النص 🔗
WEBVTT
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:10.240
After 24 years of coaching all types of sports, with cycling and mountain biking as my forte, there's a handful of lessons I wish every athlete learned sooner, myself included.
00:00:10.400 --> 00:00:10.720
Why?
00:00:10.960 --> 00:00:14.640
Because they are fundamental to the success in any athlete's life.
00:00:14.720 --> 00:00:20.719
I'm Adam Pulford, Head Coach of Cycling at CTS, an endurance coaching group with coaches all over the world.
00:00:20.879 --> 00:00:25.760
Today I'm going to share these lessons with you as quickly and concisely as I can.
00:00:26.000 --> 00:00:32.399
No fancy charts, no colorful graphs, no rabbit holes to chase down, just some good old-fashioned coach talk.
00:00:32.560 --> 00:00:37.039
I'll try to get 24 years of coaching done in 12 minutes.
00:00:37.200 --> 00:00:37.920
Let's go.
00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:42.479
Number one, people don't care how much you know until they know how much you care.
00:00:42.640 --> 00:00:44.960
You can get information everywhere these days.
00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:56.880
There's a ton of smart coaches, there's AI, and accessible resources, but the coaches who care about the athlete's journey, turning their failures into success, will be the ones who last.
00:00:57.039 --> 00:00:57.439
Why?
00:00:57.679 --> 00:01:00.960
Because an athlete's journey is nonlinear.
00:01:01.119 --> 00:01:02.799
It's a damn roller coaster.
00:01:03.039 --> 00:01:09.760
Empathy and human connection still matter, and they're some of the best tools when navigating the ups and downs of life.
00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:16.000
Number two, doing what it takes to get fit is not the same thing as what it takes to stay fit.
00:01:16.159 --> 00:01:20.319
This is something almost all athletes get wrong and they need to be reminded of.
00:01:20.640 --> 00:01:23.599
Less is more once you build your fitness.
00:01:23.760 --> 00:01:35.920
Once you put in a ton of work in that base and build phase of training, driving fitness up, you can maintain that level of fitness or even build on it with strategically timed intensity, long rides, and doing less overall.
00:01:36.239 --> 00:01:37.920
And that's just smart training.
00:01:38.079 --> 00:01:41.200
Number three, fitness is not performance.
00:01:41.359 --> 00:01:44.560
You can train the house down, but can you go fast?
00:01:44.879 --> 00:01:46.159
Can you make the podium?
00:01:46.319 --> 00:01:49.680
Do you have the skills on the bike to use all of that fitness?
00:01:49.920 --> 00:01:55.519
If you don't, you won't perform well, you won't win much, and you won't reach your full potential.
00:01:55.760 --> 00:02:01.040
Number four, there's no such thing as too much base, but you can probably have too much build.
00:02:01.280 --> 00:02:07.200
Base is your aerobic foundation, not only in the current year, but in all the years you've been training.
00:02:07.359 --> 00:02:20.400
Having a deeper, wider base of aerobic fitness is never a bad thing, but too much high intensity leading up to an a priority race could leave you tired, burnt out, or just not motivated to ride your bike.
00:02:20.639 --> 00:02:26.159
In other words, you can never have too much hay in the barn, but be careful not to light it on fire.
00:02:26.400 --> 00:02:29.680
Number five, overtraining doesn't exist.
00:02:29.919 --> 00:02:34.400
Under recovery certainly does, and underperformance is the red flag.
00:02:34.479 --> 00:02:36.560
The training is typically not the problem.
00:02:36.800 --> 00:02:38.240
It's everything else in life.
00:02:38.479 --> 00:02:40.960
In particular, lack of recovery.
00:02:41.199 --> 00:02:55.120
For most athletes, this is lack of sleep, not taking enough easy days, trying to do too much intensity in a week, and having too much life stuff going on to hit the training that they think they can and should do.
00:02:55.439 --> 00:02:55.919
Think about it.
00:02:56.080 --> 00:03:02.479
If you didn't have a job, no kids, nothing else to do in life other than train, you could do more training, right?
00:03:02.639 --> 00:03:02.960
Right.
00:03:03.120 --> 00:03:07.120
And if you have better genetics, you could probably do even more training.
00:03:07.360 --> 00:03:12.479
So if you think the quantity of the training is the problem, where do you draw the line?
00:03:12.800 --> 00:03:15.120
20 hours, 30 hours, 40?
00:03:15.280 --> 00:03:18.400
You see, time and quantity is not what to focus on.
00:03:18.560 --> 00:03:25.360
Instead, think of it like this how much recovery do you need for the training you can actually do and then still adapt from it?
