance-of-goal-setting-for-cycling-training/
- Link to information on commitment: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-to-accurately-gauge-your-commitment-level/
- Link to info on recovery: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
- Link to info on consultations: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
A study by the University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation found that in 2017, the worldwide need for blood was 304,711,244 units, but the supply was only 272,270,243.
A different study from the World Health Organization said that 3 in 4 people worldwide are physically active and around 1 in 5 consider themself an athlete and train for a specific sport or event.
With these two studies in mind, it’s no wonder why so many cyclists risk their cycling performance by donating blood as, if they stopped, there could be a severe challenge in bridging the gap.
I want you to understand that I’m not suggesting you do not donate blood, I’m suggesting why you shouldn't, and, if you are someone who feels compelled to, how to do this without damaging your cycling performance.
Discussed in this podcast episode. The effects of blood donations on cycling performance, including the reasons cyclists should keep hold of their blood. Balancing compassion for others with passion for your cycling performance, including timing is everything, when timing won’t work, giving more later, and my top tips for donating blood and not losing your cycling performance.
Links to further resources:
- Study on blood donations with endurance athletes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5118378/
- Link to more of my content: https://coachpav.com/blog/
We all have an ego. Often we talk about people having an ego like we don’t have one ourselves, but we all do. It’s very easy to see that some of the highest performing athletes in the world have huge egos; they have leveraged that in order to push themselves further than most.
Unfortunately, many people struggle to successfully manage the balance between a useful and productive ego, versus one that is the very demise of their athletic journey. If you’ve ever quit something and looked back and wondered why, you might have allowed your ego to sabotage you. Thankfully, with a little bit of work, your ego can also become a powerful ally in your pursuit of cycling performance gains.
Discussed in this podcast episode. How your ego is negatively affecting you, including negative ego traits. How your ego can make you a stronger cyclist, including the audience effect. The egotistical cyclist, including finding your tribe and my top five tips to successfully leveraging your ego for cycling performance improvements.
Links to further resources:
- Link to further content on mentality: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-mentality/
- Link to further content on meditation: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/meditation-and-cycling-performance/
- Link to blog on goal setting: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/the-importance-of-goal-setting-for-cycling-training/
- Link to info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
Almost everywhere you look and everyone you talk to will have the same rhetoric about inactivity. You’ll have come across someone doing a step-per-day challenge, another person who now uses a standing desk, and those who always take the stairs instead of the lift/elevator. Good for them.
However, what if you are already fairly active or perhaps you are training for something fairly challenging. Would all this extra physical exertion be necessary? Would it actually be a hindrance to what you are trying to achieve?
Discussed in this episode: Goal setting, including accurately setting commitment levels. And being lazy, including my top 5 ways to be lazier.
Links to further resources:
- Blog on accurately goal setting: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/the-importance-of-goal-setting-for-cycling-training/
- Blog on developing the recovery mindset: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
- Blog on accurately setting commitment levels: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-to-accurately-gauge-your-commitment-level/
- Link to my client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Link to blog on this: https://coachpav.com/cycling-technique-tactics/how-being-lazy-will-make-you-a-faster-cyclist/
I’ve had the honour and privilege to coach, work with, and call friends many amazing people who have raised incredible amounts of money for charity. People like Mark Beaumont, Ben Smith and Dean Stott have raised millions towards very worthy causes. I’m also proud to have raised and donated tens of thousands for mental health charities.
For those who are using cycling as a means to raise money for charity and have a dedicated fundraising manager, the job is much easier. From personal experience, when you start to try to combine the stresses of training with the stresses of fundraising, the result can be catastrophic.
Discussed in this episode. Why you should raise money for (or donate to) charity. The problem with raising money for charity, including expectation and negative mindset. How to raise money for charity by cycling, including building your team and my top 5 tips for raising money for charity by cycling. Summarising with my top 5 other ways to help others.
