Fast Talk, ep. 68: The big picture the three types of rides you should do
b'In this episode we\\u2019re taking a step back \\u2014 way back \\u2014 to see the forest for the tress. Let me explain: Many of you have been fascinated by our recordings with scientists and coaches like Stephen Seiler, John Hawley, I\\xf1igo San Millan, and Joe Friel. Now, we\\u2019ve sifted through hours of Fast Talk recordings with our many distinguished guests to bring context to what we hope is a simplified, unified message about the fundamental principles of these previous shows: there are just three types of rides.\\xa0Yes, that\\u2019s a simplification. Yes, you\\u2019re getting our bias. So, if you want that high level of detail, please return to those past episodes. \\n\\nIn this episode, we\\u2019re talking about the forest. We\\u2019re hoping to give you a framework to understand all that scientific detail. And we\\u2019re going to keep it simple.\\n\\nWe\\u2019ll discuss:\\n\\n- First, when you take away the complexity, training boils down to three ride types in most training models.\\n\\n- We\\u2019ll give a simple zone system, based on physiology, and explain why that\\u2019s important.\\n\\n- We\\u2019ll define the long ride: why it\\u2019s important, how to execute it, and why there are no shortcuts.\\n\\n- We\\u2019ll define the high-intensity ride: why less is more with this type of ride and why executing it with quality is so critical. Dr. Seiler actually divides these rides into two categories \\u2014 threshold rides and high-intensity work. For this podcast, we\\u2019re lumping them together, but we will hear from Dr. Seiler about why we shouldn\\u2019t neglect threshold work despite the current popularity of one-minute intervals and Tabata work.\\n\\n- We\\u2019ll discuss the recovery ride. Ironically, for most of us, this is the hardest to execute. When we\\u2019re time-crunched, we might think that spending an hour spinning easy on the trainer is not time well spent. We\\u2019ll discuss why that philosophy is dangerous to take.\\n\\n- Finally, we\\u2019ll talk about some of the exceptions, including sweet spot work and training races.\\n\\nWe\\u2019ve included excerpts from Dr. San Millan, once the exercise physiologist for the Garmin-Slipstream WorldTour team, among others.\\xa0We\\u2019ll hear several times from Dr. Stephen Seiler, who is often credited with defining the polarized training model, which developed from his research with some of the best endurance athletes in the world.\\xa0Dr. John Hawley will address both long rides and high-intensity work. Dr. Hawley has been one of the leading researchers in sports science for several decades and is a big proponent of interval work and carbohydrate feeding, but even he feels there\\u2019s a limit.\\xa0Grant Holicky, formerly of Apex Coaching in Boulder, Colorado, has worked with some of the best cyclists in the world. He sees undirected training, those \\u201csort of hard\\u201d rides, as one of the biggest mistakes athletes can make. He\\u2019ll explain why. And finally, we\\u2019ll hear from legendary coach Joe Friel about sweet spot work and why it does have a place\\u2026 even though technically it\\u2019s not one of our three rides.\\n\\nNow, to the forest! Let\\u2019s make you fast.'