News from the ARX-sponsored Timex Multisport Team

Last month the 9th annual Timex Multisport Team Camp kicked off its biggest weekend ever at the Timex Performance Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey—headquarters and training facility of the New York Football Giants. The nearly 50 triathletes that make up the ARX-sponsored Timex Multisport Team got the unique opportunity to compare and contrast (mostly contrast) training techniques and strategies with NFL players. The 2010 Timex Team is the largest ever assembled, including 14 international athletes.

Over the weekend, the triathletes mingled with some of the New York Giants and took part in a variety of workshops and seminars, including a range of fitness assessments. Professionals from Targetraining in Westport, CT, for example, brought their high-tech equipment to the Timex Performance Center and performed a VO2 Max test on each of the athletes, which assesses the maximum capacity of an individual’s body to transport and utilize oxygen during exercise—a direct reflection of a person’s physical fitness.

This successful weekend event helped energize the upcoming year for the Timex Multisport Team, and all of us here at Faster Tomorrow are expecting spectacular results from the athletes during the upcoming 2010 season. We are also looking forward to hearing more from the members of Team Timex concerning their experience using the all-natural muscle recovery and endurance supplement ARX. Many of the triathletes have been taking ARX regularly, and we’ve been getting a lot of positive feedback from them. Here are just a few examples of how ARX has helped these stellar athletes increase their endurance, speed muscle recovery, and ultimately achieve peak performance:

“I’ve been using ARX on a daily basis since March of last year. I feel like I am able to recover better and train at a higher level since I started using the product.”—Chris Thomas, triathlete, Timex Multisport Team

“Since using ARX I have noticed faster recovery and increased performances, just within the last few months!”—Janelle Morrison, professional triathlete, Timex Multisport Team

“ARX is not like an energy gel or energy drink that licks in and gives you an instant boost; rather, after a few weeks of use, I did, in fact, find that I was simply experiencing more quality, stronger workouts more consecutively.”—Barry Siff, triathlete, Timex Multisport Team

“Since I started taking ARX, I have been able to recover much quicker between workouts, allowing me to knock out high intensity workouts day after day without spending all day like a roaming zombie.”—Andrew Hodges, professional triathlete, Timex Multisport Team

“I truly feel ARX has given me that extra boost of energy and stamina in both my training and racing. Although you don’t feel the effects right away, it’s very apparent over time. I LOVE IT!”—Erin Krummer, professional XTERRA triathlete, Timex Multisport Team

Details from a new study linking this compound with muscle recovery

L-carnitine is a natural compound comprised of the amino acids lysine and methionine. Its primary function in the body is to transport fatty acids across cell membranes so that they can be metabolized in the mitochondria. Some endurance athletes supplement with l-carnitine in the belief that it increases the body’s fat-burning efficiency during exercise. Unfortunately, studies have repeatedly shown that l-carnitine supplementation has no effect on fat utilization either at rest or during exercise and no effect on endurance performance. While l-carnitine is essential for fat utilization during exercise, it appears that athletes get as much as they need in the diet (mostly by eating meat) and that supplementation offers no additional benefit.

New Research on Muscle Recovery

A study conducted recently at the University of Connecticut, however, suggests another possible benefit of l-carnitine supplementation: enhanced post-exercise muscle recovery. Eighteen men and women received either a daily l-carnitine supplement or placebo for three weeks, then performed a single weightlifting workout. After a one-week “washout” period, the entire protocol was repeated, with the subjects who received the placebo the first time getting the supplement the second time.

The researchers found that biomarkers of muscle stress were significantly reduced after the weightlifting session when preceded by three weeks of l-carnitine supplementation. The study’s authors concluded, “These findings support our previous findings of l-carnitine in younger people that such supplementation can reduce chemical damage to tissues after exercise and optimize the processes of muscle tissue repair and remodeling.”

A Closer Look

But here’s what those in half-marathon training, marathon training, and triathlon training really need to know about this study: L-carnitine supplementation made no difference in how quickly muscle strength and power were restored after the workout. Since the whole point of accelerating muscle recovery through supplementation is to hasten the restoration of muscle function specifically, these results offer little cause for excitement.

It is also worth mentioning that the participants in this study were non-athletes. Supplements that are found to have physiological effects in non-athletes often have no effects in athletes, because training has the same effects as the supplements.

The Bottom Line

So while l-carnitine supplementation is safe, it seems to be useless in terms of enhancing endurance sports performance. If the results of the University of Connecticut study are enough to make you curious, however, you can find l-carnitine supplements in both pill and liquid forms at most supplement retail stores. Typical recommended dosages are 1 to 2 grams daily.

Endurance sports nutrition advice to help you fend off injuries

No matter how good your half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training makes you feel, it still increases your risk of injury. But by ensuring that your endurance sports nutrition plan includes enough calories on a daily basis, you can help keep injuries at bay. That’s because, as it turns out, the worst nutritional mistake you can make with regard to injury prevention is to eat too few calories. When your body doesn’t get enough calories to meet all of its tissue maintenance and energy needs, it will enter a catabolic state—which means your muscles begin eating themselves. Consequently, catabolism compromises your body’s ability to repair tissue damage incurred during workouts, which slows muscle recovery and increases your risk of injury.

