Empirical Cycling
  • Home
  • Coaching & Services
    • Coaching & Consultations
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
    • About Our Coaches
  • Results
  • Podcast
    • Podcast Episodes
    • Donate
  • Education
    • Articles & Webinars
    • Empirical Cycling Library
Podcast merch!

​Listen and subscribe:

RSS FEED
ITUNES
Soundcloud
Stitcher
Spotify
​If the episodes below don't load, turn off your ad blocker.
There are no ads.
If you think free coaching is worth a couple bucks,
​please consider a donation.
Picture

Watts Doc #46: Why Low Glycogen Training Probably Doesn't Work

10/15/2023

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #46: Why Low Glycogen Training Probably Doesn't Work
When it comes to glycogen, does "train low" actually work? Rory joints to co-host as we examine and dissect the existing literature, and explore the limits of knowledge on p38 MAPK signaling as it relates to aerobic performance. We go through Kolie's coaching experience with these protocols, compare to existing recommendations, discuss why you should always check someone's references, and answer your listener questions.​
​
Show Notes
Exercise Stimulates Pgc-1α Transcription in Skeletal Muscle through Activation of the p38 MAPK Pathway
Acute signalling responses to intense endurance training commenced with low or normal muscle glycogen
Skeletal muscle adaptation and performance responses to once a day versus twice every second day endurance training regimens
0 Comments

Ten Minute Tips #25: What's So Special About "Zone 2"?

12/4/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Ten Minute Tips #25: What's So Special About "Zone 2"?
​This episode answers the question: is there something unique about endurance riding that is unavailable at other intensities? After discussing "zone 2" definitions, we look at adaptations and dose relative to other training intensities, fatigue, and volume. We look at the relative necessity of endurance riding in both very low and high volume training, and answer listener questions, including if there's a lower limit for endurance pace.
0 Comments

Watts Doc #40: Endurance Adaptation Is Not Substrate Oxidation

10/26/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #40: Endurance Adaptation Is Not Substrate Oxidation
This episode breaks down the origins of endurance performance and how cells control substrate oxidation. We review a paper looking at the difference in adaptive aerobic signals when participants used significantly different amounts of fat and carbs at the same intensity. We then look at the role of mitochondria in cellular energetics, the pivotal role they play in aerobic endurance adaptations, and finally what the training implications are. Plus we answer your listener questions submitted to Kolie's Instagram.
​
Show Notes
Carbohydrate improves exercise capacity but does not affect subcellular lipid droplet morphology, AMPK and p53 signalling in human skeletal muscle

Regulation of skeletal muscle mitochondrial fatty acid metabolism in lean and obese individuals

Metabolic adaptations to short-term training are expressed early in submaximal exercise
​

Biochemical adaptations in muscle
0 Comments

Perspectives #19: Adaptation, Signaling, and Performance, with Andy Coggan

9/29/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Perspectives #19: Adaptation, Signaling, and Performance, with Andy Coggan
Andy Coggan joins the podcast again to discuss everything we didn't get to in the previous episode. We get back stories behind the adaptations by training zones chart and the category and w/kg chart. We also go in depth with nitrate supplementation, vo2max training. if burning fat makes you burn more fat, if signaling studies translate to performance, and the nature of adaptation itself. There are plenty of pithy proverbs along the way.
0 Comments

Ten Minute Tips #20: Training Myths, Part 1

6/14/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Ten Minute Tips #20: Training Myths, Part 1
​We begin our foray into listener-submitted training myths, looking at the largest issues with the claims, and discussing why, as always, it depends.

This episode's myths are:
1. Low cadence riding is strength training.
2. Burning more fat makes you better at burning fat.
3. You should do your base rides in the little ring.

Please reach out if you'd like to submit a training myth!
0 Comments

Watts Doc #37: Your Fast Twitch Fibers Probably As Aerobic As Your Slow Twitch

3/17/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #37: Your Fast Twitch Fibers Probably As Aerobic As Your Slow Twitch
Does your training zone determine the fiber type used? Does fiber type determine aerobic or anaerobic pathways, carbs or fats? We answer these questions by looking at evidence and concepts that show that fast twitch fibers can be just as aerobically capable as slow twitch fibers, nearly as good at burning fats, and why that might be. We dissect a paper on elite cross-country skiers, and another paper on whether or not fast twitch fibers had been recruited at relatively low intensity. In-depth discussion follows on fiber type distribution, muscle mass recruitment and force availability, why endurance athletes defy the expected metabolic properties of fast twitch fibers, and why these expectations may have started with cats.
​
Show Notes
XC Skiers paper
The Muscle Fiber Profiles, Mitochondrial Content, and Enzyme Activities of the Exceptionally Well-Trained Arm and Leg Muscles of Elite Cross-Country Skiers

Ramp test muscle recruitment paper
Progressive metabolite changes in individual human muscle fibers with increasing work rates
Picture
Figure 2 from XC ski paper, showing HAD and CS activity of arm and leg muscle samples against MHC1 proportion in those samples.
Picture
Figure showing metabolite changes at rest and after ramp test stages to 2 below LT (t2), 3 above LT (t3), and to exhaustion (t4).
0 Comments

2021 Best of Instagram AMA Questions

2/7/2022

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · 2021 Best of Instagram AMA Questions
Kolie spent yet another year on Instagram (@empiricalcycling) answering questions in the stories for 51 out of 52 weeks to add a bright interlude to doom scrolling. This podcast contains 32 questions under the topics training intensity, periodization, adaptation, and general. Timestamps for the headings are below.

Show Notes
Timestamps (approximate) for question groupings.

