Train like a Monk

Enter any race hotel dining room nowadays and you won't have to look far to see a set of food scales. Tracking has come from something that only the hardcore perfectionists did before key races, to commonplace throughout the entire pro peloton. But, as with most interventions, there's some important cost-benefit analysis that needs to take place before implementing it yourself. It's worth 'weighing' up the pro's and con's before deciding if it's something that will help you, or just make life more difficult.

Find Megan at fuellikeamonk.com

Get 10% off your Snacket using the code CYRUS10 at snacket.com

We're exposed to more nutrition advice than ever thanks to social media, this video included... But when do nutrition rules for the standard population differ from those for athletes? How do you know which advice to take and whether what you're eating is really right for you?This episode is part of the Fuel Like a Monk series with Sports Nutritionist Megan Monk. Head to fuellikeamonk.com for any nutrition questions or to book a consultation.Need something to hold your sports nutrition in while you ride? Head to snacket.com and use code CYRUS10 for a 10% discount on a snacket

Sports nutrition has come a long way in the past decade and the records show this. The old adage is that the research often lags behind coaches and athletes but in many cases there's some athletes (us included) that are slow to catch on and still make mistakes around their nutrition.

Megan is a former pro cyclist, Olympian and recently accredited Sports Nutritionist. She talks us through the mistakes she sees athletes making too often, why they make them and how to fix them.

Find Megan's own work at @fuellikeamonk on Instagram and fuellikeamonk.com

Use code 'MONK20' for 20% off Vekta joinvekta.com

Data is now being used everywhere in the sporting world, but nowhere more than in pro cycling.With so much data available, how can coaches and athletes decide which is worth focusing on, and how can the data be used to make better decisions on training?Paul-Antoine Girard has developed a platform designed to help with this.Hear about the platform and the broader topic of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Cycling.Keen to give Vekta a try? Use code MONK20 for 20% off.I'm also making the most of saving time on my own data analysis using Vekta and taking on three new athletes as a result. Get in touch via trainlikeamonk.com if you're looking to take your own training to the next level.

There's a lot of supplements being marketed as beneficial to cycling performance, but a much shorter list actually holds up to scientific scrutiny. Even fewer are actually practical to use for cyclists.This episode we talk about supps, Slane's race win up a volcano, and Cyrus' hypothermic/hypoxic experiences racing at altitude in China.

What is Critical Power? What is W'? How does a mathematical model help solve a physiological problem?

We answer these questions, ask some more and consider whether it all actually matters in helping you ride your bike faster.

Also some chat about how hunting Strava KOMs can fit into a program and whether comparing yourself to others on cycling's social media platform is a good or bad thing.

Find out where you rank in the strava stats world: https://www.marcellobrivio.com/projects/strava-toolbox/

'Fresh' off the Giro d'Italia Jensen interrupts his week off the bike with a cruise up Col d'Eze to the local boulangerie.We chat about what goes on inside the chaotic final sprints, and what goes on inside Jensen's head. You can decide for yourself which is more scary.Drop a comment if you're a fan of this format and I'll double check the mics stay connected for next time.

This week we break down the key sessions we're using with Slane and our other athletes. What are the intervals, which systems are they targeting, and where do they fit into the bigger picture?We also delve into a little sports psychology and mindset discussion on how to attack strength work, hard intervals and training in general.

Slane is now two weeks into his training program. The focus has been 'mostly' on strength and endurance however he's already seeing rapid improvements in power values well above the bulk of his training. We go into the physiology and adaptations behind getting these watts back after time off, and how quickly the reverse happens.

Slane gave me a call a few weeks back with a pretty simple assignment: “I want to get fit again, can you write me a program.”

After a month off the bike (not sitting on the couch but hiking in Patagonia…) Slane’s numbers are a long way off their best, so in this series we’ll discuss what training we’re using to get back to full fitness and hopefully beyond.

In week 1 we discuss strength training, lactate testing and whether everything needs to be easy in a base build starting from square one.