How do you know if you’re eating enough? No need to obsessively count calories. Instead, monitor your workout performance, your body weight, and your body composition. When you’re not eating enough, the first indication is likely to be a decline in your workout performance. And when you’re in a catabolic state, your body weight will go down while your body-fat percentage remains the same, indicating that you’re losing muscle, not fat.

A brief update on my triathlon training for the 2010 season

Twenty Ten is well under way. It feels like Christmas was just last week, but we are already at the start of March and I am lining up this weekend for my first Ironman of the year: Ironman New Zealand, down in Taupo.

The start of this year has been hectic. First Kelly and I moved into a place for the summer. Then we went to Melbourne to film a K-Swiss advertisement and to watch the start of the Aussie Open—which was awesome. Finally, we took a quick trip down to Christchurch last weekend for a wedding. On top of it all, there was the change of bike sponsors to American-based Felt Bicycles (www.feltbicycles.com). The change is proving to be awesome. Felt is a great company to deal with and the bikes are super fast, super light, and freaking sexy. I can’t wait to unleash it this weekend in Taupo!

My triathlon training in preparation for Ironman New Zealand has been going well. After a long six-week break at the end of the 2009 season, I had a slow start. My 8kgs of excess weight slowly started to come off, and then my fitness picked up quickly. I think I have timed things perfectly, because I am now in great form and feeling comfortable in all three disciplines. We have had three expeditions down to Taupo in the past two months to scout the course and practice getting close to what Ironman is going to feel like this weekend.

All in all, I am loving the taper—happy to ease up on the training and get all the sleep I can. My form is good, my weight is perfect, and my equipment is ready to function at 100%. Thanks to everyone who has been training with me over the past few months. Your company and motivation on those long days has been much appreciated.

You can follow updates during the race this Saturday, March 6, (Friday, March 5, in the US) at www.ironman.com. I will also try to do some Twitter updates (http://twitter.com/terenzo1) during the race so you can get a proper sense of how I am feeling. And here is an article from the Herald this past Sunday, in case you feel like doing more reading. I’ll be in touch after the race.

Tips on running downhill for those in 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training
 
The most famous feature of the Boston Marathon racecourse is Heartbreak Hill, a climb of 88 feet over 0.6 miles that begins just past the 20-mile mark of the race. (See my previous blog Time to Climb with tips on uphill training.) But the most challenging feature of the Boston course is probably its extensive downhill sections, including a 150-foot plummet in the first mile.

While running downhill generally feels easier and is less taxing on the metabolic and cardiovascular systems than level or uphill running, it subjects the tissues of the lower extremities to significantly more strain. This strain causes muscle damage, soreness, and neuromuscular fatigue that can cripple runners later in a run or race. Runners who enter races that have extensive downhill sections without including specific preparation for this challenge in their 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training seldom run as well as they hope to run.

The Downside of Downhills

The specific nature of the strain imposed by downhill running is called eccentric loading. An eccentric load occurs when an outside force tries to stretch a muscle as the muscle itself tries to resist that stretch by contracting. Eccentric loading takes place every time your foot makes contact with the ground when you run. The quadriceps muscles on the front of the thigh are subjected to the greatest eccentric loading. When your foot strikes the ground, impact forces try to make your knee buckle. Unconsciously, you contract your quadriceps to stabilize your knee and remain upright. But your knee does flex and your quads do stretch a bit when you land, so those muscles are essentially pulled in two directions simultaneously. This strain causes microscopic trauma to the muscle fibers. While eccentric loading occurs on all gradients, it is much greater when you are running downhill.

There are two consequences of the strain of running downhill. First, it limits performance and causes fatigue to occur more quickly in runners who are unaccustomed to downhill running. A recent French study found that runners were able to sustain 97 percent of their maximum 60-meter sprint speed in a set of 10 sprints on a neutral gradient, but only 95 percent of their maximum 60-meter sprint speed in a set of 10 sprints on a 4.7 percent downhill gradient. The reason appears to be that the greater eccentric loading associated with sprinting downhill triggered a protective neuromuscular inhibition—in other words, the brain refused to drive the muscles as hard as it could have to protect the legs from excessive strain.

The second consequence of the strain associated with running downhill is delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Indeed, when exercise physiologists wish to study exercise-induced muscle damage and DOMS, they almost always use downhill running to cause damage and soreness, because it does so more effectively than most other kinds of exercise.

Practice Makes Perfect

Fortunately, it’s been shown that including downhill running in your 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training will greatly increase both fatigue resistance and eccentric loading tolerance. In fact, a single downhill run that is extreme enough to cause significant soreness provides a protective effect that lasts up to two months.

But you need more than just one downhill workout to improve downhill running efficiency and to overcome the neuromuscular inhibition that limits downhill running performance. So, when preparing for Boston, or any downhill course, include downhill training in your weekly long run. Start with just a mile or so of downhill running in your first long run and include at least 10 total miles of downhill running in your “peak” long run two to three weeks before race day.

Finding routes that accommodate this type of training may be a challenge in itself. One option is to organize a point-to-point run that starts high and ends low. U.S. Olympian Rod DeHaven used to prop up the back end of a treadmill and run as long as 16 straight miles downhill while preparing for the 2001 Boston Marathon, in which he finished sixth in 2:12:41.

