Phil Burt is a world renowned bike fitter and physiotherapist who has spent 12 years with British Cycling and 5 years with Team Sky. In this episode we go deep into the topic of bike fitting, covering topics ranging from physiotherapy and injury prevention through power production and aerodynamics. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Physiotherapy, injury prevention, and bike fitting -The balance between aerodynamics, power production, and comfort -How to adapt to a new position on the bike -Ho...
May 04, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Q&A #84 - Open Water Swim training structure; Differences between Heart Rate training zone systems How should you structure your swim training if you have open water access but no pool access? Different hear rate training zone systems can lead to quite different training levels and intensities - so how do you know which system to choose? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Scientific Triathlon Training Zones calculator SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-...
Apr 30, 2020•43 min
Coach Frank Jakobsen came into triathlon coaching via an elite swimming background and later on alpinism. He quickly gained credibility through being the mentor of Ironman World Champion Craig "Crowie" Alexander, and has since coached a large number of professional long distance triathletes. In this episode, Frank discusses his views on triathlon performance, training, and mindset. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Frank's ten-point checklist for triathlon success -Goal-setting and motivation...
Apr 27, 2020•1 hr 24 min
Q&A #83 - Mechanisms behind endurance adaptations to strength training; Functional vs. heavy-resistance strength training What are the mechanisms behind improved endurance performance resulting from heavy-resistance strength training? Pros and cons of functional vs. heavy-resistance strength exercises LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Effects of resistance training on endurance capacity and muscle fiber composition in young top-level cyclists Effects of...
Apr 23, 2020•32 min
Juli Benson is a 1996 US Olympian in the 1500 m turned elite running coach, with among other accomplishments coaching Jenny Simpson to her 1500m World Championship victory. In this episode she describes her coaching philosophy, and also discusses the lack of female endurance coaches, in particular at the highest level. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Juli's coaching philosophy and influences -Periodisation -The balance of volume and intensity -Strength and conditioning -Nutrition, and navig...
Apr 20, 2020•1 hr 19 min
Q&A #82 - Minimum worthwhile time for a workout; Two hard workouts on the same day What is the minimum duration a workout (particularly a bike) should be to be worthwhile? Is deliberate planning of two hard workouts on the same day (e.g. "double-threshold") an effective strategy to get a stronger training response? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans PGC-1β is downregulated by training in human skeletal muscle: no effect of training twice every second day...
Apr 16, 2020•31 min
Dan Bigham is a multiple British Champion (Time Trial and track), a member of the Huub Wattbike track team, and an aerodynamics consultant who recently helped the Danish track team beat the team pursuit world record. In this episode Dan goes into many of the most important aspects of optimizing aerodynamics on the bike. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Aerodynamics testing protocols: on the road, at the velodrome and in the wind tunnel -On-bike aerodynamic sensors and their use cases -Bike f...
Apr 13, 2020•56 min
Q&A #81 - "Race pace" or Z2-training for Ironman; FTP-tests vs. race-specific fixed heart rate tests For slower Ironman athletes, target race pace and Z2 are pretty much the same. Is there any benefit in training (in particular running) at race pace if it realistically is just a slow shuffle? What are the pros and cons of a classic FTP-test vs. riding at a fixed (race-specific) heart rate (or power) and measuring how power (or heart rate) progresses for that fixed value? LINKS AND RESOURCES:...
Apr 09, 2020•24 min
Bradford Cooper, PhD, is an academic, business executive, and extremely accomplished endurance athlete (among other achievements, he has won the Race Across America). He joins us to discuss his research in the field of Functional Mental Toughness (fMT), its implications and practical takeaways for endurance athletes of all levels. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -What is functional mental toughness and why is it important? -Mental toughness is ever-changing, not fixed -Mental toughness is a ...
Apr 06, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Q&A #80 - Muscle mass, fibre type distribution and considerations for triathlon What special considerations should muscular triathletes (e.g. powerlifters and bodybuilders) take regarding... ...general training ...lactate production and lactate threshold (or Maximum Lactate Steady State) ...race nutrition and hydration ...swimming, body position and buoyancy ...cycling, power-to-weight, and power-to-aerodynamics LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Muscle ...
