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 able to set your training zones as follows:

• Zone 1 – Recovery: Below 80% lactate threshold
• Zone 2 – Aerobic: 80-90% lactate threshold
• Zone 3 – Tempo: 90-99% lactate threshold
• Zone 4 – Lactate Threshold – 100%-104%
• Zone 5 – VO2 max: 105% – Above lactate threshold

Equip your watch (and connect your heart rate straps) to record data for zone training. 

Re-testing lactate threshold every 2-3 months (depending on the fitness age of the athlete) is required as zones will need adjusting as fitness improves, meaning your field tested data stays accurate and allows for fully robust training sessions. 

As you improve your aerobic fitness, you would expect your average heart rate during a 30 minute lactate threshold time trial to decrease. 

This is because the heart becomes more efficient at pumping blood and oxygenating the muscles as cardiovascular fitness increases.

There are a few key reasons why heart rate at lactate threshold pace decreases with training:

• Increased stroke volume – The amount of blood pumped per beat increases, so the heart can deliver more oxygen at a lower heart rate.
• Improved diastolic filling – More blood fills the heart between beats, boosting stroke volume.
• Increased capillary density – More blood vessels in the muscles allow better oxygen extraction.
• Greater mitochondrial density – More cellular mitochondria let muscles utilize oxygen more efficiently.
• Enhanced fat burning – Greater reliance on fat metabolism and less on limited glycogen stores.

The cumulative effect is that the cardiovascular system can sustain a given pace with less effort and lower heart rate.

So if you see your lactate threshold heart rate dropping over time, it’s a good sign you are building robust cardiovascular fitness.

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 a simple way to test your lactate threshold on your own, meaning you need no fancy equipment (beyond your watch and ideally a heart rate chest strap for better accuracy) or a coach to deep dive into a load of data and do a lot of analysis.

The method I am going to explain here is not the only one, but it is the most accurate I have found for an athlete to do by themselves.

The Incremental Step Test

1) Complete an easy 10 minute warm up.

2) Run progressively faster 1/2 mile intervals, starting easy and increasing the pace each mile and take note of your average heart rate during each mile

Aim for a pace increase of 30 seconds per interval.

Take a short break between intervals to allow your heart rate to come down.

When you start to struggle to complete an interval or your heart rate stops increasing with increased effort, you are nearing lactate threshold.

The interval before you start struggling is around your lactate threshold pace and heart rate.

For example, if you struggled to complete the 7:30 pace interval but the 8:00 pace felt sustainable, your threshold is around an 8:00 mile pace. If your average heart rate during that 8:00 mile interval was 158, then your lactate threshold is 158.

You then confirm this by running a 30 minute time trial at your lactate threshold heart rate.

If you can sustain it for 30 minutes, it’s likely a valid measure of your lactate threshold.

Only do this test after a full period of recovery. If you try to go off to soon you will skew the data.

I advise doing this as a two day process, following a full rest day with the Incremental Test on day 1 and the Time Trail on day 2.

Retest every few months as your fitness improves. Using lactate threshold for training helps target the right intensities to build your endurance and speed.

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 buildup rapidly accelerates.

For most runners, this occurs between 80-90% of maximum heart rate.

The problem with just using max heart rate for training is that it varies widely between individuals based on factors like genetics and fitness level.

So a heart rate that’s 80% max for one runner could be too easy or too hard for another.

Lactate threshold is a more functional measure of your ability to work aerobically.

Knowing your lactate threshold heart rate zone allows you to tailor your training to target the ideal intensity for building endurance – hard enough to challenge your body, but not so hard that you’re wheezing or struggling.

Using lactate threshold for heart rate training helps optimize development of your aerobic system.

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive, #3 Focus on You and #4 100% Effort.

Time for the last piece of the Mindset puzzle…

#5 – Extreme Ownership

Hands up, this one isn’t mine. I stole it from Jocko Willink, ex Navy Seal.

If you haven’t heard of him or heard of his theory of Extreme Ownership before do yourself a favour and look it up. He has many YouTube clips, there is a short 13 minute TedxTalk and he has actually published a book called Extreme Ownership and it is 100% worth a read, or a listen.

In a nutshell Extreme Ownership means having a unwavering “the buck stops here” attitude.

It means owning your failures and your mistakes. It means never looking for someone else to blame, even if other people did contribute to the situation.

Why? Because when we own our problems we find solutions. When we take ownership we get shit done.

Ultimately you are responsible for your life. If you want to be a success, take full responsibility.

Stop blaming the fact you are tired, you are busy blah blah blah.
Most people are tired, most people are busy. You aren’t so different, your circumstances arent all that special.
You are just getting in your own way.

If it is something worth chasing, find a way to make it happen. It might look a little different to how you thought it would but if it works, it’s working.

If you want to truly be the best version of you, it’s time to take

#ExtremeOwnership

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. So far I’ve discussed Rule #1 Control the Controllable, #2 Find the Positive and #3 Focus on You.

Time for…

#4 – 100% Effort

This should be the easiest of all the rules to absorb and commit to quickly.

If you can’t you are, for whatever reason, just not fully ready for the journey yet.

It doesn’t require any deep mindset practice or any great amount of thought… and really, is pretty self explanatory!

It simply requires you to show up and do what it required, giving your true best effort every time, all the time.

It means never dialling it in. It means not cutting a warm up, a RAMP, an interval, a set/rep or a piece of mobility as they all have value and meaning and are there to make you better.

