The Hidden Benefits of Proper Coaching
See what two weeks of real one-on-one coaching actually looks like. And a description of what it does not.
Topic
Training
A collection of 13 issues
The Poor Man's Power Meter
Use respiration rate to monitor training intensity and target a sustainable race pace.
Lactate Curves: 3 Shifts, 13 Reasons
A lactate curve is shaped by the tension between anaerobic and aerobic capacity. Judging a curve by only the latter is incomplete and error prone.
Five Benefits of Training in Silence
Silence doesn’t just remove noise—it reveals signal. And multiplies it by ten.
Maximum Speed ⚡
Short, intense efforts—with proper form and long passive rests—help increase muscle fiber recruitment, lay the groundwork for anaerobic capacity, and improve mechanics.
Four Key Ingredients of Pure Speed
Even long-duration sports benefit from a "speed base." But like many training protocols, how to train pure speed is counter-intuitive.
What is converging periodization?
A goal-specific planning method that starts at four extremes, trains them concurrently, and progresses each toward a goal event
Can a three-hour run reveal aerobic threshold?
"Is it crude to use the average heart rate from a 3-hour run to roughly guesstimate aerobic threshold (AeT)?"
Detraining: How far can you fall?
Over three years of detraining, my anaerobic and aerobic threshold speeds have declined 23% and 26%, respectively. At a climb rate of 1,000 meters per hour, my heart rate has increased 37%. Detraining, age, altitude—and attitude—are all factors.
How long can aerobic capacity improve?
"I've read that aerobic capacity building can go on for 6, 8 or 10 years, even for full-time athletes. And I recently read how Nils van der Poel spent ~30 hours/week for 3 years in building his aerobic base."