Apr 02, 2020•41 min
David Tilbury-Davis has been coaching professional and age group athletes since 1995, helping them achieve 3 World titles, 11 National titles, 3 Ironman Regional Championship titles, and numerous wins, podiums and personal bests in various races. In this interview, David discusses coaching from the coach's perspective - what goes on backstage away from workout prescriptions, coaching calls and training plans? This is part two of a two-part interview. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Defining...
Mar 30, 2020•56 min
Q&A #79 - How to train when you have only hilly terrain around you and no flats In what types of bike and run workouts should you try to minimise hills? Is sustainable bike power higher on hills, and if so, does it change your power targets when riding uphill? When you already do loads of unstructured hill workouts, is there any reason to still do structured hill work? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Q&A #72 - Hill repeats and long runs; Protein f...
Mar 26, 2020•28 min
David Tilbury-Davis has been coaching professional and age group athletes since 1995, helping them achieve 3 World titles, 11 National titles, 3 Ironman Regional Championship titles, and numerous wins, podiums and personal bests in various races. In this interview, David discusses his coaching philosophy and his perspective on a number of fundamental training-related questions. This is part one of a two-part interview. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -David's coaching philosphy -Volume and i...
Mar 23, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Q&A #78 - Triathlon and the COVID-19 pandemic How should you adjust training for race cancellations, postponements, and uncertainty around when the next race will be? What can you do to replace or compensate for swim training when pools close? How to approach the situation mentally and adopt the right mindset LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Base training: off-season do’s and dont’s with James Teagle and Lachlan Kerin | EP#201 SPONSORS: Precision Hydra...
Mar 19, 2020•36 min
Bobby McGee is a running coach with more than three decades experience of coaching elite and recreational runners and triathletes. He is renowned for his ability to help athletes find their optimal running form. In addition to running, Bobby is also a wealth of knowledge in sports psychology. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The most important aspects of running form -The ins and outs of changing or improving your running form -How to incorporate skill and technique work in your run training...
Mar 16, 2020•1 hr 12 min
Q&A #77 - Swim, bike and run field tests: pros and cons of various options and which ones to choose Pros and cons of swim field tests: CSS-test (400 and 200 m Time Trials) and 1000 m Time Trial Pros and cons of bike field tests: 20-minute TT, 20 km TT, Ramp test, Critical Power tests Pros and cons of run field tests: 20-minute TT, Cooper Test (12-minute TT), Critical Power tests LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Critical Power Calculator - Cycling Criti...
Mar 12, 2020•34 min
Jonathan "Jono" Hall is the head coach of Triathlon Canada's National Performance Center. As such, he coaches top Canadian athletes such as Tyler Mislawchuk, plus a handful of international world class athletes on the ITU circuit. In this training talk we discuss Jono's coaching philosophy and hear his thoughts on a whole host of topics related to triathlon performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Health as the fundamental aspect underpinning all performance -Achieving world-class perfo...
Mar 09, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Q&A #76 - Recovery and age; Planning training in unpredictable circumstances; How to know if you're doing enough training How should recovery be planned into training, and how does age affect this? If how you will feel on a day to day basis is very unpredictable, how should you plan your training? Or should you simply train based on how you feel on that day? How can you know whether you're doing enough training to improve? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Pl...
Mar 05, 2020•33 min
Arild Tveiten is the coach behind Norwegian triathlon successes such as Kristian Blummenfelt winning the WTS Grand Final 2019, Gustav Iden winning the 70.3 World Championships, and Casper Stornes, Kristian and Gustav sweeping the podium in the WTS Bermuda race in 2018. He returns to That Triathlon Show to discuss his training and coaching methodologies, and how Norway are working towards Olympic medals in Tokyo 2020. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The testing methods used by the Norwegian ...
Mar 02, 2020•1 hr 16 min
Q&A #75 - Continuous swimming or broken sets; Full rest days or active recovery days; Rest days and strength training What are the benefits and drawbacks of swimming long, continuous sets compared to breaking it up into shorter intervals? Should rest days be complete rest days, or can you do some easy training on them? Can strength training be done on days that are complete rest days from endurance training? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Do you real...