Links to further resources:
- Info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- Mark Beaumont client profile: https://coachpav.com/cycling-client-profiles/client-profile-mark-beaumont/
- Ben Smith client profile: https://coachpav.com/cycling-client-profiles/client-profile-ben-smith/
- Other client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Blog on accurately goal setting: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/the-importance-of-goal-setting-for-cycling-training/
- Further mental fitness resources: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-mentality/
- Link to blog on this: https://coachpav.com/cycling-technique-tactics/why-raising-money-for-charity-can-be-disastrous-for-cycling-performance/
Given my many years as a coach, I can tell you that cyclists who have jobs in executive positions, who remain at a desk most of the day, but still make a lot of decisions, struggle to commit to training as much as athletes who might be more active in their day-to-day lives, such as labourers/contractors, who tend to be more physical, but have the luxury of not having to make decisions.
Of course the physical toll of each person's daily life is different, and we wouldn’t expect the very active individual to have an advantage, but the amataeur cyclist that has a lot of important decisions to make, often has a harder time even getting on the bike.
Discussed in this episode. The definition of decision fatigue. How decision fatigue affects everyone. Comparisons between decision and mental fatigue versus physical fatigue. How decision fatigue affects cycling performance. How to cope with decision fatigue as an endurance athlete, including how to reduce decision fatigue and how to adapt to decision fatigue. How to get help.
Links to further resources:
- My profile: https://coachpav.com/meet-pav/
- Wikipedia definition of decision fatigue: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decision_fatigue
- Link to info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- Information on physical fatigue: https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/conditionsandtreatments/fatigue
- Information on decision.mental fatigue: https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm
- Study on the affects of mental fatigue and sports performance: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/328540159_The_effects_of_mental_fatigue_on_sport-related_performance
- My client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Blog on nutrition for time poor athletes: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/the-time-poor-cyclists-guide-to-nutrition-2/
- Blog on how your mentality affects your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-your-mentality-affects-your-cycling-performance/
First, let's all agree right now that, no matter how much you want your cycling to improve, you should not go out and adopt a dog based on this blog post alone…
There used to be a television commercial that stated “a dog is for life, not just for Christmas”, which is applicable here too.
Some of you may have already jumped to the most obvious reason that a dog will improve your cycling performance; human animal interaction (HAI) is proven to make humans more positive, which, in turn, will help you become a better bike rider. But there is so much more...
Discussed in this episode. How a dog will help you de-stress, including the effects of cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine in the body, and how a dog reduces cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. How a dog will help your recovery, including the effects of high blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability in relation to recovery, how a dog improves blood pressure, heart rate, and heart rate variability, and how a dog improves overall health. How a dog might improve your ability to suffer. How a dog will help you with group rides.
Link to further resources:
- Blog on how your mentality affects your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-your-mentality-affects-your-cycling-performance/
- Blog on how stress destroys cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-stress-destroys-cycling-performance/
- Blog on optimising your recovery: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
- Blog on how eating healthy improves cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-eating-healthy-increases-cycling-performance/
- Blog on how sleep is crucial to cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-sleep-improves-cycling-performance/
- My client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Blog on how to successfully complete a Gran Fondo: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/your-guide-to-successfully-completing-a-gran-fondo-or-sportive/
- Supporting evidence on the relationship between humans and dogs: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3408111/
You’ve been lied to… countless amounts of misinformation, fake news, gaslighting, and deceit. People and corporations have manipulated you into believing they have your best interest at heart, but only compound your suffering and misery with every opportunity as they steal your hard earned cash.
Worse still, you’ve lied to yourself. Every morning you promise yourself change. You swear that you will no longer listen to the voices leading you astray, yet every afternoon you’re back at the same table. It’s relentless and never ending - a dull, monotonous existence, that you only want to end.
If you’ve struggled with weight loss, this has most likely been your journey.
Discussed in this episode. The difficult truth. When calories are the cause, but not the cure. You care too much about losing weight, including my top tips for caring less. Set point theory. Counting calories. Eating “healthy”.
