Posts by stevemagness
4 Ways to Run Faster by Listening to Your Breathing
When it comes to exercise, we often get extremely complicated. For strength training, we get lost in the exercise type, the sets and reps, and the speed of the bar. In running, we look at different speed or intensity zones, heart rates, interval lengths, and recoveries. It’s easy to get lost in the details. In…
Read MoreEpisode 122: Periodization in the Good Times and Bad.
Periodization sounds complex, but it’s really just how we plan and organize our training. Do you build a big base and then go short and fast with speedwork? Or employ a blended or mixed system? In this episode we break down periodization and discuss how to use it not only when things are going well,…
Read MoreEpisode 121: You’re not working hard enough and you’re not recovering deep enough.
Hard days hard, easy days easy. How much validity does that saying have? How hard should our hard workouts be? Should we jog slowly on recovery days or make them steady? In this episode, we dive into the balance between hard workouts and recovery days. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned in the Podcast The Stress…
Read MoreYour Adrenaline Capacity: A Fuel Boost
What do you think of when you hear the world adrenaline? Some of you might think of an adrenaline junkie, someone who needs to skydive out of planes to feel alive. Something that feels good to some or may even allow us to perform at our best. Others, might think of fear or feeling overwhelmed.…
Read MoreEpisode 120: Peak Fitness vs. Peak Performance
What’s it mean to be fit? What about to perform? Is there a meaningful difference? In this episode, Steve and Jon explore the continuum from fitness to performance. As we make our way from fitness to performance, the psychological demands shift. From high control to low. From low threat to high. Give this episode a…
Read MoreFrequency Matters More than Intensity. For Workouts & Happiness
How hard do we need to go in a workout? Do we need to push the bounds of fatigue, get our athletes to experience a new level of discomfort, ‘shock’ the system with a new stimulus? It’s a question I ponder often. One we could answer by diving into the world of stress and adaptation,…
Read MoreEpisode 119: Upgrading Lactate Dynamics: A Key to Running Faster Longer
What’s it mean to improve the lactate threshold? What about lactate buffering capacity? In this episode, John and Steve take you down the rabbit hole of workouts designed to improve every part of the lactate curve. You’ll learn why traditional tempo runs push the lactate curve up, but you can also pull the curve. You’ll…
Read MoreVO2max, LT, Critical Velocity- They are much more messy than we think.
VO2max Lactate Threshold Maximum Lactate Steady State Critical Velocity/Power What’s the point of the above? You may answer that they explain a physiological phenomenon. VO2max is when oxygen consumption plateaus. Lactate Threshold is a marker where lactate goes from a steady state or slow trickle of increasing lactate to a flood. Critical Velocity is the…
Read MoreHow Perceived Control Impacts the Physiological Limits of Performance
The Physical and Psychological- Impact on Limits of Performance When I was beginning my college journey in the world of exercise physiology, VO2max was king. Stick someone on a treadmill, ramp up the pace or incline until they fell off the back of the treadmill or cried uncle and then you were given a magical…
Read MoreEpisode 118: The Future of College Sports and the NCAA
The NCAA and college sports are in disarray. Facing a mass pandemic, postponement and cancelation of fall sports, and a growing understanding by the athletes the leverage that they have. With many of us wondering what in the world is the future of college sports, this week we brough on an expert, Dr. Roger Pielke…
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