A discussion of eleven factors, including training methods, gear and equipment, metrics, and even thought processes that are generally overrated by the triathlon community as a whole or in certain triathlete subgroups. Do you agree with this list? Stay tuned for the next episode, where we will discuss underrated factors for triathlon performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Swim training (is it overrated?) -The W/kg metric -Power meters and power data -Bike frames -Compound scores -Reco...
Jul 25, 2024•1 hr 10 min
Mikael and Lachlan Kerin answer listener questions. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Training with a focus on longevity and health -Differences in power output on flats vs. uphill (and what you can do about it) -Training strategies for athletes with a "diesel" phenotype -The tradeoff between stroke (and stride) rate and stroke length -Should you ride at a lower cadence to "save" your cardiovascular system for the run? SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts438/ SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AN...
Jul 18, 2024•1 hr 13 min
Manuel Sola Arjona is a cycling coach and former professional cyclist, author of the book "The Nature of Training", and host of the popular Spanish podcast "Rendimiento Evolutivo". IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Complexity science, complex systems and endurance performance -The risks of reductionism in training and in sports science -An evolutionary perspective to training and performance -How to apply complex systems thinking in training planning and application -An overview of Manuel's t...
Jul 11, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Rachael Maney is the National Director of Bike Law, a network of independent bike crash lawyers with the goal of being cycling advocates as well as legal advocates and to pursue cycling justice. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Cycling and road safety -How crashes with motorists occur, and what you can (and cannot) do to protect yourself -Understanding your rights and responsibilities as a cyclist -What to do if you, your friend or family member is involved in a bike crash -What kind of lega...
Jun 20, 2024•1 hr 4 min
David McNamee is a two-time podium finisher in the Ironman World Championships in Kona, ranked 17th in the PTO World Rankings, and a T100 contracted athlete from Scotland, living in Girona. In this interview we talk about his season, his training, and learnings from 18 years in the sport about what works and what doesn't. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -David's plans for the rest of the year -Racing like in the T100 World Tour -David's training setup, including home base, coaching, training...
Jun 05, 2024•1 hr 8 min
Dirk Friel, co-founder of TrainingPeaks, joins us to discuss the past, present and future of the platform. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The history of TrainingPeaks -Upcoming features and innovations on the platform -TrainingPeaks as a platform for expert instruction -Common complaints and criticism towards TrainingPeaks -The future of AI in training and coaching -Listener questions SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts434/ SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE: w...
May 30, 2024•1 hr 15 min
Luke Watson is the performance head coach of the National Triathlon Performance Centre Wales in Cardiff, a development environment for both short-course and long-course triathletes with world-class potential. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Luke's coaching methodology and training principles -The evolution of triathlon and how to adapt to changing demands -Periodisation of racing and training -Training similarities and differences between elite short-course and long-course athletes -Maximis...
May 23, 2024•1 hr 54 min
A new format to the podcast (although familiar to readers of the Scientific Triathlon newsletter ), I go solo and discuss three topics I've been thinking about recently in my coaching practice, and how you might think about them to become a better (and even happier!) triathlete. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The ROI of swim, bike and run training, and how to optimise your distribution of the three sports -Running hills to run faster and stronger -Rethinking how you select races and events...
May 16, 2024•54 min
Bonus episode with Andy Blow, founder of Precision Fuel & Hydration. SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE: www. scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/ SPONSORS: Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes personalise their hydration and fueling strategies for training and racing. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event. That Triathlon Show listeners get 15% off their first order of fuel an...
May 13, 2024•25 min
Christophe Balestra is a (retired) amateur triathlete with a background in game development. He has brought his talents to the triathlon space with products such as The Obsessed Triathlete (obstri), the PTO's stats pages, and Fantasy Triathlon on The Daily Tri. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The story behind obstri.com, and why Ironman wanted it shut down -Christophe's time with the PTO, including shipping their stats pages -Triathlon as a broadcast sport - the needs and the challenges -Fa...
