The Power of No Power

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The Power of No Power

10 years ago I got my first power meter. There were two "real choices" I can think of - PowerTap and SRM. There were some "other choices" - Ergometer, iBike, and probably some others I'm missing. At that point training with power was certainly popular and established, but it wasn't what it is today. Today it often feels like power meters are on bikes like bar tape - I'm sure there's some people out there riding without bar tap, but it's not really done, and why? A lotta folks are training with a power meter. I was just at a team camp, and these kiddos are rocking 3-4 different bikes, between training bikes, racing bikes, TT bikes, and they've definitely all got power meters. Well, point being - power meters are popular as hell. The pros have them, and trickle down economics is a thing.

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A Day in the Life: Tyler Williams at the Great Ocean RR

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A Day in the Life: Tyler Williams at the Great Ocean RR

Today kicks off a new feature for us, here on Catalyst Content, “A Day in the Life”. We’ll use this feature to give folks an inside look into a day in some of our athletes lives, whether it be at a race, training day, or maybe just a day they’re kicking it at the café. Today, we are graced by the smooth stylings of Tyler Williams, reporting from Down Under (Australia). Tyler is about to kick off his season, on Sunday, at the Cadel Evans’ Great Ocean Road Race. It is a one-day World Tour race.

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The Tale of Low Carbohydrate Training

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The Tale of Low Carbohydrate Training

Story time! It’s the best way to talk about the hot topic of fasted/low-carbohydrate training…

A prelude. Carbohydrate is needed to perform high-intensity efforts. However, the body only has so much carbohydrate stored which gets to be a problem because carbohydrates are also used during low-intensity efforts. As a result, an athlete can use up their carbohydrate stores before the end of a race when carbohydrates are needed the most (i.e. during a sprint stage). Conserving these carbohydrate stores could therefore theoretically improve performance.

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Have Your Holidays and Enjoy Them Too

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Have Your Holidays and Enjoy Them Too

The holidays can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different folks. For most, it’s a time to celebrate with family, friends, and coworkers. For a lucky few, it’s a time to get that Red Ryder BB Gun they’ve always wanted. And for some, the holidays represent a time in which it is frustratingly difficult to keep up with fitness goals.

Throughout the holidays, there is a plethora of food and drinks. This obviously leads to concerns about weight gain. The hot thing for blogs this time of year is to tell you how to “hack the holidays”. These blogs will tell you how to find the best low-calorie options at holiday parties. However, trying to eat healthy at a holiday party can cause mental stress and that’s exactly what you’re trying to get away from by attending a party. Plus, that low-cal “healthy” option is probably not worth it.

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Cranking Away

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Cranking Away

Believe it or not, this marks our fifth post on Catalyst Content. We hope everyone has been enjoying it, as we certainly enjoyed having a spot to do some writing and ranting. If folks have not been enjoying, well we’ve still been enjoying writing it, so we’re still happy. Folks will remember our kick off post was a feature with the charming Matti Rowe, taking a look at one of his favorite workouts. Well, the spotlight turns today to Stephen Bassett, as we ask him the same question.

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Some Thoughts on Load Tracking

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Some Thoughts on Load Tracking

Load tracking has been a component of athletics for as long as we really know, whether it be miles, weight x reps in the gym, hours, or more popularly as of late, effort based metrics like TSS and CTL. TSS and CTL are hugely popular, with both coaches and athletes. I use them myself on a daily basis, working with athletes and training prescription. I think they have a lot of value, however I also see people consistently place more stock in those values than I think is merited. What follows is an open table discussion, between me and myself, about the idea of “load”, is it worth tracking, how should it be tracked, what can we extrapolate from it. Be forewarned, all that follows goes no farther than opinion and trial and error. This is far from an objective science, but potentially that is where the greatest value lies.

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Unsolicited Advice on Reviewing a Season

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Unsolicited Advice on Reviewing a Season

An athlete has just finished up a big season of training, racing, and traveling to events. They are now taking an off-season break (we hope!). They are freshening up and ready to jump, head first, into preparation for the next year’s big objectives, everything is possible! Time to leave last year in the rear view mirror, right? No!

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