PODCAST · health
Performance Advantage Podcast
by Dr Will & Dr Matt
Dr Will O'Connor and Dr Matt Miller (MTB PhD) are sports scientists who work with a plethora of endurance athletes from professionals to amateurs.They talk about common issues athletes encounter during endurance training and how to avoid or remedy them with the help of sports science. Submit questions to [email protected]
Episodes
-
119 | AI Isn't About to Replace Coaches - Here's Why
Context is everything! Join Dr. Will and Dr. Matt in this episode of the Performance Advantage Podcast as they map out the future role of AI in sports. There is a pivotal difference between AI-generated training plans and AI coaching. While AI might consistently churn out generic training...
-
118 | Too Much Data a Bad Thing?
With a thrilling array of metrics at our disposal—heart rate, power meters, HRV, braking analysis, sleep patterns, and an arsenal of wearable tech like running watches—the consensus was clear: while the abundance of data might seem overwhelming, its value lies in contextualization. In our...
-
117 | Interval Revolution: Two Key Workouts to Transform Your Endurance
In this episode, we delve deep into the world of interval training, uncovering the science and strategy behind the two most effective interval workouts for endurance athletes. Whether you're a runner, cyclist, triathlete, or mountain biker, these sessions are the secret sauce to elevating your...
-
116 | Burnout and Overtraining - How to Avoid the Inevitable and Why It's OK
As an endurance athlete, it's easy to get caught up in the mentality that more is always better. However, there's a fine line between pushing yourself to your limits and overtraining. Burnout and overtraining can have similar symptoms, such as fatigue, decreased performance, and lack of…
more -
115 | Breaking Records: The Art and Science of Pacing Ironman Nice World Championships
Join us today as we delve into the essential elements of conquering the challenging bike course at the upcoming Ironman World Championships in Nice, France. We share some of the science, our personal insights, and practical tips on pacing, equipment choices, and various strategic considerations...
-
114 | The Difference Between 1st and Last in MTB Races
There's so much going on in MTB - and plenty of bro science. With so many equipment and setup options, and multitude of factors affecting performance in races, how is it possible to figure out what's best for you? Think of it this way: you could have the perfect bike for the course and your best...
-
113 | Pushing the Edge: Doping Discussions and Insights with Jack Kelly of How They Train
We dive into the controversial world of doping in sports with guest Jack Kelly from How They Train. Together, we explore the science, ethics, and motivations behind performance-enhancing substances while discussing the challenges faced by anti-doping agencies. Gain a deeper understanding of the...
-
112 | The Run-Walk Marathon Breakthrough: Unleashing the Power of Alternating Paces
Discover the power of the run-walk marathon method in this exciting episode of The Performance Advantage Podcast, hosted by sports scientists Dr Will and Dr Matt. Learn how Dr Will achieved an incredible 2:37 marathon finish using this innovative technique and how it can transform your own...
-
111 | Avoid These Base Training Pitfalls
With race season fast approaching, we're slipping out of the base phase and into the build phase. Or are we? I mean, is base training even important these days? Or is it more important to do intervals? Some athlete do base training all year - but does that mean that's right for you? In this...
-
110 | Performance Enhancing Drugs - The Doping Crisis
How are we still facing doping issues in 2023? Over a year from the Paris 2024 Olympics, doping is still making headlines. Most recently, Kenyan Athletics has been overwhelmed with doping sanctions. However, the Kenyan doping crisis is a unique situation and a far cry from the systematic doping…
more -
109 | Sports Scientists Vs 2023 | The Year of Free Speed
Are you going to be better next year? Faster, stronger, lighter, smarter and just an overall GC? Here's 2 ways each of us will be better, and here's just 1 simple thing you can do to have your best results in 2023! Bye bye resolutions, and hellllooooo new me! Research article...
-
108 | Racing vs Training - Psychological or Physiological?
After a few big weeks of racing, we discuss why some races don't measure up to training. Do your races not go to plan? Are you great at training, but bad at racing? We've found that there are three types of racers- those going for the win, those who think they are going for the win, and those who...