00:03:25.520 --> 00:03:29.199
Plan your training like this, and you won't overdo it.
00:03:29.439 --> 00:03:34.960
Number six, strength training is an effective modality to improve endurance cycling performance.
00:03:35.120 --> 00:03:43.759
This may sound antiquated now, but not too long ago, many endurance coaches and athletes did not think strength training had much benefit to endurance sport.
00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:48.000
Now, with better research, testing, and open-mindedness, we know better.
00:03:48.159 --> 00:03:48.960
Isn't that lovely?
00:03:49.120 --> 00:04:07.039
It's not that you can spend all your time in the gym and then become a legendary cyclist, but with two to three times per week in the gym year-round with good periodized planning, you can increase strength, power, durability, and decrease the chances of injury, not to mention improve longevity in the sport and in life.
00:04:07.199 --> 00:04:10.159
Number seven, you're not only as good as your last race.
00:04:10.400 --> 00:04:13.280
Many athletes think it's all over after a bad race.
00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:13.919
It's not.
00:04:14.000 --> 00:04:15.759
It's just one day in your life.
00:04:15.919 --> 00:04:19.680
Another lesson learned, another experience to make you better.
00:04:19.920 --> 00:04:21.519
You're more than just one race.
00:04:21.600 --> 00:04:24.720
And that
Load full transcript
goes for the good ones and the bad ones.
00:04:24.879 --> 00:04:29.839
Number eight, no matter how good you were today, there's always somebody better.
00:04:30.079 --> 00:04:33.120
Along with my last point, when you win, that's wonderful.
00:04:33.279 --> 00:04:36.959
Just know that there's plenty of other fast people that could have won as well.
00:04:37.120 --> 00:04:38.639
They just weren't there today.
00:04:38.800 --> 00:04:42.000
Number nine, winning is special, so celebrate it.
00:04:42.160 --> 00:04:45.120
Losing is common, but it teaches us lessons.
00:04:45.279 --> 00:04:50.959
Either way, spend 24 hours celebrating or analyzing both when they happen, then move on.
00:04:51.120 --> 00:04:56.480
You want to remember your wins, but you want to remember your losses too, so learn from them.
00:04:56.720 --> 00:04:58.959
Just don't dwell on either situation.
00:04:59.120 --> 00:05:02.560
A good athlete moves on and improves after each race.
00:05:02.879 --> 00:05:06.560
Number 10, train your mind as much as you train your body.
00:05:06.720 --> 00:05:11.199
This is more important than you realize, and it takes on many shapes and forms.
00:05:11.279 --> 00:05:14.800
In some way, you're always training your mind with thoughts.
00:05:15.040 --> 00:05:19.360
Learn to shape your thoughts into good thoughts for good training.
00:05:19.519 --> 00:05:22.959
Read good books that teach you about life, not just sports.
00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.399
Spend time meditating, breathing, and being still.
00:05:26.560 --> 00:05:29.439
This is hard to do as an athlete, but it's powerful practice.
00:05:29.680 --> 00:05:35.680
Check out the links below and a few good book recommendations and other resources for more on this.
00:05:35.920 --> 00:05:36.720
Number 11.
00:05:37.040 --> 00:05:39.920
Descending and technical skills are no longer optional.
00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:42.399
They are part of being a great cyclist.
00:05:42.639 --> 00:05:51.279
Whether you're racing the Tour de France or doing a group ride, working on your handling skills is important not only for you, but for those you ride with.
00:05:51.519 --> 00:05:54.240
Going uphill is fast, but so is going downhill.
00:05:54.319 --> 00:05:59.279
And if you don't think like that, it's probably because you're not good at it or you have anxiety about it.
00:05:59.439 --> 00:06:09.759
Get with a good coach, a mentor, or a friend to teach you better descending and cornering, and you'll not only get rid of your fears, but you'll have a lot more fun doing it as well.
00:06:09.920 --> 00:06:15.600
Plus, you'll increase your confidence and skill so that you're safer in every condition that comes your way.
00:06:15.839 --> 00:06:16.720
Number 12.
00:06:16.959 --> 00:06:19.680
Training and racing are actually opposites.
00:06:19.839 --> 00:06:30.639
To be reductionistic, racing is doing as little as it takes to win, whereas training is doing as much as you can do to get tired while still being able to adapt.
00:06:30.879 --> 00:06:37.920
Number 13, the quality of the training is determined by the execution of the athlete relative to the plan of the coach.
00:06:38.079 --> 00:06:46.560
In other words, high quality training is both planning and doing, not just a few good intervals, and certainly not just high intensity training.
00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:53.839
Number 14, following a good plan most of the time is better than trying to perfectly follow the perfect plan.