It means not looking for the shortcut or quick fix as you know such things don’t exist. True champions know this all too well.

100% effort means just that. 100% effort. In EVERY aspect of your life that requires it in order for you to achieve your goals. In sport and in life.  

Everyone has a different level of ability which means that your 100% and mine may look a little, or a lot different. That does make one less valuable than the other  – and if you have truly taken on board rule 3, Focus on You, you won’t be aware or concerned about what anyone else is doing anyway!

It comes back to ‘better athlete = better person’. 100% effort means having integrity and doing the work, regardless of who is watching as you know that it has to be done.

If you want to be the best you, you will do the work. All of the work.

It’s that simple.

#100%Effort

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. so far we have covered Rule #1 Control the Controllable and Rule #2 Find the Positive.

Time for…

#3 – Focus on YOU

This can be the hardest one for some athletes to get.

It sound simple but in a world of social media and Strava (Social media for sport) there are a thousand and one distractions.

It is one of the reasons I advise all my athletes to leave the facebooks groups etc at least two weeks before their events. Those places become a drain and if you have trained right, they are not needed. They mostly just become a source of anxiety and annoyance – not great for building the right headspace to head into an event with.

Thanks to the ability now to constantly see what everyone else is up to, you can be fooled in to thinking that your goal is to go faster than other people.

It isn’t. Your only goal is to go as fast as YOU can go.

You are put in a start pen, or on a starting line, against other athletes but your job is not to race them. It is to be the best that you can be.

I get so much push back from athletes when I tell them I want them to come off Strava. “I like seeing what others are doing” “I’m only looking at ‘X’” are common replies.

If you are focusing on other people, you are not 100% focussed on yourself. And that means wasted time and wasted energy.

My most successful athletes are the athletes that really buy into this way of thinking.

Their only focus is on their pacing, their Heart Rate zones, their FTP, their preparation etc. They don’t engage with other people about what they are doing in their training as it is of no concern to them.

This doesn’t mean they don’t support others. It is not about being selfish or shut off. It doesn’t mean they don’t want the best for their fellow athletes. They do. They just don’t need to see the numbers or hear about the details.

As their coach, I need to know the numbers. I am data driven when planning their training. I need to know what results we are aiming for. But thats another part of what a great coach will do for you. They will unburden you of all the noise and distraction and build you the stage on which you can rise to your true, full potential. You just have to want to perform.

If you are still looking all around you at what others are doing, you are just not there yet. You are not really ready.

If your focus is anywhere but on your own capacity and capability you will never reach your true best.

So cut the noise and cut the distractions.

If you want to become Great stop competing with others and start only competing with yourself.

#FocusOnYou

First thing to remember:

The very important rule: 

If the race is important to you, nothing new on race day! 

Do not be tempted to try that snack new bar in the vendor village. You have trained hard for this event so no point screwing up your chances by putting something in your system that may not agree with you, or not digest properly leaving you feeling sluggish, or worse, with digestive issues. 

Breakfast

You will need to be prepared to consume a few hundred calories in the morning to ensure that you start the day right and end up properly fuelled to begin the event. 
*This may be hard for some athletes, so be sure to practice prior to the event. 

Breakfast should be easy on the stomach so it needs to be low in fibre and easily digested.  Stick with simple carbohydrates again like a bagel or even rice, possibly some fruit and just a little bit of easy to digest protein like egg or nut butter.

Include your normal coffee/caffeine routine.

In an ideal world you would finish breakfast 2 hours before race start and once you have eaten you should aim to consume 500ml of water every hour until you are out on course. 

Race Start
At the 10 minute countdown to race start, you should be drinking 1/2 to full bottle of sports drink or a sports gel plus water for a final carbohydrate boost. Do not take the gel without water as it will not digest well. 

Avoid taking in this fuel in the 30-60 minute pre-start window as you will lose the benefit of the boost and are more likely to suffer a drop in blood sugar at race start.

Front Half of the Race
In the “front half” of the race (especially the early stages) your gut is able to absorb the nutrients much easier than when your body begins to shut down blood flow completely to the gut in the closing stages of the race. 

In the closing stages your body will be sending all blood flow to your working skeletal muscles, which means limited flow will be sent to the gut and this often results in those dreaded GI issues. 

A common mistake people make is going too hard in the early stages and then failing to hydrate and refuel efficiently. This leads to a big drop off in performance thanks to the combination of fatigue, dehydration and low energy. 

General Rule of Thumb
Endurance athletes should aim to eat 60-90 grams of carbohydrate per hour during their event. You will need to practice and experiment to see what exact levels work for you. 

Fluid Intake
Your fluid intake plan needs to take into account the hourly amount of fluid you need (example, some athletes need about 1 litre/hour to match their sweat rate – others need half that amount and some need nearly double that).
*The only accurate way to really know is to perform a sweat rate test which means taking pre and post body weight checks when racing in similar conditions and intensity as you have on race day

Ensure you have practiced with your chosen electrolyte fluids and that it has enough of the critical component; sodium 800 mg/litre of fluid is a good “starting” amount. If racing in particular hot conditions this may need to be closer to 1000-1,500mg/litre while some people suffice with only 400-500mg/litre,

Back Half of the Race
The total fuel intake here is typically lower. However, you still need to ensure you are maintaining hydration and electrolyte balance (again – the importance of sodium) and going with more fluid energy intake, rather than eating bars/chews. 

