FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

We're always game for trying something new here at FasCat, and this week we did a live session on YouTube where we took your questions while recording this podcast.  We answer things like: Does the FasCat app work with sports besides cycling? How can I know if I can trust auto-detected FTP increases? Who answers user questions inside the FasCat app? When is the Zwift integration coming? How can I...

It's the summer of gravel, and we've got some proven techniques for you to step up your gravel game starting now. On this podcast, Coaches Frank Justin break down six aspects of gravel training you can use now: mindset gravel specificity workouts for gravel simulation rides gravel training plans nutrition Fresh back from the Belgian Waffle Ride, we are surfing the highs (and the lows!) of gravel r...

Riding in the heat of summer can be hard, but why exactly is that, and how can you train your body to perform better? In this podcast, Coaches Ricky Arnopol and Andrew Giniat explain: heat acclimation for cycling  what happens to the body when it's hot the heat acclimations that occur with the proper training the performance benefits of heat acclimation methods for accclimation and some practical...

As a father to five, Coach Jake knows a thing or two about earning and keeping those Dad Watts. On this podcast, he and dad-to-be Coach Christian talk about various strategies for taking care of your family and training when time allows. They discuss how to maximize the benefit from those precious hours on the bike. We also give a few shouts outs to our own fathers. Happy Father's Day to all you d...

Lauren De Crescenzo sent a solo flyer at Unbound Gravel 2024 in hopes of repeating her 2021 victory. How did it work out? What did the chaos of the race look like from her perspective? And what are the takeaways for going forward in racing and training? Lauren speaks with her Coach Elliott Baring all the time, and on this special episode we bring you inside their post-Unbound debrief. Elliott is t...

Fun, flexibile and highly effective — that is the FasCat way to train.  On this special episode, FasCat Founder Frank Overton explains how the FasCat App has incorporated all the most impactful pieces of FasCat training methodology in a customized format that scales to your available time and gives your real-time feedback to every single workout. There are a lot of old and perhaps outdated ways of...

If you want to race well, you gotta pack in the carbs - before, during and after your big race. But exactly how does that work in real-world scenarios? And what exactly does the science say about it? On this podcast, we cover six subjects: -the science of carb loading and pre-ride nutrition -the practicality of that science -the science of how to fuel during an event -the practicality of eating a...

Hello, listeners! We have a very different podcast for you today. We've taken your great questions that we normally answer with Coaches in our popular Ask a FasCat episodes and run them through our AI-powered CoachCat to answer them. Further, the questions are asked by an AI version of FasCat Founder Frank Overton.  The real Frank explains how this experimental podcast will work at the start of th...

Gravel training is not the same as training for the road, and therefore you should pay attention to different power-based metrics. FTP is not as important nor is your peak 20-minute power. Nor your 5-minute power. So what should you be looking at and trying to improve? In this podcast, we give you the power-based metrics you should pay attention to for your gravel training and racing! What's impor...

Over the years, the internet has twisted the simple definition of FTP.   We are here to bust those myths and set the record straight. Coach Jake and Frank also cover "Lactate Truthers", Zone 2 and finally our favorite the right and wrong usage of ERG mode.  ERG mode is great but it can be harmful to your training so we discuss. -- The first month of the FasCat app is now FREE: https://fascatcoachi...

For years FasCat has touted 'FTFP' - or follow the f'ing plan! But we realize life often gets in the way of executing a detailed training plan to the T. And that's okay! On this podcast, we talk about how you can adapt to life's winding road, make changes in your training as things come up, but still stay the course to achieving your goals. FasCat is here to help you stay consistent with two great...

Will AI replace human coaches in Endurance Sports? The short answer is YES. The long answer is No. No doubt,  AI will 100% change how humans coach endurance athletes.  Or at least the Coaches who adopt and embrace the technology. Gone are the days of a coach spending most of their time on training plan design, data analysis, custom workouts, scheduling and training plan revisions.  AI automates th...

Do you have your first gravel race coming up? Or perhaps you've already done a few in years past, but you've got your first gravel race of the season in your sights. Well, on this podcast, Coach Justin Bowes and Ben Delaney walk you through five main tips so you will show up ready to have your best race. Coach Justin explains how to: 1 get your body ready 2 get your bike ready 3 plan out your nutr...

