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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Grunge Waxing: Why Quick Waxing Your Chain is Still Worth it
Most people say no to waxing, I say yes to the quick method….here is why David wrote to me asking “what is the best value per watt equipment change I …
Coach, is there a skinsuit specifically optimized for slow riders?
drag2zero and cycling weekly make some interesting claims….but is it true ( have they broken the laws of physics?) I recently came across a claim from drag2Zero a reputable …
The Ultimate Aero Helmet is your Bald Head! Who Knew!
Until someone invents a dynamic hi-tech solution, a bald head is the best combo of aero and cooling! Coached Athlete Rodrigo recently asked me “what is the best aero helmet …
Coach, How do I Correctly Pace into the Wind (“Wind Corrected Power”)
How do I pace correctly on a windy out and back (or loop) course? If it’s a tailwind on the way out, I tend to go out too hard and blow up in the headwind on the way back. Is there a correct way to pace a race like this?