Consuming a caffeine liquid, such as a flat coke on the last couple of laps is common place in endurance sports such as Ironman and can be beneficial but I generally wouldn’t recommend starting to drink coke until you’re at least half way through the back half. Ideally you would, if needed, consume something like this in the last 10K to 10 miles.

There Three Big Mistakes

1. Not hydrating early enough. If you wait to start your hydration plan this can result in early dehydration. This can have a huge negative impact on your race as your body then has a reduced ability to process fluids and fuel for the rest of the day. 
2. Not having enough sodium in your fluids. This means you do not ingest enough sodium which at best can cause bloating and at worst, potentially dangerous hyponatremia (low blood sodium) which can result in coma and even death. 
3. Taking on too much fuel and/or taking on too much fuel in one go. If the body needs to work at digesting food it will divert blood flow away from the working muscles to the digestive system and your race will suffer. 

The Week leading up to your Race

As you are heading into your race week your training phase will be Competition Phase. 

During the Competition Phase your macronutrient intake will switch slightly to slowly increase your carbohydrates and fully build your glycogen stores. 

During the Prep Phases you will most likely sit somewhere around a 40%P, 30%C, 30%F split (as a guide) as we are looking to build lean muscle to increase power and speed as well as maintaining a strong base of muscular endurance and cardio ability. 

In Competition Phase the split will be a little more carb heavy to ensure you are properly and fully fuelled for racing. Not the best for body composition but that’s not the concern now as that work has been done

A Competition phase will look more like 25%P, 50-55%C, 20-25%F (again as a guide, each athlete will have there individual needs). 

Do not leave your carb loading until the night before and just eat all the carbs thinking you’ll be good… you won’t be! 

Best Carbohydrate Sources

Increasing carb intake should be done smartly, using the best sources possible to maximise your results. 

You don’t want to smash the chips, crisps and pizza thinking “hey, it’s carb loading!” 

You want to include foods that are low on the Glycemic Index, especially the closer to race day you get as these are broken down more slowly in the body and do not cause spikes in blood sugar. 

Some of the best food choices are:
Bananas
Berries
Brown Rice or Quinoa
Yogurt
Oats 

Avoid Food that causes inflammation

This sounds obvious but some people are not aware of the inflammatory actions of some foods. As you approach race day you want to reduce and ideally eliminate your intake of all these bad boys.  

Biggest Offenders are:

Red Meat and Processed Meat
Refined Grains including White Bread/Rice/Pasta and a lot Breakfast Cereals
Snack Foods such as Crisps, Cookies, Pastries etc
Dairy Products 
Fried Food
Anything with added sugar
Soda and Sweetened Drinks
Alcohol

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 every day. You don’t need to feel dead inside and out every workout. You don’t need to torture and punish yourself to get results.

Brutal/long/crazy doesn’t mean better. Only better means better. 

Walking away from your session tired, beaten up, sore and sweaty doesn’t automatically mean your workout was better or more effective. It does mean you are tired, beaten up sore and sweaty… but maybe thats it. 

You might be working your butt off and not getting results. If this sounds like you then its time to rework the problem and sort out a new plan. 

Because here’s the thing. It doesn’t take a great coach to program a workout that will beat you up.

It sometimes feels like some “coaches” are constantly trying to outdo each other with how “hard” they can make a session.

But… it’s easy to make a session hard and have your athletes or clients finish feeling like they left their soul behind… but what did it actually achieve?

I’d bet that if I asked for someone to put together a session that will make everyone exhausted and sore, most of you reading this could do that. 

However, it does take a great coach to produce meaningful outcomes for their programmes. A great coach knows what is required to get those real, visible, tangible results. 

I personally am a huge fan of implementing the Minimal Dose Response, which basically means getting my athletes to do the minimum amount of work for the biggest amount of progression.

Endurance athletes often suffer overuse injuries due to amount of training they do and I have spent a long, long time cultivating and mastering a program that means I can minimise these risks.

Let’s not get it twisted though. This doesn’t mean that it isn’t hard work, and that it isn’t going to completely suck at times. It is and it will. 

There will still be long sessions and hard sessions but every session has a point. There is a specific planned stimulus and a clear objective.

As I tell my athletes often “If I cannot explain why you are doing something, we shouldn’t be doing it”

Real results take real work but you have to be smart about it. It’s all about working smarter, not harder, and thats where a great coach can really make all the difference.

If you are not seeing the results you believe your hard work deserves it’s because the work isn’t quite right. It may be hard, and it may feel like you are doing all the right things but the proof is the results.

Stop chasing a feeling and start chasing results!

Why Eat after a workout

Focusing on recovery is one of the most important and often overlooked aspects of proper sports nutrition.

An effective nutrition recovery plan supplies the body with the right nutrients at the right time.

Recovery is the body’s process of adapting to the previous workload and strengthening itself for the next physical challenge.

The key nutritional components of recovery are:
Carbohydrates to replenish depleted fuel stores.
Protein to help repair damaged muscle and develop new muscle tissue.
Fluids and electrolytes to rehydrate.

A full, rapid nutritional recovery plan supplies more energy and hydration for the next workout or event, which improves performance and reduces the chance of injury, meaning we become fitter and improve our endurance.

Rapid recovery is especially crucial during periods of heavy overload training and anytime two or more training sessions happen within 12 hours 

When to start replenishing carbs

Training will generally deplete muscle glycogen.

