By Chris Carmichael I’m writing this article as wind-driven snow pelts the window of my office, reminding me more than ever that this is peak indoor cycling season! I’m a firm believer in utilizing relatively short and hard indoor training sessions, as opposed to mind-numbing endurance sessions staring at the wall or watching the entire …
By Chris Carmichael, One of the biggest questions I get at this time of year is, “What should I be doing in the dead of winter so I’m ready for a Spring Training Camp in February or March?” For many athletes, a CTS Spring Training Camp is the start of the season and they come …
By Chris Carmichael There’s a good reason the biggest diet books of the year are released right after the new year; despite our best intentions to eat less, exercise more, and maintain some sense of restraint during the holidays, the endless gauntlet of party trays, buffets, and family feasts beats us into submission. Nearly all …
Indoor training season is upon us and although I’d rather we’d all rather be riding outside, the truth of the matter is you can make huge gains with relatively short workouts on the trainer. Below I’ve included a few tips for maximizing your time on the trainer. I’m excited for the winter because two days …
You’ve no doubt heard the phrase, “It’s always darkest just before the dawn.” Well, the darkest point within an athlete’s training plan is often right about the time of their last big training block, which is typically about a month out from competition (sometimes closer, depending on the event). You’re fatigued and the workload of …
By Chris Carmichael Coming into a major event like an Ironman triathlon, you have likely left very little to chance. Your hydration and nutrition strategy has been tested in training, your equipment has been scrutinized for optimal fit and comfort, and you’ve been focused on your training for many months. That level of preparation maximizes …
How altitude affects cycling performance The basics of altitude work like this: as you go higher the air becomes less dense, which means the oxygen molecules are more spread out. As a result, when you breathe in and fill your lungs, there are fewer oxygen molecules in that volume of air. Most people from …
It’s been an incredibly busy few weeks around CTS, for the coaches as well as for me. Last weekend was the Trans Andes Boot Camp, two days of physiological testing and skills work followed by two back-to-back 5+hour mountain bike rides. After that I had a few days to recover before going to the Vail …
Two weeks ago I was talking with a CTS Athlete about how his season of training and competition was going, and after a while it became clear that he’d gone from being very aggressive to being more passive during the past few months of racing mostly criteriums. This is actually something we see quite often, …
After spending a lot of time this spring on the road bike preparing for the Amgen Tour of California Race Experience, this week I was able to reacquaint myself with my mountain bike. And just in time, too, because there was a Wednesday evening mountain bike race less than a mile from my house this …