Links to further resources:
CDC stats on obesity: https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html - Study on how reducing calorie intake doesn’t always promote weight loss: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5639963/ - Study on how stress influences weight loss: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/obr.12603 - Blog on how stress kills your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-stress-destroys-cycling-performance/ - Info on set point theory: https://www.bidmc.org/about-bidmc/wellness-insights/nutrition/week-one-the-science-of-set-point - Information on the term ‘healthy’: https://rationalwiki.org/wiki/Protected_term
If you think about it, you never hear a long-distance runner (5k and above) or a triathlete complain of a muscle tear. They are not injuries that runners or triathletes seem to get. However, they all have suffered tendon, ligament, or joint injuries at some point in their lives. Why is that? The reason is that we basically overload these passive structures when we run, and we do not overload or really use the muscular system enough.
With help from Dr Eoin Everard, this episode will help you understand why runners get injured and how to prevent them.
Links to further resources:
- Link to info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- More info on the BackAwareBelt: http://www.backawarebelt.com/
- Key injury prevention exercises: https://youtu.be/1nwj0QeliX4
- Single legged deadlift: https://youtu.be/4nkhUSZeTOo
- Glute bridge: https://youtu.be/1BeOBZ51kz0
- Dr Eoin Everard’s book: http://www.everardpilates.com/book
- Link to blog: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/why-runners-get-…t-to-do-about-it/
Wind. It can be painful, it slows you down, and it is often accompanied by something wet… ultimately, however, once you push past it, you will become a stronger cyclist.
Of course, I’m talking about the infamous, invisible force which destroys our cycling speed and makes us want to cry. What did you think I meant…?
Discussed in this podcast episode. How wind makes you physically stronger, including the training implications of wind. How wind makes you mentally stronger, including fear and common fear symptoms, systematic desensitisation, flooding, and coping. How wind makes you more aerodynamic, including ways to cheat the wind.
Links to further resources:
- Blog on how your mentality influences your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-your-mentality-affects-your-cycling-performance/
- Link to further content: https://coachpav.com/blog/
- Blog on how to successfully complete a Gran Fondo event: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/your-guide-to-successfully-completing-a-gran-fondo-or-sportive/
- My client profile: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
Silence… an opportunity to sit with your thoughts, reflect on your training, and check in with how your body and mind are feeling. During this time you can start to understand and appreciate all the thoughts and feelings going on in your mind and throughout your body. It is during this time that you can make huge improvements in mental toughness.
Discussed in this episode. The science of meditation for cyclists, including flow and athletic performance. Starting a meditation practice, including example breathing techniques.
Links to further resources:
- Study conducted into meditation for athletes: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5605575/
- Further study into meditation for athletes: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s41465-017-0018-3
- Wikipedia definitely of flow: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flow_(psychology)
- Calm: https://www.calm.com
- Headspace: https://www.headspace.com
- Balance: https://www.balanceapp.com
Stretching is another area that we, as humans, love to get polarised about. You either do it or do not. If you are familiar with the term, it’s marmite. If not, you either love it or you hate it.
As a cyclist, can you benefit from a stretching routine? Funnily enough, the answer isn’t a clear yes or no. It depends on many factors including the time you have available, how focused you are on your bike riding, and what your day-to-day life is like. Read on and find out whether stretching is for you!
Discussed in this episode. The science of stretching. The benefits of stretching, including holistic best practise and mentally stretching. Stretching best practices and my top 5 stretches for cyclists.
Links to further resources:
- Link to further content: https://coachpav.com/blog/
- My client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Research into stretching our minds: http://breakingmuscle.com/fitness/stretching-doesnt-work-the-way-you-think-it-does
- Link to info on Central Governor theory: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_governor
- Link to my video on stretching: https://youtu.be/spB4VwprTIw
If you’ve been following my content for several years now, you will know I’ve done this before… yep, that’s right, I’ve got to the point where I literally have to rehash my old content to keep you entertained… honestly, shame on you for listening
You will, however, be happy to know that I have updated my list and some of the reasoning behind them.
Anyway, if you can say each of these factors applies to you, you can safely say you are a proper cyclist. Hit me up on social media (@pavbryan) to let me know how many apply to you, or to let me know if I have missed any.
Links to further resources:
- Link to my client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- My profile: https://coachpav.com/meet-pav/
- Optimising recovery for cycling training: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
For me, one of the most fascinating fields of general health is the role our gut plays in keeping us healthy. This probably stems from the challenges I have faced with various conditions and intolerances that have made nutrition somewhat more important to me than the average person.
