FasCat Cycling Training Tips Podcast

Trainer season is here, and so is the FTP Tracker. This week Coach Frank Overton, the Big Cat, splits the show in two.

Part one: how to make indoor cycling suck less. Why the trainer is a tool and not a plan, the sunny day rule, how to avoid Indoor Training App Syndrome (too hard to be base, too short to build durability), the pain cave setup that fixes heat, friction and boredom, three workouts that make the hour fly by (Sweet Spot Bursts, Criss Cross and Over Unders), the survival week that keeps you from ever...

FtFP. Follow the F*%'ing Plan. You've heard us say it at the end of every episode, it's on the shirts, it's in the app, and this week we finally tell you where it came from.

FtFP was not born in a coaching meeting. It was born in a comment thread. Back in 2019, FasCat sold static training plans and ran a private Facebook Group. One athlete posted every week: missed my workout, skipped my rest day, did the group ride instead of the intervals, why am I not getting faster? The coaches stayed patient. The other athletes...

Want to climb faster without adding a single watt? Improve your power to weight ratio. This week on the FasCat Podcast, Frank Overton, the Big Cat, explains how cyclists can lose weight the right way: without losing power, wrecking recovery or bonking on the bike.

Here's the truth: 80% of weight loss happens in the kitchen and 20% happens on the bike. Ride more and eat less is old school thinking, and it stops working once you've lost the first few pounds. Frank shows you how to win in the kitchen.

In this episode:

Go...

Hope is not a training plan. Most cyclists sign up for a race, ride hard and hope the fitness shows up on race day. The FasCat way is the opposite: pick your event first, then work backward from race day.

In this episode, Frank Overton, the Big Cat, walks through exactly how our coaches build a season and builds four real 2027 plans live with our new Pick Your Event, See Your Plan tool:

Over 40 and wondering why the same workouts, rides and races hit harder than they used to? On this episode of the FasCat Podcast Coach Frank answered that question and gave you a simple way to train for it: the Masters Diamond.

The biggest change isn't intensity, it's recovery. A hard workout that took one night to bounce back from at 30 can take two nights at 55. After 20+ years of coaching Masters athletes at FasCat, here's how we train athlete's over 40/50/60/ & 70:

⚾ The Masters Diamond
Picture a baseball diamond with four bases:
1️⃣ First base is Time: how ma...

The rainbow jersey 🌈 will be decided on Mount Royal. Coach Frank breaks down exactly how many watts it will to win the 2026 World Championship road race in Montréal, built from race data, and which riders can make those watts/kg.

What we'll cover:

• The course: three climbs, twelve times. Mount Royal (1.6 km at 7.7%), the Polytechnique (370 m at 9%), the Pagnuelo (470 m at 7.8%) and the uphill drag to the line on Avenue du Parc

• Our prediction: 8.0 W/kg (about 515 watts) for 3:40 on Mount Royal to win the men's race, 6.6 W/kg for the women, and about...

Most cyclists call the next five months the off season. We call it the ON season, because this is the time of year where you can add 10 to 50 watts or more by spring. Join Coach Frank Overton live Friday at 2pm ET for a walk through the training that makes that happen, straight out of our all-new 30 Week Off Season Weight and Sweet Spot Plan for 2026/2027.

What we're covering:

Why every month off costs you two, and how a two month break turns into a four month swing

Winning in the gym: the 10...

Last week Coach Frank Overton walked through FasCat's 10 week, 4 phase weight lifting program: the lifts, the sets, the reps, and the 10 watts or more our athletes gain from it. This week is the part nobody writes down: how to actually do it when you have a job, a family, a long ride on Saturday, and a gym that closes at 9.

Follow the 10 week weight lifting plan FREE for 1 week referenced in this podcast: https://app.fascat.ai/

What you'll learn:

▶ The pro's & con's of lifting at home or going to a gym

...

