Ten Minute Tips #76: Building Race Fitness

We delve into the recent large scale replication project in sport and exercise studies, their methods and findings. Then we try to understand why it found the results that it did in light of known statistical phenomena, similar findings from other research fields, and why an apparent replication crisis depends on how you already view and interpret published literature. Plus your listener questions.

We reveal our process for dealing with the uncertainty inherent in training and racing by keeping the FO in the scientific method of FAFO. After addressing whether or not probabilities are even real and the role of subjective experience, we look at some examples of uncertainty and predictions in testing, training, and racing, how reliable and accurate that data and performance models may be, and the process of improving our confidence in their ability to guide a training program. We also discuss incorporating peer-reviewed literature as well as anecdata, and the ultimate value of coaching or self-coaching experience.

We discuss planning race preparation and how it differs from a general aerobic build, periodization considerations, B vs A priority races, adjusting approach based on feedback, differences with low and high training age, and reorienting goals along the way. We also answer your listener questions.

We talk about coaching athletes to autoregulate (vibes training), meaning making choices between structured and unstructured training, hard work and fun, intensity and rest. This considers the angles of athlete experience level, life stress, people who don't like rigid training structure, workout selection, and more. Plus answering your listener questions.

Exercise physiologist and performance nutritionist Tim Podlogar joins the podcast to talk about determining endurance athletes' energy needs, macro targets like protein, fats, and carbs both relative to bodyweight and total energy needs, nutrient timing strategies, glycogen loading, bodyweight regulation, and much more. We also ask listener questions on fad nutrients, hydration, and determining supplement needs.

Our three most experienced coaches discuss common mistakes when training and building FTP. We look at testing, interval execution and progression, adaptation timelines, periodization, fatigue management, lactate testing, and much more. We also answer your listener questions on FTP training.

We tackle the ideas of unique responders, the role of performance variability in differentiating training response between individuals, pitfalls in interpreting typical individual response data, and the experimental setup required to actually tease these things apart. Then we walk through a couple easy principles to apply the takeaways in your own training.

We talk about things we wish we knew earlier about training, racing, and coaching. Nutrition, skipping workouts, setting process goals, finding your strengths, athlete feedback, and more. We also find out what our listeners wish they had known sooner.

Following up from the last episode, our coaches dig into the balance between training stimulus and recovery capacity, with practical ways to diagnose which is a potential performance limiter. We also touch on low volume athletes, very well trained ones, overlapping stimuli, periodization, short and long term tradeoffs, and more.

We walk through an analysis done on almost 15,000 people with data up to nearly 7 years in length and after finding similar trends in Kolie's client and personal data, we apply what we can learn about diminishing returns to our training expectations, season planning, stimulus and recovery needs, our ultimate potential, and what it means for interpreting scientific literature.