
On Coaching with Magness & Marcus
Coaches Steve Magness and Jon Marcus team up to bring you an insider’s view on coaching. Taking you inside the thoughts and conversations that usually occur behind the scenes. They bring a diverse background having both worked with athletes at the collegiate and professional level. They hope to bring a mixture of science, old-fashioned wisdom, and a touch of philosophy to help understand the process of coaching and maximizing endurance performance. For more information visit www.ScienceOfRunning.com
Latest episodes

Nov 3, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 60: “Don’t Jog!?” Myths on Conditioning for Team Sports
“Don’t jog! Only High intensity interval training!” Outside of the distance running world, these phrases are often thrown around when it comes to development of endurance in team sports or non-running individual sports. Whether it’s the fear of creating slow athletes, or the myth that you can get all of your aerobic bang for your…

7 snips
Oct 19, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 59: Culture and Belonging: Interview with NAU coach Mike Smith
In this engaging conversation, NAU coach Mike Smith shares insights from his journey in coaching cross-country teams. He emphasizes the significance of team culture, where every member feels valued. Mike discusses the shift from strictly outcome-driven coaching to fostering athlete ownership and enjoyment in training. He highlights the importance of mentorship and navigating academic stress's impact on athlete performance. With anecdotes and innovative strategies, he inspires a more personalized and supportive approach in coaching.

Oct 6, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 58: What Coaching Methods Have You Outgrown?
Welcome Back! In this episode of On Coaching with Magness & Marcus, it’s time to take on one of the important concepts in coaching: Change! How have we as coaches evolved in our thinking? Jon and I take you through the methods of coaching that we used to hold true to our heart but have…

Sep 12, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 57: The Discernment Spectrum: Smart, Intelligent, or Sophisticated
In this episode of On Coaching with Magness & Marcus, we delve into a concept Jon calls “The Discernment Spectrum,” which is: Smart—Intelligent—Sophisticated As we learn a subject or skill, we exist somewhere on this spectrum. Smart only exists in duality– right or wrong–so it represents a basic level of understanding. To be intelligent means…

Aug 21, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 56- How To Become A Champion
In this episode of On Coaching, we discuss the amazing book Athletics: How to Become a Champion by Percy Cerutty. Cerutty was the coach of Herb Elliott who was the 1960 Olympic 1,500m Champion and held the world record in the mile at 3:54. In How to Become a Champion, Cerutty wrote a classic text…

Jul 21, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 55- The Two Way Street of Coaching: Why learning from our athletes is a must.
The podcast discusses the importance of coaches learning from athletes and the potential for growth for both parties. It explores the pitfalls of labeling athletes and highlights the value of experimentation in coaching. The discussion also touches on understanding biomechanics and the power of language and mindset in coaching. Lastly, it emphasizes the importance of shifting power dynamics and fostering open dialogue in coaching.

Jul 6, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 54- A Real Coaching Conversation
On this weeks On Coaching Podcast with Magness & Marcus, we have a special treat for you. We’re bringing you a real conversation. When we were at the US championships, Jon and I sat down at a local coffee shop in Sacramento and pushed record. We recorded a real conversation, nothing manufactured or artificial, no…

May 27, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 53- The Experience vs. the PowerPoint Coaching Style
This podcast discusses the difference between experience-based coaching and PowerPoint coaching, highlighting the importance of practical application. It also explores the mindset of a professional runner determined to achieve her goals despite doubt and societal judgment. The podcast delves into how social and cultural norms affect emotions and perceptions, and the limitations of language in accurately describing feelings. The use of models in coaching is discussed, and the importance of considering individual characteristics and effective communication in training and coaching is emphasized.

Apr 24, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 52- Specialization, Generalization, and Individualization
Debating specialization vs generalization in athletics, exploring the complexity of performance optimization, emphasizing the importance of connecting the dots in learning and training, embracing the art of racing, finding the balance between specialization and generalization, understanding the 'meta game', and book recommendations.

Apr 5, 2017 • 0sec
Episode 51-On Coaching- Marginal Gains, the One Percent Rule and big concepts
Big concepts get thrown around a lot these days; Marginal Gains, 10,000 hours, the 80/20 rule, the 1% rule. Everyone has their own phrase or concept for helping take performance to the next level. In this episode of On Coaching, Jon and I take a look at two similar, but slightly different concepts. Using Ross…