Overtraining is a risk for any person engaging in regular physical activity and is defined as an imbalance between stress and recovery, with the balance shifted towards stress. Overtraining can be caused by too much physical stress as well as excessive psychological stress. One of the consequences of overtraining is …
Everyone has their definition of ‘off-season.’ My definition of the ‘off-season’ is a time of planned unstructured training that can last anywhere from two to eight weeks (depending on the athlete). The purpose is to take a break from the formal, structured training program and allow for a mental and …
I am a ‘big picture’ guy. I’ve been preaching the importance of identifying your two ‘BIG DEALS’ in life and constructing a lifestyle that allows you to go after them. But it is easy to get overwhelmed by the enormity of these BIG DEALS. Sometimes, when we dwell on the amount of …
On the ECo Insider page, I’m focusing on Intermittent Fasting (IF) and how we, as endurance athletes, can incorporate the IF strategy into our training program. I will present details of IF and how we can tweak nutrient timing to maximize the effects of training. In Part 1, I want …
This post was inspired after leading a weekend triathlon camp. For those of you who didn’t get the chance to attend, check out the video summary. As the guy who leads the camps, it is interesting to meet people and observe their willingness to learn, to accept new ideas, and …
Endurance athletes are always looking for a competitive edge; that is why we put so much time and energy in to proper training and state-of-the-art equipment. For those who are serious about their performance (or, more importantly, are serious about their health), you may want to look beyond heart rate …
WHAT you eat and WHEN you eat have a huge impact on recovery. By focusing on nutrient timing you can maximize the previous workout’s effect and get yourself ready to have a great workout tomorrow.
It is not uncommon for athletes to tell us that they had heavy legs, low energy, and no ability to run at the end. Often times, a common theme from among these athletes is that they didn’t take in many (if any) carbohydrates during the run. There is a lesson …
Adding strategic periods of rest and recovery are necessary to improve fitness. In fact, the only time we improve our fitness is when we allow our bodies to recover! So, how do you know when it’s time to recover? How long should you recover?
You followed the plan. You are fit. Race week is here. Now you have to survive the days leading up to the race! Race week (the week leading up to your ‘big race’ is often full of tension, anxiety, restlessness, doubt, excitement, nervousness, and anticipation. These positive and negative feelings can deeply …
