Preparing for your first century ride, which is a 100-mile bike ride or 100 km for a metric century, requires a structured training plan to build endurance and improve performance. Here is a general outline of a training program for riding a century. How long it takes you to prepare will depend on your fitness […]
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Most people know that as an endurance coach, I support athletes who are preparing for events such as long-distance cycling and other endurance sports like hiking and kayaking. Here are some of the other things I do as an endurance coach: As an endurance coach, I work with athletes of all levels, from beginners to […]
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I previously posted about the benefits of high cadence pedalling, today is about the benefits of low cadence pedalling. Both have a place in a training program. Here are 4 benefits of low cadence pedalling: Increased muscle activation: Lower cadence pedaling recruits more muscle fibers, including slow-twitch muscle fibers that are important for longer endurance […]
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I thought I’d do a quick post on why high cadence pedalling was beneficial to all cyclists, not just roadies. High cadence pedalling refers to cycling at a high number of revolutions per minute (RPM) and is considered important in training because it can improve several aspects of a cyclist’s performance. Here are 4 benefits: […]
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Illness or injury will keep most of from participating in our favourite sport at some point. It was after an injury that I rediscovered road riding. I’m glad I did since I never would’ve decided to take part in the Tour of the Moon in Grand Junction, Colorado otherwise. The Tour of the Moon is […]
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Low-carb/high-fat diets like the keto diet are a popular dietary approach for weight loss and health improvement. This interest has leaked over into the elite athlete community. Especially since some early studies have renewed intrigue around potential benefits of very low-carb, high-fat diets (PMID: 31713719). Endurance exercise is prolonged activity sustained at a moderate-to-vigorous intensity. […]
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Mahatta River isn’t on most people’s radars, let alone on anyone’s list of top places to see. It’s nothing more than a logging camp 55 km from Port Alice, BC. When the locals heard that Robynne and I were going to ride our bikes out there, they thought we were nuts! Their reactions made us […]
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There are 3 types of muscle fiber, all of which are important in a training program. Type I are commonly known as slow-twitch fibers. These are the fibers that are good for endurance since they take a long time to fatigue. They also produce the least amount of force. The lower body is predominately made […]
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Research has been highly mixed in relation to BCAA’s. Before you take off running toward the nearest supplement store, there is an issue that needs to be addressed: I’ll use an analogy to describe the crucial issue with BCAA’s: Just because we have the ability to turn the light switch on, doesn’t mean that the […]
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Many of us were taught that the post-workout timing of protein was essential! And we made sure that we had that protein powder shake immediately after we finished. However, studies have shown that we may not need to worry about it as much after all. What is protein? Amino acids are the building blocks of […]
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