How to get the most out of your 10K training, marathon training, or triathlon training as you age

Sure, age is just a number. But as that number inches upward, typically so do your race times. That’s because the physiological processes of aging start to slow you down by reducing your aerobic capacity, muscle power, muscle recovery capabilities, and so forth.
 
You can, however, blunt the effects that aging has on endurance performance by tweaking your 10K training, marathon training, or triathlon training in little ways that most younger athletes simply don’t consider. Aging athletes, for example, should factor in a bit more time for strength training to promote strength maintenance, injury prevention, and optimal body composition. And while getting regular sports massages can help athletes of any age, older athletes in particular stand to benefit from them because they can help speed muscle recovery. Even eating right and supplementing with sports nutrition products such as ARX become more important as we age.

Younger endurance athletes tend not to do these little things, in part because their youth allows them to “get away with” inattention to general health, muscle recovery, and injury prevention. But the older we get, the less we can get away with. So start doing these little things today to gain a competitive advantage over those who don’t.

Advice for those in 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training

Slap, slap, slap, slap. If you’re a heavy heel striker, you’re probably familiar with this sound—since it likely accompanies every step you take as you run. That’s because heel strikers land each footfall hard on their heel, with their toes up and their foot out in front of their hips. The “slap” then follows as the forefoot smacks down onto the pavement a split-second later.

Landing heel first when you run is not only loud—it’s inefficient. It’s like driving your car with the emergency brake on. You essentially “brake” your stride momentarily with every heel strike. And since all that slap, slap, slapping adds up over the miles of your 10K training, half-marathon training, or marathon training, heavy heel strikers can be more prone to injury too.

The most efficient runners hit the ground at midfoot. And while not all heel strikers can transform themselves into midfoot strikers, many can. A good way to begin the change is to practice running with a slight forward lean—not from the waist but from the pelvis. In other words, tilt your whole body slightly forward as though you’re running downhill, but be sure to keep your spine and pelvis aligned. This will encourage you to plant your foot flat and underneath your hips, instead of toes-up and in front of your hips.

Hill workouts to enhance your cycling training, 10K training, marathon training, or triathlon training

Cycling and running uphill are different from cycling and running on the flats. Going uphill requires more strength, and the cost of carrying extra body weight is multiplied on climbs. That’s why there are climbing specialists in cycling and running—and those who dread hills.
 
Including some hill work in your cycling and running is essential preparation for climbing in races. It’s also a great fitness builder even if you never race on hilly routes. Here’s a quick overview of the various ways to incorporate hill work into your cycling training, 10K training, marathon training, or triathlon training.

Hills On the Bike

Short Climbs: One of the most painful, yet effective, cycling workouts is short hill climbs, which typically consist of repeated efforts of 30 seconds to 5 minutes uphill at a very high intensity. Very short hill climbs (30 seconds) are terrific power builders, while slightly longer climbs increase VO2max, strength, high-intensity fatigue resistance, and pain threshold.
 
Sample Short Climb Workout #1: Warm up with 10 to 20 minutes of easy spinning. Ride 10 x 1 minute hard uphill. Coast back down the hill for recovery. Cool down with 10 to 20 minutes of easy spinning.

Sample Short Climb Workout #2: Warm up with 10 to 20 minutes of easy spinning. Ride 5 x 3 minutes hard uphill. Coast back down the hill for recovery. Cool down with 10 to 20 minutes of easy spinning.

Long Climbs: Sustained climbs in training are good practice for sustained climbs in races and are also an effective way to work within the range of intensity that is generally associated with racing. You can perform multiple climbs of moderate duration (2 to 3 x 8 to 12 minutes) or, if you have a mountain handy in your area, one long climb all the way to the summit. Some cyclists even like to use a particular long climb as a fitness test, riding up it as fast as possible every once in a while to measure improvement.

Hilly Long Rides: Some of your weekend long rides should be done on the hilliest route you can find in your area. A 50-mile ride on a hilly route is far more taxing and provides a greater endurance-boosting stimulus than a ride of equal distance on the flats.

Hills On the Run

Hill Sprints: A true sprint is a very short, absolute top-end effort. Hill sprints have become popular among competitive runners in recent years as a specific strength and power builder. To do them, run 10 seconds all-out up a steep hill. Walk slowly back down to your starting point and repeat. If it’s been a while since you last sprinted, start by doing just one hill sprint immediately after finishing an easy run. This will “inoculate” your muscles and joints against pulls and strains. Wait three or four days, then do two sprints after an easy run. Gradually build up to 6 to 10 sprints twice a week.

Hill Repetitions: Hill repetitions are essentially speed intervals performed on a slope. Like speed intervals, hill repetitions increase VO2max, high-intensity fatigue resistance, and running economy, but they also build strength. As with short climbs on the bike, a variety of formats are possible. You can run really fast intervals lasting as little as 30 seconds, or three-minute intervals at something closer to a 5K race effort, or something in between.
 
