Elite HYROX athletes are cycling more to boost aerobic fitness with less muscle damage and lower injury risk.
Dr. Dan Plews breaks down indoor vs outdoor riding, power/FTP testing, and what “good” watts-per-kilo looks like.
Plus: how to program cycling for 6–8 vs 15+ training hours/week—and how it stacks up against the StairMaster.
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Episode breakdown:
00:00 Why High Rocks Athletes Are Cycling More
00:27 Indoor vs Outdoor Cycling Differences
00:47 Is Indoor Cycling Harder Than Outdoor?
01:20 Hierarchy of Training Needs Explained
02:34 Cycling for Volume, Frequency & Low Injury Risk
03:20 Why Running Causes More Muscle Damage
04:30 Aerobic Benefits Without Excess Fatigue
05:00 Why Intensity Regulation Matters
06:23 LT1 vs LT2 Thresholds Explained
06:49 Why Cyclists Train Using Power (Watts)
07:21 Key Cycling Performance Metrics
07:42 FTP & Threshold Testing Explained
09:06 Ramp Test vs 20-Minute FTP Test
10:35 Interpreting FTP Numbers
11:12 What’s “Good” Cycling Power?
12:47 Watts per Kilo & High Rocks Performance
14:02 How Fast Does Cycling Fitness Improve?
14:54 The Value of Long Bike Rides
15:53 Strength Endurance & Low Cadence Work
16:30 Choosing a Bike for Training
17:06 Benefits of Smart Bikes & ERG Mode
18:52 Outdoor Bike Options (Road vs Gravel vs MTB)
19:22 Fat Oxidation & Performance Myths
20:54 Programming Cycling for Different Training Volumes
23:53 Cycling vs Stairmaster for Cross-Training
25:14 Eccentric vs Concentric Muscle Load
26:32 Weighted Vest Stairmaster Training
27:02 The #1 Performance Driver: Consistency
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