Chris Peden MSc - Strength & Conditioning Coach

Chris Peden MSc - Strength & Conditioning Coach Performance Coach to Professional & Amateur Endurance Athletes
S&C Decathlon CMA CGM WT Team
Click the link or DM for Coaching enquiries

Stop asking, What’s the best exercise for cyclists? Start asking, What’s the best exercise right now?Not all exercises c...
15/06/2026

Stop asking, What’s the best exercise for cyclists? Start asking, What’s the best exercise right now?

Not all exercises cost the same.

Every exercise has a stimulus (the training benefit) and a fatigue cost (the recovery debt it leaves behind).

The ratio between the two should influence your selection depending on where you are within the year.

OFF-SEASON (building phase): You can afford higher fatigue costs because recovery time is on your side.

IN-SEASON (racing phase): Recovery is the priority. You need exercises that maintain strength, power output and tissue capacity whilst creating the least amount of fatigue possible.

That’s why exercise selection and programming details matter.

The exercise variation. The intensity of load. The proximity to failure. The total volume. The range of motion. The novelty of new exercises. The time of year.

All of these details matter when it comes to making programming decisions. Especially in-season when you have to be more mindful of the stimulus to fatigue ratio and the recovery demand to ensure training and racing isn’t impacted.

The best exercise isn’t the one that makes you the most tired. It’s the one that gives you the adaptation you need at the lowest recovery cost.

Comment or DM me UNSTOPPABLE if you want strength programming that’s been proven to work at the highest level of the sport, not just a generic template.

There’s a lot of new faces here, so I thought I’d reintroduce myself… Hello and Welcome 👋🏻Let me (try) give you the shor...
04/06/2026

There’s a lot of new faces here, so I thought I’d reintroduce myself… Hello and Welcome 👋🏻

Let me (try) give you the short version.

I grew up in Cumbria in the North West of England but now live in Barcelona. I joined the Royal Navy straight from school at 16 and qualified as a physical trainer whilst serving many moons ago.

I’m now the S&C Coach for Decathlon CMA CGM World Tour Team and owner of Combined Athletic Performance where I work with Endurance Athletes who are serious about getting stronger without losing what makes them good at their sport.

Outside of work I like some of the finer things in life like good coffee and cake, a beer or glass of wine, reading, or when I get the chance, spending time with mates at a rave.

I’m not here to sell you a six week programme or tell you that squats or a mini band will fix everything.

But I will share what actually works… Evidence informed information built from years of coaching at the highest level and applied in the real world.

Expect honest advice, practical solutions and sometimes no bu****it takes on Strength for Endurance Athletes. The kind of content that will make you question everything you’ve been doing up until now.

If you want to improve your performance this year, DM me UNSTOPPABLE to talk about working together 🤜🏻🤛🏻

Cycling is a data driven sport and improving your power numbers is important but it’s not always the full picture of you...
29/05/2026

Cycling is a data driven sport and improving your power numbers is important but it’s not always the full picture of your improvements in performance.

So its important to acknowledge the different aspects of performance and also pay attention to how you’re feeling before, during and after training as well as looking at other health markers that are important to you as an individual.

The more consistent with training you can be the better you will be.

Save this post and come back to asking these questions in the future.

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Portsmouth

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