OVERVIEW
Annual Training Plans are big-picture, long term plans that map out training phases to bring the athlete into key races, events, or time periods with peak form and freshness, which helps optimize performance. For some, these can be fun to map out, especially if you like spreadsheets and planning. Others find it boring, confusing, time-consuming. Either way, in Episode 288 of "The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast", Coach Adam Pulford takes you through the steps of creating and managing your annual training plan, and also reveals tricks of the trade to speed up the process and avoid common pitfalls.

TOPICS COVERED

• Mapping out your annual training plan
• Understanding periodization in training
• Utilizing TrainingPeaks for planning
• Common pitfalls in annual training plans

RESOURCES

• The Comprehensive Guide to Creating an Annual Training Plan | TrainingPeaks
• Annual Training Plan Methodologies – TrainingPeaks Help Center
• Past Episode Explanations:
  • Episode #46 = Periodization, Training Modalties & Planning https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-time-crunched-cyclist-podcast-by-cts/id1494799053?i=1000514294530
  • Episode #212 - SweetSpot vs Polarized Training (and other Modalities) Explained: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000668322894

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HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

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Website: trainright.com
Instagram: @cts_trainright
Twitter: @trainright
Facebook: @CTSAthlete

OVERVIEW
The Holidays are just about over and the New Year is about to begin. If you had a ton of fun over the Holidays and you're feeling a bit soft around the middle and bit slower than you'd like, Coach Adam Pulford has some good news! You're fitness didn't disappear and those couple of extra pounds will likely melt away pretty quickly once you get back to normal training. If you've been piling on the miles over the past few weeks, he has some advice for how to start your year, too! All that, and a preview of what to expect in 2026 from CTS!

TOPICS COVERED

• Highlights of the 2025 Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcasts
• The truth about detraining and weight gain over the holidays
• What to do in the New Year if you just completed a big year-end training block
• What's changing with The Time-Crunched Cyclist Podcast for 2026!

RESOURCES

• Trainright Membership:
  • https://trainright.com/membership/
• Coaching Consults:
  • https://trainright.com/coaching-consultation/#
• Detraining Episode:
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000632564156
• Detraining Articles:
  • https://www.cyclingweekly.com/fitness/the-science-of-detraining-and-retraining
• Mental Health Episode(s):
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000555032338
  • https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/trainright-podcast/id1494799053?i=1000555032338
• About CTS:
  • https://trainright.com/about/

ASK A QUESTION FOR A FUTURE PODCAST

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

GET FREE TRAINING CONTENT

Join our weekly newsletter

CONNECT WITH CTS

Website: trainright.com
Instagram: @cts_trainright
Twitter: @trainright
Facebook: @CTSAthlete

OVERVIEW
Anaerobic capacity is the work you can do above your lactate threshold. Another term for it is Functional Reserve Capacity (FRC), and it acts like a battery that contains a finite amount of energy that runs out quickly and must be recharged before a subsequent use. FRC is your high-intensity, explosive power for winning sprints, creating breakaways, closing gaps, and riding competitors off your wheel. In the final episode in this series with WKO Data Leader and Coach Tim Cusick, Tim and CTS Coach Adam Pulford discuss what FRC is, how to train it, the consequences of focusing on FRC (you may have to sacrifice some FTP for it), and therefore when and how much FRC work to incorporate into your training plan.

Topics Covered In This Episode:

• Definitions of anaerobic capacity and functional reserve capacity (FRC)
• Anaerobic Capacity adaptation from 1-2 weeks of training
• Anaerobic Capacity adaptation from 2-5 weeks of training
• Why FRC training intensities must be SUPER HARD!
• Recommended interval workouts for FRC training
• When to incorporate FRC workouts into your training

Resources

• Tim at Basecamp: https://www.joinbasecamp.com/tim-cusick
• Tim on IG https://www.instagram.com/tim.cusick_coach/
• Stress vs Strain: Difference Between Stress and Strain - GeeksforGeeks https://www.geeksforgeeks.org/physics/difference-between-stress-and-strain/

Guest Bio:

Tim Cusick is a world-class cycling coach, a leader in data analytics for endurance sports, an educator, and an innovative business leader. Tim works with Olympians, world champions, and more, including Amber Neben and Rebecca Rusch. As a data analytics leader, Tim is an acknowledged expert in the field for endurance athletes. He is the TrainingPeaks WKO product leader,
codeveloper of WKO5, and Instructor: Advanced Training with Data. As an educator, Tim has presented at USA Cycling summits, TrainingPeaks Endurance Summits, TrainingPeaks University, and more. Tim is also the founder of BaseCamp, which is driven by Tim’s philosophy of bringing together the science of data and the art of coaching. His values-based approach focusing on shared vision and team building allows for the construction of dynamic and purposeful organization development.

HOST
Adam Pulford has been a CTS Coach for nearly two decades and holds a B.S. in Exercise Physiology. He's participated in and coached hundreds of athletes for endurance events all around the world.

Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, Google Podcasts, or on your favorite podcast platform

GET FREE TRAINING CONTENT

Join our weekly newsletter

CONNECT WITH CTS

Website: trainright.com
Instagram: @cts_trainright
Twitter: @trainright
Facebook: @CTSAthlete