What's Cool In Road Cycling

Author

Stephen Cheung

Dr. Stephen Cheung is a Professor & Senior Research Fellow at Brock University, and has published over 120 scientific articles and book chapters dealing with the effects of thermal and hypoxic stress on human physiology & performance. Stephen published the books "Cutting-Edge Cycling" in 2012 with coach Hunter Allen, and "Cycling Science" in 2017 with Dr. Mikel Zabala from the Movistar Pro Cycling Team. Stephen is also the Chief Sport Scientist for the Xert training system, and he can be reached for comments at [email protected]

Motivational Self-Talk: Say You, Say Me?

Stephen Cheung Jan 5, 2021

Self-talk has been used very successfully by both scientists and athletes to improve their performance. However, does it matter HOW you talk to yourself? Is it better to keep your talk in the first person tense or distance yourself to the…

Fitness Improvement: How Much Does Blood Volume Matter?

Stephen Cheung Dec 29, 2020

Best of TOOLBOX: Yes, training does make you fitter, but how does it actually improve your fitness? How much comes down to increasing haemoglobin and blood volume to improve oxygen delivery? How might we test this?

CYCLING ADDICTION Prevalence and Risks

Stephen Cheung Dec 22, 2020

TOOLBOX: We know that exercise and an active lifestyle provides huge benefits to our overall health. But even something as positive as exercise can become addictive and take over our lives for the worse. What are the risk and risk factors…

Muscle Typing and Response to Training Overload

Stephen Cheung Dec 1, 2020

We’ve looked at muscle fibre typology of world-class cyclists in different disciplines, and also how typology may affect recovery from high-intensity workouts. Now let’s explore how typology may affect the risk for overreaching after a high…

Recovery From HIIT: Know Your Muscle Type

Stephen Cheung Nov 18, 2020

TOOLBOX: Last time we discussed the different muscle fibre typology of world-class cyclists in different disciplines. Now let’s explore how different muscle typology can affect recovery from high-intensity interval training.

Muscle Fibre Types of World-Class Cyclists

Stephen Cheung Nov 4, 2020

“We’re all individuals” shouted the mob outside Brian’s window in the Monty Python classic Life of Brian. We’re also all individuals in our response to training, and that may be due to our muscle fibre typing.

Multi-Tasking Respiratory Muscle Training with HIIT?

Stephen Cheung Oct 7, 2020

Can training the respiratory system improve exercise performance? If so, should we be maximally time-efficient and use it during exercise and interval training?

Fall Transition – Keep the Intensity?

Stephen Cheung Sep 22, 2020

With #CXisNOTCOMING the hashtag for many of us and the fall season arriving, it’s time to start thinking about transitioning out of peak summer cycling form. Should we think about just riding easy during this period, or including a bit of…

How Many Sprints are There in a Field Sprint?

Stephen Cheung Aug 25, 2020

Whether it’s amateurs or professionals, a very high proportion of races ends up in a mass sprint. While we all see the dramatic final burst to the line, the frantic leadup to that final sprint is the critical springboard to success…

Variable vs Constant Intervals – What’s the Difference?

Stephen Cheung Jul 28, 2020

Not all intervals are created equal, even if the average wattage is kept similar. Making intervals that vary in intensity can make them really different from constant wattage intervals.