In relation to other areas of our body, we really know very little about our gut and, although new research is constantly being presented, we have a long way to go before we can say with certainty that we know exactly what the inside of our gut should look like and how to definitely improve it.
That said, this blog will look at the link between gut health and cycling training performance.
Discussed in this podcast episode. Gut health, including what we know about gut health - nutrition and supplements. How gut health influences cycling performance. Ways to improve gut health, including gut healthy food and my top 5 foods to improve gut health. Adequate hydration. Relaxation, including my top 5 tips to reduce stress. Sleep. Finishing with my top 5 tips to improve gut health.
Links to further resources:
- How plants can unlock cycling performance increases: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-plants-can-unlock-cycling-performance-gains/
- How eating healthy improves cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-eating-healthy-increases-cycling-performance/
- Link to my nutrition content: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-nutrition/
- Link to my Instagram: http://www.instagram.com/pavbryan
- How to personalise a hydration strategy: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-to-personalise-your-hydration/
- How to prioritise your cycling events: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-prioritise-your-cycling-events/
- How stress is destroying your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-stress-destroys-cycling-performance/
- The role sleep plays in improving cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-sleep-improves-cycling-performance/
- Link to my YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/c/pavbryan
- Link to my client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- Link to further resources: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-your-gut-is-…ling-performance/
This is a phenomena we all experience, yet we don’t really talk about; it’s almost become taboo to discuss. I’ve searched the internet and can find no signs of scientific studies conducted into why this happens to us. With that in mind, I’m claiming this and naming it Performance Induced Stupidity Syndrome - maybe we can abbreviate it…
Of course, I’m making light of this situation, but bare with me. For those of you who haven’t made a bad decision in the heat of a race, Gran Fondo or Sportive, or club ride when tired, it can and will happen. This blog will give you the groundwork to understand why it might and the tools to ensure it doesn't.
Discussed in this podcast episode. How endurance training affects mental fitness longer term, including what ‘fluid intelligence’ is. How endurance training affects mental fitness during and immediately after training, including what Performance Induced Stupidity Syndrome is and why we experience Performance Induced Stupidity Syndrome. How can we cope with Performance Induced Stupidity Syndrome including my tips and tricks to avoiding issues.
Links to further resources:
- Further information on Crystallised Intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_and_crystallized_intelligence
- Further information on Fluid Intelligence: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_and_crystallized_intelligence
- Link to my client profiles: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-client-profiles/
- Successfully completing a Gran Fondo or Sportive: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/your-guide-to-successfully-completing-a-gran-fondo-or-sportive/
- Beginners guide to using a power meter: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/beginners-guide-to-using-a-power-meter/
- How to fuel a Gran Fondo or Sportive: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-to-fuel-for-sportives-and-gran-fondos/
Instant gratification is hardwired into us. While it is important to practise patience and grace as we train, it can be really nice when we change something small and see an instant cycling performance improvement. With that in mind, I have compiled a short list of the most common areas in which I see an almost instant improvement with my clients.
Discussed in this podcast episode. Bike setup, including position, aerodynamics, and bike maintenance. Focus. Weight, including the bike and correct fasted training. Why training zones are holding you back, and seeking out the right advice.
Links to further resources:
- Link to my blog: https://coachpav.com/blog/
- Link to my nutrition content: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-nutrition/
- Link to info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
- Losing weight while cycling: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-to-burn-fat-and-lose-weight-by-cycling/
If you’re watching this, it is probably because you need to - or think you need to - lose some weight. When you first start structured training, some initial weight loss might be easy to obtain, but the lighter you become, and the more desire you place on losing more weight, the harder that weight loss becomes.
Discussed in this podcast episode. The methodology behind losing weight while cycling training, including high intensity, low intensity, and moderate (threshold) intensity. Nutrition, including periodised nutrition and calorie deficit. Mentality, including stress is the reason you’re struggling to lose weight. Plus, my top tips for burning fat through cycling training.
