Long weekend endurance rides have been replaced with shorter Sweet Spot workouts across many Sweet Spot Base plans, and our high-volume Sweet Spot Base plans have been drastically reworked. Which plans have been updated so far? Roughly half of all training plans include long endurance weekend rides. Currently, minor updates have been made to Sweet…
Over the last year, we asked six TrainerRoad athletes — some recovering from injuries, some returning from an extended break from cycling and others brand new to the sport — to share their fitness improvements with us. We wanted to know exactly what training plans they followed to achieve their results. Here are six of their stories.…
Answer: Divide the amount of kJs by 4.184 then divide by .25. Calories burned cycling are dependent on your Gross Metabolic Efficiency, but for most people, it’s between 20-25%. That means for every Calorie you burn produces around 1.045 kilojoules. For practical reasons, most cyclists approximate 1 kJ is equal to 1 Calorie. In…
It’s easy to choose which plan to follow based on your upcoming event. Deciding how much training your plan should consist of, however, isn’t always so obvious. There are three aspects of your training that can tell you if you’re on the right path: the type of workouts you’re doing, the intensity of your workouts…
Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re not seeing improvements within your season as an aging athlete, adjustments must be made. This is keeping in mind that training, and thereby training adaptation, is cyclical in nature. So the magnitude of improvements will be largely dependent on what level of athlete you already are. Nonetheless, there…
We want results and we want them fast. So how do we get them? In sports science theory, empirical research now backed with scientific evidence identifies a way our bodies achieve the desired metabolic and muscular response of increased aerobic capabilities and strength. The methodology and actual training adaptation that gets you there is supercompensation.…
Alcohol is intimately related to cycling and racing in general. Post-ride trail brews, podium champagne and “recovery beers” are all a regular part of our cycling vernacular and culture, but if you’re trying to take your training seriously, should they be? The effects of alcohol on performance can be narrowed down to two things: how…
Big wins don’t just happen. They’re the culmination of tens, often hundreds of smaller everyday wins that mold you into a stronger, faster cyclist. These small wins, better known as marginal gains, can help you overcome that all-too-often frustratingly small gap between winning and losing on race day. To help you bridge that gap, I’ve…
There are some races you can go into with confidence without a lot of prior training — a 100-200 mile bike race is not one of them. These one-day epics take a lot of preparation. And we’re not just talking about getting your body in good physical shape either. There’s equipment, your bike set up…
Despite her talent, Liz Lyles never wanted to be a professional triathlete in her twenties. She wanted a family. After the self-described homebody proudly had her two gorgeous kiddos with her husband Chip, she finally decided it was her time to do what so many athletes dream about: turn her passion into her career. That…