Does Any Of This Sound Familiar?
✨Struggling to train through any of the 36 menopause symptoms including insomnia, extreme fatigue, hot flashes, weight gain, or muscle loss?
✨Your athletic body composition has shifted (thanks to flux or decline in estrogen and progesterone) and you’ve noticed the extra layer of visceral fat lining your midsection and thighs.
✨Resorting to what’s always worked before: dieting + riding longer and longer miles in the saddle.
✨Only this time it’s backfired. 🔥
✨Instead you’ve even gained weight despite being in a caloric deficit. And on top of that you’re feeling extreme exhaustion – where you’re too tired to ride, or even enjoy cycling.
The number one problem our clients struggle with is HOW to organize their cycling training + strength training + recovery sessions so they actually maximize their results.
“Do we do it all on one day? Or alternate days?” or “What if I miss a day… do I have to start over?”
The anxiety and overwhelm is dripping everywhere…
…if you’re like most of us, it leads to procrastination or a complete shut down keeping you stuck.
And staying stuck perpetuates feelings of failure, low confidence, and defeat.
It can destroy your intimate relationships and decimate your self esteem. It even isolates you from your fun-loving cycling friends, and excludes you from cycling adventures.
Perhaps frustrated and downright pissed off that you’ve “done everything right” and yet your body is letting you down.
That deep exhaustion and feelings of failure consume us, steal your enjoyment of cycling, strips the fun from eating delicious foods, ransacks the excitement of traveling the world, dampening the joy from life.
You might even feel like giving up.
I want you to know, there-is-a-better-way.
You can get stronger so you can ride as long or as fast as you want, keep up with your friends and saying YES to more cycling adventures.
Let’s agree to finally…
💪Stop trying harder and getting nowhere.
💪Stop starving to try and shift your menopause body composition changes.
💪Be open to the idea that you don't know what you don't know…. and there might be a better way.
And it’s not your fault that you don’t know. It’s the fault of patriarchy in science and medicine – which is a recurring theme in training with peri-post menopausal athletes.
I know because I’ve dedicated my coaching to figure out what causes some of us to see great results from training and cycling--when others don't.
Hi.
I’m Marissa Axell and CEO and Founder of AXN Fitness and Coaching, LLC, a cycling coach and personal trainer who coaches her athletes 100% online.
Five years ago, I started experiencing extreme peri-menopausal fatigue, the kind that left me feeling like I need to use tape to hold my eyelids open.
I’ve always been the kind of person who is wide awake after one cup of coffee, but this was different since the fatigue was damaging my cycling training, my sleep, my career — basically my entire life.
I had heard of perimenopause because I read in “Roar” by Selene Yeager and Dr. Stacy Sims that women might experience deep fatigue and it’s associated with perimenopause and there was something I could do about it!
When another friend came to me with the exact same problem… I realized that NONE OF US 30 and 40-something women athletes KNOW SQUAT ABOUT THIS PERIMENOPAUSE SHIT.
I’m not just a coach, I’m also a competitive cyclist.
I started this journey with sprint, olympic, half and full iron-distance triathlons before moving to cyclocross and road racing. Now, I’m in my 16th year of racing around the US– road, time trial, stage races, criteriums, gravel races, track racing on the velodrome.
I jumped at the chance to take what I'd learned and put it into practice the very thing we specialize in...
✨ Helping you organize your cycling training into your life,
✨ Make sense of how to get the most from your body and mind
✨ Building beliefs and excitement around our style of results-focused training
✨ Building trust (and badass results) with our athletes
Because nobody was talking about why or how we get stronger, nor do any of those traditional programs focus on balancing 3 different training modes.
I could've wasted years trying to help women like me using old, traditional, male-focused training programs-- like putting a square peg in a round hole and expecting it to fit.
And that's how the Badass Cycling Framework and the Forgotten Athlete Success System came about.
Since 2020 I’ve coached over 65 peri-post menopausal athletes aged 40-80 to slay their cycling goals and embark on their dreams by getting stronger to ride longer and faster.
Introducing…
Cycling Success System —Lite
The only system exclusively for peri & post menopausal athletes. It organizes and steps you through your strength training, cycling training, fueling and recovery, without any extra commitments, coaching or other fluff.
(We show you exactly what to do and how easily it can fit into your everyday life.)
Module 1: Download your Training Program - We tackle all the tech so that you’re set up and ready to go on your first day of the 12-week program.
Module 2: Train Bold - Dive deeper into the three types of training you’ll experience, how to be successful and why we actually train differently for results in peri/post menopause.
Module 3: Fearless Fueling Dig into how to fuel before, during and after your training, plus figure out what to do for the rest of the day. So that you can create your own menu with a personal worksheet . Most importantly, we’ll teach you how to fuel so that you know you’re eating enough of the right foods at the right times.
