Episode Details

Mikael and Jack answer listener questions on indoor versus outdoor FTP differences, whether time in zone is all that matters and how to optimise interval intensity, a first 70.3 debrief covering swim breathing problems and bike cramps, and lots more!

Email us your questions, or answer the question prompts in our Instagram stories to get your questions answered on the next Q&A.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:

• Why indoor and outdoor FTP differ, whether a 20-watt gap is normal, and why Mikael has never had an athlete test both.
• Fans and airflow as the most underrated indoor cycling upgrade, including the research showing 40 km time-trial power is maintained up to 27°C when airflow matches outdoor riding speed.
• How to back-calculate an outdoor FTP from your own sweet spot and threshold interval data rather than doing a second test.
• Why a 10-minute interval should not be done at your 10-minute power, and how to perform a session so you finish at a session RPE of 7 to 8 with something left in the tank.
• Is time in zone all that matters? The same power and the same total work can produce very different internal loads.
• Minimum rep lengths if you want to spread work through a longer ride: 4 to 5 minutes for VO2max reps, 10 to 15 minutes for threshold reps.
• A first 70.3 debrief: why the swim breathing fell apart and how to break the hypercapnia (CO2 buildup) spiral, and what most likely caused hamstring cramps at 70 km on a hilly bike course.
• Instagram questions: finding your bike power in the first 20 minutes of a race, whether a VO2max block followed by a threshold block is a silver bullet, training after dental surgery, splitting 120 g of carbs per hour, and preparing for the Ironman Nice climb when you have no long climbs.

SHOWNOTES, LINKS, RESOURCES AND RELATED EPISODES:

• The shownotes for today's episode can be found here.
• The full podcast episode archives (including category filters) can be found here.
• Is VO2max more important than lactate threshold? | Research roundup
• Kolie Moore – Overrated and Underrated Factors for Cycling Performance
• Why 90 Grams of Carbs Still Beats 120 | Paul Booth
• Triathlon Base Training Series 1 - How to train smarter in winter to race faster in summer
• Prolonged self-paced exercise in the heat – environmental factors affecting performance - Junge et al. 2016
• Physiological comparison of intensity-controlled, isocaloric intermittent and continuous exercise - Combes et al. 2018
• Short intervals induce superior training adaptations compared with long intervals in cyclists - an effort-matched approach - Rønnestad et al. 2015
• The higher the fraction of maximal oxygen uptake is during interval training, the greater is the cycling performance gain - Odden et al. 2024

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