Here you can find all the back editions of the Tailwind Coaching Cycling Podcast. Feel free to peruse these archives or head over to iTunes to find and rate the show. Each rating helps to move the Tailwind Coaching Podcast up through the ratings, improving it's reach. The more people I can reach, the more people can get these free tips on riding stronger and faster, and having more fun doing it.
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How to Start Road Racing – Podcast #40
Every year, the Tour de France comes around, being brought to the masses through Eurosport, NBC or various Twitter or internet tickers. Concurrently, there's always a spike in cycling interest around the tour, and I get plenty of questions about racing and starting to race. I guess watching people turn themselves inside out on TV is inspiring for those among us who are inclined to pin on a number.
Regardless of your motivation, it's always awesome to see riders thinking about jumping into the deep end of the racing pool. Many times, your average cyclist doesn't really know how to “go about getting involved in racing.” Well, I'm going to put some of those fears to rest with today's podcast.
I'll cover the following:
Podcast #39 Addendum: High Fat Diets and Performance
I've got to say, there are some really smart listeners out there. Boy did you guys respond to my last podcast (Q&A number 2), especially regarding the last segment on fueling for a century. Specifically, I referenced a study that found a 2% improvement in cycling performance/power output following glycogen depleted training. A couple of you rightly questioned my analysis of that study. Rather than write a lengthy post on the topic, I've decided to create an addendum podcast (originally designed to be the first segment of my next podcast, but after realizing the length, I decided to make it a stand along podcast) in order to address the issue.
Below I've included the study I reference in the podcast:
Our results demonstrate that AMPK-α1 and AMPK-α2 activity and fuel selection in skeletal muscle in response to exercise can be manipulated by diet and/or the interactive effects of diet and exercise training.
This essentially relates that we can sort of “eat ourself into fitness.” Cool, huh?
SHORT-TERM (<1 WK) MANIPULATION of dietary macronutrient intake is associated with marked changes in skeletal muscle gene expression (1, 5, 24), substrate stores (36), metabolic flux, and fuel oxidation (10, 22, 23). Exercise training also results in striking modifications in muscle gene expression (14), energy reserves, and the relative contribution of fuels to the energetic demands of muscle (9). Accordingly, the extent to which acutely altering substrate availability might modify the training impulse has been a key research area among exercise physiologists and sport nutritionists for several decades (for review, see Ref. 19). Indeed, evidence is accumulating that nutrient manipulation can serve as a potent modulator of many of the acute responses to both endurance (15) and resistance exercise (7, 11).
So basically, if you eat well and train intelligently, you can turn yourself into a monster. However, it also shows that if you eat poorly (I.E. a carbohydrate laden diet that promotes free radical production and inflammation) you can probably do more to hinder your performance than help it.
As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.
With the summer here, it's time to get serious about your summer fitness! Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer criterium fitness today. And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.
Coaching Q&A #2: Components, Power and Nutrition (Podcast #39)
It's that time again:
It goes without saying that as the summer wears on, the itch to get out and ride more really starts to bite. As we go out to ride more and more we also get more and more urge to dig into our performances and try to figure out how we can perform even better. To this end, the internet becomes flooded with questions, whether they be an innocuous “which upgrade will make me better” or a flame war instigating “which diet will make me perform better.”
This week, I'm picking a few of your most asked questions and I'm going in depth into them, including some of the following topics:
- Is a rear derailleur a cost effective upgrade? (@9:28)
- What is the best hand position on the bars? Tops, drops or hoods? (@17:23)
- What is the best power meter for a new racer? Beginner to training with power? Someone on a budget? (@25:18)
- How many carbs do I need while I ride (And a discussion on nutrition and high carb vs high fat diets.) (@50:17)
Some of the information I referenced in the nutrition discussion of this podcast can be found right here: Biohacking Energy Systems: The Citric Acid Cycle
As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.
With the summer here, it's time to get serious about your summer fitness! Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer criterium fitness today. And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.
Being A Better Criterium Racer (Podcast #38)
Racing season is well and truly upon us, and here in the US we have a glut of the fast, closed circuit racing known as criterium racing. Run on race courses that are generally less than 3K in length (that's about 1.8 miles or so), most crits are full of fast corners, accelerations, twitchy riders and (unfortunately) crashes.
Many people cut their teeth on criterium racing in Category 5, which can be prone to certain “issues.” Because anyone with a bike and helmet can sign up to race cat 5, simple things like learning where to put your hands, braking safely, how to corner or how to hold a line are always suspect. Taking the next step of knowing when to attack and simply how to train your energy systems to handle the rigors of crit racing are a few of the more advanced things you can do to be a stronger and safer crit racer. Trust me, all those around you will thank you for it.
In today's podcast, I'll cover the following:
5 Tips To Accelerate Your Fitness (Podcast #37)
Here in the northeast spring has officially sprung (despite the recent short stint of cold, rainy weather) and that means everyone is starting to take their training outside. The big question is how do you get that boost to your spring training that makes you nigh on invincible on the Sunday group ride? You may have been putting in countless hours on the trainer and rollers over the winter, but you may still have trouble when the speed ramps up or you find yourself unable to cover those massive group surges. A little adjustment to your training, a little specific work to boost your higher end energy systems, and you'll find yourself pushing the pace at the front of the group instead of dangling off the back.
On this episode of the Tailwind Coaching Podcast, I'll talk about:
- The importance of having goals for your outdoor rides
- How important it is to build your FTP (Functional Threshold Power)
- How to ramp up your Zone 5 fitness
- The importance of repeatability
- The Fartlek concept
- Why your recovery rides may be hurting you more than helping you
As always, if you enjoy what you hear, head over to the Tailwind Coaching Podcast on iTunes and rate it 5 stars. Don't forget to post any questions to the Tailwind Coaching Facebook page, and don't forget to support our sponsors and help to keep this podcast free.
With the racing season quickly approaching, don't get stuck at the back of the pack or shelled on the first climb. Check out my modular training plans in my online store and get started on the path towards killer fitness today. And don't forget to save 10% with the coupon code in this week's podcast.
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