evokecast

Join Coaches Leif Godberson and Nikki Larochelle for our September installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:21 Carb loading and cramping

00:05:48 Training without a heart-rate monitor

00:13:45 Minimum volume to maintain uphill running fitness

00:20:01 Tracking downhill running capacity

00:28:47 Training for an objective with no specific date 

00:34:51 Importance of a long training day weekly

00:41:23 Structuring maintenance training between objectives

00:45:45 Training prescriptions for double thresholds

00:55:27 Training a one-arm pull-up

Join Coaches Andy Reed and Kylee Toth for our August installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:53 Role of plyometrics training in ultra-running

00:05:18 Improving down-hill resilience 

00:12:22 Scheduling around an inter-block break from training

00:15:14 Evoke methodology relevant to cycling 

00:22:25 Aerobic deficiency and adding weight 

00:24:55 Chronic Training Load’s relationship to volume

00:28:25 Favorite workouts

00:29:40 Pre-race capstone runs 

00:34:20 Back-to-back long runs 

00:36:57 Utilizing zone 1 for fast athletes

00:38:30 An elite’s staple workouts for 100 mile runs

00:43:38 Improving at running hills 

00:46:36 Beginner tips for improving aerobic capacity

00:48:05 Day-to-day heart rate & RPE variation  

00:53:12 LT1 speed vs LT2 speed 

00:53:55 Training muscular endurance on Zwift

00:54:48 Mitochondrial function

00:55:39 Thoughts on stretching

00:59:45 Muscular endurance benefits for flats

01:01:10 Rucking in zone 2

01:02:02 Choosing specific races

01:03:57 Thoughts on agility 

01:05:15 ME training and tapering

01:08:07 Recent Tour de France outcomes

01:12:31 Tempo vs. threshold training for ultras

01:16:19 Strength training for marathons

01:22:18 Outro and thanks

Join coach Larry Goldie for a conversation with Jam McManus. Jam is a high-altitude mountaineer who recently summited Lhotse without the use of supplemental oxygen, making him the first Irish person to do so. He has now set his sights on becoming the first Irish person to climb Mount Everest without supplemental oxygen, in 2027.

Earth’s Edge Guides: https://earths-edge.com

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:03:25 Jam’s early experiences with climbing  

00:10:50 First experiences climbing in the Himalayas

00:12:36 First no oxygen 8000 meter peak attempts

00:15:14 Lessons learned from climbing without supplemental oxygen

00:24:34 How being above 8000 meters without oxygen feels

00:34:23 History of altitude exposure quickens later acclimatizations

00:41:22 Attempting Lhoste instead of Makalu in 2026

00:44:35 Jam’s training and preparation for Lhotse

00:52:20 Mental training

00:58:34 Risk calculations while guiding

01:03:15 Learning from failure

01:06:11 Big picture lessons from climbing and training

01:11:43 Outro and thanks

Join Coaches Maya Seckinger and Seth Keena for our July installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:04:34 Tracking and qualifying fatigue

00:09:44 Improving aerobic base with limited training time

00:11:30 Managing down-hill volume

00:14:46 Does zone 1 training create a positive training stimulus

00:18:19 Training down-hills for a specific race

00:19:27 Aging well

00:20:05 Intensity runs during a base phase

00:22:42 Training zone 2 & intensity in the same day

00:25:03 Best trail running home towns

00:27:01 Using stair climber machines for aerobic base work

00:28:50 Usefulness of nose breathing vs. MAF

00:32:19 VO2 max vs. lactate threshold for predicting performance above 8k meters

00:36:06 Increasing durability and fatigue resistance for a 59 year old

00:39:00 Finding down-hill race pace & tactics

00:42:39 Key to aerobic base training

00:43:48 Speed during aerobic base work

00:44:57 Managing training load for both mountain biking and running 

00:47:25 Physical preparation for a professional guide exam

00:52:55 Using TrainingPeaks training stress metrics

00:56:41 Outro and thanks

Join Coaches Scott Johnston and Vince Paikowski for a deep dive on strength training for the endurance athlete, with an emphasis on muscular endurance training. See episode guide for topics covered. 

Learn more about muscular endurance:

https://evokeendurance.com/resources/muscular-endurance-all-you-need-to-know/

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:42 Vince’s discovery of the importance of strength training

00:03:23 Evoke’s applied methodology

00:05:09 Discovery of the effectiveness of muscular endurance

00:11:25 Science is downstream of anecdotal evidence

00:18:22 Indicators of poor muscular endurance

00:22:23 Definition of terms: strength; power; muscular endurance

00:26:08 Applications of muscular endurance

00:29:11 How strong is strong enough?

00:42:26 Specificity and muscular recruitment 

00:50:40 Muscular endurance is not the end state, specificity is 

00:59:40 Muscle fiber types and the physiological ‘dimmer switch’

01:13:47 What is missing from an individual athlete’s training?