Links to further resources:
- How to improve your base fitness: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-improve-your-base-fitness/
- How plants can improve your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-plants-can-unlock-cycling-performance-gains/
- How eating healthily can improve cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-eating-healthy-increases-cycling-performance/
- Further mentality coaching resources: https://coachpav.com/category/cycling-mentality/
- How your mentality affects your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-your-mentality-affects-your-cycling-performance/
- How stress is destroying your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-stress-destroys-cycling-performance/
If you are training for a Gran Fondo or Sportive, you likely fit into one of these two goal setting categories. The first is the cyclist who is training for one big event. This might be an event abroad, something like the Maratona dles Dolomites or L’Etape du Tour. The second is the cyclist who wants to do them all - every cycling event on the calendar!
In this podcast episode, I am going to help you focus on the right events to target - based on you already knowing these events - which events to taper for, and how to know when to remove an event. If you’re stuck at the stage before this, where you’re not certain what goals to target at all, you need some help with goal setting.
Discussed in this podcast episode. The A, B, C of prioritising cycling events, including “A” events, “B” events, and “C” events. The bigger picture and your long term cycling goals. The ideal amount of cycling events in one season or year. When enough is enough. Plus, my top tips for prioritising your events.
Links to further resources:
- How to accurately set your cycling goals: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/the-importance-of-goal-setting-for-cycling-training/
- How to taper (coming soon!!)
- Do you really need to work with a coach: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/do-you-really-need-a-cycling-coach/
- How to improve your recovery: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
Arguably the most important factor of structured training is recovery. We might spend thousands on fancy high-tech recovery gear, donate countless hours aiding our body to bounce back post-training, and completely shift our mindset on our day-to-day lives, but how do we really know we are recovered?
Discussed in this podcast episode. Why recovery is important. My top five tips to aid recovery. How to create a recovery based mindset, including my top 5 health living ‘rules’ to avoid. The warning signs of being under-recovered. Objective ways to measure recovery, including common objective recovery measurements, and limitations and challenges. Plus, how to skip the guesswork and remove all bias.
Links to further resources:
- The role of sleep in cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-sleep-improves-cycling-performance/
- How plants can improve your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-nutrition/how-plants-can-unlock-cycling-performance-gains/
- How stress is destroying your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-stress-destroys-cycling-performance/
- How to improve your recovery for cycling training: https://coachpav.com/cycling-training/how-to-optimise-recovery-for-cycling-training/
- How your mentality affects your cycling performance: https://coachpav.com/cycling-mentality/how-your-mentality-affects-your-cycling-performance/
- Link to more info on coaching: https://coachpav.com/coaching/
With road traffic volume increasing faster than expansion of roads, it’s no wonder why we never seem to get any time between an unfortunate story of someone being hit by another road user. Although the chances of being hit by a vehicle is still quite low - three times for me in my cycling career (once on a BikesEtc Mag shoot!) - the chances of you having a serious incident without involving another road user is quite high. Of course, I’m talking about the dreaded “mechanical”.
Covered in this episode:
- How to prepare for mechanical challenges
- How to prepare for logistical challenges
- How to prepare for riding with other road users
- Top ten tips for riding solo
Of course, this podcast episode is going to focus on improving your cycling power, so if you’re not using a power meter, you can still try to follow along by working to heart rate or perceived effort. If you are using one, ensuring you know how to use your power meter will maximise your opportunity for improvements.
Covered in this episode:
- Improving cycling power
- Structured training
- Strength work
- Improving cycling power off-the-bike
- Strength and conditioning
- Nutrition
- Recovery
- Improving your power to weight ratio
- Weight
It sneaks up on you slowly, sometimes it’s hard to notice it’s even there, and every now and again it might burst out of you in an uncharacteristic manner. Stress isn’t just the silent killer of human beings, it’s the silent killer of your cycling performance.
Covered in this episode:
- Stress and cycling performance
- Acute stress
- Chronic stress
- Training stress
- What to do with stress
- Destressing
- Rest and relaxation
- Meditation
- Individualisation
- Top tips for dealing with stress
Around 90% of the cyclists I work with are what I would describe as “time poor”. If you consider your time like you do your finances, disposable time would be what you have left after you’ve done everything you have to do, which might include; sleeping, eating, working, family time, and possibly training.