-
107 | Pro vs. Amateur Athlete Training (Energetic Output Theory)
Do you want to train like a pro? Maybe you should be asking whether or not you can train like a pro! Trainign for running and cycling is all about working on your weaknesses. Yes you can do the hardest interval sessions or longest rides, but will this make you faster? It's all about recovery.…
more -
106 | Underground Training Tactics of the Pros - MTB Science Secrets
It's not rocket science - it's MTB science. There's a heap of myths and bro-science in MTB, and what's shared on social media isn't necessarily what goes on within a pro-riders training plan. Dr Matt Miller (MTB PhD) reveals how pro downhill, enduro and XC MTB riders are training and the science...
-
105 | VO2max Secrets Revealed. Why VO2max is Getting Outdated.
Is VO2max an outdated measure for determining fitness? Dr Tim Podlogar thinks we can do better than the traditional VO2max. Tim also discusses why some pro cyclists consume over 120grams of carbohydrates per hour while racing and the best application of exogenous ketones. Dr Tim Podlogar is a...
-
104 | Eliminate Junk Miles with Training Zones
You know your training could be better, but you haven't had time to sort it out. This episode is for you. We give you a how-to guide for finding your threshold and setting your training zones. PLUS we share out most effective zones for maximising your fitness and speed. Also in the episode is a...
-
103 | Low Carb Vs High Carb. New Research in 2022
Get leaner and improve your performance by eating more fat and fewer carbs. Want to improve your finishing time? Eat whatever you want. Those are the results I (Dr Will O’Connor) found during my PhD. I had thirteen athletes, men and women, eat both low and high-carb diets for four weeks. I tested...
-
102 | Mountain Biking - From 1st Ride to Winning Races
Until now, it was impossible to measure braking in mountain biking. Not even the pros know how they brake. But this is changing - and changing fast. Listen in on this interview with Michael Liberzon of endurance Innovation, where he gets into all the important details on braking in MTB with...
-
101 | The Fundamentals of Running Power
A great episode republished from the Endurance Innovation Podcast, where Dr Will O'Connor is challenged on the importance of running power. You won't want to miss this discussion between three experts on the ever-evolving space of running power meters and running technology. This episode was...
-
100 | Dispelling the Grey Zone Myth
Zone 3 (Tempo) is the ideal stamina building training zone. Training at “tempo” can be beneficial by inducing increases in O2 demand, cardiovascular stress, lactate shuttling and H+ buffer capacity without being completely taxing. HOWEVER, Zone 3 can quickly become the deadly “grey zone” when you...
-
99 | 5 Ways to Get Faster Without Getting Fitter
Has your fitness reached its ceiling, but you still want to get faster? If you have limited time or are looking for maximum gains, we talk today about 5 ways you can get faster without changing anything related to your fitness. While these mostly apply to braking in MTB and how riders going...
-
98 | How to Run Your Fastest 5km
Matt did his first Park Run with a time of 22:50, and he wants to improve. Who better that Dr Will O'Connor to help with the 5km training plan? Today we discuss the race and how it felt, and why Will thinks Matt can go sub-20 in a few blocks of training. We build the training plan live, and you…
more -
97 | The Importance of Aerodynamics with Michael Liberzon
Aerodynamic drag acts against you as soon as you start moving. It simply costs more energy to move forward when you are less aerodynamic. The same is true in sports from running and cycling, all the way to MTB. Today we're joined by professional coach and aerodynamics guru, Michael Liberzon. In...
-
96 | How to Stop Cheaters with Race Ranger
James Elvery is an ex-pro Triathlete and he wants to help stop cheating. Until now, drafting was policed by visual observation, and penalties were non-protestable. If someone thought it looked like you were cheating, your race is done. But if they didn't see you drafting, you're sweet. Doesn't...
-
95 | Five Reasons You Should NOT Train with Heart Rate
Training with a heart rate monitor was once the gold standard. But now, we have devices like power meters and core body temperature sensors added into the mix. There are times when heart rate shines, but other times when heart rate data is not good enough to analyze your training. Listen in as we...
