New take on the classic “Power Zone Calculator”
Everyone has seen the pretty images of power zones; you may have even created one as they are based on simple percentages. A “zone” simply means a band of power …
How did we get Warm-Ups so Wrong?
Science says everything you believe about warm ups is probably incorrect 🙈 Why do cyclists love warm-ups so much? Well let’s start with some non-specific claims about physiology….Warm ups are …
Are you terrorized by your own FTP?
In January I caught covid19 for the 2nd time and needed a week’s break from training. This was relatively short compared with the 4 weeks off first time around. But …
Will Permanent Caloric Restriction Extend Your Life or Ruin Your Life?
During WWI and WWII rationing was compulsory in many countries and consisted of a balanced and calorie restricted diet of around 2300 calories (the average teen in the US eats …
Can Science find the Optimal Interval Session?
Previously I wrote about why HIT or HIIT training beats threshold and tempo work on a like-for-like basis. You can read that blog here. I also explained why HIT has …
What is the Optimal Team Timetrial Strategy?
What is the Optimal Team Timetrial Strategy? If you are riding in a team online or IRL how do you pick a team? How do you decide who rides first? …
Aging & Fitness Part 2: On the Biology of the Aging Body!
In the last blog I looked at the magnitude of the effect of aging on athletic performance, today I examine *why* fitness declines with age. In the next blog, I …
Facemasks for Athletes (Revisited)
What is the story of wearing face masks during exercise and in particular the physiological effects upon breathing? During Covid millions of people have been wearing masks and arguing about …
Aging & Fitness Part 1: Why Age is No Barrier to Success
Consider this list, what do you see? Eamon Coughlan ran the mile in 3:58:15 at 41 years Dara Torres won three Silver medals at Olympics at the age of 41 Yekaterina …
Cholesterol and Lipids for Athletes
Lipid disorders (dyslipidemia) refer to abnormal levels of cholesterol and/or fats in the blood. Lipids are an energy source that constantly circulate from gut to liver and muscle. Fat and …
Which Blood Tests are Recommended for Athletes?
BACKGROUND Your blood is vital to your health, it is the lifeline to every organ in the body and it is a goldmine in terms of health monitoring. Any significant …
What is the secret underlying the benefits of HIIT?
Today we look at the physiology underlying HIIT training with the aim of finding out the secret of why HIIT appears superior to many other training distributions. Background HIT stands …
Coach: Is Anaerobic Power more trainable than Aerobic Power?
old_but_not_dead_yet asked me about an interesting observation that the power-curve is more highly variable at short durations (eg 10s) than at longer durations (eg 10min) when it looks more concentrated. …
Redefining Exhaustion and TTE
How hard do you find the famous 60m FTP test? Have you ever tried it? Popular opinion is it is horribly difficult. So much so most people are scared to …
Are you Hungry for Fasted Training?
I have been wondering for a long time, does fasted training work for endurance sports? I need a really strong reason to stop eating carbs before, during and after exercise, …
Coach: how do I improve my FTP? (A Simplified Approach)
This is probably at the top of the FAQs. I was asked again today by Jake a beginner: “How do I improve my FTP via training?” Rather than go deep …
Coach, how should I transition training from indoor to outdoor riding?
Swen wrote to me on ICU and said “I am a big fan of you and your experience and research in cycling. I have been riding structured training with polarised …
10 Best Free Apps to Log your Gym Workout
There are a lot of reasons to add gym work to your cycling. And if you do, it’s nice….actually essential…..to have a simple gym app which can help you log …
Myths about FatMax & Weight Loss & Performance
Carbohydrates in their base form glucose or glycogen (in the muscles) can be turned into ATP very quickly but you only get 2 molecules of ATP per glucose molecule. Therefore …
Coach, I am sick today with flu, should I train?
It is cold and flu season (and I didn’t even mention coronavirus 😉 ) But it’s tricky to know whether to exercise and train, particularly tricky as even doctors don’t …
10 things to do with your *new* powermeter
So you just got a power meter? Great now do this….. 1. Set It Up Correctly First things first, unbox it and send the photos to you all your …
Winter is Coming (cyclist’s survival guide!)
Winter is coming, actually I think it is here. I should know I live in the UK where is gets light at 8am and gets dark at 3.30pm during late …
Coach, should I consider a keto diet for training?
Previously we look at fasted training. Fasted means low calorie (restricting carbohydrate and/or fat and/or protein intake). But what if you combine low carbohydrate with high fats? Then you have …
Coronavirus & Deconditioning
I was diagnosed with coronavirus in September 2020. Here is what I discovered. The immediate effects of coronavirus were expected. Fatigue, loss of taste, muscle aches, headaches but no chest …
Training Readiness
On the science of achieving your goals. Did you ever look up the stats on gym goers? Everyone signs up in January but what happens by July? 80% have stopped …
How *not* to do a roll down test to find your best tyre CRR
Why this roll-down test quickly went downhill David Arthur of cycling weekly recently did a roll down on youtube. It was a pretty nice attempt at face value and it …
Coach am I stuck in a training rut or normal plateau? (on the science of gains)
Do you feel like you might be stuck in a training rut? Yes, its possible, we have all been there, but other options are also likely. Let’s have a look …
Coach, how do I go Faster on Gravel?
What savings apply in a gravel race? Here at FastFitness.Tips we have addressed almost everything about going faster on a road bike. But we haven’t specifically addressed going faster on a …
Why it’s time to ditch your bottle
For years cyclists have used water bottles……but maybe its time to think again? I am rethinking the need to carry a bottle everywhere. And that’s just for me…..if you are …
10 reasons riding climbs feels different (to riding on flat) *at the same watts*
This was a question from the zwift forum. A watt is a watt isn’t it? Yes true. So what’s the difference between 250w climbing and 250w on the flat? Some …