The first 30 minutes or so after exercise provide the best opportunity for nutritional recovery due to factors such as increased blood flow and insulin sensitivity, which boosts cellular glucose uptake and glycogen restoration. 

To maximise muscle glycogen replacement, you should consume a carbohydrate-rich snack within this 30-minute window. Ideally this should include foods providing 1.0-1.5 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight. Since it can be difficult to eat whole foods so quickly after exercise liquid and bar supplements may be useful and convenient choice. 

For endurance athletes especially, if you are going to do another intense session within 24 hours you should ideally repeat this carbohydrate load for 2-hour intervals for up to 6 hours, 

Consuming smaller amounts of carbohydrates more frequently may be the way to go if the previous recommendation leaves you feeling too full.

Now on to Protein

Recovery nutrition is essential for muscle tissue repair and muscle growth. Whether you’re focusing on endurance or strength training – or both, taking on protein after your session provides the amino acid building blocks needed to repair muscle fibres that get damaged and promote the development of new muscle tissue. 

As a rough guide, as protein requirements vary from person to person, consuming 15-25 g of protein within 1 hour after exercise can increase the muscle rebuilding and repair process and help you achieve those all important strength gains. It will also help those trying shift, or maintain, their body composition from fat to lean muscle and can be worked into a calorie restricted diet. 

Effective Rehydration

Pretty much all weight lost during exercise is fluid, so weighing yourself (without clothes) before and after exercise can help gauge net fluid losses. Knowing this is something recommended for endurance athletes especially. 

Be sure to replace fluids gradually and not by gulping down an entire litre of water as soon as you are done. The recommendation is, over the course of 4 to 6 hours drink 1/2 a litre of your chosen recovery fluid or water for every pound of weight lost. 

It is essential, for performance levels, to properly rehydrate before your next exercise session. If your sessions are an hour or less as low to moderate intensity than water should suffice. However, if you are in hot or humid conditions, or undertaking long or high intensity sessions you will likely find rehydration more effective if sodium is included with the fluid and food consumed. 

GET IT RIGHT

As with effective pre workout nutrition, post workout nutrition will need personal experimentation regarding the best fluids and foods to deliver the necessary nutrients. 

Everything here is a guideline, a recommendation and a starting off point. There are no exact hard and fat rules that suit every individual.

Pay attention to how you feel during your sessions. Notice when you feel like you have no energy to being with or when you book really quickly on your runs and/or rides.

Play around with timings and quantities until you hit upon what really works for you and your body. 

Why Eat before a workout

The main goal of eating before a workout is to replenish your glycogen, the short-term storage form of carbohydrate.
Glycogen supplies immediate energy needs and is especially crucial for morning workouts, as the liver is glycogen depleted from fuelling the nervous system during sleep. The muscles, on the other hand, should be glycogen-loaded from proper recovery nutrition the previous day if you hit the post workout routine right. 

The body does not necessarily need a lot (depending on the timing and type of session), but it does need something to prime the metabolism, provide a direct energy source, and allow you to perform the session at the planned intensity and for the given 

As for what the something is, following the basic guidelines it is best to experiment with a few different snack and meal choices and see which works best for you. 

What to Eat Before a Workout

As stated above, this will come down to personal preference. 

The majority of nutrients in a pre workout meal should come from carbohydrates. You also need some protein, but not a significant amount as protein takes longer to digest and does not serve an immediate need at the beginning of your workout. Fat and dietary fibre also should be marginal to minimise the potential for gastrointestinal upset – we’ve all been there right! 

Research has shown that the type of carbohydrate consumed does not directly affect performance across the board. Some thrive on regular foods (e.g., my personal favourite; a bagel with peanut butter). Some reach for the convenience options such as an energy bars or replacement shakes.

One crucial element that is often overlooked is Pre-workout fluid intake. This is critical to prevent dehydration, which results in a severe drop in performance as best and serious help issues at worst. Be sure to time your fluid intake so that you are not busting for the loo during your workout. Ideally start 4 hours before and aim for 5-7mls per kilo of bodyweight. 

When to Eat Before a Workout

When is a huge consideration for pre workout nutrition and almost as important as what. 

Eat too early and the calories are gone by the time the exercise begins. Eat too late and the stomach is stealing all your energy trying to do its digestion thing, and making you feel uncomfortable in the process. 

As a general rule the ideal time for most people to eat is about 2-4 hours before activity. Again, you can play with this depending on the session/day you have and figure out in different situations, what works best. 

If your meal time is 4 hours before your workout you can safely consume up to 1,000 calories. If the gaps between eating and training are much shorter (a pre-7 a.m. workout, for example), eating a smaller meal of around 300-400 calories or less, about an hour before the workout, can suffice.

A general recommendation that can be a good jumping off point to figure out what works for you is to consume about 1 gram of carbohydrate per kilogram of body weight if working out 1 hour after eating, 2 g of carbohydrate per kg of body weight if working out 2 hours after eating… and so on. 

To avoid GI issues it is advised that anything consumed less than 1 hour before an event or workout be in liquid form, such as a sports drink or smoothie.

Get it Right

An effective pre workout nutrition plan should be planned based on the duration and intensity of session. You should also take into consideration your ability to supplement during the activity (if longer than 45-60 minutes), your personal energy needs and environmental factors; is it hot, humid, cold etc.

