By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Earlier this year CTS Athlete Coree Woltering set the Fastest Known Time (FKT) on the 1,200-mile Ice Age Trail. He decided to take up the endeavor with relatively little specific preparation, allowing himself just several weeks to pull all the logistics together, as well as get in …
By Scott Mercier, US Olympian, Retired pro cyclist Scott Mercier competed in the 1992 Olympic Games for Team USA and raced professionally for the Saturn, US Postal Service, and Navigators cycling teams. He will be contributing a monthly column for CTS, featuring stories from his cycling career and the triumphs and challenges of staying fit …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Before getting to today’s post, I would like to extend my heartfelt condolences to the family friends and colleagues of Andrea Huser, who passed away recently in a training accident. As a fixture in US and international races for many years, Andrea was a fierce competitor and one of the nicest people you …
By Chris Carmichael, Founder and Head Coach of CTS In a year that’s been like no other, the month of December will probably be like no other as well. Historically, we find that athletes miss more workouts in December than any other month, and this year athletes are facing more obstacles to staying fit than …
Nobody wants to talk or hear about training and workouts on Thanksgiving Day. I get it. Enjoy turkey day, and the next few days of leftovers. But come Monday, it’s back to work! Athletes train year round This is the time of year that defines an athlete. Anyone can get excited about going for a …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning Earlier this year as the pandemic locked down athletes around the world, CTS released our entire DVD workout library for free. The contents were a treasure trove of indoor cycling, strength training and stretching workouts, all produced well over a decade ago, far before athleisure was …
By Chris Carmichael, CEO/Head Coach of CTS Weak gluteal muscles cause a bunch of problems for cyclists, including lower power output, knee and hip pain, and overworked quadriceps. Thankfully, there are great and simple exercises that get your glutes fired up and ready to rock. Why Cyclists have weak glutes You would think that a …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning If you stay in the ultramarathon game long enough, it’s a near certainty that you will have at least one DNF at some point along that journey. Additionally, while some of these DNFs are unavoidable, I will make the argument that many are caused, in whole or …
By Chris Carmichael, with data from Coach Adam Pulford Athletes often specialize in disciplines that favor their strengths. In cycling, some beginners recognize they have an aptitude for sprinting, or climbing, or time trialing, and that’s the aspect of the sport they focus on intently. They become “sprinters”, “climbers”, and “time trial specialists”. It makes …
By Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning One of the challenges to writing about training is that every subject could legitimately expand into a book unto itself. My shelves are full them; entire books on physiology, biomechanics, nutrition, periodization, performance assessment and analysis, sports psychology, stress relief, and yes, recovery. Arguably, what you do …