Ten weeks for 10 watts or more. That is the typical FTP gain our athletes see from FasCat's cycling specific weight lifting program, and by spring, once base training is done, they routinely show up to their first races 15 to 50 watts stronger than the year before.

Join Coach Frank Overton live this Friday at 2pm ET as he walks through the entire 10 week, 4 phase program we have been coaching cyclists through for more than 20 years. Bring your questions and Frank will answer them live from the comments.

 What you'll learn:

▶ Why lifting raises your FTP...

Coach Frank demos the brand new Fuel Trix feature** in CoachCat version 6.4.9, live on screen. Fuel Trix tells you exactly how many grams of carbohydrate to consume for every workout on your calendar based on duration and intensity, built from an algorithm Frank created using the findings of 11 scientific journal articles. He walks through the fueling matrix on the FasCat website, explains why your gut can only absorb 60 grams per hour of glucose and how adding fructose opens a second pathway to get you to 90 and even 120 grams per hour, and breaks down which of 30 popular sports nutrition brands...

The power data you have from your 2026 season is a goldmine of insight for what worked, what did not and how to leverage your learnings to plan for an even better 2027. Join Coach Frank, and dive into your data with the 5 prompts +a bonus prompt to ask CoachCat about your season for planning 2027 ahead!

Key Takeaways from this training tip: https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/using-power-data-to-review-your-season/

Coach Frank describes how to build your Annual Training Plan (ATP) for 2027, as described in this training tip: 

https://fascatcoaching.com/blogs/training-tips/yt-using-an-annual-cycling-training-plan-atp-all-the-phases-explained/

Key takeaways are: 

Coach Frank goes live with the brand new CoachCat mobile release v6.3.8 and breaks down the winning power up Mont Ventoux at the Tour de France Femmes. Bring your training questions and get them answered live.

In this episode: NEW MOBILE RELEASE v6.3.8 Frank shares his screen and walks through everything you can do in the app:

The new Recovery tab:

Frank "the Big Cat" Overton is back for the Friday livestream with a full walkthrough of the new CoachCat app plus a deep dive into the numbers behind this year's Tour de France.

Watch the full episode on our YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iolohdWoyTQ&t=130s

In this episode:

Getting started in CoachCat. Frank tours the custom training plan builder, the 12 most popular conversation starters, adaptive training, and how to push your workout to your bike computer, Zwift, or Rouvy. He also explains why "follow the plan" beats letting...

Summer Training is here 🚴

This week on Ask a FasCat (#31): durability rides, heat adaptation, race week tapers, and how to survive your local Tuesday night crit.

You may also watch this podcast on our youTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zuvdWqk_Dw

Coach Steve joins us for 30 minutes fresh off his win at the Tosa Criterium. He's breaking down what it takes to podium in a crit and how he can help you build your own crit training plan.

Bring your questions. All of them. FTP plateaus, structured workout twe...

On Ask a FasCat #30, we gave away a Stages Power Meter to the listener who asked the most thoughtful question + an annual CoachCat subscription to analyze all that shiny new power data.

🎥 Watch the episode: https://www.youtube.com/live/bnLrNhVL0jk

Here's how it worked: participants dropped their training questions in the comments, and Coach Frank Overton picked the winner live at the end of the show.

Not sure what counts as "most thoughtful"? Go back and binge the previous 29 episodes of Ask a FasCat 😂 Just kidding, it's simply the question that sparks...

8 minutes of full-gas work. 14% VO2 max gain. But only if you do them right on the CoachCat training app. Your first 7 days FREE: https://fascatcoaching.com/app

Dr. Izumi Tabata's 1996 study proved that 20-second efforts at supramaximal intensity produce more anaerobic capacity AND VO2 max gains than traditional steady-state training, and in a fraction of the time. In this training tip, Coach Frank Overton breaks down the exact workout 20+ years of FasCat athletes have used to win races: 3 sets of 8 × 20 seconds at 170% of FTP, with 10 seconds rest and 10 minutes between sets.

There's a RIGHT way t...