Determining how much is too much or too little and getting the timing right can be frustrating, but experimenting is vital for success.

Previously I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m diving a little bit deeper in to each one in separate posts. Last week was Rule #1 Control the Controllable

This week it’s Rule #2

Number 2) Find the Positive

Like the first Golden Rule, this one takes a lot of practice and commitment. You can’t just wake up one day and change your mindset. It takes work.

Finding the Positive, like Control the Controllable, means embracing the Stoic way of thinking and controlling your reaction to situations.

As an Endurance Athlete finding the positive is crucial to success.

You are going to have bad races. You are very likely going to experience a DNF. You are very likely going to get injured at some point.

Endurance events are tough. You are going to spend a lot of time feeling beaten up and wondering “why the hell am I doing this”  

How you handle being placed in tough situations, as well as dealing with the lows,  are what is going to make you as an athlete.

Race DNF – sure it sucks, but what went well.

Why did you DNF? What can you learn?
I had a mechanical failure very early on the bike leg at an Ironman, which was my first DNF ever. It was devastating BUT I had a great swim. I took that away with me. Attempt 1 done… live it, learn it… head back for Attempt 2. Yay, I get swim in the gorgeous lake again.

Injured – yep, its annoying for sure but injuries are opportunities.

Can you train around it?

Yes, then let’s go and it might be the chance to work on a new strength or skill!

No, ok great. Then you now have a bunch of time to devote to developing a different skill that will help you become a better athlete, and a better person.  

Jocko Wilink, ex Navy Seal, calls his take on this theory ‘“Good”.

Whatever happens, the response is “Good”

Didn’t get the promotion you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to sharpen your skillset and become better in your current role.

Can’t afford that fancy piece of equipment you wanted.

Good. It gives you more time to become a savage using the basic things you have available.

As I said, this one isn’t easy but it is worth it.

People love to complain. People love to make excuses… but those people are the  ones content with being average at best.

If you want to rise up, you will find the positive and say “Good”

#FindThePositive

In a previous blog I gave a little bit of insight into my Coaching Ethos and Athlete Philosophy and my 5 golden rules.

I’m going to dive a little bit deeper in to each one, starting here with Rule Number 1

Number 1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

My personal belief system and ethics are shaped by philosophies and teachings of Buddhism and Stoicism.

At the heart of Stoicism is the understanding that the only thing we can truly control is our reaction to the things that happen. If we can learn to control our reactions and remain steady there is no situation that can either completely undo us or over inflate us.

It doesn’t mean not feeling joy or celebrating the wins. It also doesn’t mean never feeling sad, angry or let down.

What it does mean is learning to control those emotions so that they don’t overtake your life and screw you up.

Learning this lesson as an athlete can help set you free and elevate your performance.

Weather looks bad on race day – nothing you can do about it and it’s the same for everyone. What can you control? Having the right kit. Practising in all conditions throughout your training so you know how it feels.

Can you actually turn this into an advantage? Going to a hit race? So many people underperform in heat – can you heat train? I did some of my turbo sessions in front of my fire in my living room, in a hat and long sleeves to prepare for the weather in Spain)

Forgot a piece of kit, maybe a piece of clothing or nutrition – What can you do about it? Is ranting, swearing, getting stressed out helpful? Absolutely not. So what can you do? Do you have time to source something? Can others around you possibly help? If not, whats the best case scenario.

At an Ironman event this year someone got to the swim having left their wetsuit back at their hotel. They spoke to the IM announcers. The announcers asked over the PA system if anyone had a spare wetsuit and within 5 minutes that athlete had their pick of 4 wetsuits!

These are just two examples.

Anyone that knows my story from IronMan Vitoria Gastiez in 2022 knows that I came up against obstacle after obstacle in a race that ended in a mechanical DNF 20km into the bike.
Without all of the work I have done on my mindset over the last 5 years that situation probably would have broken me, especially as that race was 4 years in the making.

Yes I got upset. Yes I was bitterly disappointed. But I was also making a plan for my come back before the first athletes had even crossed the finish line that same day.

Another big lesson – Its only failure if you give up completely. Otherwise, it’s just an attempt.

For me, that race was merely attempt 1. I hadn’t failed yet. Attempt 2 was July this year, one year later, and I finished that damned race!

Whatever situation you face…

#ControlTheControllable

My personal ethics and belief system are a mixture of Buddhism and Stoicism and this heavily influences who I am, both as an athlete and a coach.

As an athlete, I hold myself accountable to same 5 rules that I apply to my coaching, and I try and instil these into my athletes.

As an Endurance Expert these 5 rules have been shaped over many years of racing and they are the foundation I believe every great success can be built upon.

*I’ll go into each one in more detail as the subject of their own conversation.

1) Control the Controllable

Only certain things are within our control. If it isn’t something you have any say over, forget it. Only expend energy on the things that you can directly influence.

2) Find the Positive
Even in the most disappointing situation (that race DNF, that training injury) there will be a positive IF you are willing to look for it.

3) Focus on You

This is one of the hardest ones for athletes to really internalise and act upon. Looking at what others are doing on Strava and/or comparing yourself to other athletes is a waste of your time and mental energy. All of your focus should be on your own performance.

4) 100% Effort
In everything you do. This feeds into the message of the previous weeks conversations…Integrity to do the work even when none is looking and acting like the athlete you want to become.

