Original episode & show notes | Raw transcript
This document provides an in-depth exploration of the key concepts discussed in the Empirical Cycling Podcast episode featuring host Kolie Moore and professional cyclist Megan Easler. The conversation covers a wide range of topics, which can be broken down into five core areas: training methodology, coaching philosophy, advanced physiological concepts, athlete nutrition and health, and the specific demands of professional racing.
A central theme is the comparison between two distinct training philosophies: one prioritizing high-intensity interval training (HIIT) with lower volume, and the other emphasizing a large volume of low-intensity endurance training.
The Low-Volume, High-Intensity (LVHI) Trap: Megan describes her previous training regimen, which involved multiple high-intensity sessions per week (e.g., 30/30s, 40/20s) with relatively low overall training hours (12-15 hours/week).
Initial Feeling: This approach can lead to rapid, short-term fitness gains and a feeling of being very sharp.
The Downside: As discussed, this often leads to non-functional overreaching or overtraining. The constant high-intensity stimulus, without a sufficient aerobic base, can overwhelm the body’s recovery systems (both muscular and central nervous), leading to chronic fatigue, performance stagnation, and a feeling of being “wrecked.” The athlete feels tired but may misinterpret this as a loss of fitness, leading to a vicious cycle of seeking even more intensity.
The High-Volume, Low-Intensity (HVLI) Foundation: The shift in Megan’s training was toward significantly higher volume (averaging 20+ hours/week, with peaks over 30 hours), with the majority of that time spent at a low intensity.
Physiological Goal: The primary purpose of high-volume endurance training is to build a deep and robust aerobic base. This is achieved through adaptations like:
Mitochondrial Biogenesis: Increasing the number and density of mitochondria, the “powerhouses” of the cells.
Increased Capillary Density: Improving oxygen delivery to the working muscles.
Enhanced Fat Oxidation: Making the body more efficient at using fat for fuel, thus sparing precious glycogen stores for higher-intensity efforts.
Performance Outcome: This deep base provides durability, improves recovery between hard efforts, and ultimately raises the ceiling for top-end performance. It allows the athlete to handle the rigors of multi-day stage races and recover more quickly.
The Physiology of Endurance Pacing: The podcast strongly criticizes the practice of riding endurance miles “too hard” (e.g., at 70% of FTP).
The Problem: Riding at this intensity, often termed “no-man’s-land,” is too hard to elicit the desired aerobic adaptations efficiently and too easy to provide a strong stimulus for threshold improvement. It generates significant fatigue without a proportional training benefit, compromising recovery and the quality of subsequent high-intensity workouts.
The Solution: True endurance or “Zone 2” riding should be at a conversational pace (often around 50-60% of FTP). The guiding principle should be sustainability and low physiological stress, allowing for the accumulation of large volume without excessive fatigue. As Megan puts it, “if you’re, like, thinking about it, I feel like you’re doing it wrong.”
Challenging Misconceptions: Women and High-Volume Training: A “controversial take” mentioned is the idea that women cannot or should not train with the same high volume as men. Megan’s personal experience directly refutes this, showing that her best season came after a dramatic increase in volume. Physiologically, there is no basis for this limitation; the principles of aerobic adaptation apply regardless of gender. Often, when an athlete (male or female) struggles with higher volume, the root cause is not the volume itself, but rather that the intensity of those hours is too high.
The discussion highlights that effective coaching is far more than prescribing workouts; it is a dynamic, interpersonal process.
The Principle of Individualization: The podcast repeatedly emphasizes that there is no one-size-fits-all approach. An athlete’s optimal training plan depends on their unique physiology, training history, recovery capacity, and psychological needs. This is exemplified in the discussion on tapering, where Megan discovered she performs better when very fresh, a departure from her previous belief that she needed “work in her legs” before a race.
Communication and Feedback: The “80% of Coaching”: The idea is floated that coaching is 20% workout prescription and 80% “emotional IQ” and interpersonal skills. This reflects the need for a coach to listen to an athlete’s subjective feedback, understand external life stressors (work, family), and interpret signs of fatigue. This two-way communication builds trust and allows for real-time adjustments, preventing burnout and ensuring the training is appropriate for the athlete’s current state.
Supercompensation: The Critical Role of Rest: The concept that “gains happen” during rest is central. Training provides the stimulus for adaptation, but the actual physiological improvements occur during recovery. The podcast stresses the necessity of full rest weeks after hard blocks of training or racing. An athlete who never feels the need for a rest week is likely not training hard enough to elicit significant adaptation.
The conversation touches on several nuanced physiological topics relevant to high-performance cycling.
Deconstructing VO2 Max Training: They mention the difficulty of prescribing a precise power target for VO2 max intervals.
The Delayed Adaptation Response: A key observation is that the performance benefits from a hard VO2 max block may not appear for weeks or even up to two months.
Neuromuscular Training: The Case for Low-Cadence Work: Low-cadence training is proposed as a specific intervention for Megan’s weakness in sustained climbing.
Mechanism: This type of training is not primarily aimed at improving aerobic capacity. Instead, it targets the neuromuscular system. By pushing a large gear at a low cadence (e.g., 60-70 RPM), the athlete increases the force required for each pedal stroke. This can lead to:
Increased recruitment of large, powerful muscle fibers.
Improved neural drive to those muscles.
Enhanced muscular strength and endurance specific to high-torque demands, like those found on steep climbs.
The podcast delves into the critical and often fraught relationship between athletes, food, and body weight.
The Perils of Underfueling: RED-S: Megan’s history with disordered eating provides a case study in the dangers of underfueling. Intentionally restricting calories to lose weight, especially when training volume is high, can lead to Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (RED-S). This is a state where the body does not have enough energy to support both training demands and normal physiological functions.
The Importance of Macronutrients: The Case of Dietary Fats: The anecdote about cutting out peanut butter and subsequently losing her period highlights the crucial role of dietary fat. Fats are essential for the production of hormones (including sex hormones like estrogen), absorption of fat-soluble vitamins, and overall cellular health. A low-fat diet can directly lead to the hormonal disruptions seen in RED-S.
The episode provides a fascinating contrast between the racing styles in the U.S. and European women’s pelotons.
European Racing: Characterized as intensely demanding of technical skill and constant focus.
Key Features: Narrow roads, road furniture (medians), cobbles, crosswinds leading to echelons, and a large field of very strong riders.
Tactical Demands: The racing is described as a “three-hour criterium”—relentlessly intense and surgy. Success requires not just raw power, but exceptional bike handling, the ability to fight for and hold position near the front, and the mental stamina to stay “on” for the entire race to avoid crashes and splits in the peloton.
U.S. Racing: While still featuring world-class athletes, the style is described as different.
Key Features: Often contested on wider, less technical roads. The outcome is more frequently decided by raw physiological capacity on key features like a long climb, rather than technical acumen and positioning. This can sometimes lead to more negative or conservative racing tactics in the domestic peloton.
Principle of Specificity: The discussion highlights the importance of matching training to the demands of the target races. Training exclusively with HIIT for “surging” was poor preparation for stage races like Redlands, which feature long, sustained climbs that demand a strong FTP and aerobic endurance.