Empirical Cycling Podcast

Epizodes

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  Ten Minute Tips #78: The Upsides And Downsides Of Training Plans 21.07.2026 58min

  ​We examine the the ins and outs of training plans and the ways they can help or hurt our short and long term goals. We discuss plans in general and our approach, and tackle items like adaptability and rigidity, goal setting and expectations, time in zone distributions and more. We also answer your listener questions.
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  Watts Doc #65: Measuring Training Responsiveness 30.06.2026 1h 14min

  This episode deconstructs a recent study showing unexpectedly low reliability of individual training responses in people undertaking the exact same training program twice. We go down several avenues of reasoning for why this might be the case, apply these lessons to trained cyclists, and answer your listener questions.
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  Ten Minute Tips #77: How Not To Break Up With Your Bike This Season 09.06.2026 1h 22min

  We talk about the summer slump that many cyclists experience, where it can originate from, how to think about maintenance to balance event demands with training and more fun, unstructured riding, and how goals and expectations can come into play. We also answer your listener questions.
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  Watts Doc #64: A Replication Crisis Is A Crisis Of Confidence 20.05.2026 1h 35min

  We delve into the recent large scale replication project in sport and exercise studies, their methods and findings. Then we try to understand why it found the results that it did in light of known statistical phenomena, similar findings from other research fields, and why an apparent replication crisis depends on how you already view and interpret published literature. Plus your listener questions.
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  Watts Doc #63: Confronting Uncertainty In Training And Data 29.04.2026 1h 48min

  We reveal our process for dealing with the uncertainty inherent in training and racing by keeping the FO in the scientific method of FAFO. After addressing whether or not probabilities are even real and the role of subjective experience, we look at some examples of uncertainty and predictions in testing, training, and racing, how reliable and accurate that data and performance models may be, and the process of improving our confidence in their ability to guide a training program. We also discuss incorporating peer-reviewed literature as well as anecdata, and the ultimate value of coaching or self-coaching experience.
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  Ten Minute Tips #76: Building Race Fitness 16.04.2026 1h 10min

  We discuss planning race preparation and how it differs from a general aerobic build, periodization considerations, B vs A priority races, adjusting approach based on feedback, differences with low and high training age, and reorienting goals along the way. We also answer your listener questions.
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  Ten Minute Tips #75: The Art Of Autoregulation (Training To Vibes) 26.03.2026 1h 20min

  We talk about coaching athletes to autoregulate (vibes training), meaning making choices between structured and unstructured training, hard work and fun, intensity and rest. This considers the angles of athlete experience level, life stress, people who don't like rigid training structure, workout selection, and more. Plus answering your listener questions.
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  Perspectives #41: Macros, Determining Energy Needs, Nutrient Timing, with Tim Podlogar 18.03.2026 1h 41min

  Exercise physiologist and performance nutritionist Tim Podlogar joins the podcast to talk about determining endurance athletes' energy needs, macro targets like protein, fats, and carbs both relative to bodyweight and total energy needs, nutrient timing strategies, glycogen loading, bodyweight regulation, and much more. We also ask listener questions on fad nutrients, hydration, and determining supplement needs.
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  Ten Minute Tips #74: FTP Training Mistakes (And Solutions) 14.03.2026 1h 11min

  Our three most experienced coaches discuss common mistakes when training and building FTP. We look at testing, interval execution and progression, adaptation timelines, periodization, fatigue management, lactate testing, and much more. We also answer your listener questions on FTP training.
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  Watts Doc #62: Setting Up Your n=1 Training Experiment 25.02.2026 1h 49min

  We tackle the ideas of unique responders, the role of performance variability in differentiating training response between individuals, pitfalls in interpreting typical individual response data, and the experimental setup required to actually tease these things apart. Then we walk through a couple easy principles to apply the takeaways in your own training.
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  Ten Minute Tips #73: Things We Wish We Knew About Training, Racing, and Coaching 19.02.2026 54min