Module 4: Rock Recovery - Setting up for sensational sleep and rocking your post-workout recovery by blasting away stress, so that you can recover faster every day …and feel energetic without the caffeine (but you can still have your coffee!).
What’s Included…
Downloadable 12-week Cycling Training plan - scheduled training and recovery, complete with strength and mobility training demonstrations so that you know exactly what to do and when to do it
Access to the CSS Lite Members-Only Vault with short, no fluff videos so that you'll know the strategy and reason behind how we train, fuel and recover in a new way inside this program
Basic Training Peaks Account - where your training is delivered to you on a calendar and in a convenient app --with an option to upgrade to premium-- so you can keep track of where you are in the program
Before and After Benchmarks to customize your plan to your own physiology, and measure your progress
Daily Email Workout Reminders so you’ll always know where to find your training information, with instructions on exactly what to do and when to do it.
all for just…
$599 for lifetime access.
How will the Cycling Success System - Lite completely transform your cycling?
Within 7 Days of joining the Cycling Success System-Lite…
You have your entire cycling training (plus recovery) schedule completely dialed in, and it's automatically emailing you what to do each day.
You’ll be busy "winning" each day by just showing up (it's okay if you don't even finish it! Thats the incredible super power of habit)
In 30 Days…
You’ll have implemented the CSS frameworks into your cycling program so you’ll be accelerating uphill faster and stronger, fueling and sleeping far better, and your exhaustion will drop through the floor so that now you're riding on back to back days with ease.
And this will run on autopilot for another 60 days as you follow our system.
90 Days from now…
You’ll be naturally, unconsciously riding stronger and faster without even thinking about it. Reaping the rewards that more energy brings, less exhaustion after your rides and you'll find you're less sore because you have a better recovery system.
You cannot have this kind of transformation in your cycling (and life) with a checklist of fueling tricks and training hacks.
You can see, significant results require a significantly different approach.
How long will you keep ‘just riding around’ and…
Try to do everything at once?
Waste more time before you start?
Drown in the overwhelm?
Stay stressed out?
Remain unorganized with your training plan and clueless about what actually works?
Still not know what you’re doing nor how things fit together?
Realize none of your systems work?
Look, what you’re doing right now is likely following the traditional training programs that are proven to work mainly for young athletic men. I know because they’re everywhere on the internet - and they only leave you feeling slower and more frustrated that you wasted your money and time.
Getting significant results requires a significantly different approach.
This is going to sound kind of harsh but I think you need to hear it…
Every day that you wait to start actually training WITH your body is a day you could be celebrating new achievements.
You get to decide when your clock starts.
If you join today and download your cycling training program specifically created for peri-post menopausal athletes, then you are on day 1 towards your goal. If you wait until next month, then you have to wait another 30 days before your day 1 can start.
Get instant access to…
✨ Members-only Vault filled with video modules, worksheets and success.
✨ An invitation to download your training plan and download the accompanying app
✨ Community with other members inside the Facebook group
…and…
✨ More energy to ride day after day
✨ More confidence to tackle any adventure
✨ Feel stronger and more empowered to travel (or race) by bike
✨ Be the envy of your friends as you pull ahead on the roads and trails
Our Guarantee…
At just $599, our Cycling Success System - Lite is a tiny fraction of the cost of the years that it could take you to figure out this new training stuff alone and certainly nothing compared to hiring a sports nutritionist, personal trainer, a personal cycling coach plus a gym membership to do everything we’ve done for you inside this membership.
We are building the world's most incredible community of badass women cyclists over 40, in every cycling discipline, and we only want people with us who love it.
That's why we don’t have hidden contracts or start up fees. Your program comes with 12-weeks of programming and you own it forever. To protect you, our members, we don’t offer refunds. This is to protect you and your investment, (in case of a problem with less scrupulous people joining, downloading everything and then asking for a refund…) so we protect your investment as a member.
Don’t just take our word for it, hear what our members have had to say…
“Before signing up for the Cycling Success System, I was worried it wouldn't be worth the financial investment. I had been struggling with a serious lack of energy from my current Ironman training and really wasn't getting anywhere…I've been following my program as prescribed and find I have more sustained energy everyday! I get more and better rest. I waste less time on long, slow workouts. Ultimately, I've learned more about how to take care of myself now that I am in perimenopause and I am learning now what I will need to do once I reach menopause.” - Shanon G. 2022
“I most appreciated not only the training plans… but also the nutrition help.
Through this 12-week experience, I gained power in my riding, more knowledge AND feel even more confident behind the bars.
One day, more than halfway through the program, I was riding with my regular group of men, and found I now have an extra gear to push past most of them and ride at the front! It was amazing!” - Lana M. 2022
“I had been challenged not only with menopausal symptoms but also dealing with post-adrenal fatigue.
