By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Group rides are an essential social hub for local cycling communities and play an important role in developing riders’ skills, savvy, and speed. CTS Coaches often incorporate group rides into athletes’ training plans – even if they have no plans to compete. The skills and situational awareness gained …
I have always been a morning person, up with the sunrise or before and raring to go. My friend and longtime co-author, Jim Rutberg, is a night owl. He does his best work in the afternoon and at night, and we work best together when we honor each other’s chronotypes. Recent research suggests there could …
I’m not a “New Year, New You” kind of guy. I absolutely think the New Year is a great opportunity to evaluate what you’re doing well and what needs to be changed, but progress is perpetual. The New Year is a merely a mile marker on a long journey to the best version of …
As 2018 draws to a close, I encourage everyone to pause and look back over the accomplishments and challenges you’ve experienced in the past 12 months. What are you grateful for? Who – or what – made you happy? What do you want to do differently in 2019? When I reflect on this year, the …
December is a terrible month for fitness, but we’re going to change that this year. Athletes miss more workouts in December than any other month. It’s not that surprising, really. There’s a lot going on between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. People are traveling, there are parties, the days are short, and the weather can get …
Athletes put a lot of stress on our bodies, to positive and negative effect. Training stress stimulates adaptation and increased performance, but physical trauma and prolonged wear and tear also lead to injuries and pain. Current methods of pain management are effective, but they’re also killing people. In search of improved sports recovery and safer …
Sometimes the fire inside an athlete starts to dim and needs a bit of fuel to start roaring again. If you’re having trouble getting out of a warm bed to train on a cold morning, keep reading. If the earlier sunsets are stealing your motivation to train after work, I think I can help. …
Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS We live in fast times, and for Time-Crunched Athletes every minute counts. I know you’re busy, constantly juggling more tasks and priorities than you can reasonably fit into a single day. And on top of the normal career and family priorities, you’re trying to fit high-quality training into your …
The best cyclists in the world don’t always have the highest power outputs or VO2 max values. A big aerobic engine is a prerequisite for reaching the top level of competition, but champions perform beyond their test numbers because they are inspired by the belief their best performances are still ahead of them. No …
The belief you can improve your performance through consistent, deliberate effort is central to being a cyclist. You wouldn’t bother training if you didn’t believe your efforts would improve your performance, right? But while you likely have an inherent tendency toward a growth mindset, many athletes are stymied by stubbornly fixed ideas. The concept …