Training Science Podcast

Does strength training make runners more durable? In Dr Michele Zanini's randomised trial, ten weeks of heavy strength and plyometric work twice a week improved running economy at the 90-minute mark and raised time to exhaustion at 95% VO2max by 35%, with no change in the control group. Michele is a lecturer in applied exercise science at The Open University, a visiting research fellow at Loughborough University, and strength and conditioning coach and physiologist to the Italian Triathlon Fe...

Ten years ago Dan Plews and I did ten-minute geek-outs on Bevan McKinnon’s Fitter Radio as Plews and Prof. Back then we were the two guys drinking ketone ester out of a bottle marked “not for human consumption.” This week we got the band back together. Dan is the Kona age-group record holder, now chasing a HYROX Worlds podium, Science Lead at Pillar Performance, lead author on the Sports Medicine paper Fuelled or Fooled, and co-author of the new HRV book with Marco Altini, Sylvain Laborde and...

What separates a good coach from a great one? Sometimes, it comes down to the words they use, the systems they build, and their ability to connect with athletes. In this episode, Dr Nick Winkelman joins us to reflect on his journey from helping develop EXOS into a globally recognized coaching education platform to leading athletic performance within Irish Rugby. Nick shares how the EXOS training philosophy helped reshape approaches to movement preparation, why effective performance systems ...

What does it actually take to become a faster HYROX athlete? Dr Charlie Davids joins us to explore the physiological demands of HYROX, combining his research in muscle physiology and strength training with his own experience competing in the sport. The conversation examines why aerobic capacity provides the foundation for HYROX performance, how lactate threshold and critical speed influence race pacing, and why muscular endurance may become more important than maximal strength once athletes r...

Developing a footballer is about more than preparing them for the next match. It means understanding what that individual player needs to keep training, developing, and ultimately reach their potential. Mattia Modonutti joins us to share his approach to player development and performance within elite football. Rather than treating performance as a collection of separate disciplines and datasets, Mattia explains why the real value comes from getting coaches, strength and conditioning staff, n...