Feb 27, 2020•24 min
Faris al-Sultan is the Ironman World Champion from 2005 and multiple podium finisher. Since retiring and moving into coaching he is most well-known for coaching Patrick Lange to two World Championship titles and one third place in Kona. Currently, Faris works with the German Triathlon Federation to bring up the nation's draft-legal success closer to the successes seen on the long distance triathlon side. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -What has changed in triathlon and in training in 15 yea...
Feb 24, 2020•1 hr 23 min
Q&A #74 - How to deal with lack of tune-up races; Intervals vs. continuous hard exercise to improve VO2max If there are no tune-up races available before your A-race, what can you do to replace the race preparation normally gained from these tune-up races? Are intervals or continuous hard exercise more likely to get you close to VO2max, and why? How can you manipulate intervals to get your heart rate closer to maximum heart rate? Why heart rate is not a perfect proxy for VO2 LINKS AND RESOUR...
Feb 20, 2020•28 min
Ryan Bolton is a US Olympian from Sydney 2000, an Ironman champion, and now coaches elite runners (like Caroline Rotich, winner of Boston Marathon 2015) and triathletes (like Ben Hoffman, 4th in Kona 2019). In this episode he discusses his coaching methodology and thoughts on training strategies he employs at the elite level as exemplified by Ben Hoffman, but also how they apply to age-group athletes. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Ryan's general coaching methodology -How he periodises tra...
Feb 17, 2020•1 hr 30 min
Q&A #73 - Pre-run mobility work; Combining marathon and 70.3 training; Solid vs. liquid carbs in racing Why and how to do mobility work before running (with link to video of 5-minute routine) How to combine training for 70.3 and for a marathon - with the marathon 2 weeks after the 70.3 The argument for solid (including gels) carbohydrates in racing vs. liquid (EP#218 follow-up) LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Pre-run mobility video Race hydration, cal...
Feb 13, 2020•25 min
Craig Kirkwood is a former elite runner, Kona finisher, and coach of age group and elite triathletes and runners like Hayden Wilde and Sam Tanner. In this episode he discusses his coaching methodology and thoughts on training strategies in particular for draft legal racing at the elite level as exemplified by Hayden Wilde. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Craig's general coaching methodology -Coaches and methods that influenced him as a young runner -The training of Hayden Wilde -Group train...
Feb 10, 2020•55 min
Q&A #72 - Hill repeats and long runs; Protein for endurance athletes What are the different kinds of hill workouts to incorporate in running? At what point in a workout should hill repeats be done? Can hill repeats be combined with a long run? What's the reasoning behind the recommendation of aiming for higher than research-backed amounts of daily protein intake? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans Improve your running speed, endurance, and performance wi...
Feb 06, 2020•34 min
Philipp Seipp is the coach of Sebastian Kienle, Laura Philipp, and Florian Angert (among others). In this episode he discusses his coaching methodology and thoughts on training strategies for long-distance triathlon. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Philipp's general coaching methodology -The importance of biomechanics -The importance of speed and training for speed in long-distance triathlon (especially older athletes) -Periodisation based on the individual's limiters and goal event demands...
Feb 03, 2020•58 min
Q&A #71 - Double workout days: practical applications and scientific underpinnings Should you ever do two intense workouts on the same day? Metabolic stress, muscular and tissue stress, central nervous system stress, and cognitive load of double workout days How to combine endurance training and resistance training (concurrent training) and minimise interference LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Coaching Training Plans World Champions keep things simple: training masterclass w...
Jan 30, 2020•29 min
Andy Blow, founder of Precision Hydration is back on the show to revisit the topic of hydration and nutrition strategies for triathlon and endurance events and races. This episode is packed with practical and actionable advice that will put you in a great spot to get your race day nutrition and hydration right. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -An overview on sweat rate and sweat sodium concentrations, and the vast differences in losses and replacement needs between individuals -Why Andy reco...
Jan 27, 2020•1 hr 10 min
Q&A #70 - Preparing for a windy bike course; Running outside in the cold versus the treadmill; Two-stroke breathing versus bilateral breathing; How to add training volume safely; When to change bike tires How can you prepare for a windy bike course when most of your training is indoors? Is it better to run on the treadmill or outdoors in winter in sub-freezing temperatures? How do you dress for cold outdoor running? When should you breathe every two strokes and when should you breathe bilate...
Jan 23, 2020•39 min
