Draining the Voltmeter: A 5 AM Lesson in Under-Fueling and Autonomic Collapse

An illustration of a voltmeter-style gauge labeled "PERFORMANCE CONDITION." A needle points to the far right, well into the green "POSITIVE VO2" zone, indicating optimal energy and a stable physiological system. Two summary boxes below define the negative red and positive green states.

Forget Your Software’s Threshold: Your Physiology Rewrites the Rules in Real Time We’ve all been conditioned to treat our threshold like a monument carved in stone. Your bike computer, your smartwatch, or your coaching software gives you a single, static number—say, a functional threshold power (FTP) of 250W or a threshold heart rate of 162 […]

The Anatomy of a Good Ride; Physiology, Recovery, and the Portola Block

Cycling coach Richard Wharton on his bike in Portola, CA, after a breakthrough ride validating his Physiology First training methodology.

The Anatomy of a Good Ride: Physiology, Recovery, and the Portola Block I’ve always said that success on the bike isn’t a roll of the dice; it’s a deliberate convergence of external work and internal readiness. This week, I conducted a deep cycling physiology analysis of the Portola block to prove how disciplined recovery yields […]

Stamina, Speed, Strength, and Skill – 4 Spokes With a Hub called “Consistency”.

A conceptual bicycle wheel graphic showcasing the four pillars of Online Bike Coaching. A tri-spoke carbon fiber wheel features keywords printed on its blades: STAMINA, SPEED, and SKILL. At the central hub centerpiece, the word CONSISTENCY is printed twice. The full Online Bike Coach logo, as seen in image_20.png, is visible in the background.

Cycling Stamina and Strength: The S4 Framework Building elite cycling stamina and strength is the foundation of the S4 performance framework used by high-performance athletes.In the world of professional cycling, we often get distracted by the latest gear or chasing the highest wattage. But at its core, your performance is a wheel supported by four […]

The Garmin Daily Double Dip: A Stamina and Potential Deep Dive

A zoomed-in data chart overlaying Garmin Actual Stamina depletion with Muscle Oxygen (SmO2) percentage during a high-intensity cycling interval workout.

The Garmin Daily Double Dip: A Stamina and Potential Deep Dive Coach Wharton – May 7, 2026 Understanding Garmin Stamina metrics like Actual Stamina and Stamina Potential has fundamentally changed the way we analyze real-time capacity and athletic recovery. While Potential represents your total “fuel tank” for the entire ride, Actual Stamina reflects what you […]

Billat 30-30 Physiology: Using SmO2 and ThB to Identify True VO2max Stimulus

Comparison of SmO2 resaturation capacity in early vs. late Billat intervals showing the failure of muscle re-oxygenation.

Billat 30-30 Physiology: Why Garmin Stamina Contradicts the SmO2 Test By Coach Wharton April 29, 2026 Billat 30-30 Physiology is a foundational concept in high-intensity training, typically involving 30 seconds of maximal aerobic power followed by 30 seconds of active recovery. The goal is simple on paper—spend as much time as possible at VO2max intensity. […]

Threshold or VO2 Max? Decoding My Highest 30-Minute Power with AlphaHRV and SmO2

Graph showing SmO2 muscle oxygenation decline and heart rate drift during 30 minutes of cycling threshold intervals.

Training is rarely perfect, especially when I am wearing two hats at once. Today’s session was a 30-minute block of 3/3 Over-Unders—three minutes just above threshold wattage, followed by three minutes at 95% of FTP. I designed this session to challenge the metabolic limits of my oxidative system through focused SmO2 threshold training while staying […]

Physiology First: Navigating a “Red Light” Morning with AlphaHRV

Screenshot of a Garmin HRV Stress test showing a high stress score of 75.

    Physiology First: My Red Light Recovery Ride This morning was a masterclass in why I apply a Physiology First framework to every session, looking at the internal engine before I look at the wattage. Between a late meal and the devastating news about my friend Murray being struck by a motorist—suffering a serious […]

Decoding the Hard-Start: How Ronnestad Intervals Impact Garmin Stamina & Training Effect

A dual-axis line graph showing a tight-scale view of Stamina (%) and Heart Rate (bpm) during three 10-minute intervals.

The “Hard-Start” Evolution: Pushing the Limits of the Rønnestad Protocol Testing the Ronnestad Hard-Start Intervals protocol this week provided a fascinating look at oxygen kinetics and internal load. Before this session, I attempted to link my VO2 Master to the phone for a full metabolic calibration. Despite several attempts, the mask simply wouldn’t handshake. Rather […]

Living in the Parabolas: My Deep Dive into the “VO2 State”

Cyclist on an indoor trainer wearing a VO2master metabolic mask during a Billat 90/90 interval session with a Garmin 1040 and camera setup for data documentation.

Living in the Parabolas: Decoding Metabolic Inertia and the Billat 90/90 In our last deep dive, we dissected the steady-state grind of 5×3 and 4×8 intervals. Those workouts are the bread and butter of threshold development. However, today we are stepping into the “red zone” to explore Veronique Billat’s 90/90 Metabolic Inertia. Using the combined […]

Physiological Threshold Vs. FTP: The Power Illusion

Graph of SmO2, VO2, and power data showing physiological threshold during 4x8 intervals.

The Power Illusion: Resetting 20 Years of Training with Physiological Data After 20 years of cycling, I realized my FTP wasn’t telling the whole story of my actual physiological threshold. My identity as a cyclist was defined by a single, flickering number on a head unit: Watts. If you’ve spent any significant time in the […]