Training Topics

What is Heart Rate Variability? Heart rate variability, or HRV for short, has become popularized by mainstream media and technologies in recent years. The most common example of a piece of technology that many athletes utilize that uses HRV is the Whoop strap; however, there are many other devices that will measure HRV as well. The Whoop strap in particular has gained more and more popularity of late, and I can’t help but wonder how many athletes and coaches really understand

What is “Durability”? Most endurance athletes I come across are familiar with terms such as “VO2 max”, “threshold”, and “movement economy”. These are all physiological characteristics of an athlete that can be measured in a laboratory (or estimated in the field), monitored over time to assess progress, and used to inform decisions related to training prescription and race pacing. There is a plethora of research that has accumulated in the past few decades demonstrating that h

Ironman and Ironman 70.3 Racing Most triathletes are well aware that racing, and even training for, Ironman and Ironman 70.3 events does a number on the body and the mind. Training for a long-distance triathlon event that takes 4-7 hours (Ironman 70.3) or 8-17 hours (Ironman) is mentally and physically demanding. It takes careful planning and consideration of training intensity and training volume to manage the amount of stress and strain that an athlete experiences, otherwis

Training Volume and Triathlon Performance Endurance athletes tend to train a lot, particularly in triathlon. Obviously, the term “a lot” is very relative as five hours of training a week might feel like a lot for a novice or untrained endurance athlete, whereas more advanced and well-trained athletes might feel like 20 hours a week is a lot. However, triathlon is a sport that typically breeds high training volumes due to the need to fit in swim, bike, and run training each we

Sleep and Athletic Performance We all intuitively know that sleep is important for us as athletes, but just how important is it? There are decades and decades of sleep-related research within the general, non-athletic population documenting the deleterious effects of sleep deprivation on overall psychological and physiological well-being. Sleep deprivation, or insufficient sleep, has been shown to be related to impaired cognitive function, obesity, diabetes, greater craving

What is static stretching? Static stretching is a type of stretching in which a position is held near the individual’s end range of motion or at the point of discomfort for a period of time. Static stretching, when done appropriately, regularly, and for an adequate length of time, can improve flexibility. However, static stretching has also been frequently claimed to reduce the risk of injury in athletes. Some coaches advocate for their athletes to do static stretching as p

What is the placebo effect? Endurance athletes improve over time only through intervention. In other words, if an athlete does nothing (i.e., no training), then he/she will not see any positive changes in their fitness and performance. An athlete improves only when intervening through the addition of a training stimulus. Luckily, in today’s sporting world, we have a plethora of research to suggest which approaches to training are best. We also have research documenting the

What are the theoretical benefits of percussive massage devices? Handheld percussive massage devices (i.e., massage “guns”) have become popular in recent years. More and more advertisements are popping up of the popular brands that make these devices (e.g., Hypervolt, Theragun, etc.) in which claims are made of enhanced recovery among athletes at the elite and professional level. Endorsement from elite/professional athletes, however, is not enough grounds to establish wheth

What are the benefits of listening to music during exercise? Most athletes today will likely listen to music during training sessions, and some will listen to music during competition if their sport allows it within the rules. Athletes that have trained or competed with and without music will likely say that listening to music helps them to some degree. Is it all placebo effect? Or, is there some physiology and psychology to it. Turns out there is! Listening to music during

What is sodium bicarbonate and what are the proposed benefits? Sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), commonly known as baking soda, is a natural salt compound composed of sodium and bicarbonate. Usually used in baked goods, its has also received attention in the research literature for sports performance since as early as the 1930s (3). This interest is even more pronounced today with more and more research literature being published in recent decades examining the effects of sodium

What is a “taper”? Endurance sports is heavily reliant upon developing fitness through the accumulation of training volume and intensity over weeks, months, and even years in preparation for competition. However, in order to perform at one’s best come race day, particularly a key race on an athlete’s calendar, an effective taper is critical to ensuring a higher likelihood of success and the maximization of that athlete’s performance potential. Most endurance athletes have hea

What is periodization? How does one organize their training plan? How does one go about planning out a season, a month, a week of training? I won’t lie, it’s both complex and also simple at the same time depending on how deeply you want to look at it. Periodization is not a novel concept and has been around for quite some time. If you are a coach, you have surely heard of this term and hopefully periodize your athletes programs in some form or fashion. If you are a self-coach

What effects does heat have on performance? Last month, I wrote a piece on the altitude and the effects that altitude exposure has on training and racing. Much like altitude exposure acutely decreases endurance performance, so too does heat exposure. What is considered “hot” or “humid” is somewhat relative depending on what we as athletes are adapted or acclimated to. For example, someone living in Florida might think 60 degrees F and 50% humidity is a “cool” day, but someone

What effects does altitude have on performance? For many endurance athletes, at some point we will train and/or race at high altitudes. However, what are the actual effects of altitude on our performance and our physiology? Typically, the negative effects of altitude on performance are seen around the 5,000-foot mark (1). Acutely (i.e., in the short-term), altitude causes a decrease in performance due to a lower partial pressure of oxygen in the surrounding air. This does not

What is fasted training? The word “diet” carries with it a pretty heavy load of debate and opposing opinions nowadays. I’ll keep it short, avoid starting arguments, and say that there is A LOT of misinformation out there related to dietary and nutrition advice being given by individuals not credentialed or educated enough to be giving the advice in the first place. Additionally, there really is NO ONE PERFECT DIET for all athletes. Some athletes thrive on a vegetarian or vega

What does magnesium do in the body? Magnesium is an essential mineral that the body needs adequate levels of for maintenance of normal energy metabolism, cell growth, carbohydrate breakdown in the body, and protein synthesis (1). Magnesium is also involved in processes contributing to nerve conduction, muscle contraction, and blood pressure regulation (1). How does magnesium impact exercise? During exercise, magnesium is shuttled to the working muscle to help support nerve si

What are recovery boots supposed to do anyways? There is quite a bit of craze surrounding the use of “recovery boots” or “compression boots” as they are commonly referred to. However, these types of devices are used to deliver intermittent pneumatic compression to an individual, and this type of therapy has been historically used in medical settings to help those with deep vein thrombosis, venous thromboembolism, and to help individuals recovery post-surgery. In the past 10 y

One of the biggest challenges that endurance athletes face is staying cool, especially for athletes that participate in triathlon or long-distance running (i.e., marathons or ultra marathons) as it is nearly impossible to avoid racing in the heat of the day. When it comes to staying cool and avoiding overheating, which can dramatically affect performance, maintaining adequate hydration is the first priority. In addition to adequate fluid intake, there are a variety of methods

Introduction In Part I of this series, I discussed the benefits of strength training for endurance athletes. Research shows that there is indeed a place for strength training in the overall conditioning program of endurance athletes as it seems to have the potential to improve movement economy and reduce the risk of overuse injuries (1,2). The term “strength training” is rather broad, however, and encompasses a wide variety of training modalities. Although any periodized and

Introduction to Strength Training What comes to mind first when you think of the the phrase “strength training?” Do you think of big, bulky athletes like football players, baseball players, bodybuilders or powerlifters? What about the leaner, typically scrawnier athletes like swimmers, cyclists, and runners? When it comes to strength training, there are benefits to be gained for all athletes, both strength/power-based athletes as well as endurance athletes. In this two-part s