Downhill Running: While cycling downhill is much easier than cycling uphill, running downhill is actually harder than running uphill because it subjects the body to more musculoskeletal strain. So adding some downhill running to your 10K training, half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training is a great way to increase your body’s tolerance for repetitive impact—as well as prepare you for the rigors of downhill racing. In my next post, I’ll give specific tips on how to incorporate downhill running into your training, so stay tuned.

An endurance sports nutrition recipe to help boost tomorrow’s workout

Last week, Matt Fitzgerald wrote about the importance of sleep for proper muscle recovery (check out his post Hit the Sheets). In a nutshell, your body rebuilds muscle tissues damaged during exercise and remodels muscle tissue in response to training while you sleep. And research has shown that if you have a protein-rich snack before going to bed, you can aid this muscle-recovery process even further—allowing you to wake up feeling ready for your next marathon training run or triathlon training workout. The following bedtime snack, created by Kimberly Day, a triathlete and Founder/Chief Decadence Officer of Decadent Health LLC (www.decadenthealth.com), contains the quality protein you need to help you repair and rebuild muscle as you sleep.

Just Peachy
Makes 1 serving

½ cup low-fat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons walnut pieces
¼ cup peaches, cubed

1. Place cottage cheese in a bowl.
2. Add walnuts and peaches.
3. Mix well before enjoying.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Calories 195, Total fat 10 g, Cholesterol 5 mg, Carbs 10 g, Fiber 2 g, Protein 18 g

Endurance sports nutrition advice on fueling your long workouts and races

During long marathon training runs or triathlon training rides you need to make like the Energizer Bunny and just keep going and going and going. And the best way to do that is to continually fuel yourself with specially formulated sports nutrition products such as sports drinks and energy bars, gels, and chews that contain carbs in rapidly metabolized forms to provide quick energy to the muscles during exercise.

But if you bolt down an energy bar just before your workout to top off your muscle glycogen stores, then guzzle sports drink and gobble energy gels and chews the whole time you are out on the road, you risk taking in too many carbs, which can cause gastrointestinal distress. So to keep your energy levels high without developing a stomachache, stick to an overall fueling schedule that has you consuming carbohydrate at a rate of 60 to 80 grams per hour from all sources—whether you decide, for example, to use energy chews alone or energy chews in combination with gels and/or a sports drink.

Sports nutrition advice for weight-conscious individuals in half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training

Every endurance athlete knows that body weight (as well as body composition, or body-fat percentage) affects endurance performance. It pays to be light and lean. Consequently, the average endurance athlete struggles to attain his or her optimal body weight just as much as the average non-athlete struggles to attain a healthy weight.

Non-athletes commonly diet, or reduce their food intake, to lose weight. For those in half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training, however, it’s often not so simple because endurance exercise places high energy demands on the body and reducing food intake can deprive the muscles of the energy they need for optimal performance and subsequent muscle recovery.

Short-Term Slim-Down Study

There is some new evidence, however, that endurance athletes can lose weight through dieting without sabotaging their training if they take a careful approach. In a 2009 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, scientists from George Washington University placed 10 competitive cyclists on a reduced-calorie diet (up to 40 percent) for three weeks and modified their training to include morning workouts in a fasted state (no breakfast). All of the subjects submitted to a variety of tests, including body composition and resting metabolic rate measurements and a performance test—both before and after the intervention.

The diet yielded no changes in fat burning during exercise, maximum power output on the bike, or power at VO2max. However, the cyclists’ rating of perceived exertion during two hours of submaximal exercise decreased (meaning the same effort felt easier) and their body composition and power-to-weight ratio improved significantly.

This study shows that endurance athletes can shed excess body fat relatively quickly and maintain their performance while on a fairly restrictive short-term diet. But there was no control group, so we can’t rule out the possibility that the diet prevented these cyclists from improving their power output and power at VO2max over the three-week study period.

The Diet’s Downside

I actually spoke with one of the participants in the study, who told me that the diet was not easy. He struggled with all-day hunger throughout it and went straight back to his normal eating habits as soon as the intervention was completed. So while the diet was effective in the short-term, it was not sustainable in the long-term. Undoubtedly, his performance and that of the other subjects would have begun to suffer if they had kept up caloric deficits of as much as 40 percent much longer than three weeks.

Other studies, involving athletes in weight-class sports such as rowing and wrestling, have shown that the severe dieting methods engaged in during the final weeks and days before competition do in fact sabotage performance. So there is clearly a limit to what we can get away with.

Developing a Smart Endurance Sports Nutrition Plan for Weight Loss

Based on the totality of available research, I believe that those in half-marathon training, marathon training, triathlon training, or any other type of endurance-sport training should generally try to lose excess body fat gradually through sustainable improvements in diet quality (get specific tips on how to do this in my earlier blog Weight Loss for Endurance Athletes) and sensible increases in training load whose primary intent is to boost fitness. Occasional efforts to lose weight more quickly are OK, but avoid cutting calories so much that your training suffers, keep these efforts relatively brief (2 to 4 weeks), and use them early in the training process, not close to races.

How adequate sleep can enhance your half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training

Nothing promotes muscle recovery—and full-body recovery—from the stress of exercise like good old-fashioned sleep. In fact, lack of adequate sleep is itself a stressor, so if you consistently under-sleep, you will not recover from your workouts as quickly and you will also be unable to handle as much marathon training or triathlon training as you could handle if you did sleep adequately.

