TrainingPeaks CoachCast TrainingPeaks

Explore insights from top coaches Ryan Bolton and Erin Carson on preparing U.S.A. triathletes for the 2024 Olympic Triathlon competitions and, in one instance, the individual time trial in cycling, through coaching collaboration and training techniques.
In this episode, Ryan Bolton and Erin Carson discuss the details of preparing athletes for the 2024 U.S. Olympic Triathlon team in Paris. Ryan Bolton, Director of High Performance for U.S.A. Triathlon and owner and founder of BEST Coaching brings extensive experience as an Olympian for the 2000 games and coaching top-tier athletes, including 2024 Olympian Morgan Pearson. Erin Carson, a renowned strength coach and head coach at ECFIT Performance Strength, shares her unique perspectives on optimizing athletes' physical and mental resilience, including Taylor Knibb.
The coaches also break down the elements that separate Olympic athletes from other elite athletes, the explosiveness of modern triathlon races and the resources Team U.S.A. is deploying for this year's competitions to aim for the best results.

Learn more about TrainingPeaks and how it can improve your endurance sport performance at trainingpeaks.com.

In this special episode for the Tour de France, Iñigo San Millán, a performance coach for UAE Team Emirates, shares his expertise on how race-day nutrition is meticulously planned and adjusted using race data from TrainingPeaks.
We'll discuss the critical differences in fueling demands for various stages of the Tour, the importance of individualized nutrition strategies, and why maintaining weight and muscle health is crucial for rider performance. From pre-race breakfasts to post-race recovery with tart cherry juice, this episode is packed with pro-level insights that even amateur athletes can leverage.

Learn more about TrainingPeaks and how it can improve your endurance sport performance.

In this special episode, we explore the insights of Amine Issa, Ph.D., on the intersection of gaming and numerous disciplines, such as esports, Formula 1, and even the military. Amine has spent 25 years obsessively playing video games and even competed professionally.
He spent five years researching the extremes of human performance at the Mayo Clinic. His findings help develop new technology and techniques to assess human-integrated physiology, specifically in mobile health and remote monitoring.
In studying performance optimization in athletic, military and esports fields, he has discovered a clear overlap between esports athletes and traditional performers and how gaming skills can translate to broader contexts. He discusses the value of "range" and mental strategies in gaming and highlights the evolving roles of coaching, sports psychology and fitness within the esports industry. Whether you're a coach, gamer, or just curious about the intersection of gaming and performance, this unique episode will open your mind to new concepts.
Amine is now the founder and CEO of Mobalytics, a gaming performance assessment and optimization platform. They aim to help all competitive gamers learn from their data to make meaningful improvements — not dissimilar to endurance athletes using data for better performance.

This interview was conducted at a TrainingPeaks All-Staff, where we regularly gather and learn from experts in fields other than endurance athletics. 
Learn more about TrainingPeaks and how it can improve your endurance sport performance.

In this episode, we sit down with John Wakefield, the managing director of Science to Sport and performance coach with the Bora-hansgrohe World Tour cycling team. John, from Cape Town, South Africa, shares his insights from years of coaching and an advanced training facility in Girona, Spain. Understand why recovery is the key to progression and how ignoring it can impede an athlete's performance, no matter their level.
John believes recovery is the critical element in athlete training. He shares details about a routine 'sub-max test' he utilizes with his athletes, whether pro or amateur. He can document progression and shape optimal training by using power and heart rate data in concert with subjective feedback from an athlete on wellness factors like sleep, stress, and mood.
Recovery isn't just about easy days or days off. John breaks down other factors to consider in recovery protocols, like stretching, nutrition, massage, and mindfulness, to fulfill the "Three Rs:" refuel, rebuild and rehydrate. He also takes us inside a team bus to learn some of the cyclists' critical recovery strategies while competing in a Grand Tour. 

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Björn Geesman is a German-based sports scientist and coach. He is also the CEO of HYCYS coaching company and co-founder of power & pace. He works with pro triathletes Patrick Lange and Kat Matthews, among other big names in endurance sports. 
In this episode, Dirk and Björn dive into everything from wind tunnel testing tunnels and bike selection based on data to the importance of sports psychology to his potentially controversial approach to the "long run" — even at the professional levels of sport. He also explains how the science and data learnings from pros can relate to athletes competing in age group races and events. Yet, reminding us all that it's essential not to get lost in excessive analysis but to focus on impactful training. 

Dr. Will O'Connor takes us through the nuances of using running power in training. Will and Dirk get into the scientific side of power meters, discuss the accuracy and data consistency from devices like Stryd and other wearables, and learn how to use critical power zones to break down the metabolic costs of running variable terrain. Will also touches on some of the lessons in his Fundamentals of Running Power TrainingPeaks University course.
Will is a running scientist and former triathlete based in New Zealand. He drew on his background in organic chemistry to complete a Ph.D. in Sport & Exercise Science from Massey University, where his research investigated metabolic flexibility and ketogenic diets in ultra-endurance performance. Will competes at the elite level in ultrarunning events — he's used a run power meter since day one — and is a coach and host of the "Running with Dr Will" podcast.