Words by: Joe Gambles Joe Gambles, professional triathlete, is also Heather Jackson’s coach, guiding her to numerous Ironman and 70.3 victories and Kona podiums. He lifts the curtain, below, on a workout, he prescribes Heather a few times a year to put the finishing touches on her specific race preparations. Firstly, I have to...
It is known that logging fall and winter miles can help build an athlete’s foundation come spring and summertime racing. The ability to string together consistent weeks of training can help to not only increase endurance, strength, and stamina but also aid in injury prevention. While spring and summer season sessions will focus on...
The “race season” hits at different times for many athletes, but regardless of the time of year, this is the time when training, racing, and fitness are at their peak. Typically during this time athletes are highly motivated and excited to tackle upcoming racing. However, as is the case with most things in life,...
Many of us have experienced the all too common cramp that causes us to cease exercise immediately and try to walk it off. If you have not experienced it for yourself, you can probably view this occurrence around mile 20 of any marathon. Athletes moving along fine and then all of the sudden being...
Extreme heat can be an athlete’s worst enemy when it comes to maintaining optimized performance. No matter your discipline or focus, heat makes both exertion and recovery more challenging. Understanding why the body struggles more in the heat can be a valuable tool for helping to cope with higher temperatures. Knowing how to properly...
If you spend enough time around cyclists, inevitably a story about how someone “lost it in the sprint” will come up. The sprint is a win or lose scenario for many and something that most wish they were better at. Whether you’re a seasoned road racer or trying to push it at your local...
No matter your focus as a cyclist, odds are you’ll inevitably encounter some big climbing days in the saddle. Whether it’s a self-inflicted Sufferfest in the mountains or an event that touts massive amounts of elevation gain, you’re bound to have to go uphill. Since there’s no escaping it, what can you do to...
Surely all of the miles and hours you have accumulated on the saddle are enough to make you good at cycling?! The short answer is no. As a cyclist, you are trying to become a multifaceted athlete which includes building systems other than cardiovascular endurance. In order to bring the best out of yourself,...
Training with power on the bike is a surefire way to get the most out of your training time and effort. While many still use heart rate-based training methods (which have been tried and true) heart rate is affected by many factors outside of effort alone. When using a power meter like the Wahoo...
For many cyclists, completing a century ride is a popular bucket list goal. For new riders, the desire is to just get through the ride feeling as good as possible. That first event is often the hook for the next ride – one century was fun, but how do I get faster? And finally,...
Indoor turbo sessions over the course of the last few years have had a complete makeover. At one time it was standard procedure to wear out bike tires and withstand hours in a fixed position. With the addition of smart trainers to the market, cyclists and triathletes alike are moving many of their outdoor...
Winter training can elicit varying levels of motivation for athletes. Some may eagerly view it as a time to log a solid foundation for the racing season to come. Others may view it more as a bandaid they must rip off in order to get to the racing season. However you view winter training,...