Posts by stevemagness
Physiological Model of Training- Why it and “zone training” are outdated
I hate zone training. It’s a pet peeve of mine. I hate the idea and the concept behind it. But so many coaches out there use it, and in actuality we all tend to classify workouts into different zones. I’ve wrestled with trying to explain my hatred for zone training and what I’d call the…
Read MoreA bunch of Scientific research from ACSM conference
Last week was the big American College of Sports Medicine annual meeting. I wasn’t in attendance as I was at the Prefontaine classic. So instead I had the pleasure of browsing through the 3,500+ abstracts that were presented at the conference. There were a lot of interesting studies to pop up, so I figured I’d…
Read More10-20-30 workout- Research flaws and Why there are no secret workouts.
Every once in a while a scientific studies simple concept crosses over the main stream and explodes in the exercise world. A decade ago it was Billat’s famous 30/30 which consisted of 30sec at supramaximal speeds with 30sec jogging. It was supposed to be the secret workout that improved VO2max and lactate threshold at the…
Read MoreWhy timing matters
Why timing matters Knowing what to do or what supplement to take doesn’t cut it anymore. Knowing what and why is great but there’s another dimension that is often neglected and that is to ask the question of when. While it is easy to get lost in the minutia that is increased knowledge of genetic…
Read MoreStress, Caffeine, recovery, and the immune system
I just started writing articles for Competitor.com and the first one went up today. In it I take a look at the negative side of taking Caffeine pre-race or workout. Caffeine is generally thought of as only a performance enhancer, which it does well, but there are drawbacks if you chronically use it. In the article…
Read MoreMeasuring Galvanic Skin Response….say what?
Galvanic Skin Response….say what? If you read letsrun.com and look up anything about me I’ll be branded as some science only nut who relies on too much science and forgets the “old school” way. If you were at my coaching presentation the Distance Summit put on at Queens University, after my “science” presentation you would…
Read MoreCrossfit endurance, Tabata sprints, and why people just don’t get it
Crossfit endurance, Tabata sprints, and why people just don’t get it Not terribly long ago, I stopped dating a girl because she did crossfit. Okay, it wasn’t the only reason, but it was a major factor. I mention this not to show how messed up my dating life/requirements may be, but to show how strongly…
Read MoreAltitude babies, Rats, and Epigenetics
New born rats, altitude, and epigenetics: Over the past few years, the term epigenetics has kind of exploded in the popular science world. I’ve discussed it at length in this blog and how it might have implications with a wide range of topics from obesity to African running dominance to how we adapt to altitude.…
Read MoreA few weeks ago I was fortunate enough to be at the Canadian athletics coaching symposium to speak with Alberto Salazar on a couple of different topics. It was a great experience and I picked up a lot of interesting ideas from other presenters and those in the audience who I chatted afterwards with. While…
Read MoreLessons from outside the running world
This is going to be an interesting attempt at a blog. One that takes seemingly unrelated subjects and ties them into my main focus, running. If you were to flip through any of the myriad of books I’ve read on some pretty random subjects, you’d see the margins littered up and down with notes. If…
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