Steve Magness's Blog, page 12

Episode 181: Flux Training: The Magic Bullet Workout?

What’s new in training? Not much! But, alternations, flux training, lactate dynamics, natural fartleks…or whatever you call it is underutilized in modern training. In this episode, we break down the physiology, psychology, and history of emphasizing and manipulating the recovery portion of the workout to great effect. If you haven’t yet, check out Steve’s new…

Episode 180: Avoiding Training Dead Ends: Methods to Restoring the Winning Balance

Training is about balancing opposing demands: speed and endurance. What happens when you mess up the balance? It’s often a disaster. In this episode, Jon and Steve go through how to find the balance point, and what to do to correct it. If you haven’t yet, check out Steve’s new book: Do Hard Things: Why…

Episode 179: The 10 Timeless Guiding Principles of Distance Running Training

We often get lost in the details. Arguing over the final 1%, whether we should run at lactate threshold or critical velocity? Whether 200s or 300s are best for milers? In this episode we outline 10 timeless principles that stand the test of time. If you follow these, you’ll succeed! Nail the basics! If you…

Episode 178: The 10 Timeless Guiding Principles of Distance Running Training

We often get lost in the details. Arguing over the final 1%, whether we should run at lactate threshold or critical velocity? Whether 200s or 300s are best for milers? In this episode we outline 10 timeless principles that stand the test of time. If you follow these, you’ll succeed! Nail the basics! If you…

Episode 178: Running Half Truths: Advice to Be Ignored

Every sport has the items that many of us seem to believe, that are ingrained in the history of the sport, that have no foundation or backing. In this episode, we explore those half-truths. We’re aided by a pamphlet written fifty years ago, with insight that we’ve forgotten. If you haven’t yet, check out Steve’s…

Episode 177: Sympathetic Overdrive- How to Get Out of Stressing Out!

Athletes stress out…a lot! And once you are in stressed mode, it’s hard to get out of it. You can’t sleep hours after competing because your mind is still racing and your body is...



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BONUS: Sink or Swim, Survive or Thrive

Welcome to this special bonus issue. Steve does his best revisionist history impression, telling you the story of Paul Bear Bryant’s famous Junction Boys football camp, while discussing the...



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Episode 176: Individualizing Training in Larger Settings

Individualizing training is easy at the professional level. You’ve got a handful of athletes, all very good, and can adjust as needed. In larger settings, it’s much more difficult. The...



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Going to Exhaustion. Even When You Aren’t Prepared.

Let me tell you about one of the hardest physical things I’ve done in the past few years.  A time when I ran my slowest ever, but one I was most proud of.  A time I looked, and felt, like...



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Episode 175: Fast Losers-Racing vs. Time Trialing

Racing is a skill. How do we get comfortable in a pack? Running from the front, or perhaps stuck in the back? How do you deal with the rising tension of a tactical race? Steve and Jon discuss all of...



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