CrossFit Challenges

I think that's a really cool thought experiment as in you could create a number of different hybrid challenges and then create the ideal athlete that would be needed to achieve that. The whole squat 250 kilos sub five minute mile was announced like years ago by CrossFit but it was only until a few years ago that Fergus and Adam Clink managed to hit that level. And I feel like part of it has to do with just the total pool of people that actually want to do these things.

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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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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?