That Triathlon Show

Dr Fabian Urban is a systemic performance coach with a background in behavioural economics. He works with people in leadership and business roles as well as with athletes, to help them maximise their performance in sports or business. Fabian worked with pro triathlete Florian Angert in the lead-up to his fantastic 5th place finish at the Ironman World Championships in St George, which we discuss a...

Cecile Reynaud, PhD, has an impressive resume coaching volleyball and in leadership roles in various organisations. She is also an author, and most recently published a book called "Winning ways of women coaches", where a large number of successful women coaches discuss various aspects of the profession. In this interview, we discuss the topic of women in coaching across any sport, spanning a rang...

Andy Blow is the founder of Precision Fuel & Hydration. He returns to the podcast to discuss the science and practice of using caffeine to enhance endurance performance.        IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The scientific background of caffeine as an ergogenic aid.  -Who should and who should not consider using caffeine in endurance events?  -How to use caffeine before the start of the even...

Jacob Tipper is a coach of athletes across the spectrum from track sprinters to triathletes, and he is also a great track and road cyclist himself. Jacob was the person tasked with putting together Alistair Brownlee's team for the Sub7/Sub8 project (discussed in detail in EP#344). This week we talk generally about Jacob's perspectives on coaching and training.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:...

Jacob Tipper is a coach of athletes across the spectrum from track sprinters to triathletes, and he is also a great track and road cyclist himself. Jacob was the person tasked with putting together Alistair Brownlee's team for the Sub7/Sub8 project (Brownlee was replaced by Joe Skipper due to injury before the event), and in this episode we discuss that whole process and what we can all learn from...

Daniel Muniz, PhD, is a senior lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire. Some of his recent work involves big data analysis (from Strava) of marathon runners, where Daniel and his co-authors set out to explore how decoupling (changes in the ratio of internal to external workload, like heart rate to pace) can be an important parameter in marathon (and possibly broader endurance) performance.    ...

Reto Brändli is a Swiss triathlon and cycling coach working with professional (including e.g. Imogen Simmonds) and amateur athletes. He also runs a performance lab, so is very well versed in all sorts of testing, including classic gas exchange and lactate tests, DXA body composition measurements and more. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Reto's perspectives on training and coaching for profess...

Louis Passfield, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the University of Calgary and also holds a professorship at the University of Kent. In addition to his academic work, Louis has been involved with British Cycling for several Olympic cycles, and worked with athletes and practitioners in high-performance sports. Much of his recent academic work has been centred around the quantification of training l...

Filip Larsen, PhD, is Associate Professor at the Swedish School of Sports and Health Sciences as well as Chief Science Officer at Silicon Valley Exercise Analytics (SVEXA). In this interview, we discuss research conducted by Filip and his team on finding the line between enough and too much training using various physiological and cellular markers, and how to take these findings from the lab and a...

Michael Liberzon is a Toronto-based triathlon coach, bike fitter and aero tester, and host of the Endurance Innovation podcast. In this episode Michael discusses the currently available options on the aero sensor and aero testing market, how they differentiate from each other, and what's to come in the future with new sensors and improvements of the currently available options. IN THIS EPISODE YOU...

Michael Liberzon is a Toronto-based triathlon coach, bike fitter and aero tester, and host of the Endurance Innovation podcast. In this episode Michael explains what gains can be made by upgrading from a road bike to a Time Trial bike, and how things like the type of course and terrain can impact your choice of bike.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Expected time gains for a TT bike vs. a roa...

A solo episode where I share a couple of key tips for improving your swim, bike and run performance in a triathlon context.   IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Swim volume -Swim video analysis -Bike intensity on easy days -Specific bike training for race course demands -How not to get injured on the run -Extending rather than intensifying run training SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/...

Eoin Everard is is a physiotherapist with a PhD in biomechanics, and is a sub-4 minute miler and two-time Irish 1500 m national champion. In this interview we discuss staying injury-free in running and triathlon, biomechanics, and training interventions to improve running performance.   IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Injury prevention strategies for runners and triathletes -Why triathletes t...