5) Extreme Ownership

Thank Jocko Willink for this one. No matter what the situation or anyone else’s involvement, take ownership. Don’t find someone else to blame. Make it your problem and find a solution.

#TheFiveRules

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 some it’s an age cat or podium finish. For others it’s simply to complete their A race and finish it well.

Every goal, regardless of size, requires some level of sacrifice alongside a huge amount of hard work and dedication.

Most people have a good idea of what it takes to achieve their goal. The hours of training required, the organisation of daily life to make that time, the dialled in nutrition, the early nights, the early mornings, saying no to certain social gatherings, saying no to certain favourite races or events as they just don’t mesh with the overall Big Goal … the list goes on and for some, it just doesn’t sound worth it.

Thats why so many people are content with just being average…if that.

Some are content to make the excuses, hide behind busy lives and find all the reasons not to do what is truly required.

Others say that they really want it, but their actions just never quite meet their words.

It may be that they just aren’t quite ready yet, or maybe they like the idea but in practise they really aren’t willing to do what it takes.

I’ve definately been guilty of this in the past. I would say I really wanted to achieve “X” but I wasn’t acting the person who would do that. I wasn’t watching my nutrition, I was still eating badly, watching my weight creep up but not doing a damn thing about it. I would say I was too busy to count macros but come on – it seriously only takes a few extra minutes of effort to weigh food and log it correctly. I was just being lazy. Plus, that still didn’t explain the amount of crap I was eating!  I was hitting my training sessions, for the most part, but I was content that that was enough. I wasn’t truly ready or willing to do everything it would take.

Luckily I have managed to shed that person and now I can, hand on heart, say that I truly act like the person I need to be to achieve my goal.

The first step – getting real with yourself and figuring out if you are truly willing, and able, to do what it takes.

This might involve a conversation with your coach as you may be willing but not be actually sure exactly how to make it work, especially if you have a very busy life that seems inflexible. As I said in the beginning, it will require some sacrifice but a smart coach will be able to help you figure out how to lessen the impact and make it work.

Is it hard? Yes… but then so is dialling it in, living behind excuses and not living your true potential. Both are hard. One is infinitely more worthwhile than the other.

We’ve all met those people. You know the ones. They turn up on the start line and immediately tell you all the “ reasons” why they are likely not going to have a good event. They got a poor night sleep / They woke up that morning with a weird niggle / Their dog ate their training plan…. Preloaded excuses give weak minded people a get out of jail free card. It doesn’t matter if they suck, because they already told you they would… and it’s not their fault.

Do not be one of these people.

Do the work that’s required, ALL of the work that’s required and whether you do or not, own your shit.

Also, remember this (one of my favourites: No one Cares. Work Harder.

Once you have set your sights on a goal, make sure you go all in and back yourself 100%

#ActLikeTheAthleteYouWantToBe

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 hard work because you know it’s the right thing to do and will yield the best results.

Integrity is the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.

This is true in sport, and also true in life.

When you examine your training can you put your hand on your heart and say that you never cut corners? Can you say with 100% truth that you completed every meter, every rep, every set AND every rest break?

Becoming a better athlete teaches us discipline and commitment. We set goals and we work hard to achieve them. We learn that if we can do this for our sport, we can apply these same skills to other areas of our lives such as work and family. As we achieve our goals we build confidence. We feel seen and feel that we have a greater sense of purpose.

When we encounter setbacks we learn how to deal with them, we develop critical thinking and problem solving, the art of not sweating the small stuff and always finding a positive.

Through all of this we become a better version of ourselves and the best bit is that those around us, that matter most to us, benefit from the person we are becoming.  

Work hard to become a better athlete. Become a better person.

#1%BetterEveryday

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 it and only myself and my friend Chris finished it. This time 13 of us started it and only 4 of us; myself, Chris, Pete and Lindsay (and despite this success rating so many people tell me it doesn’t sound that hard!)

I’ll be honest, Lindsay was one of the last people in my team that I thought would do it but she grabbed the challenge by the horns and fucking ran with it.

I asked her if she would share her experience and her it is, in her own words:

Last year my friend and coach Liza asked if I wanted to try the 75HARD challenge designed by Andy Frisella. I dismissed her as when she explained it I thought no way I can’t do all of them.

The rules are ,

1. Follow a diet to match your goals, no cheat meals and no alcohol – I could do that I thought
2. Take a progress picture every day – I could do that as long as no one could see them
3. Read 10 pages of a non fiction book – I could do that and a good excuse to have some me time I thought
4. Drink 4 litres of water a day – wow that’s a lot of water, wasn’t sure if I could mange that
5. Complete two 45 minute workouts every day, one must be outside – absolutely not I thought I haven’t got time for that and it was starting in January, not a good time to be outside.

Later on at the beginning of December she suggested it again and once again I said I couldn’t do it, ‘All I’m hearing is excuses’ I was told.

Those words must have resonated with me as later on that evening I thought yes she’s right all I’m doing is making excuses and after all this is a mindset challenge not a weight loss programme or an exercise challenge. So why not give it a go. So I toasted the New Year in with Nosecco and began.

I completed this challenge on 17^th March and wow it was tough but I did it.

What did I get out of it?

To start with I am the lightest I’ve been for many many years, I lost over 13 inches from my body and my fat%  is down by a whole 5%. 

