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 …
Authors of a recent perspective in Frontiers in Physiology suggested that respiratory frequency provides valuable data and argue that wearable respiratory monitors could benefit training. I totally agree. But I don’t think you need a separate device to measure this. You simply need to pay attention! With intentional awareness, you …
VO2max is a popular topic among exercise physiologists and endurance athletes. Exercise physiologists use VO2max to measure the effectiveness of a training protocol. Endurance athletes use VO2max as a marker of fitness and compare values at various times of the season. But an even better use of your VO2max 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 …
For those of us who are “social isolating” or under a “shelter in place” order, we have to be creative with our workouts. I’ve added some simple whole-body strength sessions to my weekly routine. Here are some suggestions: First off, I suggest to most athletes I consult with to get …
As I write this, it is snowing. This is our second major snowfall of 2019. Last weekend we saw about 8 inches of snow, and today, I’m guessing there is another 4 or 5 inches on the ground with the snow still falling. The upside is that I have the …
What is FTP? The FTP (Functional Threshold Power) concept has been around as long as we have known about the lactate turnpoint, or the intensity at which out body produces more lactate than it can clear. The figure above is from a book published in 1979 by Dr. David Costill. …
This is part 3 of my “Phases of Motivation” articles that I began writing after finishing my last Ironman as a professional (click for part 1 and part 2). It took me almost an entire year to realize what “Phase 3” was, but here it is… The picture above was taken during …
We obviously train so that we can get stronger, faster, and fitter. As you have learned, the way we do this is to stress our bodies and then allow them to recover. This balance of stress and recovery allows us to adapt and continue improving. The goal as we lead …
For the past 6 years, I have trained with the hopes of going 1/5/3. Be on the bike in one hour, less than five hours on the bike and sub-three hours for the run. And for the past 6 years, I truly believed (and still do) that I am capable …
