Best Way to Raise FTP, Pro Nutrition, Strava Segments and More - Ask a Cycling Coach 296

[@velmersglue]

I love Nate’s moment at the beginning. Not many people get to love their job and help others at the same time. Being a part of a team like the TR team would be an amazing opportunity. People often neglect researching culture. Just because a job pays well or you love the role, doesn’t mean you fit the culture or the culture is a good fit for you.

[@BRC76]

Totally agree. The fact he is such an active CEO and ambassador for TR is just brilliant. Kudos Nate.

[@nicolastrudel4918]

That's no surprise, TR makes people fit. 🙃

[@w4yland3r27]

380 w at 145 lbs... this man is a talking mitochondria.

[@JayFairbrother]

How the f**k is that only good for mid-pack at world cups?! 🤯

[@C_K__]

Thank you guys for answering my question. Really appreciate the interaction you have with everyone who has a query. I’ll start doing those shorter intervals :)

[@miket2646]

For grip strength, get a hex bar/trap bar for deadlifts and wrap with the same bar tape you use on the bike.

[@michaelmaher3428]

Listening to this now and interesting Nate said he thinks Keegan could win Unbound and Leadville in the same year, which has never been done. Well done now! Also a good reminder that Keegan is still new to these events. Wonder what he will do next year for them.

[@BRC76]

Chad was on fire today discussing FTP gains. As ever, great advice and wise words for all of us. Did welcome his thoughts on the place tempo can have when incorporated in structured training too. I think this has a place in training and the ‘grey’ zone can bring great benefits when mixed in with appropriate harder intervals and rest.

[@jk2302]

Thank you for addressing the tempo topic! I always worry about that dreaded zone 3 but i appreciate hearing that there is an effective dose! It just shouldn't be the only dose.

[@bam0505]

++for Oakley EV Zero blades. Most under rated IMO. Great for cycling or running, feels like nothings on your face and you can find them around for like $100. On the dog, I’ve been chased by a couple coyotes in Marin, CA and I agree that yelling will put them off guard but if they really go after you they usually are trying to nip at your heels and very slight swerving at speed (make sure you can do this without falling) will dramatically reduce their desire / ability to get to your legs

[@EmanresuThe]

Pure goldmine of knowledge and I’d dare saying wisdom what Chad is saying about tempo, adaptations, floor and ceiling in terms of time available and personal goals. Thanks a ton for this simple explanations which, as I get more into cycling and figuring out my capabilities, are slowly becoming more common sense and obvious :) 👌🏻

[@LexD-89]

Coming back here to say Keegan won both Unbound and Leadville on the same year ! 🎉😉

[@jonkortgejr74]

Pretty cool to watch this now right after he wins both Leadville and Unbound 2022

[@Dany979797]

Is easier to increase mitochondrial efficiency when you ride easy hrs on hrs. Not so much 4 hr bordering zone2-3

[@oils1976]

How good is the Keegan Swenson YOGI BEAR approach to fuelling rides? Love it.

[@luftens]

I'm looking at my gels and fuels, and they're generally around 20-25g of carbs each. I use hammer gels which are about 20g and single source based on maltodextrin, and I also use hammer bars which are about 25g. Given that, how are we supposed to manage to get up to 90-140g of carbs in per hour, plus stay hydrated? That's about 4+ gels per hour for the single source limit, or up to 7 per hour if a mix of maltodextrin and fructose. That seems like a huge amount. What's the best way to take in fuel in a way that we can hit the intake limit, but still make it a reasonable amount to consume plus also be able to carry it around. This is for cycling. Thank you.

[@luftens]

@Treez 93 Thanks, that's helpful, but I think it would still be good to understand how to consume 90-140g of carbs while on the bike. Fruit, etc., are all good before a ride or during a stop, but I can't do those while moving. I also usually do only electrolytes in my water bottles, and use bars, gels, etc. while on the bike for carbs. Getting to 90-140g per hour is a huge amount of intake though given how little is in each serving, so I'd really like to understand how to get up that high in a reasonable manner. TrainerRoad guys...? Chad?

