training in extreme cold

Can Training in Extreme Cold Permanently Hurt Your Lungs?

Reviewed by Jason Koop, Head Coach of CTS Ultrarunning You’re right, you’re not going to “freeze your lungs”… however, exercising and competing in extreme environmental conditions can have a long lasting negative impact on your lung health. Every winter runners, cyclists, and triathletes flood social media feed covered in various forms of human icicles, temperatures …

cts coaching principles

Key Principles Professional Coaches Use to Change Lives and Develop Champions

In an era when algorithms amplify gimmicks and 7-second soundbites, athletes are inundated with contradicting and confusing messages about how coaching works. Some athletes fail to see the difference between a professional coach and a hobbyist whose main qualifications are their own competitive results. As of this year, I have worked for CTS for half …

pre-race meal

Pre-Workout and Pre-Race Meals: What, When, and How Much to Eat

  By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” and “Training Essentials for Ultrarunning” One of the most frequent questions our coaches get is, “What should I eat before my race/workout?” In reality, the answer they’re seeking has additional components. It’s not just what to eat, but how much to eat and when …

Start Faster With 3-Step Threshold Ladder Cycling Intervals

  By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “Ride Inside“, and “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” It is Super Bowl weekend, which is about as close as the US gets to creating a national holiday for a sporting event. I’m a football fan and plan on watching the game on Sunday, but I’m a whole lot more …

peak-end rule

Use the Peak-End Rule to Improve Every Cycling Training Ride

Most of my cycling routes feature two optional endings: a steep climb followed by a descent, or a mile-long false flat uphill. Reaching the descent is the more difficult option and typically adds a mile to the distance, but I choose that route almost every time. Why? Cruising downhill at high speed is a much …

pre-made training plans

Mistakes Cyclists Make with Apps and Pre-Made Training Plans

Whether you are new to cycling or have been riding for decades, there are multiple ways to get started with a structured training plan. Personal coaching is rarely an athlete’s first experience with structured training, even though we wish it was. Rather, it’s more common to start with a pre-made training plan from a book, …

cyclists climbing uphill at low cadence and high torque

To Climb Faster, Start With This Low-Cadence High-Torque Cycling Workout

    By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “Ride Inside“ and “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” Just about every cyclist would like to climb faster, or at least make climbs less taxing at the same speed. Many cyclists focus on improving aerobic conditioning with Zone 2 endurance rides, and layer in lactate threshold and functional threshold …

training streak

Training Streaks: The Pros and Cons of Training Every Day

Behold, the Streakers. In virtually any athlete community, you can find someone who has ridden, run, climbed, swam, hiked, or something every day for the past 30 days, 6 months, or even multiple years. In an era when the value of recovery is more understood and accepted than ever, training streaks make little to no …

weight loss article road cyclist pedaling a canyon

Coach Renee Eastman’s Top Weight Loss Mistakes for Cyclists

  By Renee Eastman, CTS Premier Coach, MS, CSCS, USAC level 1, Retul, NASM As athletes work toward fitness and performance goals, many focus on losing weight as well. Over 20-plus years of coaching, I’ve found some common things that trip people up. Below, I’ll share common mistakes I see athletes make when pursuing weight loss goals. …

Darcie Murphy Matthew Busche

The Four Questions Athletes Should Ask Before Planning a New Season

Topics Covered In This Episode: The ‘4 Whats” Questions coaches ask during season reviews How to use the ‘4 Whats’ to plan the season ahead Host Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for more than 13 years and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He’s participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance …