Neil MacPherson is Scottish coach living in Cape Town, where he owns and runs the coaching business Dinamic Coaching. In addition to his own coaching and performance center services, Neil has also served as a coach educator and facilitator for British Triathlon and for the International Triathlon Union (ITU). In this interview, we discuss Neil's training and coaching philosophy, get into specific case studies, and much more.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Neil's coaching and training philosophy
-Case study: taking an explosive athlete (Olympian) and coaching them towards an Ironman
-How to break past performance plateaus for age-group triathletes
-Swim technique, and using the SmartPaddle for quantitative analysis of your swim stroke
-The skills that aspiring (and established) coaches really have to learn
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts284/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Coach David Tilbury-Davis returns to the podcast for a different kind of episode. David and Mikael muse over how coaching and training principles and practices are evolving, and how training and learning frameworks already used successfully in many sports and contexts outside of triathlon can be applied in a triathlon or endurance sports setting.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Autonomy
-Diversity
-Psychology
-Specificity
-The integration of physiology, psychology, and environmental constraints
-Training athletes as "complex systems" vs. training "independent components of a system"
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts283/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Simon Marshall, PhD, and his wife Lesley Paterson (XTERRA and ITU Cross-Triathlon World Champion) are the authors of the book "The Brave Athlete: Calm the F*ck Down and Rise to the Occasion". In this episode, we discuss several of the most important messages covered in this book for triathletes, including getting an understanding of the inner workings of your brain, as well as common and specific psychological challenges that triathletes face on a regular basis in racing, training, and in the day to day.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Applied neuroscience: understanding how your brain works and how to (as well as how not to) work with your brain rather than against it.
-How to build confidence (even if you are not a confident person)
-How to use social media and avoid the comparison trap
-How to get out of your comfort zone and learn to embrace the suck
-Tips for how athletes can go about improving their psychological and mental skills
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts282/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Paulo Puccinelli is a sports medicine physician with a PhD in exercise physiology. In this episode we discuss his recent study, on the most important predictors for performance in amateur triathletes.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-An overview of the study Paulo and his team conducted on predictors of performance in amateur (Olympic distance) triathletes
-The importance of VO2max and Maximum Aerobic Velocity (MAV)
-The importance of triathlon experience
-The relative insignificance of (running) economy
-A discussion on body composition
-A discussion on chronotype
-Paulo's coaching advice and takehome messages
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts281/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gmez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat ? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Kelly McNulty is a PhD candidate at Northumbria University. Kelly's research investigates the effect of the menstrual cycle and hormonal contraceptive use on performance, recovery, and adaptation in women in sports. In this interview, Kelly walks as through the evidence-base and practical recommendations for all female athletes and coaches of female athletes.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-The different phases and hormonal changes of the menstrual cycles
-How these changes (theoretically) might impact exercise performance
-The actual evidence-base and state of the science on menstrual cycle phase and its impact on exercise performance
-Practical advice for individualising your approach to training according to the menstrual cycle phases
-The evidence-base and state of the science on hormonal contraception use and its impact on exercise performance
-General advice and takehome messages for female athletes
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts280/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Helle Frederiksen is a coach and former professional athlete. In her racing days, Helle competed in the London 2012 Olympics, she is the ITU Long Distance World Champion from 2018, and she holds the fastest ever time in women's half distance racing, with a 3:55:50 from Challenge Bahrain. In this interview, we discuss Helle's training and coaching philosophies, as well as the importance of racing to develop, and how to get the best out of yourself on race day.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Helle's background as a professional athlete
-Her coaching and training philosophy
-Training on feel
-The importance of racing, and how to execute on race day
-Advice on fitting training into a busy lifestyle
-Differences and similarities in how to approach training between amateurs and pros
-Advice on improving your swim, bike, and run, respectively
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts279/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Golo Röhrken is a medical doctor, sports scientist, and triathlon coach. In this interview we discuss a study he conducted, which was the first ever randomised controlled trial comparing polarised training with other training intensity distributions specifically in the sport of triathlon.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-The first ever randomised controlled trial of polarised training and moderate intensity training distributions in triathletes
-How the two training programs were implemented and executed
-Different ways of quantifying training intensity distributions, and problems or misunderstandings that these differences lead to
-Golo's coaching advice and practical takehome messages from this study and beyond
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts278/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Lesley Paterson is a coach and multiple World Champion across XTERRA and ITU Cross-Triathlon. Lesley joins us to discuss training principles as well as specific advice for racing XTERRA or cross-triathlon.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Leslie's training principles and approach to coaching
-Top tips for improving your swim, bike, and run
-Key workouts in each of the three disciplines, and an example training week
-Training advice for XTERRA, including when and how to do specific training
-Racing advice for XTERRA, including nutrition, gear, and more
-Advice for time-crunched athletes
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts277/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Emma Carney is a double ITU World Champion, World Triathlon Hall of Fame inductee, and dominated women's triathlon in the mid-90s. She retired from racing in 2004, and is now coaching at both high performance and age-group levels.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Emma's main coaching philosophy and training principles
-Tips for developing your swim, bike, and run
-Key workouts in each of the three disciplines
-Training periodisation, workout execution, and more...
