Helping endurance athletes stay current on the science and art of training
This is a topic I talk with athletes about frequently. I try to make the point that easy workouts are not only beneficial for you as an athlete but also necessary for both performance and healthspan the absence of chronic disease and disability. From a performance perspective, most athletes believe they must push themselves [ ] The post How Intensely Should You Train? appeared first on Joe Friel .
High-Performance Cyclist The Complete Training Manual Joe Friel Bloombury Sport Paperback 9781399418508: £22 Take your training to the next level and find your peak performance with High-Performance Cyclist by Joe Friel, a legend in endurance sport coaching and the bestselling author of some of the world s most celebrated cycling manuals. This is the ultimate [ ] The post High-Performance Cyclist…
After years of research, sports science updates, and coaching, I’ve completely updated my comprehensive training guide, The Triathlete’s Training Bible, in a new fifth edition. Available this January, you can order now to get yourself ready for spring training and race preparation. The new 5th edition has been updated to include: A whole new intensity [ ] The post New Edition of The Triathlete’s…
Success Based on Others Several years ago I coached an athlete who got on the podium in all three of his major races by the end of our first season together. It was quite an impressive accomplishment. But in talking with him the day after that last race of the season, it was obvious he [ ] The post Competition and Athletic Success appeared first on Joe Friel .
Thoughts on Training #6 was about having an annual plan for your training. A carefully considered plan promotes motivation, persistence, patience, and consistent training. At the heart of successful training is knowing where you want to go and how you’ll get there. Little Things That Get in the Way of Training What are some of [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #7: Little Things in Sport appeared…
In Thoughts on Training #5 I looked at motivation and how it ebbs and flows for everyone. Some days you’re motivated to train and some days you aren’t. It’s those low motivation days that often need addressing. External motivators, like bringing on a coach or a training partner, almost always get you out the door. [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #6: Plan for Success appeared first on Joe Friel .
In Thoughts on Training #4 I mentioned the role of persistence and patience in training. Persistence is all about the unrelenting drive to accomplish an achievable goal. Nose to the grindstone. Daily reporting to a blue-collar job. That’s persistence. Patience has to do with faith—faith in your training. Measurable fitness changes don’t happen overnight. It [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #5:…
In Thoughts on Training #3 I wrote about the biggest obstacle many self-coached athletes experience—inconsistent training, or frequently missed workouts. There is a fix for this, but it’s hard to identify and even harder to incorporate. Why are you missing two or more workouts in most weeks? It could be lifestyle. Or motivation. Or responsibilities. [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #4:…
In Thoughts on Training #2 I wrote about your performance limiters – those weaknesses that are diminishing your race performance. Now I want to write briefly about the biggest limiter of all for most athletes. Limiters Are Not Always Physical But, first, understand that limiters are not always about your physiology. There are many other [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #3: Consistency Is Key…
In my previous post, Random Thoughts on Training, I wrote about one of the common mistakes of self-coached endurance athletes – training too hard. By this I mean too much zone 3 and too many moderate-to-hard workouts in a week. Now I will make brief comments on what your training should primarily focus on – [ ] The post Thoughts on Training #2: Limiters and Acts of Faith appeared first on Joe…
In the next few weeks I’ll drop a few fairly brief comments here about things that go through my head on training. One of the things I like about coaching, and sport in general, is that things are always changing, usually for the better. That’s good. If we never considered new ways of doing things [ ] The post Random Thoughts on Training appeared first on Joe Friel .
It’s not unusual for an athlete to set a high goal for a season, one that stretches them to their limits but is achievable. And then not pull it off. It’s depressing. This can happen too often. If you have had such unaccomplished goals in past seasons, your failure is usually one of two things: [ ] The post Too Much in Your Life? appeared first on Joe Friel .
