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Setting your HR Zones & How to Judge Progress

We’ve been discussing how Lactate Threshold trumps Max Heart Rate for Endurance Training (LT over Max HR) and in the last post I explained how to test your Lactate Threshold (Test your LT) Once you have done the two step test and properly determined your Lactate Threshold you will be…

How to Test your Lactate Threshold

In last week’s conversation I discussed why Lactate threshold is a better guide than maximum heart rate for heart rate run training.   In a nutshell it’s becuase it gives you a more personalized and accurate measure of your aerobic capacity. As promised, this week I’m going to lay out…

Why Lactate Threshold trumps Max Heart Rate for Endurance Training

Lactate threshold is a better guide than maximum heart rate for heart rate run training because it gives you a more personalized and accurate measure of your aerobic capacity. As you exercise harder, lactic acid builds up in your muscles and bloodstream. Lactate threshold is the exercise intensity where this…

A feeling or results… which do you want?

Let’s talk about chasing that feeling… the burn, the agonising soreness. Any session can be curated to make you feel burnt out, sore and sweaty but not every workout will actually be curated to make you better. Here’s the hard truth: You don’t need to destroy yourself in the gym…

Do your actions support your goals?

Let me ask it another way… Are you truly acting like the person, and athlete, you want to be?   I work with a range of athletes across various endurance sports; Triathlon, Obstacle Course Racing, Hyrox etc. Every single one of them has a goal they are working towards. For…

Better Athlete / Better Person

Is it true that people who are working hard to become better athletes also become better people? In my experience yes, and a lot of it comes down to one thing – Integrity. Integrity means doing the right thing, even when no one is looking. It means putting in the…

75Hard – a POV from one of my clients

I completed 75 Hard for the first time in 2022 (https://differentbreed.io/75hard-this-is-what-discipline-looks-like/) and knew that come 1st Jan 2023 I would be doing it again. I opened it up to everyone I knew to see who, if any, would set up to the plate. The first time 6 of us started…

Should I take Creatine?

Creatine has been a popular supplement in the UK for a few years now but just recently it seems to have blown up and I get a lot of my athletes asking me “ Should I be taking it?  In short, my answer is usually YES! Male or Female… just…

Recovery Training???

Isn’t that an Oxymoron? I have been programming active recovery sessions once a week for one of my athletes for the last couple of months, since he completed his B race, and is building to his A race. Last week I received a message from said athlete, asking (in their…

Grow days – A Sport Therapist’s view.

Grow Days are the new Rest Days and yes, you need them. A couple of weeks back I interviewed my good friend and fellow CrossFitter, Demi Stephens, about how she overcame her aversion to rest days – if you missed it, you can read it here: https://forzafitness.online/fitness-blog/grow-days-the-new-rest-day/ The response to…

Grow Days… the new Rest Day?

Rest Days. For anyone that really cares about their performance they are as important as Training Days… so why do so many people struggle with them?  I’m one of the lucky ones as I have never really struggled with taking my rest days.  Maybe it’s because I’ve been involved in…

Is your fitness suffering thanks to overtraining ?

One of the things we have likely all seen a lot of during this lockdown period is unqualified Fitness Influencers (seriously, someone still needs to explain what this even is!) and even in some cases PT’s and fitness brands setting up crazy bodyweight challenges as a way to “help” people…

HIIT – Are you doing it right?

High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT) is everywhere. Gyms run HIIT classes, people can download a HIIT timer on to their phone… it’s a really popular way of training due to its efficiency and effectiveness but unfortunately the more popular it’s gotten, the less it actually looks like an actual HIIT…

75Hard… This is what discipline looks like

Back in December last year, after seeing my friend Hannah’s results, I decided to take on the 75Hard challenge. I’d looked at it earlier in the year but dismissed it as I didn’t understand it properly. 75 days of training without a rest day? No thanks! I don’t even do…

The David Goggins 4x4x48

*As this was a Goggins event I thought I would use his suggestion in his book ‘Cant Hurt Me’ and file my challenge review as an AAR, After Action Review. 4x4x48 – After Action Report Establish the Intent: The 4x4x48 is a training tool that David Goggins (DG) has been…

Treat yourself like you would your best friend!

One of the things I have noticed lately in various conversations with some of my athletes lately is that some are unfortunately willing to say some of the meanest things… about themselves. Endurance events are tough enough, without making things harder for ourselves. Why are some people willing to make…

Improve your cycling – Know your FTP. Yes, it does matter!

As many of you will know, I am an Indoor Cycling Instructor and over the last 3 years I have developed my skills and knowledge to become a Power Trainer. I am lucky to have done courses with two of the best Power Training Providers in UK Indoor Cycling; ICG…

Improve your running, get in the Zone… Zone 2 that is!

Let me preface this by saying if you are already a Zone 2 convert then this post is not for you as you have already learned the secret and it would be a pretty safe bet to assume you are reaping the benefits.  However, it seems lockdown has pushed a…

Is your ego holding you back?

No! I hear you cry indignantly… and maybe thats the truth but something I see all the time is people sabotaging their chances of success and the reason boils down to ego. Ok, what do I mean… You know that person in your fitness class or on the gym floor…

Become a “Runner” !

So many of my clients either have started or want to start running. Those that have still will not refer to themselves as a “Runner”. When I ask why, they invariably tell me things like “well, I’m a jogger really”, “I’m not that fast” or “I’m not good enough to…