Glenn Poleunis is a triathlon coach and founder of the PTC high-performance squad based in Girona, which includes among others Marten van Riel. He is also a Belgian national federation coach with a home base in Leuven (Flanders).  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The setup of the PTC squad, and how athletes can get the most out of themselves in a squad environment -How Glenn manages things lik...

Natasha van der Merwe is a triathlon coach and professional triathlete with a background in professional tennis and coaching tennis. Originally from South Africa, Natasha is now based in Texas, where she has built a successful coaching program that caters to athletes of all levels, from beginners to professionals.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Natasha's coaching methodology -How her backgr...

Andy King, PhD, is an exercise physiologist at the Australian Catholic University. Andy joins us to discuss the science and application of hydrogel products like Maurten and SiS Beta Fuel. Do they work, how do they work, and is it worth paying the premium compared to regular sports nutrition products?  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -What are hydrogels, and how are they different from regular...

Jodie Swallow Cunnama is a triathlon coach and retired professional triathlete. As an athlete, Jodie went to the Olympics in Athens 2004, and she has three World Championship titles to her name (one 70.3 world title, two ITU Long Distance titles). As a coach, Jodie now coaches a mix of amateur and professional athletes, including for example Jodie Stimpson.  IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Jo...

Mark Burnley, PhD, is an exercise physiologist at the University of Wolverhampton. In this episode, we discuss the VLaMax, polarised training (and it not being optimal for endurance athletes), and using measures of complexity to assess fatigue. This is part two of a two-part interview with Mark. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -VLaMax: the background, reason for recent surge to popularity, and...

Mark Burnley, PhD, is an exercise physiologist at the University of Wolverhampton. In this episode, we discuss the lactate threshold (specifically, the first lactate threshold), how to measure it, what it means, and more. This is part one of a two-part interview with Mark. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Terminology and definitions of exercise intensity domains and thresholds -Methods for ass...

Bruce Rogers, MD, is one of the researchers behind the research on using the non-linear HRV-based marker DFA alpha-1 (which can be be measured non-invasively and for free or very cheaply) to assess the aerobic threshold. We discuss this research and its applications in this interview.    IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -What is DFA alpha-1, and how can you measure it?  -The current evidence be...

Luca Filipas, PhD, is a researcher at the University of Milan and an endurance sports coach of professional and amateur runners, cyclists, and triathletes. In this interview, we discuss his recent study comparing polarised, pyramidal, and combined POL-PYR or PYR-POL training intensity distributions, and the applications of this research in planning a periodised endurance training plan.  IN THIS EP...

Olli-Pekka Nuuttila is a doctoral researcher at the University of Jyväskylä. In this interview we discuss his recent study comparing two-week blocks of either increased volume (70% increase over baseline) or increased intensity (5 interval sessions per week), and how the findings can be applied in the real world.   IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -How does a two-week block of volume or intensi...

Scott Johnston is an endurance sports coach, author, and co-founder of the coaching business Uphill Athlete. The main focus of Scott and his company is coaching mountain sport athletes, like mountain runners, climbers, and ski mountaineers, but Scott also has an extensive background in more traditional endurance sports like swimming, cross-country skiing, and even triathlon.   IN THIS EPISODE YOU'...

Marco Altini, has a PhD in Data Science and an MSc in Human Movement Sciences and High-Performance Coaching. He is the founder of HRV4Training and a passionate runner. In this interview, we discuss the latest in research and application when it comes to heart rate variability (HRV). IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -A brief summary of what HRV is and the benefits of monitoring it -What are the...

Andy Kirkland, PhD, is a triathlon coach, sports physiologist, and lecturer in sports coaching at the University of Stirling. In this interview, Andy shares his perspectives on a number of topics related to coaching from his experience as a coach, coach educator, and as a part of various high-performance environments.    IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Getting a degree in Sports Coaching, and...