More from @Alan_Couzens

Alan Couzens

@Alan_Couzens

Jun 3

My latest:

Some thoughts on just how long it's going to take to go from beginner/"out of shape" to truly competitive.

And some thoughts on the best way to reward yourself during the journey along the way...

alancouzens.com/TP/templates/l…

Received a qu:

"Are you saying I shouldn't race an Ironman if I'm not training 15-20hrs/wk?"

Yes!

A *weekly* volume ~= your race duration is no way to properly prepare!

Back in the day, the distance was properly respected e.g. Tinley's Lvl 7 "Probably training for Ironman"

And, for those curious about what lies beyond lvl 7, described in only the way Tinley can... 😊

Read 4 tweets

Alan Couzens

@Alan_Couzens

May 12

https://twitter.com/stevemagness/status/1524727619434041346

I've been thinking about this of late.

As a swim coach of kids in some very competitive programs, I've seen the worst of parenting.

However..

Something I left off my thread on the differences between the kids from my own squad who "made it" vs myself-more demanding parents 🧵

https://twitter.com/stevemagness/status/1524727619434041346

It's a nice idea to let kids do what kids want to do. However, the reality of elite swimming is that 5 years of consistent 2-a-days precede high performance.

And a rule of being a teenager

5 years of unwavering commitment to anything is exceedingly rare!

If I'm honest, many of the kids who reach high performance had more of a parental push.

However, the kids who reach the highest of high performance had a different kind of push than the kids who are burned out at 20.

So, what are the key differences?

Read 9 tweets

Alan Couzens

@Alan_Couzens

May 3

I grew up swimming with some swimmers who made the Australian team for major events like the Olympics and Commonwealth Games. I did not. So what was the difference between us?

A brief thread 👇

1/ Genetics?

There was nothing inherently physically special about these swimmers as kids/youths. As a gangly kid with size 15 feet, if anything, I was the one with the inherent advantage & was initially as fast or faster.

2/ Consistency

2 a days were mandatory for our 'A Squad' in the Summer but optional in the winter. I trained once a day in the winter. The kids who "made it", trained twice through the whole year.

Read 6 tweets

Alan Couzens

@Alan_Couzens

Apr 24

Spending this morning doing something I've wanted to do for a while:

Diving into the database to explore the relationship between lactate and fat oxidation

Conclusions:
For high levels of #FatBurning- you want:
* Low lactate at AeT
* High AnT relative to max
* Low max lactate

By throwing max power into the mix, I'm starting to get a nice little model together.

With most of the fat oxidation predictions on the test set within half a kcal/min of actual! e.g.

And, if you're interested in "normal" lactate numbers, here are the averages from the dataset (mean VO2max of 52ml/kg/min, 75kg bodyweight)

AeT - 170W @ 1.4 mmol/L
AnT - 238W @ 3.2 mmol/L
Max - 287W @ 7.8 mmol/L

Read 5 tweets

Alan Couzens

@Alan_Couzens

Apr 14

My top 7 tips for optimal #nutrition for endurance athletes:

A brief thread 👇

1/ Just like training, be boring and build a consistent routine.

Food is fuel. Food is not entertainment. Athletes who develop consistent meal patterns are better able to monitor and control their nutrition to optimally match their training.

2/ Vary your nutrition in accordance with your training.

Going along with the above, set up 3 simple menus/nutrition plans for each level of current volume:

1 - Recovery day nutrition
2 - Loading day nutrition
3 - BIG day nutrition

alancouzens.com/blog/nutrition…

Read 9 tweets