May 10, 2024•1 hr 4 min
Melanie McQuaid is a triathlon coach and veteran professional triathlete. In 2023 she became the first ever 50-year-old to qualify for and race in the professional field in the Ironman World Championships in Kona. In this interview we discuss that feat and Mel's general thoughts on longevity in the sport and on maintaining performance at an older age. Then we go into a long Q&A segment, answering listener questions on a large variety of topics. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Training c...
Apr 15, 2024•1 hr 58 min
Bex Milnes is a triathlon coach of age-group and professional athletes with over 15 years of experience in endurance sports. She has helped multiple athletes and teams achieve Paralympic and Commonwealth medals, as well as pro and age group podiums in Ironman and Ironman 70.3 racing. In this interview we discuss the training of age-group athletes training for half and full distance triathlon. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -How to train efficiently on a limited time budget -How to maintain ...
Apr 04, 2024•1 hr 49 min
Tomasz (Tomek) Kowalski, is a triathlon coach and sport scientist from Poland. Tomek's coaching experience includes working with both elite and age-group triathletes, including coaching Ironman World Champions in their respective age-groups, and in his academic work his main focus is on the effect of respiratory muscle training (RMT) on endurance performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Tomek's coaching philosophy and methodology -What it takes to podium or win the Ironman World Champio...
Mar 18, 2024•1 hr 25 min
Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. In this interview, we discuss overtraining, training progression and periodisation, and some general topics within endurance training and in particular, insights from the world of cross-country skiing. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Overtraining and non-functional overreaching: definitions and diagnosis -Prevention strategies and monitoring for overtraining and non-functional overreach...
Mar 08, 2024•1 hr 38 min
Björn Geesmann is the coach of Patrick Lange and Kat Matthews, and the CEO of HYCYS and The Aerow wind tunnel. He returns to the podcast for a long discussion on a number of training-related topics. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Psychology in training, racing and coaching -Run training and running economy -Considerations for how to distribute volume and intensity within and between swimming, biking and running -Tapering -Listener questions ...and much more SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictri...
Feb 29, 2024•2 hr 12 min
James Spragg, PhD, is a cycling coach at the Tudor Pro Cycling Team and performance consultant. His PhD research focused on durability, which is the main topic of today's interview. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The concept of durability -The relationship between training characteristics and durability in cycling -The relationship between physiological measures and durability in cycling -The type of intensity, not just the amount of work done, impacts the downward shift in power profile -...
Feb 13, 2024•1 hr 20 min
Jacob Tipper is a cycling and triathlon coach working and having worked with athletes such as Ben Healy, Dan Bigham, Lucy Byram and Jonathan Brownlee, and a former elite cyclist himself. In this interview we discuss Jacob's experience in triathlon, two years into his transition from cycling to triathlon, including several important lessons learnt. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Your training doesn't have to fit into popular frameworks -The outsized cost of improving swimming -How Jacob let...
Jan 31, 2024•1 hr 40 min
Email your application to mikael@scientifictriathlon.com . We have an exciting career opportunity for coaches out there. As our team is approaching full capacity of coached athletes, we are looking to bring on a new coach to join our team and work with athletes from around the world. To apply, respond to this email with your CV and tell me a bit more about yourself as a person, as a coach, and why you want to join Scientific Triathlon. Here is a list of a few important characteristics, skills, a...
Jan 09, 2024•5 min
Marinus Petersen is a cycling coach and road cyclist, with a win in the 2021 Welsh road cycling championships on his palmarès. In this interview we discuss Marinus' approach to coaching and training. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Marinus' overall coaching methodology -The importance of nutrition within the training process -The value of doing "oversized" endurance rides -How to balance aerobic volume and intensity -Testing and athlete profiling SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/t...
Jan 08, 2024•1 hr 22 min
Mikael and David Dhooge answer listener questions in a supersized Q&A edition for the holiday season. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Favourite TTS episodes of the year -Differences in training between sprint and middle distance races -Weight loss -Muscle fibre composition - how to estimate your phenotype -When and how to get back into training after illness -Pace or heart rate targets for Zone 2 training -"Big Days" in Ironman preparation -Our proudest athletic achievements, and bucket...