Consider this: As few as four nights of partial sleep deprivation result in skyrocketing levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which inhibits muscle recovery and repair. In addition, research in non-athletes has shown that short-term partial sleep deprivation increases circulating levels of C-reactive protein, a biomarker of inflammation. Therefore, the muscle damage-related inflammation often caused by training is likely to be exacerbated by inadequate sleep.

Muscle Recovery Aside

The impact sleep has on athletic performance doesn’t stop with recovery. Insufficient sleep reduces the body’s ability to process glucose, and therefore to produce energy. Human growth hormone, the muscle-building hormone that plays the biggest role in rebuilding tissue after exercise, requires sleep for full activation, so the less sleep you get, the less muscle you wake up with. Sleep loss also weakens the immune system by reducing the activity of interleukins, molecules involved in signaling between cells of the immune system.
 
The latest neuroscience suggests that sleep even plays a crucial role in relation to motor skill refinements—such as those that make you a more efficient swimmer, cyclist, and runner. During sleep, the brain’s motor center appears to “practice” movements performed by the body during the day. So, in a sense, if you miss out on sleep, you miss out on some of your training.

The Pros and Pillow Time

Looking for real-world evidence that endurance training increases sleep needs? Take a poll and you’ll find that most elite endurance athletes sleep a lot. Marathoner Deena Kastor sleeps 10 hours a night and takes a two-hour nap every afternoon. Most amateur endurance athletes find that their sleep needs increase as their training load does. This may be because exercise causes the muscles to release particular cytokines that induce sleepiness and prolong sleep.

The effect of exercise on sleep needs, however, has been little researched. Some athletes go by propound rules of thumb, such as the suggestion that every mile a runner runs each week increases his sleep needs by 10 minutes per night. But there is no scientific basis for these formulas. They may be accurate for everyone, or just some people, or nobody. We just don’t know.

Snooze So You Don’t Lose

So how do you determine how much sleep is enough? Sleep experts believe that there is a high degree of variation in sleep needs between individuals. It’s best to sleep until you are “slept out,” regardless of how much time it takes. In other words, you should sleep long enough so that you awaken spontaneously in the morning and couldn’t sleep more if you tried. And you will probably find that it takes longer to sleep yourself out when your marathon training or triathlon training is in high gear. Quite simply: Trust your body and do as it tells you.

Endurance sports nutrition advice to help you meet your daily calorie and fluid requirements

It’s probably pretty obvious to you that your half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training ups your food and fluid needs. I know my hunger and thirst certainly increase in direct proportion to my mileage. But compared to your non-athletic friends, how much more food and drink do you really need? Check out the following, which provides a comparison of the approximate one-day calorie and water needs of a 150-pound person who does not exercise and a 150-pound person who completes one hour of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise in a warm (70 degrees) environment. (Note that hydration needs can be met through pure water, other drinks such as fruit juice, and water-containing foods.) This listing gives you a ballpark estimate of what your endurance sports nutrition plan should contain to keep you optimally fueled.

150-Pound Non-Athlete’s Daily Needs:
2,000 calories & 75 ounces of fluid

150-Pound Endurance Athlete’s Daily Needs:
2,775 calories & 87 ounces of fluid

How music can enhance your marathon training or triathlon training

A good song may alleviate the boredom of a long marathon training run, take the edge off your suffering during a hilly triathlon training ride, or add a layer of pure enjoyment to an intense weightlifting session. Especially in harder workouts, the right music almost seems to act like a performance-enhancing drug. But, of course, there’s no way something as intangible as a song could change your body’s physiological limits. Or could it?

Listen To The Studies

Research suggests that music really can boost athletic performance. For example, a 2009 study by researchers at Liverpool John Moores University in England looked at the effects of music of different tempos on stationary cycling performance. Twelve subjects rode bikes for 25 minutes at a self-selected intensity level on three separate occasions while listening to popular music. Without the subjects’ knowledge, the tempo of the music was manipulated so that it was normal in one workout, 10 percent faster than normal in another workout, and 10 percent slower than normal in the remaining workout.

The subjects’ average power output over the full 25 minutes was found to be 3.5 percent greater when the music tempo was increased. Their power dropped by 9.8 percent when the music was slowed down.

So clearly fast music is better for performance than slow music. But is music generally better than no music? Yes, according to a 2004 study done by researchers at England’s Lincoln University. Student volunteers completed a muscular endurance task (holding a weight as long as they could) while listening to self-selected “motivational music” and again while listening to white noise. The subjects were able to hold the weight significantly longer while listening to music.

Listen To Your Brain

So, how can mere sounds boost a person’s physical endurance? The answer to this question has to do with the brain’s role in physical performance. Exercise scientists used to believe that fatigue occurred when the muscles or cardiorespiratory system hit some kind of hard physiological limit. For example, the muscles became so acidic that they stopped working properly. It is now understood that such limits are never reached. Instead, the brain imposes fatigue before these limits are reached to protect the body from serious harm.

Because the brain essentially chooses to impose fatigue based on a prediction of where the body’s true physiological limits lie, the brain has some flexibility in setting performance limits. When an athlete is highly motivated, the brain will risk a bit more and allow the body to come a little closer to the point of self-harm in pursuit of better performance. All kinds of factors may influence an athlete’s level of motivation, and music appears to be one of them.
 