00:06:54.000 --> 00:06:55.839
Nobody is perfect, and neither are you.
00:06:56.000 --> 00:06:59.759
There is no perfect plan, there is no perfect training, and there is no perfect workout.
00:06:59.920 --> 00:07:03.600
Good plans and good execution over time bring great results.
00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:06.399
Don't overthink it and don't try to be perfect.
00:07:06.639 --> 00:07:07.680
It doesn't exist.
00:07:07.920 --> 00:07:14.160
Number 15, most people overestimate what they can do in a day and underestimate what they can do in a year.
00:07:14.399 --> 00:07:24.079
This means we think and stress about getting so many things done today, focused on the small details that don't really matter compared to the big goals that we have in life.
00:07:24.319 --> 00:07:34.160
Proper long-term planning helps us stay focused on the big picture, achieving big things in life by doing fewer things done well today.
00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:38.000
Number 16, everyone is adaptable at any age.
00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:44.800
From grade schooler to the nursing home, human bodies can adapt to skills and training at any age.
00:07:44.959 --> 00:07:48.160
It's never too late to start training and being healthy.
00:07:48.319 --> 00:07:50.240
You're never too young to play sports.
00:07:50.399 --> 00:07:54.000
The level of intensity and focus changes throughout life, that's for sure.
00:07:54.160 --> 00:07:58.639
But even the 100-year-olds are making progress in their FTP these days.
00:07:58.879 --> 00:08:01.759
Number 17, true development takes time.
00:08:01.920 --> 00:08:04.720
Big lasting change takes intentional effort.
00:08:04.879 --> 00:08:05.680
Be patient.
00:08:05.839 --> 00:08:09.279
Don't rush, because if you build it right, it will last.
00:08:09.519 --> 00:08:14.959
Number 18, moving meditation is more beneficial than we actually realize.
00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:22.560
Endurance training is monotonous, and this is fine, because we have to do the work, and sometimes that work is not glamorous.
00:08:22.720 --> 00:08:24.639
Anyone with a job knows this well.
00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.399
Let your legs go on autopilot and let your mind wander.
00:08:28.639 --> 00:08:32.799
Find flow, find joy in your mind while doing the work on the bike.
00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:38.320
I once had an athlete tell me that he could solve all of life's problems in one four-hour ride.
00:08:38.480 --> 00:08:40.799
The tricky part was writing it all down.
00:08:41.039 --> 00:08:46.000
Number 19, we can talk ourselves into and out of almost anything.
00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:49.519
Whether you think you can or you think you can't, you're probably right.
00:08:49.759 --> 00:08:51.279
Self-talk is powerful.
00:08:51.519 --> 00:08:57.039
So work on making yours at least neutral, if not positive, but always realistic.
00:08:57.279 --> 00:08:59.039
Finally, number 20.
00:08:59.279 --> 00:09:00.240
Know your why.
00:09:00.399 --> 00:09:04.000
Remind yourself why you do what you do in sport and in life.
00:09:04.240 --> 00:09:08.000
Why you train, why you compete, and why you make the sacrifices that you do.
00:09:08.159 --> 00:09:12.960
Because when the going gets gnarly and shit hits the fan, you'll have to answer your why.
00:09:13.120 --> 00:09:14.399
Otherwise, you'll quit.
00:09:14.559 --> 00:09:16.000
The sport is not easy.
00:09:16.159 --> 00:09:18.799
It is a lifestyle and it's all-encompassing.
00:09:19.039 --> 00:09:23.679
Establishing why you do it and remind yourself of that often.
00:09:23.759 --> 00:09:27.919
And this will keep you motivated and it'll keep you having fun for years to come.
00:09:28.080 --> 00:09:29.039
That's it for today.
00:09:29.200 --> 00:09:30.399
I hope you liked it.
00:09:30.639 --> 00:09:35.279
A summation of 24 hours of coaching and well, almost 12 minutes.
00:09:35.360 --> 00:09:40.639
I ripped through all of that pretty quickly, so it might be worthwhile going back through and hearing it again.
00:09:40.879 --> 00:09:50.559
Spend some time thinking on how these concepts apply to what you're currently doing with success, or could be doing better in order to help you navigate your athletic journey.
00:09:50.720 --> 00:09:55.039
And please feel free to pass this video on to a friend that would want to hear it as well.
00:09:55.200 --> 00:10:04.639
This isn't the typical video I do here on this channel, but I thought I would change it up with a few life lessons and thoughts that can still help steer your training in the right direction.
00:10:04.799 --> 00:10:07.919
Let me know if you liked it, and we'll see you back here for the next one soon.