OVERVIEW
So many athletes are focused on training in Zone 2, but they don't realize "Zone 2" means different things depending on which training system you use. There is a 3-Zone system, a 5-Zone system, a 7-Zone system, and even more! Two of the most popular are 3-Zones, championed by researcher Dr. Stephen Seiler, and a 7-Zone system used by CTS and many other coaching groups. In Episode 241 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford answers a listener question about how an athlete can compare or use more than one training zone methodology, and what "Zone 2" means in a 3-Zone system compared to a 7-Zone system.

TOPICS COVERED

• Why training zones were created
• 7-Zone system compared to a 3-Zone system
• Using aerobic decoupling to evaluate aerobic conditioning
• Practical advice for athletes trying to use training zones

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LINKS/RESOURCES

• Complete Guide to Polarized Training with Dr. Stephen Seiler
• Zones Calculator Overview – TrainingPeaks Help Center
• Calculator Compare: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1aptCiqhjm6Fn7vG6P50AX54pW1P7XdVWx-lCARzNA5U/edit?gid=965771708#gid=965771708
• Episode #170 “Leveraging Lab and Field Testing to Create a Bigger Aerobic Engine” https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000634902218
• Aerobic Decoupling: 
  • https://help.trainingpeaks.com/hc/en-us/articles/204071724-Aerobic-Decoupling-Pw-Hr-and-Pa-HR-and-Efficiency-Factor-EF
  • Are You Fit? All About Aerobic Endurance and Decoupling
• Episode #169 Metabolic Testing:
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000634127336
• Tim Cusick:
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000468063825

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

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Overview
We love checking out what the pros are riding, but "normal" riders aiming to finish the Leadville 100 MTB in under 9 hours or under 12 hours have different needs on race day. Ten-time LT100 finisher, coach, and author Jim Rutberg talks with 3-time finisher Adam Pulford about the best bikes, equipment choices for the 2000+ riders behind the race leaders. And, since they're both coaches, they throw in a bunch of training, nutrition, and race strategy tips as well.

Key topics in this episode:

• Challenges of Leadville 100 course
• Is Leadville a drop-bar bike course?
• Best Bike Setup for Leadville 100
• How much suspension do you need?
• Bottles or hydration pack?
• What about a hardtail MTB?
• Wheels and Tires for Leadville 100
• Crank length for mountain biking
• MTB, Gravel, or Road shoes and pedals?
• Training and Nutrition tips for Leadville 100

LINKS

• 5 Race Bikes from the 2022 Leadville 100 - Pinkbike
• Tech Week – Bike & Tire Guide for the Stages Cycling Leadville Trail 100 MTB
• Roundup: The mountain bikes of Leadville - Velo
• XC vs Trail Bike Geo: Trail vs cross-country mountain bikes: Which is right for you? | BikeRadar

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Guest
Jim Rutberg has been an athlete, coach, and content creator in the outdoor sports, endurance coaching, and event industries for more than 20 years. He is the Media Director and a coach for CTS and co-author of several training and sports nutrition books, including Training Essentials for Ultrarunning with Jason Koop, Ride Inside with Joe Friel, and The Time-Crunched Cyclist with Chris Carmichael. A graduate of Wake Forest University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Exercise Physiology, Jim resides in Colorado Springs, Colorado, with his two sons, Oliver and Elliot. He can be reached at [email protected] or @rutty_rides on Instagram.

Host
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly 20 years and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

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OVERVIEW
How do you know if your threshold value or FTP or the training zones you calculated from your field test or lab test are correct? The best way is to conduct a Verification Workout! Coach Adam Pulford walks you through his go-to verification workout and reveals how it can tell you if your training zones are set too low, too high, or just right.

TOPICS COVERED

• How to tell if your threshold test was any good
• Coach tips on training zones
• The FTP Verification Workout
• What to look for from a verification workout
• How to adjust training zones if necessary
• Scaling the Verification Workout for beginners
• When in doubt, here's what to do

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HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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OVERVIEW
Different cycling field tests have their pros and cons. Some are better for beginners vs. athletes with greater pacing skills. Others are more convenient and easy to fit into a training plan. And still others are more detailed and take multiple days to complete, but provide more nuanced information. Coach Adam Pulford breaks down the most relevant, high-quality field tests so you can use the best test for you. Includes consideration for the 20-minute, Ramp Test, 8-minute, critical power, and power profiling tests.

