Perfecting the pre-race taper with HRV
Do you KNOW how to get that taper just right? Too little and your adrenal system won’t be ready on race day, too much risks fatigue.
HRV and Understanding Illness
Using ithlete to measure HRV and predict or understand illness and guide a return to training by Janet Birkmyre I suppose that most of us will have thought a little more about the effects of viral infection on our health and training over the past couple of years,...Understanding your Acute to Chronic Training Load Ratio
Guiding your training load with the acute to chronic training load ratio is a great way to avoid over/under training and minimise the risk of injury. Using ithlete Pro automates this process for you, delivering easy-to-follow colour-coded guidance.
Data informing the training process – but don’t forget the context!
Long time ithlete user Coach Chris Kilmurray recently shared these insights on Twitter. This is an excellent example of how many coaches use ithlete as an overview of how the athlete is coping with training and other stresses and then as a tool to dig deeper when needed.
Overreaching in trained cyclists – Update Spring 2019
How two different approaches to training camps in quick succession drove results, impacted wellness and how all of this is shown in HRV.
5 tips for training in summer
Follow these 5 simple summer training tips to keep your workouts on track during the warmer weather.
5 tips for managing your taper using Heart Rate Variability (HRV)
You’ve done the training and logged the miles – so how do you ensure your taper is on track to deliver the best possible performance on the big day?
Better is Better
Like so many coaches out there, I’ve coached a fair share of athletes who subscribe to the “more is better” mindset. Over my years in the endurance world, I’ve definitely learned to subscribe to the “more is not better; better is better” philosophy. Why? Because...HRV guides trained cyclists to new performance highs
Who, what & why In a previous post we covered studies that show using HRV to be significantly better than a standard training program in improving the performance of club and recreational runners. Now, a new study by researchers from the Universities of Alicante...Periodisation – is there a more modern approach?
Periodisation refers to the alternation of loading and de-loading phases within training, balanced with periods of recovery in order to produce supercompensation – the magic by which the athlete’s performance improves.
Notes from a high-volume cycling training camp
Simon Wegerif shares his experience and tips following this years week long cycling training camp in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The excellent paved roads extending from sea level to the main crater of Mt Teide at 2100m give continuous climbs of 18 – 48 km i.e. some of the longest in Europe.
HRV: It knows me better than I know myself
By Coach Laura Henry I started taking daily Heart Rate Variability (HRV) readings last February when my coaching company, Team MPI, partnered with ithlete. I hadn’t ever heard of HRV before, and I was curious to see what it was about. I was interested in learning...How to use HRV for marathon training
The build-up to a marathon is a big commitment. Most people train for 12-15 weeks (3 months). Generally, training plans suggest you should be running 5 times each week with 2 rest days spaced between. But how do you schedule these runs and rest days for optimum benefit?
Acute to Chronic Training Load ratio. What does it mean and how is it useful?
Coaches often talk about the importance of not increasing your training volume too quickly. For example many running coaches say not to increase your mileage by more than 10% per week to reduce the chances of overuse injuries. But now there is a more scientific and personalised formula – and it’s easy to use too!
How does HIIT make you fitter? And how intense does it need to be?
Interval exercise typically involves repeated bouts of intense exercise followed by short periods of recovery. This method is commonly divided into high-intensity interval training (HIIT; ‘near maximal’ efforts of 85-95% max heart rate) and sprint interval training...HRV guides recreational runners to faster 5k
What is really remarkable about this study is that those following HRV guided training time showed greater 5k performance improvement over their control group counterparts every time!
How exactly do different types of exercise make you fitter and stronger?
We know that you can use a number of different modes of exercise to improve strength and fitness. But what mechanisms each works by has not been completely understood and communicated, nor has whether these effects change with age.
How Team MPI is identifying larger trends with ithlete
by Mark Sortino Although I have been using ithlete with athletes for well over a year, I was excited to introduce it to our entire coaching staff and athletes at Team MPI with a multi-year Partnership between Team MPI and ithlete. This convinced an athlete I had...Ironman Training utilizing HIT as a primary training tool
A member of my training group just finished his first Ironman™ in 12:31 (1:18 swim, 5:51 bike and 4:59 on run) and his training was unique for an event this long. His program schedule may be of interest mainly because it was based on a much higher percentage of short session, high-intensity cardiovascular intervals combined with heavy strength training.
HIIT for recreational runners – does it work?
Is HIIT a better use of your precious training time than longer sessions of continuous running? An important question for runners is ‘am I more likely to get injured with one type or the other?’
