The Volume Trap: Why Junk Miles Quietly Kill Fitness | Zach Calton | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 575

About this episode

Coach Jonathan discusses endurance training strategies with gravel pro cyclist Zach Calton.

🚀Try TrainerRoad risk-free! 👉 ⁠ www.TrainerRoad.com⁠ 🤝Join the TrainerRoad Zwift Club 🚴 https://trainerroad.cc/TRzwiftclub // SHARE AND RATE THE PODCAST! iTunes: ⁠https://trainerroad.cc/apple2⁠ Spotify: ⁠ https://trainerroad.cc/spotify2⁠ Google Podcasts: ⁠ https://trainerroad.cc/google⁠ // TOPICS COVERED (00:00:00) How Do I Get Better at the Process of Training? (00:01:06) How Do You Balance Full-Time Work and High-Level Training? (00:04:23) When Should I Stick to the Plan vs Adjust a Workout? (00:07:08) Should I Ever Push Harder Than My Workout Prescribes? (00:11:43) Is Consistency More Important Than Training Volume? (00:15:33) Do Big Training Camps Actually Make Me Fitter? (00:18:11) Why Are My Key Workouts Getting Worse? (00:22:49) What Does “Listen to Your Body” Actually Mean? (00:25:26) How Should I Adjust Training on a Bad Day? (00:26:19) What Metrics Should I Focus on During Workouts? (00:34:11) How Do I Mentally Handle Hard Intervals? (00:40:24) How Do I Pace Intervals Outside Without Chasing Watts? (00:44:06) How Do I Stay Disciplined on Long Endurance Rides? (00:48:01) Do I Need to Ride Race Distance to Prepare for Long Gravel Events? (00:53:13) How Do I Survive…

People in this episode

Host: Jonathan

Guest: Zach Calton

Topics covered

• endurance training
• training volume
• consistency vs volume
• mental strategies for cycling
• preparation for gravel races
• training adjustments

Keywords

• junk miles
• fitness
• training plans
• workout adjustments
• gravel cycling
• endurance rides
• key workouts

Sponsors

TrainerRoad

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Zwift Club, iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts

More episodes of Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast - Presented by TrainerRoad

• WHICH CONTINENT HAS THE FASTEST CYCLISTS? | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 589 · June 11, 2026 · 42 min
• JUST CLIMB MORE? WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 588 · June 3, 2026 · 31 min
• STRENGTH TRAINING: THE MINIMUM CYCLISTS NEED | Derek Teel | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 587 · May 28, 2026 · 1h 32m
• ZONE 2 ISN’T ENOUGH: WHAT CYCLISTS GET WRONG | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 586 · May 21, 2026 · 51 min
• THE 50% RULE: WHEN BIG RIDES HURT YOUR FITNESS | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 585 · May 14, 2026 · 51 min
• I SHOWED KEEGAN SWENSON MY SUB-7 LEADVILLE PLAN | UCI World Champion Reacts | Ask a Cycling Coach Podcast 584 · May 7, 2026 · 1h 10m