TOPICS COVERED

• What is a field test?
• The 20-Minute FTP test
• The Ramp Test
• The 2 x 8-Minute Test from CTS
• Critical Power Testing
• Power Profile Testing with WKO5
• When you should update your training intensity ranges
• The Best Test for You

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LINKS/RESOURCES

• CTS Cycling Field Test
• CTS Field Test: Why Two 8-Minute Efforts Instead Of One 20-Minute Effort? - CTS 
• Andy Coggan Protocol - Power Profiling: Creating Your Power Profile
• Comparing Many Field Testing Methods:
  • Cycling Training Zones: A Detailed Guide — High North Performance 
  • WKO5 Resources: https://www.wko5.com/power-duration-science-explained
  • Article: https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/i-tried-every-ftp-test-to-find-out-which-is-the-most-accurate
  • Training Peaks Power Terminology: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/blog/power-terminology-for-cycling/
• Essential Guide to Cycling Training with a Power Meter - CTS

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Instagram: @cts_trainright
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Overview:
Canadian Olympian and Paris-Roubaix winner Alison Jackson is one of the most dynamic and entertaining riders in the pro peloton. But inspiration to train and compete at her best doesn't always come easily. Learn what inspires Alison, what she does to find or create inspiration when it doesn't come naturally, and how you can draw on the same skills and techniques she uses to inspire yourself to greatness.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

• How the Olympics inspired Alison to start cycling
• Finding motivation in playfulness
• Motivating yourself to get started when you don't want to
• Finding the inspiration to train when the going gets hard

Host
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Guest Bio
Alison Jackson is one of the most recognizable Canadian professional cyclists, not only because wins races all over the world, but also because her dance moves have made her a social media sensation. She is a two-time Olympian, the first North American cyclist to win Paris-Roubaix, and multi-time Canadian National Champion. For 2025, she will race for the EF Education-Oatly Pro Cycling Team. Alison works with CTS Coach Adam Pulford.

More About Alison Jackson:

• IG: https://www.instagram.com/aliactionjackson/ 
• TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@aliactionjackson?lang=en 
• FB: https://www.facebook.com/alisonactionjackson 
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/aliACTIONjackso 
• Team: https://efprocycling.com/  

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OVERVIEW
Virtual racing on TrainingPeaks Virtual, Zwift, Rouvy or other indoor cycling platforms can be a fun and intense addition to an athlete's overall program. They can even become the central focus of your season! But too much virtual racing can work against you by removing too much of the specificity and contrast your training plan needs in order for you to experience gains in fitness and performance. If you want to jump into virtual racing or hard virtual group rides, here's a guide on how to do it wisely and effectively. 

TOPICS COVERED

• Swap race for interval session?
• Mistakes to avoid when adding virtual racing to training plan
• Bringing contrast to your training

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LINKS/RESOURCES

• CTS Membership: https://trainright.com/membership
• TP Virtual: https://www.trainingpeaks.com/virtual/
• TP Virtual Race Hub: https://tpvirtualhub.com/

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Twitter: @trainright
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Overview:
Joe Friel, legendary coach and author of "The Cyclists Training Bible", "Fast After 50", and "Ride Inside" (among other titles), is back on the podcast to discuss some fundamental truths and takeaways on coaching and training. Whether you're new to training or you've been working out for decades, this is an opportunity to confirm what you've experienced and learned over the years and to discover more nuanced observations and techniques from one of the best coaches in the profession.