Listen To Some Music

You certainly don’t have to rely on music to motivate your best performance, and you probably shouldn’t rely on it too heavily in training, because you can’t legally race with headphones on. But if you feel that listening to your favorite songs gives you a boost during some of your marathon training runs or triathlon training workouts, it probably does. So, don’t stop the music. And if you’ve never tried training with music, maybe now is the time to finally invest in an iPod!

Shift your marathon training into high gear with this program for experienced runners

Many people run marathons just to complete the 26.2-mile distance—and good for them. The beginner marathon training plan I posted last week is perfect to accomplish this goal. But if you’ve already got a few marathons under your belt, and you now want to markedly improve your performance, check out the following advanced marathon training plan.

Our 20-week advanced marathon training plan includes one rest day and six runs per week. Details on the eight workout types featured in the program precede the schedule. And just in case you’d rather focus your energies on the half-marathon distance, take a look at our beginner half-marathon training plan or our advanced half-marathon training plan. Regardless of the race distance and training level you choose, best of luck!

Easy Run: Run at a steady, comfortable pace.

Uphill Sprints: Run a relaxed 10-second sprint up a steep hill, walk back down to your starting point, and repeat until you have completed the prescribed number of repetitions.
 
Fartlek Run: Run the designated distance at a comfortable, steady pace that is interrupted by periodic 30-second bursts at 5K race pace. Spread out the bursts enough so that you are always fully recovered from the last one before you start the next.

Long Run: Run the designated distance at a steady, comfortable pace.

Tempo Run: Run the tempo portion of your tempo runs at a “comfortably hard” intensity (which is usually between half-marathon and 10K race pace for most runners).

Interval Run: Perform these workouts on a 400-meter track, if possible, or a flat, smooth stretch of road.

Moderate Run: Run steadily at a pace that is roughly 20 seconds per mile faster than your normal easy run pace.

Goal-Pace Run: Run the goal-pace portion of your goal-pace runs at your targeted race pace for the upcoming event. For example, if your goal is to run a sub-4:00 marathon, then your goal pace is 9:09 per mile.

20-Week Advanced Marathon Training Plan

Week 1
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Wednesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Thursday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Friday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 3 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 5 miles 

Week 2
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 4 miles + 2 x 10-second Uphill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 5 miles easy with 4 x 30-second bursts @ 5k pace
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 6 miles

Week 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 4 miles + 3 x 10-second Uphill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 6 miles easy with 6 x 30-second bursts @ 5k pace
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 7 miles

Week 4
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 4 miles + 2 x 10-second Uphill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 4 miles easy with 6 x 30-second bursts @ 5k pace
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 9 miles

Week 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 6 miles + 3 x 10-second Uphill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 6 miles easy with 8 x 30-second bursts @ 5K pace
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 11 miles

Week 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Easy Run: 4 miles + 4 x 10-second Uphill Sprints
Wednesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 5 miles easy with 8 x 30-second bursts @ 5K pace
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 8 miles

Week 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Fartlek Run: 4 miles easy with 8 x 30-second bursts @ 5K pace
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 13 miles

Week 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 12 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 4 x 800 meters @ 5K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 15 miles

Week 9
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 15 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 5 x 800 meters @ 5K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 17 miles

Week 10
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Moderate Run: 5 miles
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Easy Run: 6 miles + 4 x 100-meter Uphill Sprints
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 12 miles

Week 11
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 16 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 6 x 800 meters @ 5K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 18 miles

Week 12
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 18 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 3 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 20 miles

Week 13
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 20 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 4 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Goal-Pace Run: 4 miles easy, 8 miles @ goal pace

Week 14
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Moderate Run: 5 miles
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Easy Run: 6 miles + 5 x 100-meter Uphill Sprints
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 22 miles

Week 15
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 24 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 4 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 7 miles
Sunday: Goal-Pace Run: 4 miles easy, 10 miles @ goal pace

Week 16
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 26 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 5 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 15 miles

Week 17
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Moderate Run: 5 miles
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Easy Run: 6 miles + 6 x 100-meter Uphill Sprints
Friday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Sunday: Goal-Pace Run: 4 miles easy, 12 miles @ goal pace

Week 18
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 30 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 6 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 22 miles

Week 19
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 20 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 5 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 6 miles
Saturday: Easy Run: 7 miles
Sunday: Long Run: 14 miles

Week 20
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Tempo Run: Run 10 minutes easy, 10 minutes @ Tempo, 10 minutes easy
Wednesday: Easy Run: 5 miles
Thursday: Interval Run: 1 mile easy, 2 x 1 mile @ 10K pace with 2-minute jog recoveries, 1 mile easy
Friday: Easy Run: 4 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon!

An endurance sports nutrition recipe to help you stay energized as the day draws on

It’s 3:00 in the afternoon, you’re sitting at your computer, and you’re having a hard time focusing on the task at hand. Did you overdo it during your morning marathon training run or triathlon training ride? Probably not. Since your brain runs on glucose from dietary carbohydrate, your mental fog is most likely a symptom of a dip in your blood glucose level. All that’s needed, therefore, to get your mind back on track is a timely dose of carbohydrate. But some carbs are better than others. The low-GI carbs in this healthy mid-afternoon snack, created by Kimberly Day, a triathlete and Founder/Chief Decadence Officer of Decadent Health LLC (www.decadenthealth.com), will fuel your brain longer than a sugary treat.