Training for recovery following cancer diagnosis
My journey to ithlete was in an effort to master this climb and be fresh for the descent that followed. To improve as I got older. To expand on the base I had built for my recovery. Recovery from treatment for cancer.
Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – November
The 1st October was the start of a progressive training plan to lead me up to a few events next year…
Why does it remain so difficult to recover? Introduction
Full time Sprint Swimmer Georgina Gardner Stockley introduces her upcoming blog series ‘Why does it remain so difficult to recover?’
Athletes: Fit but unhealthy?
Prof Paul Laursen & Dr Phil Maffetone have consistently preached the message that elite level performance needn’t be at the cost of your long term health. Their recent opinion piece highlighting why is summarised here.
Garmin and ithlete Pro; Bringing Together Training and Recovery
Garmin and ithlete Pro Garmin are regarded by many endurance athletes as the ‘go-to’ devices for monitoring and logging their workouts and everyday activities. As well as providing stats during the workout your training data is synced to Garmin Connect to view more...Success as an athlete depends on managing injury and illness
The Australian Institute of Sport monitored 33 international track and field athletes across 5 seasons. They found injury and illness were major factors for success.
A Daily Training Cycle
Andrew Tamplin has created and shared a great infographic giving us an insight in to his daily training cycle and decision making process.
‘The morning recovery test effects all other aspects of the daily cycle, the simple fact is that if you are not recovered sufficiently from your previous workout, work or other life stress then you are not going to be training effectively.’
Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – July
End of June is a scheduled recovery week, so not much during the week other than a 75 minute tempo ride on the 30th. Then on the weekend 2nd July was a group ride 2 hrs 30 mins, 56% in heart rate zone 2 and 38% in zone 3. On the 3rd it was Hill repeats at...Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – May
This month see’s Andy and his team take on the much anticipated 300 mile Charity Ride!
Training for the Mallorca 312. The final month.
I have now begun my taper, with just a week to go before the 312km event in Mallorca next Saturday. I’m already in the centre zone of the Pro Training Guide, and expect to move rightwards during the week as my recovery continues to improve.
Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – March
Hopefully this is a sign of improved fitness and my body getting used to the increasing workload, adaptation, and therefore recovering quicker.
How a coach can use HRV in the build up to elite sprint swimming competition
This post covers two 15 week training cycles of a 22 year old, female, short sprint (50m) swimmer leading up to a weekend of competition. The athlete has been training seriously for four years.
MAF training with Dr Phil Maffetone
In this second interview between Simon Wegerif and Dr Phil Maffetone they cover the MAF method. Including how this training method can improve performance, fat burning efficiency and your heart rate variability (HRV).
Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – Febuary
Training weeks 5 through to 7 incorporate a number of group training sessions ahead of a scheduled rest week starting late February. How will this effect the HRV? Read on to find out.
Preparing for the longest ride…
By Simon Wegerif Every year I have to do something that tests the limits of my endurance. Two years ago it was the Haute Route challenge of cycling from Geneva to Nice in 6 timed stages across the Alps, and last year it was the Etape TdF stage with 4500m of climbing...Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – January
The start of the year sees a return to a training plan. 4th Jan was the first session, which was endurance based with 2 x 10min tempo included, 60 mins, repeated on the 6th (although this suggested HIIT, I stayed with the schedule). 8th Jan strayed from the plan when...5 Benefits of High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT)
With the festive period now over, it’s definitely time to dust off your training kit and get back to it! To help you out, we’ve put together some of the top benefits of high-intensity interval training (HIIT) for those of you looking to mix up your training regime for...Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – November
The week below was a scheduled recovery week in the periodised routine. However the first part of the week suggested I could do more than the 1-hour recovery session on 27th and a lower endurance session with 2 x 10min tempo on the 29th, but I stuck with it. My...Infographic: Levels of Training
Our latest Infographic focuses on the three different levels of endurance training and how your HRV responds to each training level
Training Blog: Brian Schwind- August
In his latest training blog, Brian Schwind takes on the Steelman Olympic Triathlon in what was a month full of mixed emotions for Brian.
Infographic: HRV Predicting Soccer Performance
Here is a more visual summary of the excellent recent research by Andrew Flatt and Dr Mike Esco looking at heart rate variability (HRV) being used to predict performance in collegiate women’s soccer players.Training Blog: Andy Dolphin – June
June saw Andy Dolphin dealing with a cold, 3 goal event with each spaced 2 weeks apart and handling back-to-back tapering!
Training Blog: Brian Schwind – June
After 6 long months the time to taper for Ironman Coeur d’Allene 2015 has finally arrived for Brian Schwind.