FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
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FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

The official podcast of FasCat Coaching, based in Boulder, CO. Coach Frank "Big Cat" Overton shares his extensive experience as a cycling coach to help you ride faster through training and racing tips, nutrition, and beyond.

  1. 1 DAY AGO

    Overtraining, under-fueling, stuck in a rut? Lose the weight and get your mojo back!

    This podcast was inspired by a recent athlete asking for help, and we think many of you can relate to the situation:  "I've been cycling for nearly 20 years (now 44). I have a stressful job, two kids, and over the past few years I’ve gain 15 pounds that I can't shake, despite training 10-15 hours in the summer and 6-8 in the winter. What do I do?" Symptoms like low energy, inability to sustain high heart rates, and lack of sweat could point to low energy availability (LEA). Even with calorie counting, your body might not be getting enough fuel to support both your workouts and daily life demands (job, kids, stress). This can lead to a suppressed metabolism and fatigue, making weight loss and performance harder. Weight gain can be age-related hormonal changes that occur in men in their 40’s.  Namely a gradual decline in testosterone levels which can affect metabolism, muscle mass, fat distribution, and energy levels. This is sometimes referred to as andropause or age-related hormonal decline. Coaching Advice: The #1 thing you can do is to get tested: A simple blood test can check testosterone, thyroid, and other hormone levels. This will help rule out any medical issues. Then here’s what we recommend to get out of the rut, get your mojo back to your training and lose that weight:  Nutrition First: Focus on fueling your workouts with carbs. Try eating a small carb-rich snack (e.g., a banana or toast with honey) before your morning rides. Post-ride, prioritize recovery with protein and carbs to replenish glycogen and repair muscles. Coach Andrew Giniat and Nutritionist Alex Winnicki recently recorded a podcast about how much carbohydrate you need to consume even if you are trying to lose weight. And why low carb diets are bad and will result in rut like this athlete.   The take home point and analogy is that you, as an athlete, are Ferrari and carbohydrates are your fuel (gas) . But the body does not work like a Ferrari in terms of going fast even as they tank empties.  Athletes do better when their tanks are kept at full as possible at all times. This includes before, during and after exercise. HRV and Recovery: Use your HRV data to monitor recovery. If it’s consistently low, it might indicate overtraining or stress. Your 7 hours of sleep is solid, but stress and under-fueling can still take a toll. The CoachCat app has a free Whoop offer that will combine your sleep and HRV data with your training data to let you know if you are recovered or not.  Then when you are not ‘feeling it’ you can ask for daily adjustments.  Start each morning with personalized recommendations based on your sleep and recovery.   This is so clutch for a masters athletes balancing life’s daily demands: job, kids, stress. Training Adjustments: Consider dialing back intensity for a few weeks. Focus on Zone 2 rides to rebuild your aerobic base and avoid burnout. This aligns with your winter training history.   - Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Justin: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/justin-bowes -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    52 min

  2. FEB 14

    Too Many Hours Too Soon? Don’t Be The Group Ride Hero

    Instagram is a funny thing for cyclists: It can be inspirational to see what the pros are doing, but it can also be misleading as far as what we should be doing for training.  Coaches Sierra Sims and Elliott Baring discuss what we're seeing in terms of 20+ and 30+ weeks from U.S. gravel pros. What does this do for the domestic riders as they prepare for their year? Is it even a good idea? And what should a regular working stiff with a 9-to-5 do? For starters, relax! And just listen to this great podcast for much needed perspective and solid advice. - Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Sierra or Coach Elliott: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/sierra-sims https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/elliott-baring   -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    1h 2m

  3. FEB 7

    How the pros are training now & what YOU should do

    It's fascinating to study exactly how professional cyclists are training and why, but what are the takeaways for everyday athletes? Beyond the gee-whiz quotient, what about elite training translates to us, and what is irrevelant or even harmful to try to emulate?  That is exactly what Coaches Andrew and Ricky dig into in this podcast. Both are uniquely positioned in that they are professional cyclists AND professional coaches for amateur riders. In addition to some highly specific pro anecdotes, Andrew and Ricky also share some easy-to-remember rules of thumb for your own training.   - Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Andrew or Coach Ricky: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/andrew-giniat https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/ricky-arnopol -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    57 min

