In collaboration with renowned coach Frank Pike, we share why and how recreational athletes and age groupers benefit from using INSCYD.
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If you’re not a professional athlete who’s getting paid to train and compete, you’re probably a “time-crunched athlete”. Juggling work, family, and other responsibilities often leaves you with limited time to train. Sound familiar?
Frank Pike, an experienced INSCYD coach, observes that the majority of his athletes are in this exact boat—working full-time, managing family commitments, and aiming for 6-8 hours of training per week. For some, even that is a stretch.
So, here’s the key question: Are you making the most out of your precious training hours? Do you ever find yourself questioning the effectiveness of your weekly group rides or runs? You’re not alone. The struggle is real—you’re not just balancing work and life, but also the need to train effectively while enjoying your limited free time.
For many time crunched amateurs, this means performance easily plateaus, which is a shame. The question then arises: How do you make the most of your limited training time?
Enter INSCYD. Coaches like Frank Pike leverage the power of INSCYD’s data-driven insights to guide you towards smarter, more effective training. The goal? To help you improve your performance without sacrificing the joy and benefits that come with your training.
Unlike traditional training metrics that offer a limited view, INSCYD provides a comprehensive metabolic profile—covering everything from your VO2max and VLamax to your fat and carbohydrate combustion rates and beyond. This level of detail allows coaches like Frank Pike to create highly personalized, efficient, and effective training plans.
Its real-world relevance means you can gather actionable data outside of a lab setting, making it easier to integrate into your busy life.
INSCYD can help you break through performance plateaus by identifying your specific physiological barriers. It’s not just about training harder; it’s about training smarter.
You might think that a cutting-edge platform INSCYD is reserved for elite athletes and professional teams. But Coach Frank Pike is here to set the record straight: INSCYD is for everyone who’s serious about their performance, pros and amateurs alike.
Frank Pike leverages INSCYD to empower both professional athletes and recreational amateurs. Because the principles of exercise physiology are universal, and the actionable insights provided by INSCYD can revolutionize your training, regardless of your level:
Owner and head coach at Beyond Category Coaching
“As with carbon fibre frames, electronic shifting and new sport nutrition products: it all starts at a pro level but then it dribbles down to the recreational athlete.
Yes INSCYD is used by many professional athletes and teams, but my age-group amateur athletes benefit from it too.That is because exercise physiology remains the same, no matter if you’re a 40-year-old amateur, or a 20-year-old pro, racing the Tour de France.
Your physiology is different, but the core is the same: if your VO2max or FatMax is too low, you need to work on it. Of course you will do this with different intensities and volume, but with INSCYD, you are using the same information as Wout van Aert uses.
For instance, while professionals might want to improve their maximal fat combustion to save energy in long events, recreational athletes use this metric to burn as much fat as possible during their workout. It’s the same metric, based on the same physiology, but the application may differ.”
While it’s true that many professional and elite athletes use INSCYD, the platform has been a game-changer for amateurs who have seen significant success with it.
Think about car maintenance for a moment. High-performance race cars get regular tune-ups to stay in peak condition, but that doesn’t mean tune-ups are only for race cars. Your everyday vehicle also needs regular maintenance to run smoothly and efficiently.
Or consider routine medical check-ups. While some might view them as a luxury, they’re truly essential for everyone’s well-being. In the same vein, while INSCYD may be associated with elite athletes striving for that extra 1% improvement, it’s designed for all. INSCYD ensures every athlete, whether pro or amateur, can understand their physical capabilities, optimize their training, and use their time more efficiently
Time-crunched athletes or amateur athletes often find even more value in INSCYD because they don’t have the same access to professional coaching and lab facilities. INSCYD levels the playing field, providing world-class insights that were once only available to elite athletes.
So, what does this mean for you? Whether you’re a pro aiming to improve their maximal fat combustion to save energy in long events, or recreational athletes use this metric to burn as much fat as possible during their workout, INSCYD offers tailored insights based on the same core metrics. It’s the same science, but applied in a way that meets your unique needs and goals.
Ready to take your training to the next level? Reach out to Frank Pike, owner and head coach of Beyond Category Coaching, for INSCYD testing and personalized coaching based on INSCYD’s comprehensive data.
Or you can find an INSCYD coach in your area or see INSCYD in action with your coach.
Let’s delve into specific examples that showcase how amateur and age-group athletes at various levels can unlock unparalleled benefits through INSCYD.
If you’re new to the world of endurance sports, you probably don’t know your strengths and weaknesses. As a result, it’s difficult to predict whether you’re going to enjoy short triathlon sprints or ultra long (gravel) rides.
A coach can help to better understand your current physiology or metabolic profile. With a simple INSCYD test, you learn more about your natural talent. The INSCYD coach or lab can easily translate this into events you’re going to enjoy, or training programs necessary to better prepare yourself for the events you already enjoy.
INSCYD offers a roadmap to your athletic journey. It provides dynamic insights that evolve with you, ensuring that your training is always aligned with your physiological changes.
