Are You Doing Performance Tests in Training?

One of the benefits of podcasting is the evergreen inspiring content always available at our fingertips ... no matter where you are in your life or athletic journey.   Recently I found myself flicking back through early shows of The Greg Bennett Show in my own endeavour to learn and find some extra inspiration from the amazing guests I've had the privilege to chat to these past few years.   Dan Lorang joined me back in September 2021 on episode 91. Dan is one of the greatest endurance coaches on the planet. This episode was the most downloaded episodes in 2021 and is still in the top ten most downloaded to date. Dan's athletes have exceled and dominated. Notably, Jan Frodeno and his Ironman World Record, Anne Haug and her mind-boggling victory at Challenge Roth, Lucy Charles Barclay, and her Ironman 70.3 World title, and all his cyclists in the Bora Hansgrohe cycling team.   What an absolute honor and privilege it is to have one of the greatest minds in the world of endurance sport join me for a chat. So, I've decided to run this episode again.   In this episode, Dan is incredibly forthcoming with sharing his wisdom and his knowledge. Dan gives a quick recap of his journey of how he got to where he is, and then we discuss his athlete's performances in 2021 and get a little more specific on his coaching methodology.   There is so much in this episode. Truly outstanding.   Timestamps 0.0 - Introduction to show and advertising 5.30 - Introduction to Dan Lorang 6.00 - General chit-chat - Dan's performances - Dan is living his passion - Dan was determined to work in High-Performance sport - mentoring the younger coaches 9.00 - The Show – "What I’d like to do is do a quick recap of your journey and process to this point and then discuss your athlete's performances in 2021 and get a little more specific on your coaching methodology." 10.40 - Recapping Dan's Journey - finding his passion for sports science and coaching - his boss in engineering told him to go for it - Working with Anne Haag as his first athlete - The German U23 and National head Coach for Triathlon, now Bora Hansgrohe Head coach - Combining Data and psychology 18.50 - Managing time between coaching Triathletes, and the Bora Hansgrohe cycling team and his family - His athletes need a team around him   23.30 - 12 - rapid-fire quick answer questions 1. What is your favorite thing about your career? That I live my dream 2. What is your favorite book to read? Eleven rings from Phil Jackson 3. What motivates you to work hard? Athletes who are 100% committed 4. In the last five years, what new belief, behavior, or habit has most improved your life? Managing Failure 5. If your athlete could only train 10hrs a week, what would you have them do? Go have fun... you won't win anything 6. What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession or area of expertise? I don't like generalizations 7. What is one of the best or most worthwhile investments you’ve ever made (Could be an investment of money, time, energy, etc.)? Coaching athletes for free 8. What is one thing that annoys you the most? When people talk about things they have no clue about 9. On a scale of 1 to 10 how “cool” are you? "5" 10. If you were stranded on a tropical island what 2 things would you want with you? My phone 11. Which decade of music is the best? The 80s and 90's   32.10 - Athletes performances in 2021 33.10 - Lucy Charles-Barclay - How did this relationship start? When did you start working together? End of March 2021. What changes did you make to her program? Lucy absorbed the training very well - increasing her aerobic conditioning - "We need to build the base" with a polarized approach - The main goal was Kona - an altitude camp before St.George - Dan has developed Lucy as a Triathlete - Was Dan Surprised with Lucy's performance in IM 70.3 World Champs? 46.50 - Anne Haug – Roth (shame it was short due to road works... we will never know), 7.53.48 with a 31.36min win over Laura Siddall. 12 min lead off-bike over Langridge and Crowley, 2.43hr run. Thoughts on Anne's performance in Roth? Anne wasn't in a good place mentally before the race. What has changed with the training after 15 years? Anne did a 33min 10km road race last year. - She's a Ferrari - "we do a minimum amount of run training to optimize her performance" 54.45 - Jan Frodeno - 9 years with Jan - A target on his back - Collins Cup – fastest overall (20 sec in front of Gustav)? The decision not to race 70.3 World – A race between Gustav and Jan was missed. Tri-Battle Royale –– World Record – 7.35.39, Kona World Champion, Olympic Gold - How has the training changed over 9 years? Dan was surprised at Jan's low numbers when they started. What else is there for you and Jan? 1.06.00 - Collecting Data - What data - metabolic profile collecting at the beginning - Adaptation, Polarized (VO2 and base), Specific (Strength endurance), Race-specific - slowly increase, it's a step by step process over years - 1.12.40 - Retests in standardized training like an 8x 1km run - Dan doesn't like to stop training to test - he uses training to test and compare - You have to be honest with your athlete - You have to be careful in the words you choose 1.17.30 - Example of VO2 work - using hills for 8 x30 sec but build to 4 x 4min - what do you want to achieve and where is the athlete at the moment? How many times a week - 4-5 sessions split over the three sessions. The rest of the training is easy - VO2 max is NOT sprinting it's a controlled intensity 1.23.00 - Recovery - measuring using Heart Rate Variability and Sleep quality - each athlete is different and they can choose how they monitor - Glucose monitoring it can be interesting to watch 1.26.00 Conclude - Two questions 1. What is one tip you have for people on how to optimize their life? "Ask yourself, 'Are you happy doing what you're doing?" 2. If you could sit and have a coffee with any living person, who would it be and why? Phil Jackson, book eleven rings     Links Be sure and check out bennettendurance.com Find Greg on social media: Twitter Greg Bennett Show Instagram The Greg Bennett Show   And check out Dan Lorang Twitter: https://twitter.com/Danlorang Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/danlorang/