That Triathlon Show

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 r...

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 bal...

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   Co...

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 EPIS...

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 resi...

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 influenc...

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 Traini...

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...

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) hea...

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...

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 po...

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 tra...

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:...

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...

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 tra...

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 ch...

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 R...

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 LE...

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 d...

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...

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 endu...

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 triathlo...

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 he...

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 athle...

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 RES...