Mark Pearce is a triathlon coach with a strong background in physiology and sports science, including working as the physiologist of the British Triathlon Olympic team from 2002 until 2010. He has been to three Olympics (2004, 2008 and 2012) as physiologist and coach, and brings a wealth of experience from high performance sports, that he now applies to both professional and age-group triathletes in his coaching practice. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Mark's coaching principles -Interval ...
Aug 17, 2020•1 hr 15 min
Q&A #99 - VO2max, VLaMax and their training, racing, and metabolic implications; The "Sweet Spot vs. Polarised Training" debate How do your maximum aerobic and anaerobic capacities (VO2max and VLaMax) influence your endurance performance capacity? What are the specific implications of VO2max and VLaMax for training, racing, metabolism, and training/racing nutrition? How does VO2max and VLaMax influence whether to shift training more towards a polarised distribution or a pyramidal, Sweet Spot...
Aug 13, 2020•33 min
Marcel Wouda is a swim and open water swimming coach from the Netherlands, who has coached and worked with multiple Olympic gold medalists, including the 2008 and 2016 (men's and women's) Olympic open water champions Maarten van der Weijden, Ferry Weertman, and Sharon van Rouwendaal. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Marcel's open water swim coaching philosophy -The specific demands of open water swim races, and training to meet those demands -Example training weeks and key workouts for open ...
Aug 10, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Q&A #98 - Daily calorie needs, Energy Availability, and stress fractures What should you do to figure out your daily calorie needs to avoid low Energy Availability and RED-S? The problems with many online calculators for basal metabolic rate Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S), how it relates to low energy availability, and incidence of stress fractures LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports) with Margo M...
Aug 06, 2020•27 min
Eirik Myhr Nossum is head coach of the Norwegian cross-country skiing national team. In this interview we discuss his training and coaching philosophy for cross-country skiing and generally for endurance training, and how it applies to elite and amateur endurance athletes, respectively. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Eirik's general training and coaching philosophy -The training of world-class cross-country skiers -Polarised training and training volume -Interval and threshold training -Pe...
Aug 03, 2020•58 min
Q&A #97 - Best practices for training after work; How to deal with mental and physical fatigue from the workday What preparation and mental and physical activation can be done to optimise training performance after a demanding workday? When and how should you adjust training for fatigue from the workday? The 20-minute rule LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans Pre-run activation video Pre-swim activation video SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn...
Jul 30, 2020•31 min
Michael Rosenblat is a Canadian researcher working towards his PhD. In this interview we discuss one of his main research papers: a meta-analysis and systematic review comparing polarised training and threshold training in endurance sports. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -How polarised training and threshold training are defined in the scientific literature, and common misconceptions around this -The scientific evidence available comparing these training models -Why polarised training may w...
Jul 27, 2020•36 min
Q&A #96 - Using crit plans for triathlon cycling improvements; Focus blocks on your weakest discipline; Training stimuli to get past fitness stagnation Can a crit training plan be a way to apply a new training stimulus for cycling improvements? Does it make sense to use "focus blocks" where you're primarily focusing on your weakest discipline? How to know what sort of training stimuli might help you break out of fitness stagnation LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Tr...
Jul 23, 2020•52 min
Michael Rosenblat is a Canadian researcher working towards his PhD. In this interview we discuss one of his main research papers: a meta-analysis and systematic review all about interval training. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Long, medium, and short High-Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) compared with Sprint Interval Training (SIT) -The scientific evidence available for trying to find the "optimal" type of interval training -Why Long HIIT may have certain advantages over other types of ...
Jul 20, 2020•51 min
Q&A #95 - Differences and similarities between 70.3 and Ironman training; What does it take to finish an Ironman; What does it take to qualify for Kona What are the differences and similarities between training for half and full distance triathlons? Considerations around long workouts, training volume, intensity, nutrition, recovery, equipment, and indoor training How many hours per week should you train if your goal is to finish an Ironman? How many hours per week should you train if your g...
