Submit your questions HERE for our Ask a FasCat #21 Podcast. The deadline to get your questions in is June 17th.
The most thoughtful question will win an OURA Ring - a $399 value. Track your sleep and Heart Rate Variability with an OURA ring that will work with Optimize you’ve heard us talking about recently.
The sky is the limit with the topic of your questions: training, your mental game, nutrition, strength training, recovery, HRV/Sleep - the sky is the limit, but please only ask one really good question.
Pro Tip: in past Ask a FasCat podcasts, the winners have asked a question NOT about their particular training but rather a broad topic that is beneficial for all. IOW the questions just for you usually don’t ‘win’.
Good luck and we look forward to your questions and trying to answer them.
Hi Frank, good to have such a variety of topics around the podcast lately it’s been great!!
My question: How often does a recovery week is required during training? Does the frequency of a recovery week varies depending the discipline or timing of a race? How does it differ from tapering?
Hey guys:
Here in Colorado we’ve had legalized weed for almost a decade. As more and more states legalize cannabis, what does the research say about how it affects endurance athletes? I’m not thinking of smoking cannabis, but of using edibles to promote sleep and decrease emotional stress. Your anecdotal experience is appreciated. I’m primarily interested in any research you’ve seen. Thanks for the consistently well-researched, engaging podcasts! Ed Rowell
I race in road (March-August) and cyclocross (Sept. -Dec.) events however I never seem to be able to be in peak race form for both disciplines. I see pro cyclists such as WVA and MDVP racing and winning year round.
How do cyclists who race in multiple disciplines train to peak at different times of the year?
Hey Frank, I started the year doing the 16 week SS plan, I’ve now moved onto the climbing plan and I am going to follow this with the haute route plan, I am doing haute route 3 day in Switzerland in September. At present my FTP is 244w. My question is what power should I be targeting over the climbs based on FTP, I obviously don’t want to cook myself too early
Thx Lloyd, Birmingham. England
Hi Frank,
I have a question around nutrition specifically for evening (after work) rides.
Basically, when should I have my tea/dinner/supper (whatever your regional dialect accepts)?
During the winter I can finish work at 4:30, jump on the turbo by 5 and get a 1:30 work out done and my wife can have dinner ready for right after my shower, giving plenty of time to digest it before going to bed.
Now the summer is here, we’re starting up with evening outdoor rides, but we meet at 6 and these are around 2-2:30, meaning I’m not home til at least 8:30. Plus I need to factor in getting changed and to the meet point.
I don’t like to eat a full meal that late as I try to go to bed around 10 (gotta get those 8 hours in).
So, should I be eating before the 6pm ride, or after? Lunch is normally a salad with a couple falafel and some nachos/crisps with tea being the main meal. Should I switch it up to have a bigger lunch and lighter tea?
What is the best way to break the cycle of a terrible diet? I often find myself stressed out at work with 20-30 minutes to grab something quick and fall into the easy pizza, burger, taco comfort food trap. I’m also often finding myself craving these foods, or ice cream, chocolate etc… Despite the feelings of guilt and shame after eating them, and knowing I am killing any gains, I still can’t break the vicious cycle.
I’d like to to hear about mid season breaks. How to determin if you need to take one. Timing for when you take them, how long should they be, do you do any exercise at all or just sit on the beach, and after it, how should you dive back into training (go back to less intense and more volume, or dive right back into high intensity).
What is the best way to factor ‘life stress’ into training and recovery?
Beyond the obvious physical fatigue training fatigue, I’m wondering how PE, mood, HRV and sleep quality tracking metrics can be applied to assess when one might reduce intensity and increase recovery, and for what duration.
If you’re at a group ride and not getting a good workout by sitting in, but when you get to the front you’re pushing way over your watts required and can’t sit there for a long time what should you do?
To maximize sleep recovery (increasing deep sleep particularly) do you suggest getting a cooling sleeping pad, adding supplements such as magnesium or adding sleepy time tea or cherry juice before bed?
I am not a small rider. Though I have lost a 115lbs my weight is still 215 lbs. I am in my 3rd season of riding and put in over 300 miles weekly. I am also 63 and it seems much of your training is designed for younger athletes. Anything available for older riders looking to improve?
Thanks for pumping out these great Podcasts. So much great information packed into each one.
As we head towards the pandemic becoming an endemic this will be the first summer/fall were almost all masking guidelines will be lifted in so many regions. Meaning exposure to the various germs,other than Covid, again while at work, eating out, shopping and at gatherings. The last two seasons many athletes did not experience the usual yearly cold and did not need to modify training plans for a day, days or week of sickness. My question is when an athlete comes down with a cold, stomach bug or another mild sickness how should a training plan be modified? If training days are missed should they be made up? If a week is missed should the plan be pushed back?
I love the podcast, and I’m looking forward to getting back to being a regular listener.
Last year, I was dedicated to a training plan through the off season and into the season. I was really motivated, and looked forward to my workouts every day. I felt like I was in the best shape of my life and I loved being on the bike.
However, over the past 6 months, I’ve fallen off almost entirely due to life getting in the way. At this point, I don’t even know where to start again and feel like motivation is lacking because I’m so far behind from where I was last year. I’m also confused on what part of the training cycle to start on.
For an athlete in my position who hasn’t followed the traditional training cycle (base, build, etc), what do you recommend at this point in the year? I’d like to get back to where I was, and understand that might take a while. So should I start with base even though it’s not the traditional time to do base and get a jump start on preparing for events next year? Thanks so much!
Unfortunately at my first “A” race for this year (Unbound 100) I ended up crashing out and sustaining a few injuries that are going to keep me off the bike for a few weeks. With that said, I am wondering how I (or any athlete) should approach training when returning from an injury? I can’t wait to get back on the bike and keep training but I don’t want to over-do it when I return or return too early and prohibit myself from healing 100%.
For the sake of the question, let’s assume that I’ve been medically cleared by a doctor so we can avoid the issue of not being able to give medical advice.
For additional context, my injuries are 6 stitches to the knee, bruised ribs, & a lot of road rash.
I have dabbled with structured workout using a generic plan on Zwift and did feel that I made some gains, but also learned a lot about my limits, power at different cadences and just how hard I can push myself. I am tempted to take the leap into a more complete training plan. If I don’t have an event ride or race, does it make sense to do a structured training plan? What happens when the 6/12 weeks are up? Do I stop or do I repeat? Ok that’s technically three questions. Pick me anyway please. Thanks for all the great content. I have learned a lot!
I’ve recently switched from Base to Race with your Road Race and Crit interval 6 week plan. Loving the variety and sensation in the legs these past 2.5 weeks. I can see and feel those improvements already, setting a new 5 minute power PR today in the VO2 5 Minuters session. However, I am noticing my weight beginning to creep up and wondered if you had any tips for the Race period feeding, managing weight while growing that power now my base volume has come down.
Can we talk more about setting goals which aren’t based on podiums? For example, going Cat 5 bottom pack to mid, or mid/top pack to Cat 4? It seems like most goals are based around metrics and ideas which may be too aspirational at times.