I tend to make things more complicated than they need to be. You probably know that if you’ve read any of my books. That point was driven home to me this week when I reached out to Andy Kirkland, PhD a lecturer at the University of Stirling in Scotland (MSc Sport Performance Coaching). I’ll explain [ ] The post K.I.S.S. appeared first on Joe Friel .
Featured Senior Athlete: Bob Scott I have many role models. They are people I look up to for a several reasons. They’re inspirational. All have similar characteristics including friendliness, positivity, happiness, humility, honesty, and more. In fact, I tend to avoid people who don’t have these qualities to at least some extent. I’m always looking [ ] The post Fast After 60? 70? Part 8 appeared…
Featured Senior Athlete: The Iron Nun Sister Madonna Buder (picture below), often referred to as the “Iron Nun,” is the oldest woman to ever finish an Ironman© triathlon (the oldest man is Hiromu Inada at age 85 in 2018 in Kona, Hawaii in 16:53:49). In 2014, at age 82, Sister Madonna crossed the finish line [ ] The post Fast After…60? …70? Part 7 appeared first on Joe Friel .
Another Amazing Senior Athlete Ed Whitlock (pictured below) was the first over-70 runner to break 3 hours for the marathon. At age 73 the Canadian, who was born and grew up in the UK, ran a 2:59:10. Later he broke that 70-74 age group record with a time of 2:54:48. At age 85, he set [ ] The post Fast After…60? …70? Part 6 appeared first on Joe Friel .
Intro In August of 2013, just days after her 64th birthday, Diana Nyad became the first person to swim from Cuba to Florida without a shark cage. The picture below shows her (in the red circle) beside her support boat. The 110-mile swim was her fifth attempt at the crossing since 2011. The previous attempts [ ] The post Fast After…60? …70? Part 5 appeared first on Joe Friel .
This is the fourth part of an 8-part series. Introduction In the last two decades of my life I’ve developed a lot of respect for senior and super-senior athletes. There are some highly motivated and talented older people who are quite active and successful in their own unique ways. Over the next few posts I’ll [ ] The post Fast After…60?…70? Part 4 appeared first on Joe Friel .
This is the third part of an 8-part series. Introduction: Range of Motion and Joint Mobility In Part 2 I wrote about the importance of strength training as you move into your 60s and 70s and why this is more critical now than at any other age in your life. But keep in mind that [ ] The post Fast After…60?…70? Part 3 appeared first on Joe Friel .
This is the second part of an 8-part series. Introduction: Strength Training for Senior Athletes Last week I posted Part 1 of Fast After…60?…70? In that piece I explained the advantages of cross-training for athletes in their 60s and 70s. One of those advantages is that cross-training allows you to maintain your aerobic fitness. Days [ ] The post Fast After…60?…70? Part 2 appeared first on Joe…
This is the first online article of an 8-part series. Introduction: Staying Fast As a Senior Athlete About the time I turned 70, nearly a decade ago now, it dawned on me that there were very few books focused on senior athletes—those in their 60s and 70s. And since I had just come through the [ ] The post Fast After…60?…70? Part 1 appeared first on Joe Friel .
A friend who I haven’t seen in many years left a long and somewhat sad phone message for me a few days ago. He described how his training has not been going well recently due to recovery from spinal surgery. Hills and group rides showed he was well below where he had been before the [ ] The post Return to Training After Surgery: Patience and Persistence appeared first on Joe Friel .
The following is a brief email conversation I recently had with a concerned father of a competitive high school athlete. Both the father’s and my emails have been lightly edited. A Concerned Father’s Questions: I am a retired triathlete who has trained using Coach Friel s techniques during my best years. I m looking for something unusual in [ ] The post Questions from a Father of a High School…
An Athlete with a Higher HR Than Normal Last week I received this question on Twitter: When doing z2 power (ex: 160w) but HR is a little higher than normal, should I reduce the power to lower HR or is that not necessary? Like in heat conditions, after a week with less training than normal [ ] The post Twitter Question about High Heart Rate appeared first on Joe Friel .