IN THIS EPISODE

• Importance of a high performance mindset
• Balancing the Big 3: Career, Family, Training
• How to individualize training for Time-Crunched and Time-Rich Athletes
• Overreaching vs Overtraining: Importance of scheduling rest
• Race readiness: The difference between resting and tapering
• Strength training: Why to do it, how, and when for Time-Crunched Athletes and Aging Athletes

LINKS

• Suggestions for the Aging Athlete - Joe Friel
• Motivation: Thoughts on Training #5: Motivation - Joe Friel
• Consistency: Thoughts on Training #3: Consistency Is Key - Joe Friel 
• FastTalk, Joe’s New Training Bible
•  Joe Friel’s Website and Books 

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GUEST
For endurance athletes and coaches, Joe Friel needs no introduction. A legend in the endurance coaching profession, Joe is the author of some of the most successful books on endurance training, including "The Cyclist's Training Bible", "The Triathlete's Training Bible", and "Fast After 50". He was a founder of Peaksware, creator of TrainingPeaks software. As a coach, his clients have included elite amateur and professional road cyclists, mountain bikers, and triathletes and duathletes.

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Twitter: @trainright
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OVERVIEW
There's a misconception that mixing higher-intensity intervals and Zone 2 aerobic endurance riding in the same session is bad. The contention is that exposure to higher intensities hinders the stimulus that leads to improved fat oxidation. Coach Adam Pulford dispels this myth and explains how training zones work together and can be used in additive and complementary ways.

TOPICS COVERED

• How training intensities complement each other rather than cancel each other
• Aspects of fitness that can be improved at ALL INTENSITIES
• The limitation of focusing too much on improving fat oxidation
• How progressive overload works to gradually build fitness

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LINKS/RESOURCES

• Is Zone 2 Training Overhyped or Under Appreciated? 
• #41 - Zone 2 training: why all the talk? With Dr Andrew Coggan
• Rethinking the role of fat oxidation: substrate utilisation during high-intensity interval training in well-trained and recreationally trained runners
• Forums: https://www.reddit.com/r/HubermanLab/comments/13cgwgb/zone_2_after_hiit/
  https://www.trainerroad.com/forum/t/high-zone-2-vs-sweet-spot-intervals/24263/2
• Sweet Spot Training In The Winter/Base Phase: Yes Or No? 
• Physiological Benefits of Sweet Spot Training

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Website: trainright.com
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OVERVIEW
What you rest for is what you're investing in. Group rides, interval days, training races, goal races... you can't be completely fresh and rested for all of them, but when should you train through an event versus tapering for it? Should you rest for a few days before big weekend group rides or treat them like any other training day? Scheduling rest and recovery is as important as scheduling aerobic endurance work or high intensity intervals. Coach Adam Pulford teaches you how to know the differences between using a short rest to freshen up, a structured taper to maximize performance, or a long rest to deload between training phases.

TOPICS COVERED

• Intro
• How to "freshen up" your legs for important training sessions
• When to train on tired legs
• Resting before a new training phase
• What "coming in fresh" looks like
• Building recovery into your annual training plan

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HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Overview:
You are an athlete. Yes, you. Even if you don't always feel like one. Even if you're not as fit as you'd like. Being an athlete is part of your identity and who you are. It influences your priorities, eating behaviors, sleeping choices, and even your relationships and career decisions. Athlete, coach, parent, and journalist Pam Moore joins Coach Adam Pulford to delve into the power of athlete identity and how leaning into it can improve all aspects of your life and performance.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

• Defining athlete identity
• Occupational therapy insights on athlete identity
• How athlete identity changes with life transitions (kids, jobs, marriage, etc.)
• Maintaining athlete identity when life gets busy
• Adapting athlete identity with advancing age
• How shame affects athlete identity
• How self compassion improves longevity in sport/training

Guest:
Pam Moore started out as an Occupational Therapist before committing to her passion for writing and becoming a journalist. A regular contributor to The Washington Post, her work has also appeared in Time, The Guardian, and Runner’s World, Bicycling Magazine, and for well-known brands like Peloton. She earned a certification as an Intuitive Eating Counselor.

Show Links:

• Pam Moore's Website
• Pam's Podcast Real Fit — Pam Moore

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Host
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for more than 14 years and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Website: trainright.com
Instagram: @cts_trainright
Twitter: @trainright
Facebook: @CTSAthlete