The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast by CTS

Most cyclists think they need more volume or more power to improve. Coach Adam Pulford explains why that’s not always the case and how training density (doing the same work with less recovery) is one of the most effective ways to build durability, increase repeatability, and break through performance plateaus.

Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/

HOST

Adam Pulford has been a CTS...

If you're fueling with high carbs during training and worrying about diabetes, weight gain, or gut issues, this episode will change how you think about sugar. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down why your body handles carbohydrates completely differently during exercise than at rest, clears up one of the biggest nutrition myths in endurance sports, and gives you a simple, practical fueling framework so you can stop being afraid of c...

Most cyclists think a massive amount of Zone 2 training is the secret to a bigger aerobic engine, but it's only part of the story. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down two workouts he uses with his athletes, from ProTour riders to time-crunched amateurs, to push aerobic fitness to the next level.

Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/

RESOURCES

• Cycling’s Latest Trend: Structure...

Zone 2 intervals are trending across pro pelotons and training apps, but are they actually superior to steady endurance riding, or just a complicated solution to a simple problem? Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the science, shares real athlete data, and gives you an honest answer on whether structured Zone 2 intervals are worth your time.

Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/

RE...

Struggling to fit training into your busy life? Coach Adam Pulford breaks down a simple weekly framework that helps time-crunched cyclists build real fitness — without burning out or blowing up their schedule.

Free Cycling Training Assessment: https://trainright.com/cycling-training-assessment-welcome/

RESOURCES

• Time-Crunched? Here’s the Training Week Framework That Works
• How to Build a Strong Week of Your Cycling Training Plan - C...

OVERVIEW
Cyclists almost always report a discrepancy between the power output and/or perceived exertion between indoor and outdoor cycling. Typically, this means struggling to achieve the same power output indoors than can be achieved outdoors for common workouts like FTP intervals or VO2 max efforts. Even easier Zone 2 rides can have higher RPE values (i.e., feel harder) indoors compared to outdoors. In Episode 294 of "Th...

OVERVIEW
Should cyclists incorporate VO2 max work year round or focus VO2 max work on only select periods of the year? Coach Adam Pulford tackles this listener question in Episode 293 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast". Key ideas include the fact that VO2 max is influenced by training at several different intensities, so you can work on VO2 max without always doing high-intensity intervals. When it comes to high-i...

OVERVIEW
ERG Mode, or ergometer mode, is a feature on smart indoor cycling trainers that allows the trainer or connected app to set the resistance you experience as a rider. For interval workouts, for instance, ERG Mode will adjust the resistance so you stay at a constant target power output (e.g., 250 watts for 10 minutes). The downside to ERG Mode is that it can hinder your ability to conjure the internal motivation to achiev...

OVERVIEW
In Episode 291 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford answers a listener question about the relationship between FTP and VO2 max training, particularly how and why targeting training to improve either will typically raise both.

TOPICS COVERED

• Think of training intensities as a continuum, not as neat little boxes
• Descriptions of primary energy systems
• How FTP and VO2 max are directly relate...

OVERVIEW
Although this is "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", we recognize that not everyone is time-crunched. In particular, we hear from lots of older cyclists who have more time to train now that they've retired or cut back their work hours, or their children have flown the nest. So, how do we apply some of the TCC methodologies for athletes who have some more time available? Coach Adam Pulford coaches lots o...

OVERVIEW
Endurance athletes are accustomed to building Annual Training Plans for the phases of their sport-specific training, but are less familiar with building annual training plans for strength training.  If this is you, Episode 289 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast" features Coach Adam Pulford taking you through the steps of creating and managing your annual strength training plan. He breaks it down for novice...

OVERVIEW
Annual Training Plans are big-picture, long term plans that map out training phases to bring the athlete into key races, events, or time periods with peak form and freshness, which helps optimize performance. For some, these can be fun to map out, especially if you like spreadsheets and planning. Others find it boring, confusing, time-consuming. Either way, in Episode 288 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast"...

OVERVIEW
The Holidays are just about over and the New Year is about to begin. If you had a ton of fun over the Holidays and you're feeling a bit soft around the middle and bit slower than you'd like, Coach Adam Pulford has some good news! You're fitness didn't disappear and those couple of extra pounds will likely melt away pretty quickly once you get back to normal training. If you've been piling on th...

OVERVIEW
Anaerobic capacity is the work you can do above your lactate threshold. Another term for it is Functional Reserve Capacity (FRC), and it acts like a battery that contains a finite amount of energy that runs out quickly and must be recharged before a subsequent use. FRC is your high-intensity, explosive power for winning sprints, creating breakaways, closing gaps, and riding competitors off your wheel. In the final epis...

OVERVIEW
VO2 max or maximum aerobic capacity is your performance ceiling, but it is trainable and you can not only increase your VO2 max, but also the power you can produce at VO2 max, how long you can sustain that power, and the amount of work you can accomplish between lactate threshold and VO2 max. In Episode #285 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", coaches Adam Pulford and Basecamp's Tim Cusick discuss ho...

OVERVIEW
Following their episode on aerobic training, CTS Coach Adam Pulford and Tim Cusick (Head Coach at Basecamp and TrainingPeaks WKO Product Leader) dig into Functional Threshold Power (FTP) training in Episode #284 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast". This is one of the clearest, accessible, and practical explanations of FTP training you'll ever hear. They talk about what's happening in your body, h...

OVERVIEW
"How long is this going to take?!" Everyone wants to know how long it takes for the training you do today to result in performance improvements you can see and feel on the road or trail. To find out, we called upon Tim Cusick, an elite coach and one of the data gurus behind TrainingPeaks WKO product. Together, Coach Adam Pulford and Tim explain how training stress leads to physiological strain, which causes f...

OVERVIEW
We all know recovery takes time, but how much time and what is going on internally while "recovery" is happening? How do factors like the duration and intensity of a workout affect the recovery process? What about nutrition and hydration during and after training, and finally, what about those fancy recovery tools and gadgets? Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the science of recovery, what's going on in you...