Search results for: improve ftp
How Much Time Does it Take to Improve FTP?
As a reader of our blog, you’re probably familiar with the term FTP, or functional threshold power. This number is most often approximated to maximal one hour power output and is one of the foundations of modern training and performance analysis for cycling. Very much like your 1 mile, 5k or 10k pace in running,…
Read MoreImprove Your FTP
Maximize your Functional Threshold Power Functional Threshold Power (FTP) on the mind? FTP is arguably one of the most important performance indicators we have. Thus, improving and comparing FTP is a natural desire. We’ve assembled a range of resources, training plans, and coaching to answer key questions like: Why does FTP matter? How long does…
Read MoreCase Study: Taylor Kotwa, Sprinter, Increases FTP 7% in 4 months
I started working with Taylor in the fall of 2022 as he was coming back from time off the bike after a recent injury. He came to me with high expectations and lofty ambitions, so we set to work right away in preparation for the 2023 season
Read MoreWhich Training Methodology Best Improves Your Performance. Systematic Review
The general concept of leveraging different training methods to improve Functional Threshold Power (FTP), VO2 max and ultimately performance is immensely important to every endurance based performance athlete. Until now a direct systematic review comparing Traditional Periodization, Block periodization and day-to-day programming has been never conducted.
Read MoreIncorporating other cycling disciplines to improve your cycling performance
Perhaps you are in the middle of a training block and your fitness is starting to plateau and stagnant or maybe you’ve been road riding the same loop day in and day out and motivation is starting to wane. Picking up another discipline of cycling might be just the right move to boost fitness and…
Read MorePerformance Improvement and Pitfalls in Weight Cutting for Virtual eRacing
“That rider is cheating at e-racing (Zwift)!” seems to be a common utterance among virtual e-racers (Zwift, RGT, Rouvy, Bkool, FulGaz) regardless of what platform they’re using. Without a doubt every platform has cheating issues that they’re working hard to remedy and I’m sure there is significant progress being made. However, the rider could simply…
Read MoreThree ways to increase your FTP
Hire a coach and level up your FTP Functional Threshold Power or FTP is a single power value used by athletes and coaches to define a range of training ‘zones’ as well as assess overall fitness gains, losses, and status. FTP, as defined by Andy Coggan and Hunter Allen, is the highest average power or…
Read MoreKickr FTP Test: An Essential First Step
You might have noticed that on Mondays we offer several Kickr Threshold Tests. If you have participated in a riding class on the Wahoo Kickr you know that the efforts are all relative to your ability and the resistance applied by the trainer is based on your “Threshold.” If you are unfamiliar with what Lactate…
Read MoreFunctional Threshold Power (FTP): What Can it Tell Us?
As a bike racer, or even a recreational rider, lactate threshold, commonly called functional threshold power, or FTP, is something you have almost surely heard about. A rider’s FTP is the maximum number of watts he or she can hold steadily for roughly an hour. While not precisely the same in terms of physiological definition,…
Read MoreTraining Consistency and Compliance: Fundamentals of Success
Hire a Coach Training Consistency and Compliance: The True Fundamentals of Success Across the vastness of the internet exist countless articles with lists that inspire athletes to improve FTP, increase VO2 max, sprint better. But what we rarely see from our consumer media sources is that success requires two fundamentals that aren’t flashy and…
Read MoreEthan Doherty 2022: Road Racer Targets CX Nationals Podium
Ethan’s training emphasis has been on aerobic foundation and extending Time to Exhaustion (TTE) at threshold. This year, we decided to take a different approach that landed Ethan on the CX Nationals podium.