-
94 | Heat Training with CORE Body Temperature Sensor's Chris Blomfield-Brown
CORE's revolutionary body temperature sensor is the world's first non-invasive sensor to measure your core temperature when training and racing. Will and Matt are joined by Chris Blomfield-Brown to talk about how the pros are training and racing to beat the heat. They also discuss their…
more -
93 | The Future of Sports Tech with Rohan Martin
Rohan Martin is an embedded and mobile software engineer who has worked on some of the raddest tech in the sports we love. Alongside his passion for coaching and extreme sports, he is also the CTO of BrakeAce, the world's first brake sensor and app combo for mountain bikers. Today Rohan shares…
more -
92 | The Four Things Slowing You Down
There are 4 things slowing you down when you start your ride: gravity, aerodynamic drag, rolling resistance and braking. Some of these are trade-off, where improving one problem will make the other worse. Some can’t be fixed at all. Some problems are bigger than others. Listen in as we discuss…
more -
91 | Five Training Phases For Successful Periodization
Following on from the Six Spokes of Planning Training, we have five training phases to help you plan your best training plan. Whether you're training for a marathon, an ultramarathon, an enduro MTB, or a cycling stage race, our five training phases will ensure you're in peak shape on race day....
-
90 | Six Steps to Planning Your Training in 2022
Using the Six Spokes of Planning Training from our TrainingPeaks University Introduction to Exercise Science course, we work through how you can plan the best training for yourself. We use these same steps ourselves to plan training for our own athletes - from a whole season right down to...
-
89 | Unlocking the Secret Science of Fitness
Do you find yourself validating a good training session with average pace, power or peak heart rate? Do you find that even though you’re pushing yourself harder and harder, you don’t seem to be getting any faster? If you spend a lot of time in the 'grey zone', the truth is that you’re likely…
more -
88 | Does Bike Weight Matter?
A study by Matt's PhD supervisor, Dr Paul Macdermid, showed that heavier bikes were slower up hills—no surprise! A bike 21% heavier was 3.3% slower for a 95kg rider. This same study indicated that a dropper post will lose you only 1 second up a steep climb of 11 minutes! Once a bike is up to…
more -
87 | Testing the Fastest Running Shoes with Dr Dustin Joubert
Nike Vaporfly, Nike Alphafly, Asics Metaspeed, and Adidas Adios Pro are the running shoes with the most buzz around them, but who's the fastest? And how do the likes of Brooks, Hoka, and New Balance stack up? Dr Dustin Joubert (@labratrundown) has done the study every runner has been waiting for…
more -
86 | Maximal Aerobic Speed with Nathan Heaney
Nathan Heaney is an experienced Strength and Conditioning Coach, High-Performance Specialist, Lecturer and highly sought Mentor and Consultant. Today we discuss maximal aerobic power and how Nathan has used this in team sports like AFL, hockey and netball. We draw parallels between critical power...
-
85 | Female Athlete Health with Mary-Ann Moller
Mary-Ann Moller is a sports scientist focusing on female athlete health. She competes as an elite XCO and cyclocross racer herself, and is especially interested in investigating female athlete health in the MTB community. Throughout this episode, we approach the extremely difficult topic of...
-
84 | AI Coaching: Can a Computer Train You Better?
Data is everywhere in training, and everywhere in our lives. AI has led to better YouTube recommendations and self-driving cars, but will those new coaching apps ever help real endurance athletes? A few software companies have been popping up that use AI and machine learning to give you a...
-
83 | Ketosis, High Carb Diets, Endurance Training & Burning Muscle
Are carbs your enemy or your friend? Are carbs always good for some athletes and always bad for others? Do you really burn muscle if you train before breakfast? We get asked these kinds of questions a lot. Join in on this candid discussion on how we approach carbohydrates to get the most out of...
-
82 | What's Inside the World's Fastest Running Shoes? - Pebax Powered
There is a special technology that all the world's fastest running shoes share - Pebax. Pebax foam is able to return more energy than other shoe materials, and it weighs less, too. This adds up to faster running times. But where does this technology come from? And how does Pebax get into all…
more -
81 | 15 Minute Strength Training from James Wilson
James Wilson has helped athletes get stronger and live healthier lives for the last 16 years. We talk about the whole gamut of strength training, and agree that the best workout you do is the one you do consistently. James has a number of free isometric exercises on his site, and we talk about…
more -
80 | Three Techniques to Get Faster.