Jul 16, 2020•37 min
Hugo van den Broek is an elite running coach based in Kenya, with a professional running background himself and a 2:12 personal best for the marathon. In this interview, he discusses his training and coaching philosophy for distance running. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The mental aspects of running and endurance sports -Training volume and training intensity distribution -Periodisation -Threshold training -Training monitoring -Differences between fast-twitch and slow-twitch dominant ath...
Jul 13, 2020•1 hr 22 min
Q&A #94 - Duration and frequency of long runs; The long run in Xterra training What factors should you consider when deciding on the frequency and duration of your long run? Specific long run recommendations when training for Xterra as well as sprint, Olympic, half and full distance triathlon LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans Q&A #51 - What are the benefits of long rides? Can you get the same effects by pre-fatiguing the muscles with intensity? Q&a...
Jul 09, 2020•24 min
Izzy Moore, PhD, is a researcher specialising in running biomechanics, economy, and injuries. In this interview, we discuss her research in these areas and the implications of her findings for triathletes and runners. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Running biomechanics, self-optimisation, and gait analysis -Wearables and running biomechanics metrics -Running economy: what factors impact it, and how can you improve it? -Injury risk and prevention -Footwear, and the impact on biomechanics, e...
Jul 06, 2020•1 hr 14 min
Q&A #93 - Structuring microcycles; Muscle damage and recovery How should you structure your training week or microcycle to accommodate muscle damage and recovery from hard workouts? How should you space out hard swim, bike, run, and gym workouts through the training week? What are the mechanisms and principles behind muscle damage and recovery? What are the effects of muscle damage on performance and physiological systems and functions? LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coach...
Jul 02, 2020•57 min
Scott DeFilippis and Carrie Lester are both professional triathletes and coaches. They are also partners, and Scott coaches Carrie. In this interview we discuss a number of training-related topics, the overarching training philosophy of the couple, and the experiences and influences that led to this philosophy. We also discuss how age-groupers should apply these concepts. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Scott's and Carrie's athletic and coaching careers and backgrounds -Being coached and me...
Jun 29, 2020•1 hr 17 min
Q&A #92 - Heat acclimation principles and protocols; Early-morning training; Fasted training How should you incorporate heat acclimation in your training when preparing for hot races? Is there a place for heat exposure training year-round? Training and nutrition considerations for early-morning workouts How to use fasted workouts strategically in your training LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans Heat adaptation and triathlon performance with Stephen Cheu...
Jun 25, 2020•30 min
Nick Tiller, PhD, is a postdoc in exercise physiology and respiratory medicine, at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center. In addition to his academic pursuits, he writes about science, health, exercise, critical-thinking, philosophy, and ultra-marathoning, and is an ultra-marathoner and endurance athlete himself. He is the author of "The Skeptic's Guide to Sports Science: Confronting Myths of the Health and Fitness Industry". IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The sports, health, and fitness industry, mo...
Jun 22, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Q&A #91 - Training transfer effects between cycling and running; High-intensity training in Ironman preparation for time-poor athletes; Base-training "versus" HIIT What are the cross-training (transfer) effects between cycling, running, and swimming? Where are the transfer effects strong and where are they weak? For time-poor athletes, can a more high-intensity heavy training program translate to the required endurance for doing an Ironman? What are the considerations for finding the right b...
Jun 18, 2020•30 min
Sebastian Weber is a sports scientist, coach of world class cyclists and endurance athletes, and consultant of multiple world class cycling teams and other endurance sports organisations and federations. He is also the co-founder of the physiological performance software INSCYD. In this two-part interview we discuss recent updates to the INSCYD platform and go deep into physiology and training concepts relevant for optimising endurance performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Block peri...
Jun 15, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Q&A #90 - Cycling cadence physiology and training revisited; Running dynamics metrics The physiological effects of cycling at different cadences Why is heart rate high during high cadence cycling? Cycling training at low and high cadences Running dynamics (stride length, vertical oscillation and ratio, ground contact time and left/right balance, etc.) - are they useful? LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans Q&A #31 - Cycling cadence in training and rac...
