Cycling Is the Best Form of Cross-Training! Why Top HYROX Athletes Spend Hours on The Bike: Dan Plews (#23)

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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