The INSCYD strength and weakness profile shows what you’re good at. An INSCYD coach can easily translate this into events you’ll enjoy or things you need to work on.
Real-World Testimonial and Case Study:
Regardless of whether you participate in events or races, learning how your body works during exercise is super interesting and beneficial for the results that you want to achieve.
Maybe you already have a heart rate monitor or even a power meter. Maybe you’re curious about your VO2max or fat combustion. INSCYD can give you all the global and detailed insights of your body during exercise.
INSCYD goes beyond the numbers. It provides actionable insights. It’s not just about knowing your VO2max; it’s about understanding how to manipulate it for better performance. This level of granularity is what sets INSCYD apart.
INSCYD helps you to understand how your body works during exercise. This goes from body composition data to performance metrics like VO2max and VLamax.
Real-World Testimonials and Case Studies:
Experienced athletes often find that small tweaks to their existing training plans can lead to significant performance gains. INSCYD’s metabolic report is a game-changer in this regard.
Coach Frank Pike shares an example:
Owner and head coach at Beyond Category Coaching
“I tested one of my competitive amateur athletes and found out that his anaerobic power (VLamax) was too high for his next big goal: a time trial. After analysing his training regime, we discovered that his group rides consisted of a lot of high-intensity “ebb and flow” training.
The INSCYD metabolic report showed what the effect of that training was. It also showed that this training was not going to improve his time trial performance.
With a minor adjustment to his group rides, we eliminated the spikes in his training. The result? His threshold increased by 15 watts—in just 4 months!
This example shows that INSCYD helps you to understand the effect of your training, and whether that is beneficial or not. It’s still up to you whether you change your plan, but at least now you can make an objective decision.”
INSCYD maps all the important Physiological Performance Benchmarks
Real-World Testimonials and Case Study:
Whether you’re an athlete eager to fine-tune your performance or a coach or human performance lab aiming to offer unparalleled insights, INSCYD is your gateway to achieving those goals.
Don’t leave your athletic potential or coaching capabilities to guesswork. Athletes can find an INSCYD-certified coach or book a demo with their coach to train smarter, while coaches and labs can book a free demo to experience the transformative power of INSCYD’s metabolic profiling.
Take the first step toward a more informed and successful journey in the world of sports performance. INSCYD is here to guide you every step of the way.
INSCYD coach Frank Pike shares a use case:
Owner and head coach at Beyond Category Coaching
“9 months ago I started working with an age grouper. He had a background in college hockey division 1, but only started cycling 5 years ago. He decided he wanted to get competitive.
I told him: if you want to get accurate right out of the gate and achieve all your goals, start with an INSCYD test.
After all, you can’t improve what you don’t measure.
Many cyclists who start to work with a coach are willing to buy a power meter. For me, using INSCYD is a similar no brainer.
My age group amateur athlete agreed, and we’ve done 3 tests in the last 9 months, to monitor his progress and adjust his training program. From an INSCYD perspective he:
More importantly: he’s winning races and dominating his age group.”
Get a more detailed overview of how Frank Pike uses INSCYD in another use case: Former Motorola Pro (59) Aims For Hour Record – Using INSCYD
Ready to take action? Get your own 360 metabolic profile! Find your INSCYD coach or lab and perform a (remote) INSCYD test.
We’ve explored the benefits of INSCYD for recreational athletes, but coaches stand to gain just as much. Frank Pike shares his experience:
Owner and head coach at Beyond Category Coaching
“When I visited the INSCYD performance workshop in Boulder Colorado 5-6 years ago, I immediately thought: this is it! INSCYD enables me to be a one stop shop. I don’t need to send my athletes to a lab anymore, I AM a (virtual) lab.
I can now test my athletes in the field, or even remote, with the same accuracy of a lab test.
Moreover, I get more and better data from the INSCYD metabolic test, than I previously got from a lab test. This additional and actionable data makes me a better coach, because it takes the guesswork out for me too.”
Whether you’re an athlete looking to unlock your full potential or a coach aiming to elevate your practice, INSCYD offers the data-driven insights you need to make informed decisions. Don’t leave your performance or coaching capabilities to guesswork.
If you’re an athlete, book a call with your coach to see INSCYD in action and train smarter.
Elevate your coaching practice with INSCYD’s transformative metabolic profiling. Book a free demo today to offer unparalleled insights to your athletes.
You can also watch one of the Colorado Performance Workshops (2018) for free via the webinar. And read about why every coach should use metabolic testing.
For more uses cases of how amateur athletes use INSCYD:
Frank Pike is the owner and head coach at Beyond Category Coaching - a company that was born out of a passion for cycling and the desire to help athletes - from absolute beginners to elite athletes - reach their goals and discover their own potential. Frank holds certifications from USA cycling as a level 2 advanced coach and has coached multiple state champions, national podium finisher in Great Britain and the 2021 men's overall winner of RAAM (Race Across America) which is known as the world's toughest non stop bike race covering over 3,000 miles. Learn more about Frank and his Beyond Category Coaching business via: www.beyondcategorycoaching.com
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