Training Science Podcast

What if you could predict your race before you even start?

In this episode, Ryan Cooper shares the story behind one of endurance sport’s most influential tools, Best Bike Split. With a background in electrical engineering and aerospace, Ryan saw early on that the same physics used in aviation could be applied to cycling and triathlon performance.

We dive into how power meters and modeling unlocked a new way to race, why normalized power became a game changer for long course athletes, and how smart pacing can make or break your entire performance.

From early prototypes during the Tour de France to real world validation at world championship races, this episode is a behind the scenes look at how data, physics, and practical application came together to change the way athletes approach race day.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Ryan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-f-cooper/

What if your biggest performance limiter isn’t your fitness, but your nervous system?

In this episode, Lawrence van Lingen shares a radically different lens on endurance performance, one that shifts the focus from traditional training metrics to fascia, breath, and vagal tone. Drawing from years of work with elite athletes like Andi Böcherer and Jan Frodeno, Lawrence explains how movement efficiency, recovery, and performance breakthroughs often come from restoring internal balance rather than pushing harder.

We explore why breathing mechanics and nervous system health are foundational to performance, how simple practices like walking and crawling-like movements can create massive changes, and why many athletes struggle not from lack of effort but from an inability to absorb training.

This conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers a new way to approach performance, recovery, and long term health.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/
Lawrence van Lingen https://www.lawrencevanlingen.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@LawrencevanLingen

What actually drives performance in professional cycling, and how much of it is science versus experience?

In this episode, Dr David Bailey joins us to unpack over two decades of work across Olympic sport and WorldTour cycling. From talent identification and training philosophy to nutrition, heat, altitude, and the evolving role of data, David shares what really matters when building high performance athletes.

We dive into the concept of marginal gains and why most people misunderstand it, how teams prioritize what actually moves the needle, and why talent and training still outweigh everything else. The conversation also explores real world applications of AI, individualized nutrition strategies, and the complex mix of physiology, psychology, and race strategy that ultimately decides who wins.

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr David Bailey https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-bailey-77111640/

What can heart rate variability actually tell us about training, recovery, and long term health, and where do most people still get it wrong?

In this episode, Dr Greg Grosicki joins us to unpack the science and practical value of HRV, from what it really measures to why context matters so much when interpreting it. We explore how exercise intensity, sleep, alcohol, sickness, hydration, and metabolic health can all shape HRV, and why a single daily score often tells only part of the story.

We also dive into Greg’s new work on HRV CV, a promising way to understand the stability of recovery over time, and discuss how wearables at scale are changing the kinds of questions sports science can answer.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Greg Grosicki https://www.linkedin.com/in/gregorygrosicki/

Greg’s new paper: https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/ajpheart.00738.2025?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org

What actually changes as we age as athletes, and how should training evolve if we want to keep performing while protecting long term health?

In this episode, Professor Peter Reaburn joins us to explore the science and real world practice of training as a masters athlete. Drawing on decades of research and personal experience as an endurance athlete, Peter explains why resistance training becomes essential with age, how recovery changes, and why training the same way you did in your twenties no longer works.

We discuss muscle loss, polarized training, protein intake, and the importance of balancing performance with longevity. The conversation also dives into heart health considerations for aging endurance athletes and why listening to your body may be the most important skill masters athletes can develop.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/
Prof Peter Reaburn https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-reaburn-8a498b12/

TOP EPISODE REPLAY

Profiling and training SPEED🏎️ individually might be 30% (!!!) of any SPRINTING performance - get ON IT!

Prof. Dr. JB Morin would like you to consider that if you do not cover, train or assess the WHOLE SPECTRUM of what your athletes can or cannot do, then you are likely leaving BIG 💥💨 gains on the table. Does 30% matter to you?

In the 115th episode of The Training Science Podcast, Martin and JB discuss:

📖 the Force-Velocity relationship in SPRINTING;

✅ training SPECIFIC for individual SPEED profiles;

❤️ SPRINT specific resistance training.

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Today’s speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit https://martin-buchheit.net/   

Prof. Dr. JB Morin

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Does high intensity training really build the strongest heart, or is it time in Zone 1 and Zone 2 that truly drives cardiac adaptation?

In this episode, Dr Guido Claessen joins us to unpack a landmark longitudinal MRI study on endurance athletes that challenges common assumptions about HIIT and heart remodeling. They explore what actually builds the “athletic heart,” why low intensity volume matters more than most think, and what this means for polarized training.

They also tackle the harder questions lifelong athletes worry about including atrial fibrillation, coronary plaque, myocarditis, and how much endurance sport might be too much.

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/   

Dr Guido Claessen https://www.linkedin.com/in/guido-claessen-936a18a9/

We sit down with Prof Guillaume Millet to get clear on what fatigue actually is, why durability became the new buzzword, and what really limits performance in ultra endurance events. We dig into central vs peripheral fatigue, why muscle damage matters so much in trail and mountain running, and how shock weekends can build the resilience you cannot fake on race day. We also talk heat, perceived exertion, field monitoring tools, and his new Zero to 100 project taking sedentary adults to a 100k mountain race in 18 months.

References:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22323647/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39405022/

https://journals.physiology.org/doi/full/10.1152/japplphysiol.00692.2025?rfr_dat=cr_pub++0pubmed&url_ver=Z39.88-2003&rfr_id=ori%3Arid%3Acrossref.org

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/   

Prof Guillaume Millet https://www.linkedin.com/in/kinesiologui/

Episode 200 marks a major milestone for us, and we celebrate it with someone who played a foundational role in our journey. Professor Ken Nosaka joins us to reflect on how eccentric training research shaped modern training practice and brought our paths together.

We revisit the early ECU years, then dive deep into what Ken’s research has taught us about muscle soreness, muscle damage, the repeated bout effect, and how adaptation really works. This episode blends history, science, and real world coaching insights that still shape how we train today.

In this episode, we sit down with Dr Andrew Koutnik to unpack one of the most discussed sports science reviews in recent years. Drawing on more than 100 years of research and a series of tightly controlled trials, we examine evidence that challenges the long-held belief that more carbohydrates automatically lead to better performance.

We explore why muscle glycogen and carbohydrate oxidation do not consistently predict performance, how athletes can sustain high-intensity and endurance output with much lower carbohydrate intake, and why protecting brain energy may be a key limiter during exercise.

The conversation also examines why some highly trained athletes still show markers of poor metabolic health, what this means for current fueling guidelines, and why context matters when translating science into real-world practice.

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References:
https://academic.oup.com/edrv/advance-article/doi/10.1210/endrev/bnaf038/8432248?login=false

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Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen  https://www.paullaursen.com/   

Dr Andrew Koutnik https://www.instagram.com/andrewkoutnikphd/