Posts filled under:Performance Physiology

What Is Lactate? The Blood Lactate Story

ind out more about lactate and how, contrary to it’s popular reputation, this incredible molecule plays many important roles from being used as a preferential fuel source, actually minimise acidity in the tissues and even acts as a ‘signalling hormone’ […]

Alternative Ideas For Planning Cycling Training

Cyclists use various approaches to design their training, but what does the evidence have to say about the most effective way to structure your riding? In a study of the Strava data for 29,284 cyclists, a group of researchers from the university […]

5 Ways For Cyclists To Improve Their Climbing

Discover 5 easy ways to improve your climbing, for road cycling and sportives, as I climb the Hors Catégorie ‘Col de Pailhères’ in the French Pyrénées. You can find more about ‘micro goal-setting’, top tips to improve your climbing and […]

How To Use ‘VAM’ To Compare Your Performance With The Pros

Find out how I used ‘VAM’(Velocità Ascensionale Media/average climbing speed) to compare my performance to a top professional cyclist on a section of the Alpine route of the ‘Etape Suisse’ and use a free ‘VAM’ calculator to analyse your own […]

10 Signs Of Over-Training (& What To Do About It)

How can you tell the difference between ‘over-reaching’ (usually good) and an unhelpful state of over-training? Learn the signs of overtraining and how you can plan and monitor your training to avoid it. A warm-weather training camp is a great opportunity to […]

How To Biohack Your Cycling Nutrition

In part 1 of this mini-series, learn how: Biohacking Whilst some members of the scientific community might cringe at the title of this blog series, I’ve called it ‘Cycling Nutrition ‘Biohacks’ for a reason. Whilst usually associated with the unauthorised […]

Tips To Periodize Your Cycling Nutrition & Training

In part 2 of this mini-series, we explore: Producing Highly Functional Athletes In the words of Nigel Mitchell, Team Sky’s Head of Nutrition, the aim of a nutritional strategy is to get: In part 1 of this mini-series we explored […]

Supercharge Your Metabolism: Controlled CHO Training

In part 3 of this mini-series, we explore some of the problems and concerns associated with ‘training-low’, how these may be avoided and what a ‘controlled carbohydrate’ approach could look like in practice.  Skip to part 1 and learn how […]

How Understanding Energy Systems Can Make You A Faster Cyclist

What kind of effort does it take to win Flèche Wallonne? What makes some riders ‘climbers’ and others ‘sprinters’? As the field of Sports Science has progressed and leaked into the mainstream media, it’s become more common for terms such […]

7 Ways To Use Critical Power For Road Cycling Training

Many coaches and cyclists are talking about ‘Critical Power’, but what is it and why is it useful? The Critical Power concept is not new. In fact, it’s been around for nearly 50 years. It was first published by two […]