Beta-alanine is a workout supplement that promises to reduce fatigue and increase exercise capacity. It is very popular with athletes who engage in short bouts of intense exercise (e.g., Crossfit, strength training, sprinting) but not as commonly used by endurance athlete, especially ultraendurance athletes. Would supplementing with beta-alanine improve trail and ultrarunning performance? The short …
What is a sports drink? A sports drink is essentially water with stuff dissolved in it. Some drinks have lots of different kinds of stuff dissolved in them, some of which just waste space. There is only so much room to dissolve solutes in a drink. As a result, drinks with fewer ingredients can …
One of the key storylines from the Tour de France this year (and the past few years) is the extreme carbohydrate intakes in the pro peloton. Elite cyclists and their teams have reported intakes of 100, 120, and even more grams of carbohydrate PER HOUR. This is a lot higher than the standard recommendations …
Most endurance athletes spend months fine-tuning their fueling plans. Yet, on race day many still bonk, sometimes shockingly early. Although it’s easy to blame poor pacing or a missed gel, there’s often a hidden reason you burn through energy so fast: the surge of adrenaline and the body’s stress response that ramp up …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author of “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” December presents many training and nutrition challenges for athletes, but with some planning you can hit January strong, fit, and ready to ramp up your performance. You don’t have to live like a monk for the six weeks between Thanksgiving and New Year’s. We …
By Addison Smith, CTS Expert Coach Everybody sweats, but how we sweat is very individual. Sweat rates can be affected by your fitness level, how acclimated you are to the environment, and even the medications you’re taking. And the composition of sweat changes, too. If you learn more about your individual sweat response, you …
By Chris Carmichael and Jim Rutberg (updated March 2024) Reviewed by Stephanie Howe, PhD (March 2024) Myths abound in all areas of training and nutrition. There are many misconceptions about the role of protein in recovery, the amount of protein endurance athletes need, and when to use specific recovery drinks. Here are a …
By Chris Carmichael, CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer Indoor cycling is great for packing a lot of effective training into a short period of time. You don’t need to get dressed in multiple layers or navigate to safe roads for interval training. You can just get on, warm up, and open the throttle. …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, Co-author, “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” Beta-alanine is a workout supplement that promises to reduce fatigue and increase exercise capacity. It is very popular with athletes who engage in short bouts of intense exercise (e.g., Crossfit, strength training, sprinting) but not as commonly used by endurance cyclists. Would supplementing with …
By Jim Rutberg, CTS Pro Coach, co-author “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” Creatine supplementation is a safe, effective, and wise choice for aging cyclists looking to improve performance and build or retain muscle mass and strength. Although many people associate creatine with strength and power athletes, it can also be beneficial for endurance athletes. Aging …