Over the last few years more and more bike fitters and cycling coaches have begun to tout glute activation and “core strength” as being the foundations for performance on the bike. While this is certainly a step in the right direction, they are missing 2 massive components of performance.

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.

TOOLBOX: If you love cycling, then you may have come to love many of the behaviors, habits, and goals that come along with enjoying and improving in the sport. Better. Optimal. Perfect? Is that drive always the best thing for performance or happiness?

“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.

I’m talking to those of you who are cyclists, riding 6+ hours a week for the majority of the calendar year, and who are over the age of 40, and whom do not participate in regular strength training throughout the year, but rather pick it up solely in the fall and winter.

TOOLBOX: The loss of events due to the pandemic can have a big impact on our motivation to train. You may have noticed changes in your motivation to put in mileage, strength train, get on your trainer, eat right, or even get off the couch and go to bed on time. Here's how to use exercise to bust out of that de-motivational funk.

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

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 intense work?

TOOLBOX: It’s funny, that as cyclists we spend so much time and energy focusing on our legs when we strength train, yet we don’t give a thought to the very things at the end that connect us to the bicycle: our feet.