We all have to eat, but when faced with a choice of taking a little bit of time to prepare healthy, homemade food, or something quicker, and often less healthy, the time poor cyclist might go with the latter. The good news is you shouldn’t have to, and, much like training being synergistic with your life, your nutrition can be too - regardless of how time poor you are.
Covered in this episode:
- Preparation is key
- Meal planning
- Meal prepping
- Healthy back-up plan
- Breakfast
- Lunch
- Dinner
- Snacks
- Top tips for the time poor cyclist’s meal prep
Putting the effort in during training is great, but how do you really know you’re improving? Sure, you can do some simple testing, but what does that really mean to you and is it really relevant to your cycling goals?
Covered in this episode:
- Functional Threshold Power (FTP)
- Brief understanding of FTP
- Is FTP actually reliable?
- Testing based on your goals
- Tests for sprinters
- Tests for hill climbers
- Tests for testers
- Tests for sportive and gran fondo cyclists
- Top testing tips
Having spent my entire life learning to live with the swings and roundabouts of Bipolar Affective Disorder - I prefer this name due to the acronym - and having spent a lifetime coaching people, ten years of that specific to cycling, I feel I can contribute significantly to those who are trying to balance cycling training and mental health challenges.
Firstly, are/have you, or do you know anyone who is/are, suffering with mental health challenges? As we are starting to come to realise the best way to deal with these challenges is to talk about them, I’m willing to bet the answer to that is an easy yes. Even if you’ve not experienced any mental health challenges, the sad likelihood is that you are more likely than not to experience them in your lifetime. If you’re also dedicated to your cycling training, you’ll want to arm yourself with the best advice on this balancing act as possible.
Covered in this episode:
- Top ten tips for generally improving mental health
- The damage cycling training can do to mental health
- Top five tips to protect your mental health while training
- Top ten foods to improve mental health
Firstly, no, I’m not vegan and I have no objections to those who eat meat. Having said that, plant power is real, and it could be the secret to unlocking serious cycling performance gains.
Covered in this episode:
- What is micronutrition?
- The role micronutrition plays in athletic performance
- Why 5-a-day isn’t enough
- Why our fruit and vegetables are no longer nutrient dense
- The science showing loss of nutrients in our fruit and vegetables
- How to ensure you get enough nutrients from plants
- Why superfoods are bull
- Where the term superfoods came from
- The problem with superfoods
- Does fresh mean healthy?
“Ride a bike. Ride a bike. Ride a bike” – Fausto Coppi, [on how to improve your cycling]
While I’m not one to disagree with a legend as big as Fausto Coppi, we have come a long way in our understanding of sports science, since he graced the tarmac of Le Tour. That’s not to say that if you have limited training time you should do anything other than riding your bike, but if you do have a bit more time, maybe there is some cross-training you can be doing to help you improve your cycling performance.
Covered in this episode:
- Why cross-train?
- Bone density
- Muscular growth
- Mental stimulation
- How to time cross-training correctly
- Macro-cycle
- Micro-cycle
- For recovery
In the pursuit of personalisation of cycling training and nutrition, an often overlooked component of the latter is the need for us to take a deeper look at how we each hydrate. It’s a fallacy to believe that we all have the same hydration needs. When looking to become a complete cyclist, hydration is an area where cyclists can often find a big win.
With the help and input from good friend Andy Blow, from Precision Hydration, this blog post sets out how to get started with personalising your hydration strategy.
Covered in this episode:
- The basics of hydration
- Homeostasis
- The trouble with dehydration
- The trouble with overhydration
- What goes out must come back in (at some point)
- Hydrating for recovery
- How to rehydrate properly during your recovery
- When sweat losses are low
- When sweat losses are high
- Your personalised hydration strategy
- Tips for staying hydrated
It’s more common than not to see cyclists using power meters to measure, monitor, analyse, plan, and predict their training. The price of good power meters is now more affordable than ever, and it makes total sense to add one to your bike setup, if you’re not already using them. Having said that, how can you ensure you’ve got the basics sorted and have set it up correctly?