I have proved to myself that I have the mental toughness to take on a challenge like this even when it was tough. I had a 30^th and an 80^th birthday to go to and a funeral where I was told, ‘go on just have one drink, surely it won’t matter and no one will know’ Well I would have known and I wasn’t going to fail so stuck to it. 

I cut out refined sugar which meant no cake, chocolate, biscuits, yummy deserts etc and surprisingly once the cravings went I was okay with this. Even when at work the usual ‘cake and cookie table’ looked very appealing I didn’t succumb. Once my manager found out what I was doing I was asked to talk about the challenge to everyone in my office on our monthly coffee and cake catch up. After this I was told that I was inspirational and what an amazing thing to do.

I went to London for the weekend and was doing a 45 minute yoga session on the hotel floor late in the evening and got back home late so had to cram 3 litres of water in when I got home, I didn’t sleep well that night!

I spent many hours walking in the rain when it was miserable and cold thinking why am I doing this to myself when I could be in the warm and dry having a coffee.

My Results

My body composition has changed as I lost 5% of my body fat and my muscle percentage is up. I feel stronger and healthier than I ever before and ran my first sub 30 minute 5K.

The 4 litres of water was a challenge to begin with as that’s a lot of water but my body adapted to it and my skin loved me drinking that amount as it now feels softer than before. 

Weight – Day 1 75.3kg; Day 75 67.9kg Total loss 7.4kg

Body Fat% – Day 1 32.8; Day 75 27.7 Total Loss 5.1%

Bust – Day 1 38”; Day 75 36.5” Total Loss 1.5”

Waist – Day 1 34”; Day 75 30” Total Loss 4”

Belly – Day 1 40”; Day 75 35.5” Total Loss 4.5”

Hips – Day 1 42”; Day 75 38” Total Loss 4”

Total inches lost – 14”

It’s been two weeks now since I finished this challenge and I am still sticking to most of the rules. Not because I am deliberately trying to but they have become a habit. I still drink at least 4 litres of water, I still generally do two workouts every day(not always one being outside) I am still not eating refined sugar apart from the one cake I had which although tasted good wasn’t as amazing as I expected, I still read most days as this was a great bit of me time.

Was it tough? – yes but it’s called 75HARD for a reason. 

Did I Surprise myself with what I achieved? – yes physically and mentally, my day 1 photo is very different to my Day 75 photo.

Would I do it again? – yes definitely and if you are thinking of trying this challenge I would say go for it as you may just surprise yourself.

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 YES!

Here are the things you should know about Creatine: 

1) It is one of the most researched supplements within the fitness market. Many have tried to (falsely) claim that it causes damage to the kidneys but through all of the highly detailed research and testing done no adverse effects to health have been found. 

2) Its main benefit is an improvement in maximal strength and power. It is NOT a steroid. Creatine is an energy which saturates the ATP stores hence greater performance comes from greater amounts of creatine stored in the body. 

3) When taken over time, Creatine can help increase strength, muscle mass and athletic performance. 

4) Creatine is naturally found in foods such as fish, beef, pork and lamb but the quantities are small so you will never see a real benefit from food. 

5) Despite what some brands say you do not need to complete a loading phase. A daily dose of 3-5g a day will suffice. 

6) Beyond the physical benefits latest research also shows there are some amazing cognitive benefits, with improvements in concentration and memory. 

7) Some people will be non responders – which means they see no real benefit after 3 months of supplementation. This is usually because their body’s already have a high level of muscle creatine storage.

My Personal Experience. 

I started taking Creatine in mid January this year and can honestly say I have seen massive improvements in my overall strength and power – which has a carry over to my endurance sports.
Without specifically training strength in additional way and just following my normal weekly routine of CrossFit, Indoor Cycle, Running and Swimming I have PR’d pretty much every Power and Olympic Lift – in the 5RM, 3RM and 1RM range. My FTP (cycling power measurement) has increased more in tis time frame than it usually would in a 3 and 6 month period and running just feels easier.

In my opinion, Creatine is the one supplement where I would say it is definitely worth a try. You have nothing to lose but everything to gain. 

In short, Yes! 

I’m currently 44 and for the last year or so I’ve been feeling like I’m suffering from some perimenopausal symptoms. Not enough to warrant talking to my doctor about HRT but enough to make me look for some answers and find some help. 

Having opened up the conversation within Forza Fitness, talking very open and honestly with pretty much all my female clients, it’s clear a lot of feel the same way. We might be experiencing different effects, we might be different ages but we’re all looking for things we can change to help us with this period of hormonal chaos.  

I had a lot of people who’s voices I trust talking about herbal adaptogens so I decided to explore this avenue as they were all saying how this has helped. 

I’ve been taking Ashwagandha and Schisandra now for over 7 months, as they were the two best suited to help me with my particular symptoms, and I can honestly say they have been the answer for me. I am under no illusion that further down the line I may need to look seriously at HRT and if that time comes, trust me, I will not hesitate, but for now this is enough and I feel like myself again. 

As your oestrogen levels decline your stress levels increase which in turn upsets your mood and concentration – brain fog was a big one for me for sure – I have, in the past, even forgotten my own post code!

To help your body combat this stress, you can introduce adaptogens. Herbal adaptogens work by increasing your body’s resistance to stress and they do this by targeting the neuroendocrine system that controls your reaction to stress and regulates multiple bodily functions such as mood, temperature control, immunity and digestion. 

Taking adaptogens means that over time, they build up in the body and block your cortisol response. This means you experience less stress. 

