3 zone vs 5 zone training: heart rate, power and pace
3-zone vs 5-zone training models, heart rate vs power vs pace zones, and why cardiac drift makes your heart rate climb on easy runs at the same pace.
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Blood tests for athletes: which markers really matter
Which blood tests matter for endurance athletes, from ferritin and haemoglobin to vitamin D and thyroid, plus sports anaemia, timing and how often to test.
Fibre and gut health for endurance athletes: race plan
Fibre feeds your gut bacteria, but too much before a race causes trouble. How endurance athletes can balance fiber, prebiotics and carbs in training and racing.
How much training to improve VO2max? Volume vs intensity
How much weekly training it takes to raise VO2max, what dose-response studies show, how volume and intensity trade off, and sensible km per week by level.
How to taper before a race or marathon: the science
How long to taper, how much to cut and what to keep before a race or marathon, what meta-analyses show, and whether VO2max drops when you rest before race day.
Lactate threshold training: how to find and train it
What lactate threshold is, how to find your lactate threshold heart rate and pace, the best threshold workouts, and how Norwegian double threshold works.
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New VO2max longevity research: 2025–2026 update
What the newest studies on VO2max and longevity add, from a 20.9-million-observation review to UK Biobank fitness changes and multi-marathoners, in one table.
Periodization for runners: base, build, peak and blocks
How to periodise endurance training: base, build and peak phases, block periodisation, deload weeks and how to plan a VO2max block the research supports.
Runner's stomach: causes, gut training and electrolytes
Why runner's stomach happens, from reduced gut blood flow to dehydration and heat, and how gut training, smart fuelling, fluids and low-FODMAP diets can help.
VO2max test: cost, what to expect and how to prepare
Where to get a VO2max test, what it costs, how to prepare, what happens on the treadmill minute by minute, what the report shows and home alternatives.
VO2max workouts: 10 sessions for running, bike and rower
Ten proven VO2max workouts for running, treadmill, cycling, assault bike and rower, with reps, intensity, recovery and a weekly plan to fit them in.
80/20 polarised training: easy most days, hard some days
Why elite endurance athletes do about 80% of their training easy and 20% hard, what the studies show, and how to apply it to your week.
How to improve your VO2max: a 12-week plan
How to improve VO2max with a simple 12-week plan — the five principles that matter, a week-by-week table for recreational runners, and how to track progress.
Strength training for runners: better economy, fewer injuries
Heavy strength training doesn't raise VO2max, but it makes every stride cheaper. What studies show, which lifts to do, and how to fit them around running.
The Norwegian 4×4 interval workout: how to raise your VO2max
The 4×4 interval session explained — the research behind it, how hard to run, treadmill and outdoor versions, how often to do it, and how to progress.
VO2max for Hyrox: why your engine decides your finish time
Hyrox is eight 1 km runs between eight stations. Why aerobic fitness decides finish times, and how to train VO2max, strength and transitions.
VO2max tests explained: lab, field, heart-rate and watch methods
Every common way to measure or estimate VO2max — lab CPET, the Cooper test, the 1.5-mile run, the Rockport walk, the heart-rate ratio, race times and watches.
Why your VO2max drops when you gain weight (and rises when you lose it)
VO2max is expressed per kilogram, so a few kilos move the number and the effort of every run. Here is the maths, and what it means for training and racing.
Zone 2 training and VO2max: what it does and doesn't do
What zone 2 training really is, how to find your zone 2 with the talk test or heart rate, what it does for VO2max, and how to combine it with intervals.