01:19:57 Training tools and use-cases

01:24:27 Muscular endurance training methods

01:36:06 Perceptive cues common to muscular endurance stimulus 

01:45:45 Conflating elite athletes' recent training with event success

01:58:03 Final Thoughts 

Join Coach Scott Johnston for a conversation with Paul Booth, who works alongside Scott as a Performance Nutritionist on the teams of 2025 UTMB 1st-place finishers Tom Evans and Ruth Croft. In this discussion, they explore how metabolic processes are measured in the lab, and look at the latest research on carbohydrate fueling and fat utilization in ultra runners. See episode guide for topics covered. 

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:27 Can metabolism be measured through calorimetry?

00:04:31 Are VO2 Max tests capable of measuring metabolic equilibrium?

00:10:57 Applying lab derived energy usage to variable terrain

00:16:58 Recent study of carbohydrate utilization in ultra running

00:31:34 Does carbohydrate introduction shift substrate utilization?

00:33:22 Is high carbohydrate intake inhibiting fat utilization?

00:42:43 Fat utilization vs. carbs during races

00:46:01 Does high carbohydrate intake cause carbohydrate dependence?

00:53:32 Pitfalls of reliance on widely available metabolic testing machines

01:03:27 Tips for feeding between and during runs

01:16:16 Final thoughts

Join Coaches Maya Seckinger and Nikki Larochelle for our April installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:05:58 Time in zone 2 vs. even more time in Z1/low-Z2

00:10:27 Training while raising children

00:13:38 Optimal heart rate zone range for a long hike

00:15:56 Training during transition periods between seasonal events

00:19:48 Is there an upper limit for high-volume days?

00:23:28 General advice for pacing a first 50k race

00:30:57 General signs of fatigue vs. fitness improvements

00:34:30 Integrating aerobic base work as a tri-athlete 

00:36:34 How attentive to heart rate spikes does a beginner athlete need to be?

00:40:50 Recovering from over training and overcoming aerobic deficiency 

00:46:50 Outro and thanks

Join coach Leif Whittaker and his guest, Garrett Madison, as they take you through the step-by-step process of climbing Mt. Everest, and Lhotse. As the founder of Madison Mountaineering, Garrett has guided hundreds of clients on the world's biggest peaks, and is one of the most experienced high-altitude guides on the planet.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Learn More about Garrett and Madison Mountaineering:

https://www.instagram.com/madisonmtng/

https://madisonmountaineering.com/

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:01:55 Garrett’s nineteenth expedition to Everest

00:06:46 Selecting a guide service/climber’s personal resume

00:20:38 Training and preparation

00:28:51 Arrival to Katmandu and acclimatization trek to basecamp

00:35:15 Altitude simulators for preacclimatization/staying healthy

00:49:52 Basecamp and technical review

00:54:32 First Rotation: Through the Khumbu ice fall to Camp III

01:05:44 Summit rotation

01:15:22 Final summit push

01:23:15 Summit attempt, and descent

01:31:47 Camp IV to Lhotse summit push and back to Camp II

01:41:41 Back to Basecamp

01:42:14 Final thoughts

Join Coaches John Frieh and Leif Godberson for our February installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if you would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, visit our Reddit forum: https://www.reddit.com/r/evokeendurance/, or contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:02:13 Possible limitations to heart rate drift tests

00:05:31 Should a drift test be performed when fatigued or fresh?

00:07:17 Best protocol for determining ventilatory thresholds?

00:12:15 Optimal weekly aerobic base training duration?

00:16:17 Altering Evoke’s stock mountaineering plan for a busy schedule

00:20:13 How do other sports fit into a yearly endurance training plan?

00:26:34 Blending martial arts with endurance training?

00:29:43 Training for fire fighting and endurance sports?

00:35:21 Balancing ultra marathons and mountaineering objectives

00:39:58 Training for fast and light alpinism

00:53:19 Modulating stair climber training in Evoke’s stock plans

00:56:16 Is heart rate important for recovery workouts?

00:57:11 Outro and thanks

Join Coaches Leif Godberson and Seth Keena for our January installment of Ask Evoke, where they answer training questions submitted by members of the Evoke Endurance community.

To submit your own training questions, or if would like to learn more about the Evoke Endurance community, contact us here.

Episode Guide

00:00:00 Introduction

00:00:39 Moving from WI4 to WI5

00:07:49 Differences in training between uphill touring and ice climbing

00:12:30 Thoughts on stretching 

00:16:31 Improving movement efficiency below aerobic threshold

00:21:47 Downhill vs Uphill legs for skiing

00:25:09 Training for FKTs with 4th and 5th class terrain

00:39:00 Training downhill running for ultras

00:45:51 Outro and thanks