What Are the Biggest Learning Curves When Training Cross-Fit Athletes?

Cross-fit athletes have disproportionately well-developed mitochondrial density but simultaneously tend to have poor capillary density which you don't see in endurance sports. Traditional endurance training models just aren't equipped for that type of demand and CrossFit athlete has to do everything at once so a lot of these athletes they're really limited by their systemic cardiovascular control.

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Hello and welcome to The Progress Theory where we discuss how to implement scientific principles to optimise human performance. In this episode, we have Sports Physiologist & Bioscientist, Evan Peikon.

What does the physiology of a hybrid athlete look like? We can understand the physiology of individual strength and endurance sports, and through this series of the Progress Theory, we also know how strength training can have a positive effect on, for example, running performance through improved running economy. But physiologically, can the two co-exist? In this episode, Evan and I discuss the role of the cardiovascular system for hybrid training, the effect of muscle size on endurance performance, and have a go at predicting how far hybrid performance can go.

But before we get to the show I want to thank our sponsors, who the show would not be possible without.

I want to take a moment to express my gratitude to my production partner, KULT Media.

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Thank you to HMN24 – fuelling human potential and optimising everyday human performance and well-being.

First of all – HMN24 is not a sports supplement company. I’ve seen sport supplements be used as a method to improve performance in the gym and at a certain sport. However, these supplements, like a pre-workout, are often used on top of a lifestyle which does not provide the foundation needed for optimal performance. There’s no point taking pre-workout supplements if your sleep, hydration, and nutrition is an unstructured mess. I’m convinced that a large percentage of injuries are often caused, not because training was poor, but because a poor lifestyle foundation increased the athlete’s susceptibility to injury. Sports supplements are often used to plaster the cracks in poor lifestyle habits, which only causes more future problems.

And this is where HMN24 is different. The product range at HMN24 not only helps improve your foundation; it optimises it. The HMN24 products are designed to fit around your circadian rhythms, from the moment you wake up, to key moments in the day when you need optimal focus, to getting the best sleep at night, there’s a product to optimise each phase of the day.

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In this episode, we discuss:

1:11 - Introduction
3:52 - Working at Crossfit Think Tank
5:20 - The Crossfit athlete, mitochondrial density and the dilation of blood vessels
9:21 - Arterial blood pressure and cardiac output
13:10 - The influence of genetics
15:30 - The difference between Crossfit athletes and Hybrid athletes
18:32 - Physiological ceilings
20:56 - VO2max in elite CrossFit athletes
23:28 - Critical metabolic rate, muscle relations and respiratory endurance
29:11 - The use of NIRS
32:57 - Body position, skeletal muscle pump and gene expression.
40:07 - The development of exercise science
43:16 - Hybrid training advice for coaches
46:28 - Understanding recovery/aerobic base training
52:49 - What’s the future potential for the hybrid athlete?
1:00:25 - Can being elite in one sport affect being a good hybrid athlete?