Train better by measuring with OTS: Optimized Training Stress
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
Release Date: 01/17/2025
Phil Gaimon is going to win the Tour de France!
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
Working with FasCat for over a decade, former professional cyclist Phil Gaimon continues to set and achieve massive goals for himself, like nabbing the KOM on monster climbs like Haleakala. This summer, Phil is setting out to WIN THE TOUR DE FRANCE. Okay, not exactly win the actual Tour de France. But instead, go to France, rip up some mountains, and win at the experience because he's bringing his wife and they'll enjoy the countryside, the food and the wine. You know, winning at life while touring France... and maybe getting a KOM or two for good measure along the way. Want to win your own...
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Ask a FasCat #28: Your Questions Answered!
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
What's the best way to introduce progressive overload without overreaching? How does TSS translate to OTS? How do I reconcile Whoop red scores with CoachCat's recommendations when they don't align? Thesse questions and many more from FasCat athletes are answered on this podcast by FasCat Founder Frank Overton. As always, we appreciate your thoughtful questions and hope that you find our guidance useful and actionable. And as always, we award the best question with some sweet swag. Listen in to learn. - Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ 😸 Use...
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Training load and FTP: the relationship and how they work and don't work together
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
There is a linear relationship between training load and FTP but only up to a certain point. When you build your base with our 16 weeks of sweet plan your FTP goes up but then what? How do you get it to go higher? At that point, training load accounts for 75-90% of what your true FTP can be. The remaining 10-25% can be achieved by switching to interval training and this is where the relationship between training load and FTP 'breaks'. However, power goes up even more for two reasons: 1) the athlete is 'fresher' and can produce greater power output 2) the athlete has...
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Why the 20min field test rules supreme, and how to do it
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
How do you know what your training zones are? And how do you know if you are improving? By FTP testing, of course! At FasCat, we have used all types of methods to test FTP over the years, including using various labratory equipment. After more than 20 years and thousands of athletes tested, we are big believers in the 20-minute field test. Doing the 20-minute test outside or on a trainer is simple and repeatable, giving you the actionable data you need to configure your training and measure your progress. In this podcast, FasCat Founder Frank Overton explains: how you should do the test how...
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Overtraining, under-fueling, stuck in a rut? Lose the weight and get your mojo back!
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
This podcast was inspired by a recent athlete asking for help, and we think many of you can relate to the situation: "I've been cycling for nearly 20 years (now 44). I have a stressful job, two kids, and over the past few years I’ve gain 15 pounds that I can't shake, despite training 10-15 hours in the summer and 6-8 in the winter. What do I do?" Symptoms like low energy, inability to sustain high heart rates, and lack of sweat could point to low energy availability (LEA). Even with calorie counting, your body might not be getting enough fuel to support both your workouts and daily...
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Too Many Hours Too Soon? Don’t Be The Group Ride Hero
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
Instagram is a funny thing for cyclists: It can be inspirational to see what the pros are doing, but it can also be misleading as far as what we should be doing for training. Coaches Sierra Sims and Elliott Baring discuss what we're seeing in terms of 20+ and 30+ weeks from U.S. gravel pros. What does this do for the domestic riders as they prepare for their year? Is it even a good idea? And what should a regular working stiff with a 9-to-5 do? For starters, relax! And just listen to this great podcast for much needed perspective and solid advice. - Take your training to the next...
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How the pros are training now & what YOU should do
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
It's fascinating to study exactly how professional cyclists are training and why, but what are the takeaways for everyday athletes? Beyond the gee-whiz quotient, what about elite training translates to us, and what is irrevelant or even harmful to try to emulate? That is exactly what Coaches Andrew and Ricky dig into in this podcast. Both are uniquely positioned in that they are professional cyclists AND professional coaches for amateur riders. In addition to some highly specific pro anecdotes, Andrew and Ricky also share some easy-to-remember rules of thumb for your own...
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Strength training for cycling - what the latest research says
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
If you're a longtime FasCat podcast listener, then you know we're big believers in strength training in the offseason. The science has long proven the benefits for endurance athletes. But what's new? What's the latest science? That is exactly what Coaches Andrew and Sierra get into in this pod, as Sierra brushes up on her master's degree studies with the latest research. -- Want to add weight lifting to your cycling training and get Coach Sierra or Andrew's help? Please visit https://fascatcoaching.com/pages/hire-a-coach to learn more about them, fill out a new athlete questionnaire...
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Come Sweet Spot with us on Zwift! Saturday group rides!
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
FasCat friends, we invite you to join us on Zwift for our Saturday Sweet Spot group rides, where Coaches Jake and Frank lead A and B groups and we chat on Discord. In this podcast, we talk about why so many riders love this wintertime format of getting high-quality, semi-structured work in with a social group. The time flies by, the kJs shoot up, and you can feeeeel yourself getting faster. Join the FasCat club on Zwift and then join our Saturday ride. (If you are already on Zwift, there is no additional cost.) Learn more and sign up here: -- Take your training to the next level by hiring...
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The Remco Effect: Junior development is completely different now
FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast
FasCat Coaching has been working with riders of all ages for 20 years, and while the fundamentals of training are the same, the science and technology and culture have changed tremendously. Nowhere are these changes more dramatic than what is going on with younger riders. In this podcast, Coaches Justin and Frank delve into what's changed and why, and what the best ways are for helping young riders develop in a healthy, fun, sustainable way. -- Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Justin: -- Try CoachCat Free for a month - with no credit card required ➡️ ...
info_outlineIf you want to improve something, measure it. This applies in life and on the bike. Whether you're talking blood pressure, finances, or FTP, how can you know something is improving if you are not accurately measuring it?
The same principle applies to training stress, a key summative metric that quantifies the total load of your training. As coaches and as athletes, we can measure how much work you are doing each day, each week, each month and each year. We balance this with measurements of your recovery metrics, and make prescriptions from there based on your goals.
Training Stress Score has long been used to measure training load, and it's a great metric. There are two problems, though: TSS gives you credit for coasting, and it gives you the same amount of credit for a certain amount of wattage in hour one as the same amount of wattage in hour four.
As you have probably noticed doing a two-hour ride on Zwift vs a two-hour ride outside, not coasting at all for two hours makes a big difference in how much work you are doing! Similarly, you know how much harder - how much more stressful - a 250w effort feels late in a long ride compared to when you first start.
Now, Zwift is a great tool, but don't misunderstand - we aren't advocating that you do all your rides inside! We are simply advocating that you accurately measure your training wherever you do it, so together we can precisely apply the right training load to make you better!
At FasCat, we address these issues and other improvements with Optimized Training Stress, which is found exclusively in the CoachCat app.
Learn more inside this podcast with Coach Andrew Giniat and FasCat Founder Frank Overton.
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Take your training to the next level by hiring Coach Andrew: https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/andrew-giniat
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