Energizing Trail Mix
Serving size: ¼ cup

2 cups raw almonds
1 cup raw walnuts
½ cup raw pumpkin seeds
½ cup raw sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon

1. Place all ingredients into a plastic bag, seal, and shake well to ensure cinnamon is evenly distributed.
2. Keep bag sealed and in refrigerator to prevent oxidation.

Nutritional Info (per serving): Calories 187, Total fat 16 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Carbs 7 g, Fiber 3 g, Protein 7 g

A sports nutrition technique to get the most out of your half-marathon training, marathon training, or triathlon training

There was a time when coaches withheld water from athletes during training to “toughen them up.” Now we know better. Allowing athletes to become dehydrated in training does nothing except harm their performance. There is, however, new evidence that the old-school logic of toughening up athletes through deprivation may be valid when applied to carbohydrate intake in training.

Recent studies indicate that while consuming carbohydrate during exercise does enhance immediate performance, it can also inhibit some of the body’s beneficial adaptations to training. By contrast, exercising in a carbohydrate-depleted state, which makes workouts tougher for the body, stimulates a stronger fitness-boosting physiological response.
 
Explaining This Sports Nutrition Finding

In a newly published study, researchers from McMaster University showed that, compared to exercise in a state of normal carbohydrate fueling, exercise in a carbohydrate-depleted state might increase the capacity of the muscle cells to burn fuels aerobically by boosting the production of mitochondria. The mitochondria are tiny organelles within muscle cells where aerobic metabolism occurs. Increased mitochondrial density is one of the most important performance-enhancing effects of aerobic exercise.

As part of this new study, ten men performed a workout consisting of 4 x 5 minutes at high intensity on stationary bikes. They completed this workout twice on the same day with three hours of recovery between sessions. One week later, this double-workout protocol was repeated. In the first trial, half the men were given a high carbohydrate drink after the morning workout, while the others were given a zero-calorie placebo drink that ensured the men were in a carbohydrate-depleted state for the second workout. In the second trial, the drinks were switched.

The authors of the study found increased levels of a compound known as p38 MAPK that is involved in mitochondrial biogenesis following the afternoon workouts that were performed in a carbohydrate-depleted state. This finding suggests that p38 MAPK is a nutrient-sensitive signaling molecule that is most active when exercise is performed in a carbohydrate-depleted state.

Further Sports Nutrition Evidence

Other research has shown that exercise in a carbohydrate-depleted state is beneficial in another way. Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is an immune system agent and large amounts of it are released into the bloodstream by the muscles and the brain during exercise. IL-6 is believed to facilitate many of the body’s post-workout fitness gains, ranging from increased fat burning capacity to greater resistance to muscle damage.

The primary trigger for IL-6 release during exercise is glycogen (i.e. muscle carbohydrate) depletion. So it follows that training in a glycogen-depleted state will tend to produce stronger training adaptations than training in a glycogen-replete state. Studies have shown that the muscles produce much less IL-6 when carbohydrate is consumed during exercise.

Incorporating Under-Fueling Into Your Endurance Sports Nutrition Plan

Despite the findings of these studies, it would be overreaching to conclude that athletes should consistently avoid consuming carbohydrate during and immediately after workouts. While intentional under-fueling may have the benefit of boosting the body’s fitness response to workouts, there are other benefits that come from consuming carbohydrate during and after workouts—namely, better performance and faster recovery. So, until more research is performed to determine the optimal balance of normally fueled and carbohydrate-depleted workouts, it is probably best only to pick certain workouts to perform in a carbohydrate-depleted state, either by not taking in carbohydrate during them or by not taking in carbohydrate immediately afterward, or both.

A simple program to get you started on your marathon training

If you’re looking to complete your first 26.2-miler, we’ve got the marathon training plan for you. Our beginner marathon training plan is 20 weeks long and includes four scheduled runs and two optional runs most weeks. While you can get fit enough to finish a marathon without doing the optional runs, keep in mind that daily exercise is required for optimal health, let alone optimal running performance. So do the optional runs or a cross-training activity such as bicycling if your schedule permits.

All of the runs in this beginner plan should be paced by feel. Try to complete each run at a steady, moderate pace. On days when you feel especially strong, feel free to run a little faster. On days when you feel flat, run as slow as necessary to feel at least somewhat comfortable.

Think you’re ready for an advanced marathon training plan? I’ll post one soon, so stay tuned. And for those of you interested in focusing on the half-marathon distance, check out my beginner half-marathon training plan and advanced half-marathon training plan.