Read MoreCycling Training Plans
SOURCE ENDURANCE TRAINING PLANS Source Endurance Cycling Training Plans These sport specific cycling training plans are designed by our licensed cycling coaches who not only have advanced degrees in fields like exercise science and nutrition, but years of experience coaching pro cyclists. In addition, most of our coaches race at an elite if not pro…
Read MoreVO2 Max Block Training and Maintenance + A Free 8 Week Training Plan
Endurance coaches and athletes are continually searching for effective ways to boost cycling performance, and block periodization for VO2 max training has emerged as an exciting approach. Traditionally, cyclists spread VO2 max workouts throughout their training cycle, usually performing one or two sessions per week. However, recent scientific studies highlight the benefits of concentrating these…
Read MoreFinding the Perfect Openers: What Science Says About Pre-Race Cycling Workouts
Finding the Perfect Openers: What Science Says About Pre-Race Cycling Workouts If you’ve ever felt sluggish at the start of a race or struggled to hit your rhythm early on, you’re not alone. Many cyclists use openers—short, high-intensity efforts performed the day before or the morning of an event—to activate their muscles and prepare for…
Read MoreVO2 Max Testing in San Diego with Source Endurance
Did you know that Source Endurance has partnered with San Diego State University to offer laboratory performance testing??? The SDSU lab offers VO2 max testing, along with lactate threshold testing and DEXA scans. This is a great time of year to get baseline data to help you tailor your training approach to meet your upcoming…
Read MoreMeasuring the Benefits of Training Consistency
Learn how Source Endurance can help you Today we’re going to dive a bit deeper into the Kimberly Lucie (Instagram) case study to examine some measurable benefits of training consistency and compliance. Hopefully, this will give all of us the confidence and motivation to trust the process of fully committing to your goals and to…
Read MoreThe Road to UCI Gravel World Championship
Hire a Source Endurance Coach This past month, Team USA’s Elite UCI Gravel World’s roster came out for said race taking place on October 5-6th in Leuven, Belgium. On that roster, two Source Endurance athletes were selected to participate in the Elite Women’s race. This is quite a big deal, as our small coaching company…
Read MoreThe Importance of a Well Timed Mid-Season Break
It’s believed that the emphasis of a successful training is the intervals, volume and improving FTP. Really, the key is well timed periods of rest.
Read MoreEffectively Implementing Strength Training for Cycling During Race Season and Off-Season
Get the most out of a strength training for cycling program.
Read MoreHow to PR the Fiesta Island Time Trial
Time Trials like Fiesta Island Time Trial is art and science. We will focus primarily on the technical details of time trialing that aren’t fitness related
Read MoreAnnual Performance Evaluation in Cycling
The Annual Performance Evaluation in cycling, when paired with an athlete’s self-evaluation is a crucial tool for identifying areas of needed improvement, tracking progress, improving performance durability, advancing results, and achieving personal milestones.
Read MoreDr. Echo Dahl Rowe’s Leadville Trail 100 PR, 8 Years Later
Of all the athletes I’ve ever worked with, Echo’s drive to succeed in whatever she chooses is among the very best. This need to succeed is directly reflected in her work ethic and can be seen in everything she does.
Read MoreBrody McDonald: U23 World Championship Road Race Prep
Brody McDonald is one of the favorites to win the U23 World Championship road race in Glasgow. In this article, we take a look at his training and preparation for the race. We discuss his focus on volume and zone 2 training, his on-the-bike nutrition, his racecraft, and his taper. We also give our predictions for how he will perform in Glasgow.
Read MoreCory Williams, Evolution of Excellence
I had heard about Cory prior to 2016 but in all honesty I didn’t know much about him. I knew he was one of the fastest and most explosive field sprinters in North America. But his Achilles Heel was that he couldn’t consistently reach the finish line with the peloton. As the Performance Director on the Elevate- KHS Pro Cycling Team there was a distinct need to see improvement from one of the team’s designated closers.
Read MoreCriterium Workout of the Week: Mid-season Zone 2
It’s mid-season and you’ve probably been racing lots and can feel that race form coming on strong but it’s probably time to some mid-season Zone 2 training
Read MoreCriterium Workout of the Week: Sprints!
Most criterium races require a high degree of skill and neuromuscular coordination and right in the middle of that Venn Diagram is sprinting.
Read MoreAre V02 and Blood Lactate Tests Still Relevant? With WKO, probably not.
If we’re focusing on raising FTP or Lactate Threshold power, we need the best metrics to track change in FTP. 5 and 10 years ago, we sent our athletes into a lab or university to get the athlete’s blood lactate and maybe Vo2 max tested. Back then, that was the best way to check FTP…
Read MoreQuestionable Decisions World Tour 2020. Volume 2: Rock Cobbler Recap.