Here’s the low down on the three different herbal adaptogens that have come up most often in my research: 

Ashwagandha

Ashwagandha increases your DHEA testosterone, which helps lower anxiety and cholesterol. It also improves insulin sensitivity meaning you’ll better blood sugar control and less prone to storing fat. 

Research on athletes has shown that it can help increase endurance and power. 

It is also an anti-inflammatory so can help reduce soreness after those tough workouts. 

It has also been known to help regulate body temperature so can help reduce hot flashes. 

Recommended Dose: 250 to 300mg twice a day (tablet)

Contraindications: Can affect your T3 and T4 thyroid hormones so those on thyroid medication should avoid. 

Schisandra 

Schisandra is widely used in Chinese Medicine and is commonly known as Five Flavoured Fruit. 

It is is the adaptogen for brain fog as it stimulates the central nervous system and improves cognition. This means it can clear the fog and help with your concentration and focus. 

It helps strengthen your mitochondria (where energy is created in the cells) so it can improve aerobic capacity. 

Finally it can help regulate fluctuating hormone levels and reduce hot flashes. 

Recommended Dose: 500mg to 2grams a day (powder) 

*I add mine to my morning coffee

Caution: It has a caffeine like effect increasing alertness so can disrupt sleep. It best taken in the morning and avoided in the afternoon / evening. 

Maca

Maca Root is often referred to as Peruvian Ginseng and is a hormone modulator. It also works as a steroid hormone so is a powerful herb! 

It helps improves the onset of night sweats, hot flashes. 

It can increase mood and help overcome the onset of anxiety and/or depression which are common during perimenopause. 

Research has found it can improve energy levels as well as mood and some people describe Maca as giving them a natural high. 

It also has anti inflammatory properties so can help reduce muscle soreness after workouts/ 

Recommended Dose: 450mg three times a day (tablet)

Contraindications: Can affect adrenal and thyroid function so those on thyroid medication should avoid. 

Some products containing Maca are also on the WADA banned substance list so if you are a competing athlete subject to drug tests either avoid or be 100% the product you are taking is ok. 

***Please remember I am not a doctor. The information shared here is purely for general information purposes. It is not medical advice. 

Hitting this period of life, regardless of the age you go through it, can be so tough.

Some women are lucky and feel very few, if any, effects. The more common story is one of weight gain, fatigue, brain fog, crazy body temperatures and frustration.

There are 4 things Perimenopausal women should be doing in their training to help overcome these negative symptoms. Trust me when I say you can still be competitive, you can still PB and PR your workouts and you def don’t have to stop and let this change take over your life.

1 – HIIT Training
Now most that know me know that “HIIT” is a particular annoyance of mine as it is one of the most over used, and wrongly used phrases in the fitness industry. Check out my blog post here to learn more (HIIT – are you doing it right)

However, executed properly it is has huge benefit and for this you def shouldn’t be doing any interval for more than a minute and the ideal for menopause is 30 seconds.

Firstly, it improves insulin sensitivity and lowers fasting blood sugar levels. This is especially helpful during the menopause transition when blood sugar can be harder to manage. It is also good for your general cardiovascular and metabolic health.

Secondly, it improves your fat burning ability and helps manage visceral fat (the deep internal fat) which usually increases during menopause.

Finally, when done right, it puts a high demand on your muscles, which in turn sends a message to your brain that you need more human growth hormone (HGH). This increases your testosterone levels, which helps build or regain muscle mass, increasing your power and performance.

2 – Strength Training
This doesn’t necessarily mean throwing a heavy barbell around, although if thats your jam then do it. Strength training can mean free weights (kettlebells and dumbbells), resistance bands and even bodyweight exercises. It needs to be strength work though rather than muscular endurance work to be truly effective so think heavier weights and shorter reps per set, rather than long sets of 15/20 reps.

The risk of osteoporosis rises substantially following menopause due to the decrease in estrogen, which is needed to help build, repair and strengthen bone) so strength training is especially vital. 

Effective strength training will help to build bone as well as increase muscle strength, burn fat and help boost your metabolism.

3 – Plyometrics (or Jump Training)
Jumping is often overlooked but it is brilliant for building strong muscles, bones and joints and making them overall more resilient. It also helps produce and reinforce strong and powerful muscle contractions and as our estrogen levels decrease we lose the hormonal stimulus to do this so jumping overcomes this loss.

Adding in some plyometrics to your weekly routine can also increase your bone density building stronger bones. It can strengthen your joints, especially knee and hip joints and help keep the joint cartilage healthy plus it’s generally good for your cardiovascular health.

Simple ways to add jump training into your weekly routine: Box Jumps, Skipping, Jumping Jacks, Squat Jumps and Jump Lunges.
*As always though make sure you know the correct form for these movements as done incorrectly you can mess yourself up so seek a coaches help if unsure.

4 – Balance Work
Balance is a neurological skill, which means it can’t be trained. It has to be practised. Doing some balance work is hugely beneficial for all athletes but adding it to your regular routine for combatting the menopause is a really smart move.

Women suffering with vasomotor symptoms (hot flashes, night sweats etc) can often find they become less stable so it makes sense to work on building your stability and balance.

It can be as simple as practising standing on one leg, and then once you get good at this, doing it with your eyes closed or add in throwing and catching a ball. Or, you can work on moves that also combine some strength work such as Single Leg Deadlifts or Single Leg Squats.