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts276/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Michael Crawley is a 2h20min marathon runner who has competed internationally for Scotland and Great Britain, and he is assistant professor in social anthropology at Durham University. Michael spent 15 months in Addis Ababa in Ethiopia, running with a group of professional runners and observing their training and their lives. The result of this experience is Michael's first book, "Out of Thin Air: Running Wisdom and Magic from Above the Clouds in Ethiopia".
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-"A day in the life" of Ethiopian runners
-What a typical training week looks like
-Key workouts for the Ethiopians
-The importance of the environment and terrain (altitude, "magic air", special surfaces, forests,...)
-The group effect - the importance of training together in an individual sport
-Mindset and psychology of the Ethiopians
-What can Western, non-professional runners and triathletes learn and implement from professional runners in Ethiopia?
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts275/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Scientific Triathlon coach Lachlan Kerin returns to the podcast to discuss how to plan and execute your training so that there is an appropriate balance between training load and fatigue.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-How to balance load and recovery at a macro (season/yearly) and meso (roughly monthly) timescale
-How to balance load and recovery at an acute, micro timescale (roughly weekly)
-Full rest days and easy days - when and how to use each of these
-How to account for intense training days, big volume days, and strength training sessions when planning your load-recovery balance
-Methods for tracking recovery and training readiness
-When (and when not to) and how to adjust training for fatigue
-The impact of age, sex, experience, athletic profile and more on the load-recovery balance equation
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts274/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Scientific Triathlon coach James Teagle is back on That Triathlon Show. In today's episode, he shares advice on how best to train and prepare for sprint and Olympic distance races for age-group triathletes.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Base training for sprint and Olympic distance athletes
-Specificity: when, why and how should training start to really emulate your goal event
-The balance between training to the race demands and to your athletic profile
-Executing the race - tips (pacing, strategy, preparation, and more) for getting the most out of yourself on race day
-Example key workouts to use in the lead-up to the race
-Tips for training on a tight time budget
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts273/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
Strength and conditioning coach Dave Cripps of TriTenacious and Coalition Performance returns for his second interview on That Triathlon Show. In this interview we discuss some key aspects of strength training for triathletes and endurance athletes, that when done right will greatly increase the effectiveness of your resistance training.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-The importance of intensity (weights) and intent (~power/speed) when lifting
-Why is technique important in order to reap the benefits of strength training?
-Exercise specificity and the Goldilocks principle - not too little but not too much
-Workout structure: how to choose number of reps, sets rest duration, and progression from one workout to the next
-Advice for home-based strength training
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts272/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast
SPONSORS:
ZEN8 - The ZEN8 Indoor Swim Trainer is a tool for time-crunched triathletes looking to improve swim specific strength and technique. Trusted by BMC PRO Triathlon Team, age-group triathletes, coaches and physios around the world. Visit zen8swimtrainer.com/tts for 20% off your order.
ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order.
LINKS AND RESOURCES:
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.