Build a custom cycling training plan in 5 questions. For a visual walk through of the custom plan builder watch this podcast on our youTube channel here https://youtu.be/nO94dhqgjBg

In this podcast & video, Coach Frank walks you through the new CoachCat Custom Training Plan Builder. We use over 100 of our coach-built training plans as phases of your training — Sweet Spot base, builds, intervals, weight lifting, and event-specific phases for road, gravel, fondo, century, time trial, triathlon, mountain bike, cyclocross, and crits — and stitch them together based on your answers to 5 simple questions:

1️⃣ Your fitness...

Are you doing your zone 4, 5, and 6 intervals as hard as you can? Try CoachCat free: https://fascatcoaching.com/app

 In this video, Coach Frank shows you how to go full gas and get more out of your intervals — more watts, more physiological benefits, and more race craft. Plus the 3 best zone 4, 5, and 6 interval workouts we prescribe to our 1:1 coaching athletes and in the CoachCat app. 🚴

THE 3 WORKOUTS

 Zone 4 Threshold: 3 x 8 minutes @ 103-110% FTP

 Zone 5 VO2 Max: 2 sets of 2 x 3 minutes @ 106-120% FTP

 Zone 6 Anaerobic: 2 sets of 3 x 1 minute @ 120%+ FTP

🐱 T...

Are you a master's cyclist trying to get faster but feel like something is missing from mainstream advice? Train this way FREE for 1 Month https://fascatcoaching.com/app

In this video, Coach Frank breaks down the 5 most important training rules for cyclists over 40, 50, and 60+ , and more importantly, what Bicycling Magazine didn't have space to tell you.

Frank was recently featured in their article on coaching older cyclists, and while they nailed the headlines, there's a lot more nuance that can make or break your performance. Today, Coach Frank is giving you the full coaching perspective.<...

Coach Frank describes a 3 month Unbound training plan that you can follow FREE for 30 days → https://fascatcoaching.com/app

Develop your Diesel Watt power by knowing how to train it in March, April, and May to arrive in Emporia fresh, fit, and ready to send it.

Whether you're lining up for the 200, 100, or XL, this video covers the training concepts that have helped thousands of FasCat athletes finish strong,from sweet spot base building to full gravel simulation rides to the art of a proper taper.

You'll learn:

Are you making this gravel pacing mistake? It could be costing you 30 minutes or more — and you won't even feel it happening until it's too late. 

 In this video, Coach Frank breaks down the #1 pacing mistake I see in gravel race power files, why it happens, and exactly how to fix it. I'll show you the one tactical decision you need to make in the first hour of your next gravel race that could save you 30 minutes — without being any more fit than you already are.

What you'll learn:

- Why gravel racing is rea...

Learn how not to be the Group Ride Hero and Train the Right Way, Free for 30 days → https://fascatcoaching.com/app

One of the most common mistakes cyclists make is piling on high-intensity intervals before they've finished building their aerobic base. It feels great in February. You're flying on the group ride. You're winning town line sprints.

But by May, when racing and big events actually matter, you're flat, stale, and wondering what happened.

In this video, Coach Frank Overton from FasCat Coaching shows you how to bridge the gap between base season an...

Getting sick or injured during a training block doesn't have to ruin your season.

Try Coaching (AI or 1:1) Free for the 1st 30 days → https://fascatcoaching.com/ 

In this video, Coach Frank breaks down how to use your coaching in the event of sickness or injury without making things worse and without losing weeks of fitness to a preventable layoff.

You'll learn a simple 6-step process used with real coached athletes to:

✅ decide when to rest vs train

✅ adjust intensity and volume

✅ avoid overdoing it

✅ revise your trainin...

Learn how to eat right for your cycling. Most cyclists try to lose weight by eating less and riding more and that doesn't work.

Get the Go Fast Grocery List mentioned in this video for FREE → https://fascatcoaching.com/app 

In this video, Coach Frank breaks down the #1 nutrition mistake most cyclists make and explains why watts per kilo don't improve on the bike… they start in the kitchen. This video introduces our long-standing FasCat concept called Winning in the Kitchen: a simple, sustainable approach to performance nutrition and weight loss that works for real cyclis...

