The Role of Fast Twitch Muscle Recruitment in Marathon Performance

Gareth Sandford, PhD, is a physiologist at the Canadian Sports Institute Pacific. He has worked across 15 individual and team sports within three Olympic systems (UK, New Zealand and Canada) and three professional sports leagues (English football, cricket and rugby), supporting over 400 athletes that achieved 18 Olympic, Paralympic and World Championship medals and one world record. In this interview we discuss athlete profiling using the Anaerobic Speed Reserve, and how to optimise the training process for different types of athletes. 

IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:

-Athlete profiling and testing

-Endurance, Hybrid, and Speed profiles and their unique characteristics

-What is the Anaerobic Speed (Power) Reserve, and its underlying determinants?

-How to improve sprinting speed or peak power

-When and how to train for strengths and weaknesses

-Why doing a lot of high intensity training can hinder rather than help the athlete

-Critical Speed (Power) training

SHOWNOTES:

https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts398/

SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:

www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/

SPONSORS:

Precision Fuel & Hydration help athletes perform at their best through their online tools, patented Sweat Test and range of electrolytes and fueling products. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner and receive a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake. If you want further help, book a free 20-minute video consultation to chat through your plan. Listen out for the code in today's show to get 15% off your first order of PF&H electrolytes and fueling products. If you missed the code, just email hello@pfandh.com.

FORM Smart Swim Goggles give you unprecedented real-time feedback in your swim training through a display on the goggle lens. See every split to stay on pace, track your stroke rate and don't let it drop, use heart rate to become more scientific and precise with your training (through integration with Polar HR monitors) and analyse more in-depth metrics post-swim in the app. You can also use a vast library of workouts or training plans, or build your own guided workouts. Get 15% off the goggles with the code TTS15. 

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Gareth's website (available from late July 2023) and Twitter and Research Gate profiles

• Anaerobic Speed/Power Reserve and Sport Performance: Scientific Basis, Current Applications and Future Directions - Sandford et al. 2021

• “Question Your Categories”: the Misunderstood Complexity of Middle-Distance Running Profiles With Implications for Research Methods and Application - Sandford & Stellingwerff 2019

• Application of the Anaerobic Speed Reserve to Elite 800m running - Sandford 2018 (PhD thesis)

• The anaerobic power reserve and its applicability in professional road cycling - Sanders & Heijboer 2018

• Road to Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games: Training Characteristics of a World Class Male Triathlete - Cejuela and Sellés-Pérez 2022

• Predicting High-Power Performance in Professional Cyclists - Sanders et al. 2016

• Dajo Sanders, PhD | EP#384

• Power profiling, critical power, and U23 cycling research with Peter Leo | EP#319

• Durability in endurance sports with Ed Maunder, PhD and Stephen Seiler, Phd | EP#295

• Nutrition for endurance and ultra-endurance athletes with Trent Stellingwerff, PhD | EP#265

• Interval Training – Science and Application part 1 with Paul Laursen | EP#128

• Interval Training – Science and Application part 2 with Paul Laursen | EP#129

• Interval Training – Science and Application part 3 with prof. Paul Laursen | EP#163

RATE AND REVIEW:

If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/

CONTACT:

Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.