Breaking down sports science studies to help you become a Faster Cyclist and Endurance Athlete
Competitive endurance athletes are always seeking ways to improve their performance. A recent study investigated the effects of changing the race distance on an athlete mid-race. The study looked at the Rating of Perceived Exertion (RPE) and how they coped with this manipulation. RPE is a measure of how hard an athlete feels they are … Read more
How much should you vary your efforts in a cycling time trial? Triathletes and time trial cyclists have often heard the pacing strategy, “Push more into a hill or a headwind.” Other wisdom includes, “Make sure you negative split.” But what do the data models say? Does surging into a higher aerobic zone or even … Read more
Jumping Meta-Analysis Summary Two recent studies analyzed the effects of jump training on endurance athletes and found notable performance improvements. The systematic reviews and meta-analyses examined controlled studies involving healthy endurance runners of any age or sex. Jump training led to a significant moderate improvement in time-trial performance for distances between 2 to 5 kilometers, equal … Read more
The well-known ramp test or ramp workout is frequently used by endurance athletes either to measure progress (test) or elicit progress (training session) or both. The athlete increase power (cycling, rowing erg) etc. or pace (running) every certain amount of time (1 min blocks, 3 minute blocks, 5 minute blocks etc.) But what about a … Read more
SUMMARY FINDINGS This research study found that trained cyclists who performed endurance training in warm conditions (33°C or 92°F) showed greater improvements in performance and cellular adaptations compared to cyclists training in cooler conditions (18°C or 64°F). We all know that training in the heat for a race in the heat is important for heat adaptation. However, this study … Read more
The purpose of this study was to compare two different resistance training methods—traditional resistance training (TRT) and optimum power load training (OPT)—to determine which method produces better results when added to the usual cycling training schedule of professional cyclists. OPT provides an individualized training load and number of repetitions for each athlete to maximize their power output, while TRT uses the same load and repetitions for … Read more
A recent study has some interesting findings. Researchers discovered that having to complete mental efforts that exert self-control prior to a 10 km cycling time-trial may impact your pacing strategies, especially during the first 7 km of the race. The study involved fifteen trained male cyclists who performed four simulated 10 km time-trials on a … Read more
This study examined the relationship between pedaling technique during intense cycling and the ability to maintain a supramaximal cadence, defined as an ultra-high pedaling rate of 160-220 revolutions per minute (rpm), for 30 seconds. Fifteen competitive cyclists and 13 recreational cyclists participated. During one test, cyclists rode at 80% of their maximum oxygen uptake and 90 rpm to simulate … Read more