Covered in this episode:
- Setting up your power meter
- Setting up your Wahoo (or similar) device
- Data screens
- Using your power meter
- Pacing
- Data analysis
- Resources for a more in-depth look at training with a power meter
Whether you are looking to level up on Zwift, ride your first century, or just want to ride a bit faster on the bike, you’ll want to build a good cycling base fitness. Amongst other factors, a solid base fitness will help you recover faster, allow you to push harder in more intense training, and help you extend the duration of which you can consistently train.
Covered in this episode:
- General understanding of how to build base fitness
- Why you should be building base fitness
- How to build base fitness
- With more than 15 hours per week
- With less than 10 hours per week
- Getting the most from base training
- Focus points
- Enjoyment
- Socialising
While some people seem to be able to function on very little sleep, the truth is that if you want to be a strong cyclist, you will need to prioritize your sleep. Personally, sleep is the undisputed king of recovery, without enough quality sleep, you will soon find yourself struggling to perform on the bike.
Covered in this episode:
- Why cyclists need more sleep
- Your muscles love sleep
- How much sleep do cyclists need?
- How to get quality sleep
- Top tips for a good night sleep
- How napping can help cyclists
As the nights grow longer and the weather ever colder, you’d be forgiven for thinking long and hard about how you will get through your winter's training and make the most of this excellent opportunity for cycling performance improvements before your goals for the following year.
Covered in this episode:
- How to safely ride outdoors during winter
- Top tips
- How to stay motivated during winter
- Zero tolerance to excuses
- Organise your winter routine
- Less hibernation, more motivation
- Riding indoors
Not to start a blog post with an obvious attempt at scaremongering, but failing to adequately warm-up your body before training isn't just damaging your performance, but is also putting yourself at risk of injury.
Not only are you risking damaging your body, but inadequately warming-up isn’t establishing the right mindset to really nail the training. Unleash your mentality to see real improvements and, like readying your body, this process starts long before the hard work does.
Covered in this episode:
- Why warm-up before cycling training?
- Physically
- Mentally
- Example warm-up
- Personalising a warm-up
“He who fails to plan, is planning to fail” – Winston Churchill.
While the stakes are not as high as World War Two, I'm certain you are willing to go to war to reach your cycling goals!
Covered in this episode:
- What is an Annual Training Plan?
- Top 10 reasons you need an Annual Training Plan
- How to setup your Annual Training Plan
I reference my ambitions to turn my clients into “complete” cyclists regularly; through my blog and directly with those I chose to work with. It’s also a big part of my book, “The Guide to Truly Effective Cycling”, and I always try to ensure my athletes are prepared for every eventuality in a more holistic way than what typical coaching does.
Covered in this episode:
- Becoming “complete” in training
- Top focus areas
- Becoming “complete” in your events
- Top focus areas
Everyone comes into cycling with a limited knowledge of what to do. Some cyclists download free generic training plans online, maybe they will take on a plan on Zwift, or maybe they follow the advice of a riding buddy - usually named “Dave” - who knows everything, but really knows nothing...
Covered in this blog:
- Personalisation of training
- Sourcing reliable information
- Prioritising training
- Becoming a complete cyclist
- When to seek help
Traditionally, coaching has focused mainly on cyclists training, and sometimes on their nutrition and tactics too, in order to see improvements. For many years now, I’ve been an advocate for looking at cyclists holistically and turning them into a complete cyclist. In order to do that, a lot of emphasis has to be placed around how we approach our training mentally.
Covered in this episode:
- The basics of mental fitness training
- Commitment
- Goal setting
- Balance
- Stress
- General mental health
- Improving your mental fitness
- Meditation
- Affirmations
- Mantra and power words
- Visualisation
- Visuals
- Music
- Attitude
- Positivity and gratitude
- Top tips for improving your mental fitness
Your cycling performance improvements don’t happen on the bike - they happen off the bike and during the time when your body is recovering. With this in mind, giving your body a helping hand might be the difference between being able to complete the next training session 100%, versus just 90%. You might not think that 90% will be noticeable and it might not, not right away at least. Yet keep adding those 10% 's together and you soon have a lot of lost opportunities.
