Training

I was asked in a tweet last week if a rider should sit or stand when climbing a hill on a bike. I wish I could give a one-word answer, but that isn’t possible. As I’ve said so many times here in … [Read more...] about Hills: Sit or Stand?

Here you see two charts showing the power distribution by zone for the last 28 days for a half-Ironman triathlete and a road cyclist focused on a criterium and flat road race, both of whom are peaking … [Read more...] about Tri vs Roadie Peaking Power Distribution

Athletes often train too frequently, too long and too intensely. That inevitably leads to overtraining, burnout, illness and injury. Over the last 30 years I’ve helped many athletes get out of the rut … [Read more...] about The Key to Athletic Success

By this time in the season most athletes have completed their first A-priority race of the year. And more than likely there is another A race coming up soon. How should you tweak your training to … [Read more...] about Your Next A-Priority Race

Emil Zatopek, the great Czechoslovakian distance runner of the 1950s, once said that “training is principally an act of faith.” He was right. There are no guarantees that you will have a good race … [Read more...] about Redemption Races

Today was the first time I’ve ever felt sorry for Lance Armstrong. Don’t take that the wrong way; it’s just that he never needed anyone’s sympathy, least of all mine. He’s always been quite capable of … [Read more...] about End of an Era

A couple of days ago I received an email question from an athlete. He explained that his heart rate and power zones don’t agree and that there seems to be a two-zone separation with the power zones … [Read more...] about Should Heart Rate and Power Zones Agree?

Traveling two days before race day generally works well and is recommended for most races. But the sooner you can arrive the better when race heat or humidity is greater than where you train or the … [Read more...] about Traveling to Races

In my post yesterday I suggested that Jani Brajkovic of the Radio Shack cycling squad had improved his fitness as a result of his weeklong effort in winning the Criterium du Dauphine stage … [Read more...] about More on Brajkovic’s “Crash” Block

This is a quote from Team Radio Shack cyclist Jani Brajkovic that he posted to his Twitter account on June 19, one week after winning the Critérium du Dauphiné. I believe what he was saying was that … [Read more...] about “I feel like having tail wind all the time.”

This fall - October 22-29, 2010 - I'm presenting a triathlon camp in Scottsdale, Arizona where I spend my winters. This is not your standard swim-bike-run camp. It focuses on exactly … [Read more...] about Scottsdale Laying the Foundations & Testing Camp

With about three weeks to go until race day you start the Peak block of training which lasts two weeks. There are three things you must do in the Peak block if you are to come into good form for the … [Read more...] about Peak Block Recovery Workouts

A student doing a project for a sports nutrition class asked me to record what I ate yesterday. Since I get lots of questions here on this blog (and by email) about sport nutrition I … [Read more...] about What I Ate Yesterday (as if you care)

            The accompanying chart is a detailed summary of a road cyclist’s periodization leading to his first A-priority race of the season last Saturday (click … [Read more...] about Case Study: Periodization for First A Race of Season

The most critical time in your season is from three weeks to 12 weeks before an A-priority race. This is when your hard training is the most effective. Missed workouts now have a much greater impact … [Read more...] about The Build Period and Health

In my last post I provided research which refutes the age-old claim that muscle cramping during exercise is caused by electrolyte deficiency and/or dehydration. The most commonly proposed cause of … [Read more...] about Muscle Cramp Theory

Contrary to what we’ve been led to believe, no one knows what causes muscle cramps. The common lore is that the culprit is electrolytes, but this is highly doubtful. Much of the sports nutrition … [Read more...] about Muscle Cramps and Mythology

I had a recreational rider ask me today what he should drink while riding. My answer wasn’t what he expected.   Basically, I believe recreational athletes don’t need nearly as much sugar while … [Read more...] about Questions on Workout Nutrition

After my last post I received a couple of questions from athletes asking if they should avoid training in zone 3 using my heart rate zone system. It’s a good question and one that comes up quite … [Read more...] about Should You Train in Zone 3?

I offer training plans to cyclists, triathletes and runners through TrainingPeaks.com. While I describe in most of my books how to set one's training zones, I still get lots of questions about how … [Read more...] about Quick Guide to Training With Heart Rate, Power and Pace

The heart of training is the workout. This is when you create the potential for fitness. Notice the “potential” in the previous sentence. Fitness is not created in workouts. It occurs in the recovery … [Read more...] about Workouts

The younger an athlete is the less effect a poor diet has on performance. The older an athlete is the more critical diet is to performance. At least that is what I have observed over the years. It’s … [Read more...] about Age and Diet

When riding a bike uphill or running you are working to overcome gravity. For the bike I’m sure that’s obvious. Riding up a hill means that gravity is trying to pull you back down. That’s what makes … [Read more...] about Power and Weight