Intensity related: ~2min
  • Straight from the first Q&A of 2021: Best way to gauge RPE?
  • Can you describe the RPE you like to prescribe for endurance rides?
  • Over/unders crush me. Sweet spot is easy. Normal?
  • When they say 2-3 high intensity workouts per week, does SST count towards that?
  • Thoughts on HR decoupling, and whether you should or shouldn’t push past it (in z2)?
  • Is it still realistic to believe that FTP is within a certain percentage of vo2max watts?
  • Does your FTP change day to day depending on internal/external factors OR during a big day?!
  • Percentage FTP for effective endurance ride? Does it have to be 75%?
Periodization: ~37min
  • Thoughts on mixing vo2max and threshold in the same block?
  • Historically poor anaerobic capacity even with focused training. Should I work on it all year?
  • When coming off a month break from training, what would you start with?
  • Is there such thing as vo2max maintenance? Like 1 workout every other week type of thing?
  • Do elite riders actually only stick to polarized approach? Or is there actually more variation?
  • What kind of long term planning goes into an elite training plan vs an amateur? Like a multi-year view?
  • Generalized version of many questions: How much aerobic training is needed for the track and/or shorter events like hill climbs? ALSO lots of training binaries questions, i.e. should i train anaerobic or aerobic?
Adaptation: ~60min 
  • Do aerobic gains require protein?
  • Does anaerobic work kill off mitochondria?
  • Can you have a high vlamax and a high ftp?
  • My vlamax is 0.31, how important is vlamax for crits? Do I need to increase?
  • On FTP: push it up, pull it up, or both? And does strategy change during the season?
  • Why training fasted of carbs when training aerobic base is touted to bring on adaptations?
  • How to train repeatability? All out until you can’t go over threshold? Or incomplete rest?
​General: ~80min
  • Any favorite training experiment from a year with no racing?
  • Does sex decrease performance on the day?
  • Cycling specific joint angles in lifts or full ROM?
  • Out of saddle increases HR and RPE… what to do? Train it more?
  • Thoughts on recent research re: use of ketones to prevent symptoms of overtraining?
  • Can you be at vo2max if not at HR max?
  • Why is resting so hard?
  • Things that pros do but hasn’t been proven by science (yet)?
  • Possible to get stronger and lose weight at the same time?
0 Comments

Watts Doc #35: Fatmax Fallacies

12/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #35: Fatmax Fallacies
In this episode we look at what fatmax is, where the promise lies, and what validity there is. Do you get better at burning fat by burning more fat? Do you lose more weight by burning more fat? How does e=mc^2 relate to the energy stored in food? This episode answers all these questions and more.​

Show Notes
2001 Jeukendreup and Achten fatmax paper
Elevated calcium and mitochondrial biogenesis in rat muscle (full text)

Papers not referenced in main podcast:
Exercise: It's the real thing!
Maximal fat oxidation during exercise in trained me
Picture
Idealized fatmax curve, from original Jeukendrup and Achten paper
0 Comments

Watts Doc #34: Why Keto Is Not The Diet You're Looking For

11/14/2021

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #34: Why Keto Is Not The Diet You're Looking For
If you've ever thought about using the ketogenic diet for cycling, you may want to listen in. We look at a pair of modern classic studies that compare traditional high carbohydrate diets to periodized low carb and keto. This includes a study with, and a study without a carbohydrate re-adaptation period.​
​
Show Notes
Low carbohydrate, high fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5407976

Crisis of confidence averted: Impairment of exercise economy and performance in elite race walkers by ketogenic low carbohydrate, high fat (LCHF) diet is reproducible
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7272074
0 Comments

Watts Doc #33: Fats vs Carbs Part II - Carnitine and VLamax

9/24/2021

0 Comments

 
Empirical Cycling Podcast · Watts Doc #33: Fats vs Carbs Part II - Carnitine and VLamax
We look deeper into how the body chooses to use carbohydrates and fats, and specifically when and how carbohydrates inhibit fat oxidation.  This serves as a jumping off point to take a critical look at VLamax and how it may, or may not, affect your FTP.​

Show Notes
Study on increased gene expression following endurance exercise
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19705999/
Picture
Acetyl buffering via carnitine frees CoA for continued pyruvate shuttling into the Krebs cycle.

Picture
Malonyl-CoA inhibition of CPT1.
0 Comments
<<Previous

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    May 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019

    Categories

    All
    Adaptation Series
    Ai
    Antioxidants
    Athletes
    Base
    Biochemistry
    Broscience
    Calcium
    Cgm
    Concurrenttraining
    Creatine
    Ctl
    Data
    Diet
    ECcoach
    Efficiency
    Electron Transport Chain
    Fatmax
    Free Radicals
    Ftp
    Glycogen
    Heart
    Hiit
    Illness
    Interview
    Keto
    Krebscycle
    Lactate
    Low Carb
    MAP
    Metabolism
    Metabolism Series
    Milestone
    Mitochondria
    Mtor
    Musclephysiology
    Myths
    Nutrition
    Overtraining
    Over Unders
    Perspectives
    Pgc1 Alpha
    Pgc1-alpha
    Physics
    Polarized
    Psychology
    Racing
    Ramp Test
    Recovery
    RPE
    Size Principle
    Slow Component
    Sprinting
    Strength
    Studentunion
    Substrates
    Supplements
    Sweetspot
    Tapering
    Tenminutetips
    Testing
    Timecrunched
    Timetrial
    Track
    Training
    Triathlon
    Ttt
    Ultra
    Vlamax
    Vo2max
    Vo2maxseries
    Volume
    Wattsdoc
    Zones
    Zwift

    RSS Feed

Copyright © 2023
  • Home
  • Coaching & Services
    • Coaching & Consultations
    • Testimonials
    • Contact
    • About Our Coaches
  • Results
  • Podcast
    • Podcast Episodes
    • Donate
  • Education
    • Articles & Webinars
    • Empirical Cycling Library