  4. FEB 4

    Strength training for cycling - what the latest research says

    If you're a longtime FasCat podcast listener, then you know we're big believers in strength training in the offseason. The science has long proven the benefits for endurance athletes. But what's new? What's the latest science?  That is exactly what Coaches Andrew and Sierra get into in this pod, as Sierra brushes up on her master's degree studies with the latest research. -- Want to add weight lifting to your cycling training and get Coach Sierra or Andrew's help? Please visit https://fascatcoaching.com/pages/hire-a-coach to learn more about them, fill out a new athlete questionnaire and to schedule a coaching consultation with them! Not ready for a Coach yet but still want to improve under the guidance of a coach? Try CoachCat! Its like hiring a Pro Coach for a fraction of the price of personal coaching. Getting started is as easy as 1,2, 3 and the 1st month is free, go here ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4  Then follow Coach Frank's Top 4 Tips: #1 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans #2 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. #3 Sync all your devices: Whoop, Wahoo, Zwift, Garmin, Hammerhead, Oura, Apple Watch and more! # 4 receive Instant Data Analysis + 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection 🤓 Plus we have connected your activity and wearable data to our AI Coach (CoachCat) to analyze your training-to-recovery balance.

    50 min

  5. JAN 31

    Come Sweet Spot with us on Zwift! Saturday group rides!

    FasCat friends, we invite you to join us on Zwift for our Saturday Sweet Spot group rides, where Coaches Jake and Frank lead A and B groups and we chat on Discord. In this podcast, we talk about why so many riders love this wintertime format of getting high-quality, semi-structured work in with a social group. The time flies by, the kJs shoot up, and you can feeeeel yourself getting faster. Join the FasCat club on Zwift and then join our Saturday ride. (If you are already on Zwift, there is no additional cost.) Learn more and sign up here: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/sweet-spot-saturday-base-rides -- Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Jake: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/jake-rytlewski -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    42 min

  6. JAN 24

    The Remco Effect: Junior development is completely different now

    FasCat Coaching has been working with riders of all ages for 20 years, and while the fundamentals of training are the same, the science and technology and culture have changed tremendously. Nowhere are these changes more dramatic than what is going on with younger riders. In this podcast, Coaches Justin and Frank delve into what's changed and why, and what the best ways are for helping young riders develop in a healthy, fun, sustainable way. -- Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Justin: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/justin-bowes -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    1h 10m

  7. JAN 17

    Train better by measuring with OTS: Optimized Training Stress

    If you want to improve something, measure it. This applies in life and on the bike. Whether you're talking blood pressure, finances, or FTP, how can you know something is improving if you are not accurately measuring it? The same principle applies to training stress, a key summative metric that quantifies the total load of your training. As coaches and as athletes, we can measure how much work you are doing each day, each week, each month and each year. We balance this with measurements of your recovery metrics, and make prescriptions from there based on your goals. Training Stress Score has long been used to measure training load, and it's a great metric. There are two problems, though: TSS gives you credit for coasting, and it gives you the same amount of credit for a certain amount of wattage in hour one as the same amount of wattage in hour four. As you have probably noticed doing a two-hour ride on Zwift vs a two-hour ride outside, not coasting at all for two hours makes a big difference in how much work you are doing! Similarly, you know how much harder - how much more stressful - a 250w effort feels late in a long ride compared to when you first start. Now, Zwift is a great tool, but don't misunderstand - we aren't advocating that you do all your rides inside! We are simply advocating that you accurately measure your training wherever you do it, so together we can precisely apply the right training load to make you better! At FasCat, we address these issues and other improvements with Optimized Training Stress, which is found exclusively in the CoachCat app. Learn more inside this podcast with Coach Andrew Giniat and FasCat Founder Frank Overton. --- Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Andrew: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/andrew-giniat     -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    45 min

  8. JAN 13

    How to Plan the Perfect Race Calendar

    So you're signed up for a couple big races this year - now what? Coaches Andrew and Ricky break down the planning process on this podcast, including: -how to set your A-race goal (process and power are usually better than time) -how to fill in B and C races  -how to determine the optimal number of events -classic planning mistakes to watch out for (we've seen a lot of them! and done a few ourselves...) -- Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Andrew: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/andrew-giniat Or by hiring Coach Ricky https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/ricky-arnopol -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ https://tinyurl.com/47rr7em4 😸 Use CoachCat just like you would a real coach for a fraction of the price. 📆 Create a Custom Plan using unlimited training plans ⏰ Instant Data Analysis 💥 Custom Workout Recommendations 🧠 Training Plan Revisions 🚀 Auto FTP Detection

    1h 11m
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4.7
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The official podcast of FasCat Coaching, based in Boulder, CO. Coach Frank "Big Cat" Overton shares his extensive experience as a cycling coach to help you ride faster through training and racing tips, nutrition, and beyond.

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