Jun 11, 2020•26 min
Sebastian Weber is a sports scientist, coach of world class cyclists and endurance athletes, and consultant of multiple world class cycling teams and other endurance sports organisations and federations. He is also the co-founder of the physiological performance software INSCYD. In this two-part interview we discuss recent updates to the INSCYD platform and go deep into physiology and training concepts relevant for optimising endurance performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -INSCYD's P...
Jun 08, 2020•1 hr 6 min
Q&A #89 - Typical training week structures; Frequency and load of hard workouts; Stacking hard workouts; Intensity control during swimming What would be some good starting points for a weekly training structure? How many hard workouts is reasonable to include, and how much of a training load should they comprise? Does the load of hard workouts differ between triathletes and single-sport athletes? Can stacking harder workouts be a good strategy to get more relative rest between hard days? How...
Jun 04, 2020•39 min
Professor Louise Burke is Head of Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Through her career she has worked both practically with applied nutrition science as well as deep in academia, so she has a great perspective on both ends of the spectrum. In recent years, much of her research has been focused on investigating the effects of low-carbohydrate, high-carbohydrate, and periodised carbohydrate dietary interventions on endurance performance. This research is the topic of tod...
Jun 01, 2020•54 min
Q&A #88 - Polarised training or 80/20 - how to distribute moderate and high intensity work across the three disciplines Should you follow a similar training intensity distribution in all three disciplines, or can you for example do more hard training on the bike and less on the run? The importance of lower intensity training (it's not just "filler") Alternatives to using fixed percentages for figuring out how much moderate and high intensity training you can do LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientifi...
May 28, 2020•51 min
Josh Poertner has spent most of his life in the cycling industry. First racing professionally in Europe, then working with Zipp as technical director before becoming the CEO of Silca. He also consults with professional cycling teams. Josh knows all the ins and outs of tire pressure optimisation, a topic we discuss in-depth in this interview. We also discuss a variety of other equipment upgrades that can make you faster on the bike, and importantly, the hierarchy of getting the most watts for you...
May 25, 2020•1 hr 31 min
Q&A #87 - Swim training zones and heart rate monitoring Why it does and doesn't make sense to track your time in different swim training zones How to track your time in zone using pace, heart rate, and the session-goal approach Is heart rate a variable worth monitoring in swimming? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching If you are an elite or subelite athlete, take part in this survey study on how COVID-19 is affecting athlete training, attitudes, ...
May 21, 2020•28 min
Dr. Ajmol Ali is Associate Professor at Massey University and one of the author's of the most up-to-date meta-analysis on the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid in endurance sports. In this episode Dr. Ali discusses this meta-analysis (including 44 studies and more than a thousand total participants), the findings, practical applications, and limitations and direction for future research on caffeine in endurance sports. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The background on caffeine in enduranc...
May 18, 2020•1 hr 9 min
Q&A #86 - Static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling or manual therapy; How to pace VO2max-intervals (running) When does and does it not make sense to use static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling and manual/physical therapy? How should you pace VO2max-intervals when running? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching Training Plans McMillanRunning.com Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't f...
May 14, 2020•30 min
Dr. Margo Mountjoy, Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University is a sports medicine clinician and an academic. She is the lead author of the 2018 IOC concensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S, previously known as the "Female Athlete Triad"). In this episode we discuss RED-S, it's symptoms and root cause, screening and diagnosis, treatment and recovery and more. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Health and performance consequences of RED-S -The root cause of R...
May 11, 2020•1 hr 2 min
Q&A #85 - Backyard pool training; Ammonia smell after workouts; Can Max Heart Rate be trained? If you have access to a small backyard pool and a tether, how much is a reasonable amount to train in it? What is the reason for smelling ammonia after long workouts and what to do about it. Can you increase maximum heart rate with training? Possible reasons for seeing a very low maximum heart rate. LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching Training Plans Sc...
May 07, 2020•26 min
