Search results for: interval training
Advice for the Young and Driven: A letter to my 18-year old self
In my line of work, educating and coaching, I often get asked for advice by 18-25-year-olds on how they should tackle their next steps in life. In a question and answer session at St. Mary’s University, I was asked: “what piece of advice would you give yourself when you were just starting out?”…
Read MoreThe Rise of the Experts of Everything: A Deep Dive or Superficial Learning
We’re in the age of gurus and experts. Create a platform large enough and you have a built-in calling card that screams listen to me, I know what I’m talking about. Not only are we inundated with gurus, the way in which we consume, learn, and understand has shifted. Until recently, there had always been…
Read MoreMost Popular Posts of 2017
First off, I want to express my gratitude for all of you who have visited my site, read or listened to content I’ve put out, and just been a part of the exploration of performance. Without you, I would not have the time, energy, or resources to put out quality content. When I started this…
Read MoreEpisode 60: “Don’t Jog!?” Myths on Conditioning for Team Sports
“Don’t jog! Only High intensity interval training!” Outside of the distance running world, these phrases are often thrown around when it comes to development of endurance in team sports or non-running individual sports. Whether it’s the fear of creating slow athletes, or the myth that you can get all of your aerobic bang for your…
Read MoreCoaches Education Gone Wrong: The Cycle of Credential Inflation
I’m not certified in anything. Not USATF, USATFCCA, NSCA, or any other acronym that means something to a select few people ingrained in their small enclave of workers. Wait, I take that back, I am certified in CPR thanks to a class that took a few hours. What’s the goal? With credentialing, or coaches education,…
Read MoreBertl Sumser: The Scientific Approach
West German coach Bertl Sumser was an early pioneer in taking a scientific approach to training. He carried on in the tradition of Woldemer Gerschler in designing his training with a heavy tip of the hat to the physiology known at their time. In a 1962 article published in the Fred Wilt’s book , Sumser …
Read MoreHarry Wilson- Coach of Steve Ovett
Harry Wilson was most known as the coach of world record holder and gold medalist, but he also coached other notable British runners. Before we get into the core of his training beliefs, looking at some of the extra stuff he had his athletes do is needed. Wilson seems to have placed some emphasis on…
Read MoreSciencyness- The problem with using science to justify what you’re doing…
The heavy breathing, as I found my seat on the plane, must have seemed like an appropriate invitation to start a conversation, as the man sitting behind me quipped “Did you run the marathon today?” It was an appropriate question, given that I was on my way back from the race, although the breathing was…
Read MoreThe Art of Being a Contrarian
During my search for understanding the history of endurance training, I saw a pretty distinct pattern. There was a constant ebb and flow of popular theories. The all-interval crew would take precedence and then the higher mileage method would come back in style a decade or so later. This swinging of the pendulum back and…
Read MoreInformation gathering-BS Detection and Big Words Syndrome
When I first got interested in learning more about coaching and the science behind it, one of my mentors, Tom Tellez, told me about the process of learning. When you are new to a particular topic, everything seems intriguing and complex. You don’t have a built in filter, as you don’t know what is right,…
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