The base training advice you've been getting from social media and indoor riding platforms is wrong. 

Riding only Zone 2 all winter doesn't work for cyclists with less than 8 hours a week to train. Riding hard indoors doesn't work either. In this video, Coach Frank Overton (aka BigCat) breaks down how to build a REAL aerobic base on just 4–8 hours per week, using the Sweet Spot training methodology he has pioneered for the past 20 years.

You'll learn:

1️⃣ Where base training actually fits in your annual plan

2️⃣ Why Zone 2-only training fails when volume is l...

What happens when you mix a live Sweet Spot group ride, real-time coaching, fueling advice, tech questions, and unfiltered athlete Q&A?

You get a live, no-BS training session led by Coach Frank that covers how cyclists train. Pardon the audio as we recorded from our discord channel that was live during the ride.

In this ride & podcast, we dove into a dozen or more topics, including:

1. How to ride Sweet Spot by feel (no rigid intervals required)

2. Why Sweet Spot is "not too hard, not too easy — just right"

...

Sweet Spot Training is one of the most widely used and effective ways cyclists build their base and improve power. Sweet Spot Train the Right Way for FREE in the CoachCat App → https://fascatcoaching.com/app

But very few people know the story behind the development of 'sweet spot training'.

Long before Sweet Spot Training was mainstream, it was developed inside a secret, private beta group of coaches and sport scientists that I was part of.

We were testing a new power-based performance model that would later go on to become the Performance Man...

Pro Coach Sierra Sims (M.S. Exercise Physiology) breaks down the science and technique behind muscle tension intervals: one of the most effective ways to turn gym strength into real power on the bike.   Whether you're building your base, coming back from the off-season, or looking to climb stronger, these workouts teach your neuromuscular system to produce MORE torque and apply it efficiently across the pedal stroke.   You'll learn: ✔️ What muscle tension (high-torque) intervals actually are ✔️ Why low cadence is so effective for force production ✔️ How to combine torque work with strength training for maximum gains ✔️ How WorldTour pros use torque blocks from...

Most cyclists don't realize it, but our entire training lifestyle is basically built for longevity.

Endurance & VO2 max training, weight lifting, real food, and good sleep are the same fundamentals that help you live longer and stay healthy as you age.

With books like Outlive and the rise of longevity science, I finally decided to share my personal plan to live to 100 and the 8 fundamentals I'm going to use to get there.

This video is the first in a full series on Longevity & Health for cyclists and non-cyclists alike. No hacks. No supplement...

Learn how to use your HRV along with three other essential recovery metrics to train smarter and recover better. Then try the CoachCat App → free for your first 30 days https://fascatcoaching.com/app

Coach Frank Overton (the BigCat), founder of FasCat Coaching and creator of the CoachCat App, breaks down what HRV really means, why single-day numbers don't tell the whole story, and how to actually use HRV to train smarter.

You'll learn:

✅ What HRV really measures

✅ Why daily HRV scores can be misleading

✅ The importance of trends (7-day, 1-month...

Start Training for Next Year NOW with these 4 "On Season" Training Methodologies.

Use the CoachCat to do your Winter Training free for the first month ➡️ https://fascatcoaching.com/app

Most cyclists call it the off-season… but that's a mistake. The truth is, winter is GO TIME and its actually the "On-Season" when you lift weight build base and ride Zwift that'll carry you to your best results next year. 💪🚴‍♂️

In this video, Coach Frank Overton breaks down exactly how to train this "off-season" so you can come into spring stronger, faster, and more durable than ever...

Muscle Tension Intervals are those big gear, low cadence masher that are like lifting weights on the bike.

You can do them in the CoachCat app → https://fascatcoaching.com/app where the first month is free.

The problem? Not everyone has access to a steady 3–5% climb like we do here in Boulder.

