Latest articles by Alex Welburn
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Ask a coach: 'I don't have time for endurance rides at the weekend – how can I build up to a 100-mile event?'
With a focus on quality rather than quantity, four hours of training during the week is enough to make riding a century an enjoyable experience rather than a feat of endurance
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I'm over 50 – how important is it for me to warm up before cycling?
Do advancing years mean pre-ride preparation needs to be increasingly advanced?
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Ask a coach: 'I prefer pedalling at a low cadence – is this an issue?'
Churning a big gear or spinning a small one at a high RPM – which is the optimal way to go faster?
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Ask a coach: 'How can I get fit on three workouts a week?'
Squeeze maximum performance out of minimum training time with these pre-season sessions for the time-crunched
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Ask a coach: 'I'm taking training seriously this year – what's the best way to get fit quick?'
Been bitten by the bike bug and want to go as fast as possible as soon as possible?
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Ask a coach: ‘Is it worth doing fasted bike rides?’
Are fasted rides the key to a quick performance boost? Or is omitting breakfast merely a marginal gain, only of value if you’re already training 20+ hour weeks?
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Ask a coach: ‘What's the ideal workout for losing weight?’
Weight loss comes as a result of balancing energy intake with energy expenditure - here is the most effective way to optimize the second half of that equation
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Ask a coach: ‘What's the best way to limit Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)?’
The good news is that there are ways to reduce the likelihood and the severity so you can get back on the bike sooner - here’s what you need to know
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Ask a coach: ‘Can cycling cure a hangover?’
Or, at least, how can a hangover be ‘softened’ so as to still get out on the bike?
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Ask a coach: ‘How much time should cyclists spend in the gym?’
From the bare minimum to the perfectly optimized, here are the benchmarks for your gym work duration
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Ask a coach: 'How often should I ride my bike to get fit?'
First we need to reflect on what is meant by ‘getting fit’ - then, with that definite goal in mind, coach Alex Welburn takes us through the optimal volume of riding
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Ask a coach: ‘How can I improve my average speed for 2-hour bike rides?’
Here are some targeted training sessions - and some tips for the 2-hour ride itself to boost your average speed
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Ask a coach: ‘Are there any fitness benefits of using indoor cycling rocker plates?’
Does this more realistic riding motion stand to really boost your cycling performance, or is it just a gimmick for enjoyment
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Ask a coach: ‘Is cycling bad for your posture?’
Hours spent hunched over the bars is one thing - combine that with a desk job and it’s easy for neck and shoulder pain to develop. Coach Welburn shares his tips on how to recover your posture
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Ask a coach: ‘What's the most effective off-the-bike exercise for improving my max power?’
The more type 2 muscle fibers you can contract quickly, the greater the amount of force can be produced. This is where gym work can help
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Ask a coach: ‘Why am I feeling sluggish on bike rides I usually find easy?’
From lack of sleep to suboptimal nutrition, life stress and overtraining, there many reasons why you might have lost your spark - here’s what to look out for and the changes to make
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Ask a coach: ‘Why does VO2max decrease as you get older?’
Several factors contribute to a decline in VO2max, but the inclusion of specific training can help reduce the rate
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Ask a coach: ‘I'm over 50, are there any indoor workouts I should avoid?’
Here’s how you can get the most from indoor training as you get older
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Ask a coach: ‘Why is cycling bad for bone density?’
We delve into the health downsides of picking a ‘non-weight bearing’ sport
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Ask a coach: ‘Why do my legs cramp after cycling?’
Here’s what’s going on in your body to cause those painful muscle spasms
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Ask a coach: ‘I’m cycling more and more, why aren’t I losing weight?’
If you’re looking for healthy weight loss, there’s more to consider than simply upping the amount of time on your bike
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Ask a coach: 'Is riding two times a week enough to get fit?'
If your time is limited, how much riding do you really need to do to get fit?
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Ask a coach: 'Why am I not seeing gains in my glutes?’
Your glutes are one of the key power-drivers of your pedal stroke - yet it seems some people are not getting the 'gains' they expected. We unpack what's going wrong and how to put it right