If you're interested in going fast, then paying attention to what, when and how much you eat on the bike is of huge importance. And the science and practice of on-bike nutrition has rocketed ahead recently, with the huge amount of carbohydrate consumed in particular being a major change from just a few short years ago. On this podcast, Coach Christian Parrett digs into what you need to know now to...

Working with Coach Elliott Baring, FasCat athlete  Lauren De Crescenzo won her third Mid South this past weekend in dominant fashion. On this podcast Lauren and Elliott talk about how she trained to win this major 100-mile gravel race, the strategy and tactics and gear she used, what you can learn from her methodology, and what's next on the calendar for the LDC. To start training for your best ye...

You know what's better than a great day of racing? Multiple days of racing, all stacked together. Whether a traditional stage race, a multi-day training camp or a race with some additional riding bolted on, there are a few ways to indulge in a big block on the bike, and on this podcast Coaches Sierra Sims and Ricky Arnopol join Ben Delaney to talk about fun and challenging road, mountain and grave...

'Know thyself,' Plato said. 'And know thy course,' Coach Allie says.  With years of professional racing around the glove under her belt plus years of working with all levels of athletes, Coach Allie Legg knows what it takes to have a successful race. Here are her top 5 tips for having your best race. Know the course, make (and use!) a pre-race checklist, prepare your nutrition the night before, be...

Listen to your body, know the variables, don't treat travel as rest, go with the flow, don't diet on the bike! Maddy Ward is a UCLA grad, a former pro with Tibco and InstaFund, and a new FasCat Coach who on this episode delivers her Top 5 Training & Racing Tips. To start training for your best year yet, get on the FasCat App, which includes unlimited training plans, the Optimize training-to-recove...

Getting better and faster on the bike just got a whole lot better and a whole lot faster. We are proud to announce CoachCat, an AI technology driven tool inside the FasCat App that delivers interactive workout analysis and guidance immediately upon upload of your workout. Based on decades of our coaching experience and the cutting edge of both sports science and AI technology, CoachCat analyses yo...

One of the new hot topics in training is a concept dubbed 'durability.' It's being talked about by WorldTour coaches and being written about in cycling media.  But what is durability really? Is it a new concept? Is it a metric? And most importantly, how do you train durability and test for it so that you can improve as a cyclist?  On this podcast, Coaches Christian Parrett and Andrew Giniat dig in...

Be your best. It's a simple concept, and hard to achieve. So here, we're going to keep it simple and straightforward, with five easy-to-remember mantras that will help you be your best in tangible ways.  Leading you in this is our new FasCat Coach Justin Bowes, an experienced coaching veteran across various disciplines.  -- Have you been enjoying the FasCat Podcast? Please leave us a review on the...

Following a prescribed training plan is the most effective way to improve as a cyclist, and yet… riding and racing in Zwift can be super fun. Can you do both? Yes, yes you can. Here to help us on our digital and IRL training journey is Coach Jake Rytlewski , our in-house Zwift master and father of five - because you know those two things are related. (Jake also raced professionally for years, so Z...

It's January and many of us are in the thick of new year's resolutions that may or may not last. Here to help us become better cyclists - with 10 easy-to-form habits that can last and only take 10 minutes or less - is Coach Sierra Sims. Coach Sierra holds a Master's Degree in exercise physiology, and she did graduate work on the physiology of master's cyclists and bone health in female road cyclis...

Sweet Spot training is great for a number of things, and today we're talking about how it's highly effective for racking up Training Load - a key metric for any cyclist's training plan. Training Load is the forest view of your fitness, a weighted 42-day rolling average of your recent workouts. The higher the load, the more potential fitness you have at your disposal. On a daily perspective, you mi...

Goals are great to have, but a specific plan to reach your goals is where the rubber meets the road - or trail.  In this podcast Coach Elliott Baring walks you through the three steps to achieve your cycling goals: determine your goals determine the demands of your goals build the training timeline to reach your goals As a precursor, the nine talented athletes who comprise the Optimize Collective...