[@paulmccann1626]

I'd love to hear a reply to this question which MUST effect all cyclists???

[@michaelplante3043]

Simple table sugar has the perfect 1:1 ratio If you want 140 grams in an hour. Put 140 grams of sugar in a bottle of water and drink. If you want flavor add a tablespoon of regular gaterade powder If you like add table salt (3grams = 700 mg sodium). If you want potassium Add some No Salt. It’s in the grocery store

[@richardmiddleton7770]

Train to NOT rely on that much blood glucose! Fat/glucose ratio is trainable. One person who constantly fuels on carbs might burn 50/50 fat/glucose during zone 2 intensity, whereas a well train person might use 70/30 fat/glucose ratio for zone 2. Have you noticed the advice for maximum carb intake is increasing? They used to say 60g/hr a few years ago, now it's 120g! At some point you're going to need a gel every 5 minutes! You will then be forced to train your body off that dependence and it'll be a long miserable road to recovery!

[@shanelahousse3344]

Great prediction to do Unbound and Leadville and win both in the same year, LOL

[@bam0505]

In terms of Polarized vs. SS would Keegan (granted I’m sure he can race anything with two wheels, maybe even one) be more focused on threshold efforts for an XC race (granted he does XCC as well) with lower speeds / less pack dynamics (so less of the chill it, then drill it of a typical road race)? I guess I’m a bit confused why the focus on FTP in general unless you want to mainly focus on TT’s or long endurance races. For me, I’d personally rather have a lower FTP but unworldly 5-10 minute power. In which case you have to do HIIT right?? For a real world example I have around 320 FTP on 68kg, but have done a lot of intervals where I can do a bit over 400W for 5 min. Not sure I’ll ever win a TT just given my size so I think this makes sense for me. Also not sure if this is genetic vs. training, but any thoughts on why you wouldn’t want to skew your body towards the “race winning” efforts (assuming we can’t all be like MVP and have everything). I’d like to have everything :) so please help if any secrets out there

[@timtaylor9590]

my legs hold me back more than my cardio they burn and get weak long before my heart rate gets too high and i start breathing hard, im thinking i should strengthen them with weights?

[@zachpothen4305]

That react job sound like a dream and opportunities like that are the reason I became a software dev

[@donseymour6890]

I was once out riding with a friend and we were chased by a dog. I thought I was a goner as I was behind as we started to sprint. Much to my surprise the dog blew by me and went after the lead rider!

[@thirstygreek]

There a Pro on YT who is ALWAYS preaching Polarized over SS work, its confusing because he cites studies

[@bluemystic7501]

I'm no expert but I think SS training is VERY taxing so striking a balance between your taxing workouts and the rest of the hours that you'll ride in a week is very important. That's where I think the 80/20 polarized split is great. The SS approach isn't scalable to 15 hours a week and as they said the polarized method isn't scalable down to 4 hours per week. Do something that makes you stronger and is sustainable. If your training burns you out by mid summer you're doing it wrong.

[@eterlizzi]

I know exactly who you’re talking about and wondered the same thing.

[@thirstygreek]

@@eterlizzi I’m hoping he comes out with a video reviewing popular plans like TR

[@oldanslo]

@@thirstygreek And he has.

[@thirstygreek]

@@oldanslo yup! Saw it this AM.

[@SubNine9]

After years of trial and error I settled on 360 calories, upwards of 3,000 mg sodium, and as much as 60 oz water in hot conditions per hour.

[@TalleyrandsPuppet]

Would love to see DJ come here to defend polarization. Road pros I follow on Strava don’t seem to use either a pure POL or SS.

[@TrainerRoad]

A misconception about training is that it has to be either/or. It certainly doesn't! ;)

[@Northwindbreeze]

Separating pros and common athletes /enthusiasts is a great thing because how each train shouldn't be exactly the same. POL is the way to go if one has at least a good 10 hrs per week, some coaches even preach the idea of 15hrs to be worth it.

