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 …
For many years I – and especially my “Time-Crunched Cyclist” co-author, Jim Rutberg – have railed against the concept of “aerobic base training” for time-crunched athletes (here and here, for instance). So, naturally, today’s headline might come as a surprise to some of you. Is this a reversal? A flip-flop on the issues? Hardly. For …
I get thank you notes from cyclists’ spouses and significant others. They typically containing some variation of, “Thank you for returning my husband/wife to me. The happy and vibrant person I fell in love with is back!” I have no doubt helping athletes train consistently, rediscover their fitness, and have fun on the bike …
Working an aid station at the Leadville 100 MTB last weekend, one of the coaches pointed out the women’s field seemed smaller than it used to be. Another coach, who was tracking down race results to confirm CTS Athlete Larissa Connors had won her second consecutive title, confirmed there were a total of 142 …
I have been competing in endurance sports since I was 9 years old, and as my life progressed so have my goals and motivations. This is perfectly normal, of course, but it’s relevant to your journey in sport because some athletes get stuck in a rut, pursuing the same goals at the same events …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS Increasing your activity level and weekly training hours leads to a lot of positive changes in your fitness and health, but many athletes notice some effects that are not as pleasant. When you exercise more, you need to consume enough energy to support your workouts and activities of …
By Chris Carmichael CEO/Head Coach of CTS One of the most persistent questions throughout the 2018 Tour de France was: ‘Who is the leader of Team Sky?’ It is not that uncommon for a team to bring more than one rider capable of challenging for the yellow jersey, but it is uncommon for both general …
By Chris Carmichael CEO and Head Coach of CTS The Tour de France tried something new this year, in the form of two very short, very hard mountain stages, both ending with summit finishes. The first was Stage 11 in the Alps, a 108-kilometer race with four categorized climbs and virtually no flat valley roads. …