The Full Circle Podcast

All too often, athletes get caught up in the granular elements of their training, such as individual workouts.  This is a trap, because training isn’t about individual workouts.  Training is about imposing a proper stimulus to elicit desired adaptations, which means that it’s about how individual workouts fit together as part of a larger picture.  In many ways, it’s actually a puzzle, and workouts...

Maybe you’ve heard of it.  Maybe you’ve even done it.  But do you actually know why people say foam rolling is good for athletes? Read this Coach Tip Tuesday:  https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesday-demystifying-foam-rolling   Coach Laura’s Recommended Foam Rolling Tools: Trigger Point Grid Foam Roller Round Foam Roller Chirp Wheel Trigger Point Foam Massage Ball Strassburg Pla...

Once you start hanging around endurance athletes and become part of the endurance sports community, your definition of what “normal” is starts to shift, especially when it comes to goal setting.  Keeping proper perspective is critical to achieving success at any and all goals. Sources: https://runrepeat.com/state-of-running https://www.triathlete.com/culture/news/the-truth-about-triathlon-particip...

What is stretching, really?  Why is stretching touted as such an important component of endurance training?  Is it worthy of all of the hype?  In a word: Yes.  But what stretching actually is, exactly why it is so important, and how best to incorporate it may be different from what you’ve always thought. Read this Coach Tip Tuesday:  https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesday-what-...

Coach Laura discusses the books she read in February 2024 and how she’s going to implement what she learned into her coaching and training. Non-Fiction: Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May Enchantment: Awakening Wonder in an Anxious Age by Katherine May Elvis and Me by Priscillia Beaulieu P...

Properly conducting an FTP Test is essential for athletes who desire to train by power in cycling.  Understanding exactly what an FTP Test is and what is being assessed in this workout are the first steps and foundation of being able to properly execute the workout and leverage the data that is gleaned from it in training. Training and Racing with a Power Meter: Third Edition by Hunter Allen + And...

No matter what endurance sport or event an athlete is training for, periodization is the architecture of any solid training plan.  Coach Laura dives into exactly what periodization is and the best practices for implementing it in training. Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan options: Training Plans Customized Training Plans Personalized Coaching Services Learn more ab...

The generations of humans currently living in the developed world have become addicted to being comfortable.  Facing and embracing discomfort is not only necessary for endurance athletes to grow, perform well, and reach their goals, it’s a critical component of a meaningful human existence. The Comfort Crisis: Embrace Discomfort to Reclaim Your Wild, Happy, Healthy Self by Michael Easter Read this...

Cadence is an often talked about metric, but do athletes really understand why it’s so important?  Coach Laura dives into cycling cadence and why it matters for athletes. Training and Racing with a Power Meter: Third Edition by Hunter Allen + Andrew Coggan, PhD + Stephen McGregor, PhD Garmin Cadence Sensor: https://amzn.to/3urPl9L Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan o...

Mountaineers can teach endurance athletes a lot about “failure” and how to make wise decisions in the moment that go against what our culture says is success. Quit: The Power of Knowing When to Walk Away by Annie Duke Read this Coach Tip Tuesday: https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesday-live-to-climb-another-day   Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan...

You miss a scheduled workout.  What do you do?  More than likely, you’ve rescheduled or attempted to “make up” a missed workout more than once in your time as an endurance athlete.  Coach Laura discusses why “making up” workouts is a myth. Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan options: Training Plans Customized Training Plans Personalized Coaching Services Learn more ab...

Do training options such as AI-generated training plans have the same value as “traditional” training plans designed by human coaches?  Athletes should exercise caution when considering who (or what) to entrust their important goals and training to. Read this Coach Tip Tuesday: https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesday-is-ai-coaching-sports-training-software-actually-intelligent  ...

Coach Laura discusses the books she read in January 2024 and how she’s going to implement what she learned into her coaching and training. Non-Fiction: Breath by James Nestor The Good Enough job by Simone Stolzoff Training and Racing with a Power Meter: Third Edition by Hunter Allen + Andrew Coggan, PhD + Stephen McGregor, PhD Fiction: Scythe by Neal Shusterman Thunderhead by Neal Shusterman The T...

Strength training shouldn’t be an afterthought or an add-on to endurance sports training.  Rather, strength training should serve as the backbone of endurance sports training.  Coach Laura dives into why this is so and how endurance athletes should approach integrating strength training into their training plans. Read this Coach Tip Tuesday: https://www.fullcircleendurance.com/blog/coach-tip-tuesd...

What you do in training now impacts what you will be able to do later.  Coach Laura discusses the importance of understanding this for optimal chances of successfully reaching your goals. Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan options: Training Plans Customized Training Plans Personalized Coaching Services Learn more about Full Circle Endurance: https://FullCircleEnduran...

Is what matters most to you getting your first fruits?  Or are you giving it only “what’s left”?  Coach Laura Henry dives into this topic and discusses how most priority goals in endurance sports will require you to give training your first fruits.   Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan options: Training Plans Customized Training Plans Personalized Coaching Services Le...

Welcome to The Full Circle Podcast!  This introduction allows you to meet Coach Laura Henry and get some background on how the podcast came to be. Ready to start training? Check out our Coaching and Training Plan options: Training Plans Customized Training Plans Personalized Coaching Services Learn more about Full Circle Endurance: https://FullCircleEndurance.com/ Submit questions to be answered o...