20-Week Beginner Marathon Training Plan

Week 1
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 3 miles
Wednesday: Run 2 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 2 miles
Friday: Run 3 miles
Saturday: Run 2 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 4 miles

Week 2
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 3 miles
Wednesday: Run 3 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 3 miles
Friday: Run 3 miles
Saturday: Run 3 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 5 miles

Week 3
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 3 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 3 miles
Saturday: Run 3 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 6 miles

Week 4
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 3 miles
Wednesday: Run 3 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 3 miles
Friday: Run 3 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Run 8 miles

Week 5
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 4 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 9 miles

Week 6
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 8 miles

Week 7
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 10 miles

Week 8
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 5 miles
Friday: Run 4 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 11 miles

Week 9
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 4 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 9 miles

Week 10
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 4 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 12 miles

Week 11
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 4 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 13 miles

Week 12
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 14 miles

Week 13
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 5 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 9 miles

Week 14
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 15 miles

Week 15
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 6 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 16 miles

Week 16
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 4 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 5 miles
Friday: Run 5 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 10 miles

Week 17
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 6 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 6 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 18 miles

Week 18
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 6 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 8 miles
Friday: Run 6 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 20 miles

Week 19
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 5 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 6 miles
Friday: Run 6 miles
Saturday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Sunday: Run 12 miles

Week 20
Monday: Rest
Tuesday: Run 7 miles
Wednesday: Run 4 miles (optional)
Thursday: Run 5 miles
Friday: Run 4 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: Marathon!

Turn a weakness into a strength this winter to boost your spring marathon training or triathlon training

Sure, the winter off-season can be looked at as a time of recovery. Without any races looming, there’s no pressing need to log the high mileage or intense workouts you normally would as part of a serious marathon training program or triathlon training plan. That said, the off-season is also an excellent time to identify and address one or more of your fitness weaknesses that you normally don’t have time to focus on during heavy training periods.
 
Let’s say you’re new to triathlon training and you struggle with the swim. Devote the next several weeks to work on becoming a stronger swimmer (see our blog on learning to swim for triathlon). Or maybe you feel the need to boost your sport-specific power. Add some plyometric exercises to your training this winter to power-up your running stride, cycling pedal stroke, or freestyle swim stroke. Whatever the fitness weakness, take the time now to shore it up. Come spring, you might just be rewarded with improved endurance performance—and a PR.

Stay inside this winter and still keep your cycling or triathlon training on track

One of the great things about riding a bike is that it’s not just a workout, it’s a journey. You can cover a lot of territory and see a great deal in a long Saturday ride. So why would any cyclist or athlete in triathlon training want to ride indoors and go nowhere?

Obviously, foul weather can make riding indoors more a matter of necessity than choice. But there are three special benefits of riding indoors that make it sometimes worth doing even on perfect days:

1. Safety. Let’s face it: Sharing the roads with cars is a little scary at times. Most cyclists have had close calls and know at least one fellow rider who has been hurt in a bike-vehicle encounter. Training indoors is a way to reduce your risk of an accident.

2. Performance. High-intensity interval workouts are an essential part of serious cycling training and triathlon training. Many athletes feel that these workouts can be done more effectively in a room, which presents a controlled environment where you can just put your head down and hammer.

3. Time. Indoor riding saves time. You can get started more quickly without the usual tire inflation and other preparations and you don’t have to stop for traffic lights. Also, because there is no coasting indoors, indoor riding is slightly more intense, so that an hour of pedaling indoors is equivalent to 65 or 70 minutes on the roads.

Select Your Equipment

Various types of equipment can be used for indoor cycling. Bike rollers and fluid trainers are devices that you can mount your regular bike on for stationary indoor riding. The chief advantage of these options is that they allow you to train on the same bike you use outdoors. Most cyclists find, however, that riding their regular bike is a lot less comfortable indoors because the constant, subtle changes in saddle-rider contact points that occur outdoors are eliminated with stationary pedaling. In other words: Your butt gets sore much faster!

Dedicated indoor bikes such as the CycleOps 300PT are typically more comfortable for indoor riding and therefore may be a better way to go if you plan to ride indoors often. But these bikes are pricey. The CycleOps 300PT costs $1,900.

The stationary bikes at your local fitness club represent another option. The design of these bikes, however, is very different from that of road racing bikes (larger saddles, wider pedal-to-pedal measurements, etc.), and for this reason they are not as well suited to long or high-intensity workouts.

Know Your Reasons

It is important to have a clear understanding of why you ride indoors, because this will help you determine how to train indoors most effectively. For instance:

You ride inside only when something makes it impossible to ride outdoors. In this case, simply do your best to replicate your planned outdoor rides indoors. Most workouts are easily transferred. Long rides can be exceptions as many cyclists find it very difficult, both physically and psychologically, to perform multi-hour rides under a roof. In cases when you know you will not be able to go the full distance of a planned ride that you have transferred indoors, just go as long as you comfortably can.

You ride inside for long stretches during the winter. Cyclists and those in triathlon training who choose to “ride out” the winter mostly indoors should consciously approach this phase of training as a lower-volume phase. Make up for reduced cycling volume by cranking up the intensity of some of your rides, adding some cross-training to your program (e.g. cross-country skiing), and/or lifting weights to build strength for the upcoming season.

You ride inside to boost performance. Choose the types of rides you do inside wisely when looking to improve performance. Long rides and hill repetitions are best done outdoors, as hill climbing is difficult to properly replicate on a trainer. The trainer is conducive to recovery rides, base rides, and all types of high-intensity training other than hill climbing.