 That's where Zwift comes in. In this video, Coach Frank walks you through two ways to perform Muscle Tension Intervals on Zwift:

1️⃣ Exporting your workout into ERG mode and using the Incline setting in the Companion app. 2️⃣ Riding free-form in the Climb P...

Weight lifting for cycling can help you gain 15 to 50 watts by next spring — but only if you do it the right way. 🚴‍♂️💪 

Watch this podcast on our youTube channel for a better visual learning experience: https://youtu.be/J5nTl0sXrFQ

In this video, the BigCat (Frank Overton) show you exactly how to lift weights for cycling to increase your power output, improve your FTP, and have your best season ever. This isn't just theory, we've used this exact 10-week, 4-phase weight lifting plan over the past 20+ years, to coach hundreds/thousands of cyclists to higher FTP's, p...

Are you masters cyclist wondering why your FTP is plateauing or dropping — and what to do about it? 🚴‍♂️

Watch the podcast with visual charts & graphs on our youTube channel: https://youtu.be/DChZyc_7BWM 

In this video, the BigCat, Frank Overton, explains the science behind why masters cyclists get slower with age and, more importantly, how to fix it with a smarter, age-appropriate training plan.

We'll cover:

✅ The science behind slower recovery for masters cyclists

✅ Introduction to "tear & repair" and why it takes longer after 40 

✅ How age related decline in...

Intervals for Masters cyclists don't have to be complicated but they do have to be different. 🚴‍♂️

Watch this video on our youtube channel for a more immersive visual learning experience:

https://youtu.be/12H-rYEylo0

If you're over 40, 50, or even 60, you can still train like the pros with the same intervals, the same intensities, the same power zones. But here's the secret: you can't handle the same volume or recover as quickly as younger riders.

In this video, Coach Frank from FasCat Coaching breaks down how to adjust your interval training based on your a...

The AmEx Ride is a style of cycling training thats fun, flexible, and it makes you hella fast. 💨 

There is no strict structure, and they are variable power rides in all zones, 2-7. 

Watch this tip on our youTube channel: https://youtu.be/_v3KjeloYfM

Unlike cookie-cutter intervals, the AmEx Ride blends old-school cycling wisdom with new-school data to give you the ultimate race simulation. You'll ride all zones (2–7) based on feel, but track your OTS & TSS in real time to know you've done the work.

📈 Today, I'm taking you through the power...

Coach Frank gives you a cycling season review by asking questions about your training and data. T

Watch this podcast on youTube for a more visual immersion: https://youtu.be/-gma7xCqftU

Know what you did, so you don't make the same mistakes again and go insane.

Coach Frank will ask:

1️⃣ When did you start training this past year and how consistent were those first weeks? 

2️⃣ Did you lift heavy in the winter (full squats/hinges à la Dr. Stacy Sims), and did it carry over to the bike?

3️⃣ Did...

FasCat Coach Elliott Baring shares what kind of power output and training it took for him to race a sub 7 hour and 30th place in the Pro Men's Leadville 100 MTB Race.   See his watts / kg up all the significant climbs, learn how much he ate and about the heat training he did for altitude acclimation.    Want help with your Leadville Training? Hire Coach Elliott!  https://fascatcoaching.com/collections/coaches/products/elliott-baring   Elliott will give you a data review just like this video and talk with you about your life, your goals - EVERYTHING that it takes for tackling the Leadville 100 MTB r...

Think you're training in Zone 2? Many athletes aren't and this #1 training mistake could be slowing your progress and sabotaging your endurance gains.

💡 Train your Zone 2 the Right Way with CoachCat Free for 30 Days https://fascatcoaching.com/app

In this video, Coach Frank explains the #1 Zone 2 training mistake, why it happens, and how to fix it so you can ride smarter, recover faster, and get more from your training. You'll learn:

✅ The correct Zone 2 ranges for power, heart rate, and RPE

✅ Why heart-rate-based training often beats power on long rides and tired days