PEAK PERFORMANCE IS NOW...
What you do between work intervals can be as important as the work itself You’re doing some tough intervals in the pool, on your bike, or at the track, and after each one you’re gasping for oxygen and hoping that the pain in your muscles will subside soon. You’ve read that it’s best to exercise... MORE
If you’re a regular reader of PP, you know that we continually extol the merits of high-intensity – rather than high-volume – training. That recommendation makes sense, for the following reasons: 1) Scientific research consistently identifies intensity, rather than volume or frequency of training, as the most potent producer of fitness. What the people in... MORE
This New Zealand research shows why it makes sense to boost your lactate threshold running speed Okay, everybody knows by now that lactate-threshold running velocity (LTRV) is a great predictor of performance prowess in endurance events like the 10K and marathon. After all, LTRV, which is simply the running speed above which large amounts of... MORE
If you want to improve your performance times, turn up the intensity and turn down the volume When it comes right down to it, there are just three basic ways to make your training more difficult: you can increase your volume (the total distance you cover per workout), your frequency (the number of workouts you... MORE
Time-efficient strength and endurance workout Article at a glance The factors that contribute to a ‘time-efficient’ workout are discussed; Recent research on the optimum work and rest periods for maximising interval training performance is outlined; The effectiveness or otherwise of combining strength and endurance is discussed, and training strategies are considered. We may be living... MORE
Muscles and muscle fibre There are more than 250 million muscle fibres in our bodies, and more than 430 muscles that we can voluntarily control. Muscle fibres are bundles of cells, held together by collagen (connective tissue). Each fibre consists of a membrane, numerous nuclei and thousands of myofibrils (inner strands) that run the length... MORE
Interval training improves anaerobic power and sprinting ability in road cycling Article at a glance: In competitive road cycling, relatively little attention has been paid to the anaerobic capabilities of cyclists. Riding in a pack has been shown to reduce energy cost by as much as 39 per cent at a given speed when compared... MORE
Weight training for genuine strength and power gains Article at a glance: The differing types of strength are outlined and commonly used strength training systems identified; The role of training intensity in building muscle mass is discussed and the link between lactate production and generating intensity is explained; The relationship between building muscle mass and optimum... MORE
In recent years, there’s been a torrent of research showing that adding some high-intensity training (for example high-intensity intervals) to an endurance-based training programme produces big gains in performance. What’s less clear, however, is the best way to structure this high-intensity training. For example, how hard should each interval be, how long, how many repetitions and how many sessions per week... MORE
South African coach Abrie de Swardt has come up with some excellent tips for hill training in a recent issue of The Coach. Hill training, as you may be aware, offers the following benefits: helps develop power and muscle elasticity; improves stride frequency and length; develops co-ordination, encouraging the proper use of arms during the... MORE
The latest triathlon research and best practice findings, covering improving technique, strength and conditioning, and endurance nutrition
The latest findings from running science with practical advice showing you how you can run further and faster whilst staying in peak health
