If you want to make sure you’re getting the most out of your training, you’ve got to monitor improvements to fitness. There are a number of ways to do this, the gold-standard of which is through testing in a laboratory. We’ve covered a variety of lab tests in this blog before including lactate threshold testing and VO2max testing. However, there are a variety of other ways to assess fitness that can be easier to perform on a regular basis.

To find novel cutting-edge tips, techniques, and interventions to improve performance, we often look at scientific research. However, many individuals (and media sources) aren’t great at interpreting the research, which leads to inaccurate ideas on how to best improve performance. As an athlete or coach, being able to read and interpret research publications is important when deciding if that novel training technique is worthwhile to incorporate into your own plans. In this blog post, I’ll provide some tips to help you improve your ability to read and understand the research.

When you talk about nutrition, everyone has an opinion. This is especially true when discussing nutrition to recover from a workout. I read a book on Kenyan runners (some of the best in the world) and the author said they didn’t eat anything after a run. My dad, on the other hand, prefers eating enough popcorn to feed Continental Europe. As for me, I recently found myself trying to decide between two post-workout recovery options: a bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch or a bowl of ice cream.

There’s a lot of interest from both researchers and athletes in understanding the determinants of athletic performance. In the cycling world, much of the recent focus has been on aerodynamics. As coaches though, our primary focus is on the physiological determinants of performance. The most well-known physiological determinant is VO2max while two other key determinants are lactate threshold and efficiency. These three determinants are interrelated yet also independent, and are important to understand to get the most out of your training.

Nate and I were recently guests on the VeloNews Fast Talk podcast during which we talked about how research has influenced training and racing (check back later for when it goes live!). Even after the podcast ended, I’ve still been thinking of the many ways science has helped athletes improve performance. The lactate threshold test is a great example that we unfortunately didn’t have time to cover during the podcast. Luckily for you readers though, I’ve got time to cover it now.

In previous blogs, we’ve covered ways to pace time trials, but for this week we’ll take a look at what the science says. A number of studies have examined various time trail pacing strategies in a number of different sports. These studies aren’t always perfect (a lot of tests are conducted within the lab where it can be tough to get that competitive atmosphere that elicits strong performances) but there’s still great information out there for you to use on race day.

What’s it take to win a time trial? A high threshold? A high VO2max? Small frontal area? A paper I published a couple years ago was designed to answer exactly that. Turns out, your overall aerodynamic profile is the single most important factor for determining time trial performance.

Just like the fashion world, the science world has trends. What are the hot fashion trends right now? You’ll have to ask Nate… As for the latest craze in science, it’s gut bacteria.

First, a short review on bacteria. Bacteria are about a tenth of the size of human cells and are found everywhere in the world, including inside you and on your skin. In fact, you have more bacteria cells in and on you than you have human cells (estimates vary and go up to a ratio of 10:1 (1)).

Testing. You either love it or you hate it. Or maybe it’s a little of both. Your opinion probably changes depending on how well you did during the test. Either way, we all know it’s important. So, what kind of testing will help you improve your performance? Funny you should ask. I’ve got some thoughts on this topic…