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Efficient Functional Threshold Power (FTP) – Podcast #47

In this age of power meters and quantified training, athletes spend hours upon hours, days upon days poring over power files and searching for a way to get ahead of the competition.  They hope against hope that there's a magic bullet out there that will suddenly catapult them to the front of the pack.  And all too often, they believe that magic bullet is raising their functional threshold power (abbreviated as FTP.)  But is a simple number the key to destroying your rivals on the Sunday group ride, the Saturday criterium or the Tuesday Night Worlds?

In today's podcast I discuss the concept of efficiency as it relates to FTP or what I refer to as “Efficient Threshold Power”.  I'll talk about some of the following concepts:

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Choosing A Power Meter – Podcast #44

Power: it's the ultimate in training metrics.  Nothing beats the pinpoint accuracy of training with an output measurement such as power.  You can know at each moment of each ride how hard you are working, if you're burning matches and if you're going to be paying for this effort later in the day.  The question most people end up asking themselves is “which power meter should I choose?”  And rightly so.

With the myriad of power meter options on the market, offering tons of different features at different price points, where should you start looking in your quest for technological bliss?  And when it comes time to plunk down your hard earned cash on (arguably) the biggest training tool you'll have (aside from a coach), which one should you choose?

In this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast, I talk about some of the ins and outs of choosing a power meter, from considering how much mechanical ability you have to how much money is in your bank account.  As you listen, you'll hear me discuss:

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Strength Training For Cyclists – Part 1: Podcast #42

Want to be a stronger cyclist without touching your bike?  Did you ever wish there was a way to build cycling prowess without sitting on the trainer for hours on end during the dark and cold winter?  Do you dream of a lean, muscular physique like the sport's top rouleurs?  Well, there's definitely a way to go about making that happen, if you're willing to put aside some bias and start hitting the gym (or the home gym if you're motivated enough.)

For years, many coaches thrashed the idea of strength training for cyclists.  But those attitudes are (thankfully) on the way out.  Frankly, a coach who doesn't believe in strength training is either not well versed in physiology or is just not interested in developing weight based workouts for his/her athletes.  In fact the recent success of numerous former track athletes in the professional road race ranks should have people clamoring for some weight lifting (most trackies are avid weight trainers during the off season.)  Think of guys like Brad Wiggins, Michael Morkov, Jack Bobridge and Geraint Thomas if you want a few examples of trackies who took to the road successfully.  So what's your reason for not hitting the weight room?

With that in mind, today's podcast will discuss some of the components of strength training and exercise adaptation.  I'll discuss the physiology of how your body adapts to exercise, so check out the show notes after the jump and follow along with the podcast.

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Biohacking Lactic Acid

Lactic acid.  The burn.  The chemical that Phil and Paul always talk about “filling up the legs” and “making the legs scream in agony.”  It gets a bad rap, one that it perhaps doesn't deserve.  Little do most athletes know, it can not only be a key way to enhance your performance, but it may very well be required by the body to fuel your brain and contribute to various chemical reactions within the body.  Biohacking lactic acid will help you improve your cycling performance.

How can this improve your cycling performance?

Easy.  For simplicity's sake (as an overview) here's the gist of it: The more time you spend creating lactic acid, the more your body will be forced to deal with.  That causes a cascade of metabolic changes in the body.  But how does dealing with lactic acid get you further?  How does your body do it?  How can we use those lactic acid idiosyncrasies to be faster cyclists?

We'll look at a couple of ways to hack lactic acid after the jump, and after we understand how it's produced and cleared.

Click through the jump to see how it works (warning, sciencey, geeky stuff ahead):

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2014 Holiday Gift Guide

[dc]T[/dc]he holiday gift giving season is nearly upon us, and many of us are creating our own "wish lists" for loved ones to peruse.  Others may be on the hunt for the perfect gift for "that crazy bike guy" in their life.  In the spirit of the season, I'm listing some of my favorite gifts for beginners, some gifts for the hardcore racing crowd, and a few items that will suit anyone who appreciates the two wheel lifestyle.  Without further ado, let's look at some gifts for:

For The Beginner Cyclist

Chamois Butt'r Eurostyle - 8 oz tub.Chamois Butt'r

Beginners to the sport are often somewhat squeamish about the idea of wearing lycra shorts with a chamois in them in the first place.  Introducing them to the process of smearing chamois lube (in this case Chamois Butt'r) on their rear end may sound like a huge step, but once they get a couple of lubed up rides in, they'll wonder how they ever did without.  Not only does Chamois Butt'r help to prevent chafing during long days in the saddle (and thusly prevent saddle sores) the proprietary non-greasy blend is gentle on sensitive skin and easily washes off both skin and clothing.  And if the recipient does tend to suffer from saddle sores, try the Eurostyle which adds a cooling element to cut down on the soreness of long days and weeks in the saddle.  Forget the awkwardness of giving your cycling obsessed loved one some bit Butt'r, and dump a tube of lube in their stocking.  

$16/8 oz. tube or $20/8 oz. Eurostyle tube.  

http://chamoisbuttr.com/

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