Marissa was awesome to work with, I really loved the fully laid out program with the daily schedule that I followed “to the t”.
Every workout was challenging, fun, and satisfying upon completion. I already feel stronger than I was! The variety was great - so happy some weight training was included. And I really appreciated the strategic rest days. I didn’t feel guilty for taking them because they are part of the program….I've increased endurance and can't wait to test it on the road outside.” Carol H. 2022
“One of the first helpful things was you saying I didn't have to eat a bunch of calories before the ride. I have a hard time eating early, and then with the nerves of a long ride, it has been very hard for me to choke down food pre-ride, and it added a lot of stress…
…The last hour we averaged over 20 mph, even with having to stop at a stoplight … After we crossed the finish line, a man that I had just passed :) said phew, I got my gold! …I finished in 5:58!” --Laurie V. 2022
“I had a goal of training for the Park City Point 2 Point 80 mile mountain bike race. I knew I needed to make progress to properly lift weights enough to handle the bumps on the gnarly descents.
I followed the coaching plan nearly 100% of the time… Marissa went over and above in the level of encouragement and positive feedback on my progress. Plus her knowledge in areas of peri-menopause women athletes is very helpful!
As a result … I was finally able to nail back to back big days in training on my bike, which I couldn't do before! And I finally felt STRONG, like myself again.
By sticking to the plan I completed the Park City Point 2 Point race, which is the longest and farthest I have ever ridden on a mountain bike in one day!!” - Joy P. 2022
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Can you tell me how many hours a week it is? Break it down to time on the bike and time off.
It's currently 6-10 hours per week and that can be varied depending on your long rides (and if you can eventually ride outside). Yes you can swap days to make it fit your schedule, and I can show you how by watching a video.
I would like to use both cycling outdoors and on Zwift depending on the weather and my schedule. Is it set up so I can easily do that ?
All workouts can be done indoors (with outdoor adjustment available) and imported into zwift.
For example, week 1 is 6 hours on the bike, and 1 hour and 20min of strength training total, and that includes 2 recovery focused days.
Yes it will work for you if you follow the program!
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The Cycling Success System-Lite (CSS Lite) is made for women who know how to train but the old way of training stopped working for them.
Now, they want the right plan, laid out and organized so they just have to follow the program to get the best results.
It’s also for women who don't have time for a big group coaching program, or aren't ready to invest in one on one cycling coaching, and they’re ready to tackle the program themselves.
People like Margaret.
Margaret is an athlete, and she’s over 70. She was training to go on a very big cycling tour, multiple weeks.
To begin with she struggled with riding slower than in previous years, and riding with injuries that she just could not seem to get over.
She was trying to get better at climbing… by just going out and climbing a lot. But that backfired and she ended up injured, slower, and massively frustrated.
Her hydration and fueling were not going well, her recovery wasn’t planned and she was bordering on having to drop out of the trip.
Since utilizing our badass cycling framework, she’s gone on to eliminate injuries, ride stronger than her husband, and is riding a multi month trip.
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$599.
Compare to the cost of hiring…⭐ Personal trainer for 3 months ($1800)
⭐ A gym membership ($500)
⭐ Nutritionist to meet with you weekly ($1200)
⭐ Cycling coach ($1800)
⭐ Personal massage therapist ($600)
…that sum is $6000 for 3 months.
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💪 This is a bite sized version of the Cycling Success System Beyond the Pause, our flagship cycling coaching program— delivered 100% online.
💪 Once you join, you gain access to the CSS lite members-only vault which has value-packed, bite sized video trainings, checklists and workbooks you need for success.
💪 You'll download your cycling training program and start your 12-weeks on your own schedule. This is your fast track to get stronger and ride faster, massively upleveling your cycling in time for summer.
💪 The entire Cycling Success System Lite is completely accessible online and done on your own timeline and at your pace. This approach keeps you in charge, all you have to do is pick a direction to go, and relax, because you’re dialing in to what works and finally stopped ‘trying everything.’
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★ Downloadable 12-week Cycling Training plan scheduled training and recovery, complete with strength and mobility training demonstrations so that you know exactly what to do and when to do it
★ Access to the CSS Lite Members-Only Vault with short, no fluff videos so that you'll know the strategy and reason behind how we train, fuel and recover in a new way inside this program★ Basic Training Peaks Account where your training is delivered to you on a calendar and in a convenient app --with an option to upgrade to premium-- so you can keep track of where you are in the program
★ Before and After Benchmarks to customize your plan to your own physiology, and measure your progress
★Daily Email Workout Reminders so you’ll always know where to find your training information, with instructions on exactly what to do and when to do it.
★ The option to add on coaching calls a la carte is available.
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