  We talk about things we wish we knew earlier about training, racing, and coaching. Nutrition, skipping workouts, setting process goals, finding your strengths, athlete feedback, and more. We also find out what our listeners wish they had known sooner.
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  Ten Minute Tips #72: The Roles Of Stimulus And Recovery In Plateaus 12.02.2026 53min

  Following up from the last episode, our coaches dig into the balance between training stimulus and recovery capacity, with practical ways to diagnose which is a potential performance limiter. We also touch on low volume athletes, very well trained ones, overlapping stimuli, periodization, short and long term tradeoffs, and more.
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  Watts Doc #61: Quantifying Diminishing Returns 05.02.2026 1h 26min

  We walk through an analysis done on almost 15,000 people with data up to nearly 7 years in length and after finding similar trends in Kolie's client and personal data, we apply what we can learn about diminishing returns to our training expectations, season planning, stimulus and recovery needs, our ultimate potential, and what it means for interpreting scientific literature.
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  Ten Minute Tips #71: Avoiding Panic Training (Starts Now) 23.01.2026 1h 16min

  Our coaches discuss what panic training is and how it manifests, common reasons for it to occur, ways to plan now to avoid falling into the trap, and ways to pivot before and even during panic training mode. We touch on all sorts of related topics like nutrition and panic dieting, setting milestones and assessing realistic goals, the impact of social media, and a couple ways to rethink training or goals to fit your season, plus answering your listener questions.
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  Ten Minute Tips #70: Fitness Beyond FTP 07.01.2026 1h 17min

  Our coaches dig into non-FTP related aspects of training and physiology that that lead to better race results, and workouts that can be done for each. We specifically consider road racing, criteriums, mountain bike and cyclocross, plus gravel and ultra racing, and a couple things to train that can easily apply to everything.
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  Ten Minute Tips #69: The Case For Riding Easier 31.12.2025 1h 35min

  This episode we make our case for why endurance and recovery rides can and probably should be paced easier than expected, even for time crunched athletes. We look into the issues that can occur from riding too hard, then delve into physiology, power and heart rate zones, RPE calibration, fatigue and energy management, and more. Plus we answer your listener questions.
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  Watts Doc #60: Durability's Limitations 18.12.2025 2h 32min

  We take a deep dive into the published literature on durability. First a critical look at the paper coining the term, the next establishing a widely used measurement, and another on the definition and differentiation of several aspects of endurance performance. Then discussing aspects of measurement and trainability, plus the relative statistical strength in the literature vs typical interpretations. Finally some advice from coaching experience, and answering your listener questions.
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  Ten Minute Tips #68: Using Data In Coaching 11.12.2025 1h 32min

  This is a critical look at how our coaches use data, like its use in creating a logical framework, the challenging parts of analytics and data in decision making, and how much "the science" can really inform our decision making. Plus we discuss the seeming need for heuristics over nuanced takes, the role of the scientific process in coaching, our favorite metrics, and answer your listener questions.
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  Watts Doc #59: A Muscle Glycogen Paradox 03.12.2025 1h 25min

  We dig into a recent study showing a disconnect between equal muscle glycogen recovery and unequal high intensity interval performance due to delayed recovery fueling, despite equal total calories. We start with some background on glycogen's structure and the importance of fueling before discussing the outcomes and conclusions of this double blind, placebo-controlled crossover study before speculating on mechanisms and potential applications to trained cyclists, and connect it to common current nutrition practices.​
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  1M: AMA 27.11.2025 2h 9min

  To celebrate over a million podcast listens we let you ask us anything, and we answered. You asked training questions about how we would refocus the US's cycling governing body, improving climbing, book suggestions, how long it takes to return to peak form, indoors vs outdoor duration equivalents, partial ROM lifts, if you need to be in a caloric surplus when training, tempo workouts, and more. We also answer more personal questions like our lift PRs and a game of FMK, music and food, plus updates on how and why our own training and competitive goals have shifted over the recent years.