[@curvenut]

@TrainerRoad About the body adaptation to HIIT interval, lets say I am doing the intervals 2 times a week, what is the average time before the body adapt to the interval ? ( i know it depend of each person and 1000 other factors, but on average knowing interval is 2 times a week )

[@TrainerRoad]

Hmm, this is a good question to submit for the team to discuss at trainerroad.com/podcast!

[@curvenut]

@@TrainerRoad Submitted

[@Dispariabooks]

What I learned from Keegan: ...something something smash everything flat in your pocket... something something 🤣

[@ezclimb1]

Couple things here- interviewing pros (who are outliers by nature) and asking them what they do as if it applies to us regular folks is misleading. Most of us don’t have the dna, genetics, time, etc to do as they do. Keegan is a monster athlete. Clearly. Now, for us regular folk who don’t train either for our job or have “20-30” hours to train as enthusiasts, go easy on the “I don’t know any pros who do this” bullshit. I love TR, but you need to address the science and research out there. That would be more informative then trying to say if pro A does this then it must be applicable to us mortals. Nate, don’t let your ego get bruised so easily.

[@TrainerRoad]

You're not wrong, but this is what the Successful Athletes Podcast is for! We interview athletes who balance work/life/training in a relatable way, and as always, call upon research when applicable to back it! :)

[@demondwashington3283]

Nate look like complete two different people when he grow his facial hair

[@evdepedal7149]

Can we mix intervals and Z3 and Z4 in a single training?

[@TrainerRoad]

Sure! We have and WILL. ;)

[@dutypaidrock]

Another great podcast. Shame about the ever-present prat in the live chat who seems to think he knows everything about everything.

[@09ironman1]

do you have a program to raise my FTP?

[@TrainerRoad]

YES! All of our programs within Plan Builder are designed to help you get faster!

[@SubNine9]

Oh ya, all liquid, love the shows filled with top notch info

[@TriDaddy]

@57 minutes - Would be great to listen to Chad without all the interuptions....

[@ShotgunTuck]

Does eating so much sugar not negatively effect insulin sensitivity?

[@Bayo106]

lmao. sugar INCREASES insulin sensitivity. Sugar is GOOD Please open a biochemistry book and actually learn the human body for yourself

[@ShotgunTuck]

Ouch

[@SirAdammmmm]

Could I just add 100g of table sugar to my water, add something for electrolytes and this would be a really cost effective sports drink? Sucrose is 1:1 ratio right? Sounds too simple to be true though

[@TrainerRoad]

DIY sports drinks are totally feasible, but remember that all 'electrolytes' are not created equally! It can definitely be cost effective to do on your own though. :)

[@michaelplante3043]

Yes you could Simple table sugar has the perfect 1:1 ratio If you want 140 grams in an hour. Put 140 grams of sugar in a bottle of water and drink. If you want flavor add a tablespoon of regular gaterade powder If you like add table salt (3grams = 700 mg sodium). If you want potassium Add some No Salt. It’s in the grocery store

[@Alex-bh4um]

Been such a waist of time on the chit-chat in the first 20mins . Good when you dig in the agenda of the talk guys !!

[@sbv7210]

I enjoyed it, so to each their own. Fun fact, with the timestamps you can skip the "chit chat" and dive into the meat and potatoes of the matter

[@derkong7114]

Is there a 7 minute version?

[@campbellhill86]

Time stamps are 👌 - nice podcast team!

[@APSheshy]

They also have quick clips of topics that they've covered, anywhere from about 5 minutes to 20 minutes. You can find the playlist on their channel page

metric system please. not feet.🤨

[@TrainerRoad]

*writes letter to the UN about enforcing metric system in U.S. ;)

@@TrainerRoad Oh so your podcast is just for the states. ok. goodbye

[@Haukster]

switched off after 20Minutes petting their own shoulders. nothing to do with the title