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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Apple Watch VO2max: accuracy, levels and how to raise it
Apple Watch shows your VO2max as Cardio Fitness. Where to find it, what the four levels mean, how accurate it is and why it can read low.
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.
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Cold plunges: recovery help or gains killer?
Cold plunges ease muscle soreness but regular use after lifting can blunt strength and muscle gains. What the research says and when an ice bath makes sense.
Do supplements raise VO2max? Caffeine, beetroot and iron
Caffeine and beetroot juice can boost endurance, but they don't raise VO2max. What the evidence shows, doses, and why iron needs a blood test first.
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Exercise snacks: 1-minute bursts and your fitness
Exercise snacks and VILPA, the 1-minute bursts of vigorous daily activity, are linked to lower mortality. What the studies show and how to fit them in.
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.
Gut health and exercise: how workouts change gut bacteria
Regular exercise can shift gut bacteria and their products, while very long or hot sessions stress the gut. What the gut health and exercise research shows.
Gut microbiome and athletic performance: what we know
Do athletes have different gut bacteria, and does it boost performance? What gut microbiome athlete studies show, what probiotics can do, and what is hype.
Heat training and VO2max: does training in the heat make you fitter?
Heat acclimation expands plasma volume and improves performance in the heat. What studies show for VO2max, practical protocols and hot-city safety.
HIIT vs steady cardio: which raises VO2max more?
HIIT or moderate continuous training? What meta-analyses say about VO2max and health, how low-volume HIIT compares, and how to combine both in a week.
How does training increase VO2max? Heart, blood, capillaries
How training raises VO2max through stroke volume, plasma and red cell volume, capillaries and mitochondria, and how fast each adaptation happens.
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 increase VO2max without running: 7 options
How to increase VO2max without running, using cycling, rowing, swimming, stairs, incline walking or the ski erg, with pros, cons and a sample week.
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.
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Japanese walking: interval walking and your VO2max
Japanese walking alternates 3 minutes brisk and 3 minutes easy. What the Shinshu University trials found for fitness, strength and blood pressure.
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.
Mitochondria and VO2max: how to increase mitochondria
How training builds mitochondria, what PGC-1α does, why volume and intensity matter differently, and why more mitochondria barely move VO2max itself.
Overtraining syndrome signs and symptoms: HRV and REDs
Overtraining symptoms explained: functional vs non-functional overreaching, overtraining syndrome, what HRV and resting heart rate show, and the REDs overlap.
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.
Red light therapy: what the evidence really shows
Does red light therapy help recovery or performance? What photobiomodulation studies show, how home panels differ from lab devices, and eye safety.
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Rucking: does weighted walking raise VO2max?
Rucking means walking with a weighted pack. How load raises the oxygen cost of walking, what that may do for VO2max, and how to start safely.
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.
Testosterone and VO2max: low T in endurance athletes
Testosterone raises haemoglobin, but heavy endurance training and under-eating can lower it. What the research shows, and why boosters are not the answer.
VO2max heart rate zones: zone 5, zone 2 and how to set them
What VO2max zones mean, how to set zone 2 and zone 5 with % of max heart rate, heart-rate reserve or lab thresholds, and why age formulas are a rough start.
VO2max in women: menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause
Why women's VO2max is lower on average, whether your cycle changes fitness, how to train through pregnancy, and how to protect VO2max after menopause.
VO2max vs lactate threshold, FTP, HRV and max heart rate
VO2max vs lactate threshold, FTP, VO2peak, HRV, max heart rate, anaerobic capacity and SpO2: what each measures, how to test it and how to train it.
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.
VO2max, heart disease and blood pressure: fitness as medicine
Low fitness predicts high blood pressure and heart disease, and training lowers both. What the meta-analyses show and how much exercise it takes.
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.
Why some people improve their VO2max more than others
Genes, starting fitness and training dose shape how much VO2max improves. What HERITAGE found, and why non-responders respond to more training.
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.