Dec 25, 2023•2 hr 8 min
Craig Kirkwood is a triathlon and endurance coach from New Zealand. His introduction to endurance sports was in running where he raced at a high level (marathon PB 2:13) and got his introduction to coaching, working under Kim McDonald with numerous high-level athletes including World Championships and Olympic Games medalists. As a triathlon coach Craig is known as the long-time coach of Hayden Wilde, bronze medalist from the Tokyo Olympics, but he also coaches age-group runners and triathletes o...
Dec 18, 2023•59 min
Jem Arnold is a PhD candidate at the University of British Columbia, where his primary research focuses on sport-related vascular conditions. Jem is a physiotherapist, a physiologist, and an avid cyclist and trail runner interested in optimising endurance training. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Including training above "threshold" in your program improves VO2max, but may not improve Time Trial performance more than training only up to threshold-intensity (a recent meta-analysis) -Implicat...
Dec 11, 2023•1 hr 12 min
Mikael answers listener questions about training, coaching and performance. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -How hard should your hard workouts be -Mikael's coaching philosophy and how it has evolved over the years -Mikael's views on science within coaching SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts419/ SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE: www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/ SPONSORS: Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes perform at their best through their onlin...
Dec 04, 2023•33 min
Mikael answers listener questions about the off-season. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Overall thoughts about the off-season -What kind of training (if any) besides easy aerobic training to do during the off-season? -Can you incorporate races (e.g. trail or road running, Zwift races) into the off-season? -The difference between training in Z1 and Z1 (in a 5-zone system) and how to balance training in these zones -Weight training and VLaMax in the off-season -How to effectively reintroduce ...
Nov 27, 2023•1 hr 1 min
Dan Lorang is the Head of Performance / Head Coach at World Tour cycling team Bora-hansgrohe, and he is the coach of a small roster of world-class triathletes, including Lucy Charles-Barclay, Anne Haug, Frederic Funk and until his recent retirement, Jan Frodeno. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Lucy Charles-Barclay's training progression and changes since starting working with Dan -Her final big training block leading into Kona -Doing a home-based "training camp" with lots of indoor training...
Nov 20, 2023•1 hr 18 min
David Tilbury-Davis is the coach of an impressive roster of pro triathletes, including the likes of Ashleigh Gentle, Skye Moench, Amelia Watkinson (all three women ranked in the top-20 in the PTO rankings), Josh Amberger and others. He also coaches a handful of age-group triathletes. In this interview we discuss the training of professional-level triathletes, in particular at the pointy end of women's racing, and we discuss the off-season for age-group triathletes in detail. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'...
Nov 13, 2023•1 hr 19 min
Josephine Perry, PhD, is a chartered psychologist working across a wide range of sports to help athletes overcome their barriers to success. In addition to working directly with athletes, she is also the author of five books within the realm of psychology, and she is an age-group triathlete herself. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Performance anxiety and how to deal with it -Motivation issues and how to deal with them -Common personality archetypes in triathlon: highly intelligent perfectio...
Nov 06, 2023•56 min
David Lipman works in sports technology and has a particular interest in the intersection of health and performance. He has degrees in medicine and exercise science, a background in coaching, and a strong understanding of both endurance sports and strength and conditioning. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The evolution of world-class endurance training (a discussion about a recent publication) -Dave's perspectives on triathlon training - are there things that we could do better when looking...
Oct 30, 2023•1 hr 31 min
Parker Spencer is the head coach of USA Triathlon's Project Podium, a men's elite development program based at Arizona State University. The project already has produced alumni like Chase McQueen, and Parker himself won the USAT Olympic Coach of the Year award for 2022. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Parker's role as head coach at Project Podium -The long-term development plan - how to take an athlete from talent to world-class -Using personality assessments -Using metabolic testing to fin...
Oct 22, 2023•1 hr 15 min
Torben Rokkedal Lausch is the head coach of the triathlon centre in Aarhus, one of three high-performance centres in Denmark. He is also close to finalising his PhD in Sports Science, and he is the individual coach of age-groupers, short-course athletes, and long-course athletes like Kristian Høgenhaug and Mathias Lyngsø Petersen. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Torben's coaching methodology -How to adapt training to the athlete based on where they are in their career -Involving the athlete...
Oct 16, 2023•1 hr 18 min
