The Time-Crunched Cyclist Mini-Course:How to Maximize Your Limited Training TimeIn a 2023 survey of more than 1000 amateur cyclists, “limited training time” was the number one limiting factor preventing people from achieving their goals. CTS literally wrote the book on maximizing performance in limited training time. “The Time-Crunched Cyclist” was the first book to focus …
Trail and ultrarunners are not immune to the countless changes that occur with the aging process. The following discussion highlights the hormonal changes that occur as female athletes age. More specifically, we’ll cover how hormonal changes through perimenopause and menopause impact widespread physiological changes and ultrarunning performance for women. Roles of key female hormones First, …
Table of Contents PART 1: Preparing for Exercise in Hot Weather PART 2: Optimizing Performance During Hot Weather PART 3: Recovery Strategies After Exercise in Hot Weather Introduction: Heat is the enemy of endurance performance and an underlying cause for diminished performance, dehydration, heat stress, gastrointestinal distress, and impaired recovery. This guide will provide you …
Amateur criterium racing is not dead, it’s just moved from weekends to weeknights. Based on the activities and feedback we’re seeing from CTS Athletes, the after-work criterium scene may be stronger than it’s been in a decade or more! And it’s no wonder. There are three new elite-level criterium series – the American Criterium …
Back-to-back long rides can be massively beneficial for all cyclists, and especially Time-Crunched Cyclists. However, they must be executed correctly. Too many riders ruin their back-to-back rides by going too hard, under-fueling, and making other silly mistakes. Everything you do before, during, and after a long ride today affects performance tomorrow. And these mistakes amplify …
Cyclists who ride year-round sometimes get lulled into a routine that long ago stopped being challenging enough or engaging enough to improve performance. It’s not that you’re out of shape or that you’re not training, it’s that you haven’t changed anything is so long that there’s no reason for your body to adapt and improve …
My alma matter’s Code of Conduct was “Aggies do not lie, steal or cheat, nor do they tolerate those that do”. As we A&M Aggies are a cheeky lot, we would routinely add an addendum to the Code that stated: “They just exaggerate, collaborate and borrow”. Little did I know in my late teens and …
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 …
By Chris Carmichael, CTS Founder and Chief Endurance Officer The more I talk with athletes in my age group (60+), the more apparent it is that we don’t talk enough about recovery from orthopedic issues for aging athletes. Hip and knee replacements are becoming more common. Nevertheless, aging athletes struggle to find recovery and return-to-training …
With Daylight Savings Time ending this weekend, we’ll be rolling the clocks back an hour and ushering in the months of earlier sunsets. Commuters will spend more time riding home in the dark. For mountain bikers and gravel and road riders, it’s a great opportunity to clip on some lights and enjoy cycling at night! …