We all want to get faster. It's everyone's reason for training. How do you know you're doing the right training, and how do you know why something isn't working? This week, we talk through the three processes we use to ensure our athletes are always training appropriately to get faster. Those…
more -
79 | Getting Back Up with World Cup DH Racer Bryn Dickerson
Bryn Dickerson is one of the top DH racers in New Zealand and the world, having once won the Elite Oceania Continental Championships, and earning a top 20 finish in the World Cup. Bryn is an amazing storyteller and has had some incredible experiences around the world riding his bike. Bryn talks…
more -
78 | Strength Training for Cyclists with Derek Teel from Dialed Health
If you're still on the fence of whether strength training will help your mountain biking, check this episode out! Derek has amassed a wealth of knowledge on strength training for cyclists, and is a testament that adding in a weight routine won't make you 'bulky', but will make you faster! Visit…
more -
77 | The Future of Power with RunPowerCoach Nathan Fenton
Today we talked about the internet and power meters with Run Power Coach Nathan Fenton. Nathan is a running power guru, and it was great to chat with him about how he helps athletes at different levels to improve their performance and optimize their limited training time with power meters. Learn...
-
76 | Internet Memes and Misinformation
There is so much information about exercise on the internet - and a lot of it is WRONG! We think that in sports, this information is shared with the best of intentions, so we talk over some of the pitfalls and potential safeguards to make sure we are getting the right stuff to be our better…
more -
75 | What Went Wrong? Analyzing Failure
Not every day is going to be a gold medal, but there are still plenty of things to learn. here we pick apart Will's failed ultramarathon when he had to be carried off the course with 5km to go! Visit our new website on PerformanceAdvantagePodcast.com for a 30% off early bird discount on our two...
-
74 (3/3)| Power Meters 101 - Setting Training Zones and Avoiding Blowing Up
Once you've done your FTP test, you can set your zones and properly analyze training. In this final part of Power Meters 101, we talk about what zones are and how to set them , and work through the best way to train and race with our power meters. Listen to 53 | Training Zones: Science Simplicity...
-
74 (2/3)| Power Meters 101 - FTP is a Science Lab on Your Bike
In part 2 of 3, we talk about what FTP is and what it really means for you. How can a steady-state test be important for HARD racing? Let's deep dive into that and get you rolling with power data you can collect on every ride! Visit our new website on PerformanceAdvantagePodcast.com for a 30% off...
-
74 (1/3) | Power Meters 101 - Critical First Rides & Best Brands
Anyone who rides should check this out! So you know a power meter is the best way to train, but which device should you buy? In this first of a 3-part series, we go over what power actually is, what it means for you and your bike, and the first things to do once you have a power meter on your…
more -
73 | How to Run with a Power Meter with Dr Will O'Connor
Running power is quickly becoming the new way to train and improve in running. Currently, runners are relying on GPS - a measurement from space - and heart rate, the dial-up broadband of training metrics. Both pace and heart rate serve their purpose as useful metrics, but when GPS signal is poor,...
-
72 | 5x USA National Champ Seamus Powell Opens Up About Retirement
American enduro racers will see less of factory rider, Seamus Powell in 2021. In this episode, the 5x USA National Champion opens up about the struggles of racing professionally, how COVID impacted his 2020 season and why he has decided to walk away from a salary and factory ride. Find out more...
We're indexing this podcast's transcripts for the first time — this can take a minute or two. We'll show results as soon as they're ready.
No matches for "" in this podcast's transcripts.
No topics indexed yet for this podcast.
Loading reviews...
ABOUT THIS SHOW
Dr Will O'Connor and Dr Matt Miller (MTB PhD) are sports scientists who work with a plethora of endurance athletes from professionals to amateurs.They talk about common issues athletes encounter during endurance training and how to avoid or remedy them with the help of sports science. Submit questions to [email protected]
HOSTED BY
Dr Will & Dr Matt
Loading similar podcasts...
Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Performance Advantage Podcast have?
Performance Advantage Podcast currently has 122 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Performance Advantage Podcast about?
Dr Will O'Connor and Dr Matt Miller (MTB PhD) are sports scientists who work with a plethora of endurance athletes from professionals to amateurs.They talk about common issues athletes encounter during endurance training and how to avoid or remedy them with the help of sports science. Submit...
How often does Performance Advantage Podcast release new episodes?
Performance Advantage Podcast publishes regularly with 122 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Performance Advantage Podcast?
You can listen to Performance Advantage Podcast on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Performance Advantage Podcast?
Performance Advantage Podcast is created and hosted by Dr Will & Dr Matt.
URL copied to clipboard!