Scientific Triathlon coaches Mikael Eriksson and Tobias Haumann answer listener questions. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Is there a "round number bias" in training prescription, and what are the potential drawbacks of that? -The cost-benefit ratio of high-intensity intervals - are they really worth it? -Maintaining or developing the capacity…

Nikki Bartlett is fresh off a fantastic 5th place finish in the Ironman World Championships in Nice. She joins us together with her wife and coach Bex Milnes to talk us through the race and the training leading up to the race. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Nikki's race strategy, and how the race played out for her -Preparing for the specific…

In this episode we discuss everything you need to know about training zones. We also discuss the first and second lactate and ventilatory thresholds. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Training zones as a communication tool -How I use training zones (and how I don't use them) -Not relying on training zones for training prescription -Other common …

David Roche is a running coach (trail, track and road) and trail runner. He recently broke the longstanding Leadville 100 course record (in his first 100-mile race no less), a record previously thought unbreakable. In this episode, he sheds light on everything that went into this phenomenal feat. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -How David set o…

Ben Stephenson, PhD, is Performance Planning Lead and physiologist for the Great Britain para triathlon squad in Loughborough. He joins us off the back of the Paralympics in Paris where Team GB had a very successful games with five para triathlon medals, including two golds. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Core temperature and thermoregulatory…

Jeff Sankoff is the TriDoc, an emergency physician, triathlete, and triathlon coach. In this episode, Jeff sheds some light on the most important and topical health and medicine related questions for triathletes and endurance athletes. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The impact of endurance sports on longevity and life expectancy -Heart health…

Gabriele Gallo, PhD, is a researcher at the University of Genoa with a particular focus on the science of cycling performance. In addition to his academic pursuits, he is also the founder of Knowledgeiswatt, a platform through which he summarises cycling and sports science research into infographics and practical, medium-form articles. IN THIS EPIS…

A discussion of 15 factors, including training methods, gear and equipment, metrics, and even thought processes that are generally underrated by the triathlon community as a whole or in certain triathlete subgroups. Do you agree with this list? Be sure to also check out the previous episode (EP#439), where we discussed overrated factors for triathl…

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. I…

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 yo…

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 evolu…

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 -Under…

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 LEA…

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 i…

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 chan…

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 trai…

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 …

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…

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 a…

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 t…

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 p…

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: -Overt…

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 distribut…

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 ph…

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. …