Covered in this episode:
- Recovering immediately post training
- Cooling down
- Stretching, foam rolling, and other recovery tools
- Avoiding sickness
- Replacing fluids, electrolytes, and carbohydrates
- Further recovery opportunities
- Sleep
- Massage
- The recovery mindset
- Recovery rides
- Time off the bike
- Top tips for optimising recovery from endurance training
Most often the quickest win for my new clients is the way we look at nutrition. I’m an advocate for eating healthy as often as possible. Mostly this consists of a diet high in fruits and vegetables, grains, healthy fats, and lean or plant based proteins. Eating little processed foods, refined sugar, trans fats, and often just drinking water or some form of electrolyte mix is my go to advice.
Typically, the one time I deviate from this is when fueling a long intense ride; something that might mimic a sportive or gran fondo - or, in fact, be the event itself.
Covered in this episode:
- Why fuel differently for long, more intense rides
- The science of fuelling for cycling
- Developing your gran fondo nutrition plan
- What to eat ~3 hours prior
- What to eat ~30 minutes prior
- What to eat per hour of training
- Why you should train with and test out your nutrition plan
Accurately gauging an athlete's commitment is something I’ve been passionate about since I started cycling coaching. It’s often a huge contradiction to the normal “you need to commit 100% to everything you do” kind of advice you might hear, but there’s a reason why you just can’t commit 100%...
Covered in this episode:
- Commitment relates to your ambition
- Top 10 reasons you can’t commit 100%
- Why you should dream big
- The importance of goal setting
- Summary
While chasing perfection is a fool's goal, eating as close to perfect as possible will certainly improve your cycling performance. There are many challenges that we face in getting this right, this article will aim to help you through them.
Covered in this episode:
- The basics of nutrition
- Macronutrients
- Fat
- Protein
- Carbohydrate
- Micro-nutrients
- Quality
- Common nutrition myths busted
- The best nutrition plan to increase cycling performance
- Top ten tips
- The best nutrition plan to lose weight while cycling
- Common questions and answers
- The psychology of eating
- Awareness
- Rhythm and balance
Unless you’re a professional cyclist, have aspirations of making it there, or an athlete who needs to divert every fibre of their being to completing their goals, you’d be forgiven for not making your cycling training your number one priority.
If you’ve read my thoughts around accurately gauging commitment, you’ll know that I place a lot of emphasis on ensuring my clients don’t accidentally overcommit; setting themselves up for failure.
Covered in this episode:
- Why being amateur is harder than being a pro
- How to approach your training
- How to fit cycling training into your busy schedule
- Commute
- Train at work
- Involve the family
- Get off your phone
- Anchor your day
Can you benefit from working with a coach? Yes. Do you necessarily need one? Well, this will depend on what your goals are.
Covered in this episode:
- Why work with a coach?
- Knowledge and experience
- Accountability
- Motivation
- Therapy
- Do you really need a cycling coach?
- Top factors to look for when hiring a cycling coach
None of us enter into this incredible sport with a thorough understanding of the basics of cycling training. Often we are fed confusing tidbits of information, ‘bro-science’, or even irrelevant anecdotal information.
Yet, having a general understanding of why we train is fundamental to seeing improvements. Much like being told to focus on the muscle you’re training in a gym, knowing what you’re focusing on in cycling training, will help improve your performance.
Covered in this episode:
- How to train using zones
- Which zone system should you use?
- Zones versus %FTP
- Understanding basic session structure
- Training pyramid
- The basics of adaptation
- Over or supercompensation
- Long term cycling performance
- The ideal training and recovery cycle
- Timing training around events
- How to taper
Why bother getting on the bike? What reason do you have for training? What is your ‘why’? These three powerful questions should be the driving force behind your goal setting. If you’re not asking yourself these questions when goal setting, you’re probably not focused enough on what you want to achieve.
Thankfully, a big part of being a coach is helping my clients accurately and effectively set goals.
Covered in this episode:
- Goal setting for cycling
- Long term goals
- Dreaming big, but keeping it real
- Short term goals
- Process goals
- Five ways to stay goal focused