Of all the events on the QDWT2020, this one presents some unique challenges as a coach and also to Casey as an athlete. First, it’s early in the year. February 7 is dangerously early and most of the country spent the weekend shoveling snow while Casey was riding in weather good enough to warrant a…
Read More2019 Canyon Belgian Waffle Ride: When Good Plans Go Sideways. A Lesson In Humility
When I first moved to SoCal in late 2014, I heard of this groovy and “weird” ride in San Marcos called the Belgian Waffle Ride. It went on dirt some, pavement lots, and was ridiculously hard. Back in Kansas, we always took gravel roads and dirt paths as connectors between cool roads. Also, with my…
Read MoreAdam Mills MSEd
Level 1 USA Cycling Coach with a long history of clients earning national championships. Masters Degree in Exercise Science and former UCI Director Sportif. He’s also a USAC Coach Educator
Read MorePower Analysis of Achilles Tendinitis Injury to Heroic Feats by Kristen Arnold MS, RDN, CSSD
“What doesn’t kill you makes you stronger” is a cheesy but appropriate quote to use for this article. Stories of triumph coming out of misfortune are not new in sports, but it is helpful to tell these stories and be reminded that all athletes go through injury and challenges out of their control. The brave…
Read MoreRider Development: From a Cat 2 to U23 National Champion
I was introduced to Alex Hoehn and his family by a mutual friend and Source Endurance alumnus, Phil Groninger. Phil had always said, “This kid is crazy good. Watch him and you’ll see he has the right stuff.” Apparently, Phil made a similar pitch to Alex and his family about the work we do as…
Read MoreAthlete Development: Connor Brown's Journey from Elite Athlete to Pro
When I first rode with Connor, he was a guest rider on our then Think Finance Cycling Team in 2014. Over the next couple of years, the team would become Elevate- KHS Pro Cycling Team, and I would move out of full time racing and into the role of a coach/ mentor. In that time,…
Read MoreSaving Your Season
Where is the line between procrastination and irresponsibility? We don’t mow the lawn the exact day it needs it. Yet, if we wait too long, the city sends us a citation. We don’t depart an extra hour early just to make sure we are on time, yet if we’re consistently late it’s deemed irresponsible. And…
Read MoreNeil Shirley Road to Unbound Gravel: Checking in at the Belgian Waffle Ride
Neil Shirley’s exploits as a professional road racer are well-documented in the annals of cycling. You can do a quick Google search and find a library of articles with him mentioned as a protagonist at “name that race.” Unfortunately, because of Neil’s career as a journalist, you can also find a good deal out there…
Read More13 Ways Hiring Source Endurance for Coaching is Different than Simple Programming
Hire a Coach Today As endurance athletes, it’s easy to get caught up in what other people are doing that has worked for them. Many are also, unfortunately, familiar with the experience that what worked brilliantly for a friend has worked poorly for you. We’re also familiar with the idea of one-time-purchase training programs, which…
Read MoreCycling Base Training, Part 3
As Heath Blackgrove, 2004 Olympian and long time pro cyclist, put it to me once, “if you do aerobic base right, everything else comes easily.” It’s hard to argue with results. Base training done right is a little different for everyone though. With training intensity and duration changing based on individual factors such as available time and family commitments,…
Read MoreCase Study: Matt Kotarbinski, Scout Cycling Team
Matt Kotarbinski is a Cat 2 from Boulder on SE ambassador program Scout Cycling Team. He has a true sprinter phenotype. Coached by Zack Allison, they put in a lot of work this year to improve upon his talents and minimize his weaknesses. Below is a recap of his improvements between 2015 and 2016 and…
Read MoreCyclocross and Aerobic Training
With cyclocross season fast approaching, many athletes are starting to get serious about training for the cycling’s cooler weather discipline. In a recent article, coach Zack Allison covered the importance of anaerobic capacity in cyclocross. Anaerobic capacity is a massive part of ‘cross, but that doesn’t mean you can neglect the aerobic engine and its…
Read MoreIntervals for Criterium Racing
With the season ramping up in SoCal and beyond, it’s time that many bike racers want to improve their crit racing fitness and make the most of workouts in the coming heat. The best way to improve your criterium skills is to mimic the demands of the racing itself. Crits are fun, FAST, and short.…
Read MoreCase Study: Using Intervals to Correct Deficiencies
The idea of “threshold power” or any one of its analogous titles has been seen as an end-all, be-all by too many athletes, coaches, and competitors in endurance based sports, particularly cycling. However, at the elite level, many of these general fitness and performance markers fall to the wayside, and for good reason. When examining performance at the…
Read MoreIntervals to prep for your next gravel grinder
Gravel riding and gravel racing is a unique cycling venture. With long durations like road racing but equipment similar to cyclocross, training for gravel races is different from other styles of events. By applying the same principles that guide us through all aspects of coaching- specificity and overload- we can design new workouts specific to…
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