FASTER Cycling

After bone density peaks in our 20s it starts to decline as we age. As cyclist, maintaining bone health is crucial for performance and longevity in the saddle. Today on FASTER, we speak with Cindy Dupuie about bone density and bone health. Women entering menopause will lose 20% of their bone density in the first 8 years and men suffering from low testosterone can experience accelerated bone density loss. Today, there are many optio...

We've been studying vibration for years and coming up with unique ways to manage it. Some of our initial research is now being supported by further studies. In this episode of FASTER we discuss how vibration leads to increased muscle activation, a higher heart rate, a compromised VO2 Max, and increased inflammation for cyclists when they are not managing it properly. Listen to this episode to learn more about the impacts of vi...

The proper body composition for competitive endurance athletes is a fine balance. The too much muscle and you slow down, too little and you are injury prone. In this episode of FASTER we discuss the pros and cons of building muscle for endurance athletes, why we need to manage our muscle composition, isometric and eccentric exercises to maximize hypertrophy, how to fuel when fasting, and how our bodies change after 40. Listen to th...

Consuming alcohol is something most of the adult population takes part in. For years, a drink of wine was considered healthy but these days there is not evidence that alcohol is positive in any way. Today, on FASTER we look beyond the negative impact alcohol has on our health and explore how it impacts our performance as athletes. Even a drink a week can impact performance if consumed at the wrong time. Listen to this episode of FA...

It's easy to get overwhelmed with the number of options when it comes to supplements. Even when you have a clue what you're looking for you're faced with finding a supplement that is a high quality product. The supplementation industry lacks the standards that deliver a quality product in all cases. On this episode of FASTER we interview Jeff Byers from Momentous and discuss the ideal supplement stack for cyclists an...

The lungs you are born with do not change like a muscle when exercised. For this reason, many people believe there isn't much that can be done to improve breathing for performance. I was fascinated to find out that while you can't change the lungs you have you can change how you use the lungs you have. In this episode of FASTER we welcome back Dr. Andrew Sellars and introduce Luke Way from Isocapnic. They've develope...

After a recent podcast with Jim Martin we discussed the idea of matching breathing rate to cycling cadence and how it creates more efficient cycling. In this episode of FASTER we talk with Dr. Andrew Sellars about breathing rate and cycling/running cadence. It's one of my favorite episodes in a long time and I highly recommend listening. Andrew's knowledge as a coach, his background in physiology and muscle engagement in ...

Instead of picking a training methodology like threshold training or a polarized approach, what if you created a training that was adaptive? Wouldn't this be a better solution for you as an athlete in the long run? Today, on FASTER we are joined by Jim Van Der Berg who is the creator of JOIN Cycling, an ex-semi pro cyclist the the current coach of many pro cyclists. Jim also has a degree in exercise physiology and sports psych...

If you've ever ridden on a virtual cycling platform you may immediately notice that it's not representative of real-world cycling. When you come out of a corner on the road you have to add watts to the pedals to speed back up. Most virtual training platforms end up acting more like a spin class. George Gilbert set out to correct this process and founded IndieVelo in 2022. A short two years later his company was acquired b...

We welcome back the legendary Scott Tindal to discuss electrolytes for cyclists. Today, electrolytes have become common for daily use even amongst non-endurance athletes. Many of the electrolyte products contain ingredients that are not needed. In this episode of FASTER we break down what electrolytes are, what electrolytes you need, how electrolytes help cyclists, and how to optimize your electrolyte intake so you can become FASTE...

RAAM or Race Across America is a legendary race with cyclists racing across the country. Traditionally a solo race, it has expanded to include 2, 4, and 8-person teams. When you think of riding across the country you may think it would take 30 days. However, the fastest solo time is now less than 8 days. Today on FASTER we are joined by Rick Boethling who manages the day-to-day operations at RAAM and has crewed the race for his fat...

We've had several episodes discussing fueling during training and racing but today we cover fueling before and after training and racing. Sam Shepherd from Precision Hydration covers pre-training and pre-race strategies, including carb loading, carb sources, tips for fasted athletes and why fueling post activity is best looked at as part of you training session not a separate event. Listen to this episode to lock in your nutri...

In this episode of FASTER we have Dr. Jim Martin back to discuss cadence for cyclists. We also discuss the main differences between 2x and 1x drive trains and why 2x is likely faster for most athletes. We cover a wide range of topics including metabolic cost, cost of unloaded cycling, weave frequency, picking the right cassette and much more. Listen to this episode to learn how to optimize your cadence so you can become FASTER.

Many world class athletes can be seen with their eyes closed before a major event. I often wondered what they were doing and I've learned that most are visualizing. Visualization is a sports psychology technique that is proven to improve sports performance. In this episode of FASTER we discuss confidence and trust which are the building blocks of visualization and then discuss everything about visualization. Listen to this epi...

Most people in the west think of two things when discussing mushrooms. Food and hallucinogens. However, mushrooms have been used in the east for thousands of years for health. Recently, a cycling team used cordyceps mushrooms to help their athletes improve VO2 Max and studies show humans do get a VO2 Max boost from mushrooms. In this episode of FASTER we talk with Danielle Ryan Dawson from FourSigmatic about how adaptogens and mush...