

That Triathlon Show
Mikael Eriksson
That Triathlon Show is the podcast for triathletes of all levels who want to train smarter and race faster. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads since 2017, this show cuts through the noise and misinformation, delivering practical, no-nonsense advice rooted in both the art and science of training and performance.
The podcast features in-depth interviews with the world’s best coaches, top sports scientists, and elite athletes. Each episode dives into the nuances of training methodology, performance optimization, and race-day execution, providing insights you can apply right away. Whether you're preparing for a supersprint or an Ironman, or focusing on a single sport like swimming, cycling, or running, you'll find expert guidance and relevant content here.
The podcast is hosted by Mikael Eriksson, a former engineer now coaching professional and age-group athletes. Mikael is a Level III certified coach with over a decade of experience in coaching.
Join a global community of dedicated triathletes and take your performance to the next level. Learn more at www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast.
The podcast features in-depth interviews with the world’s best coaches, top sports scientists, and elite athletes. Each episode dives into the nuances of training methodology, performance optimization, and race-day execution, providing insights you can apply right away. Whether you're preparing for a supersprint or an Ironman, or focusing on a single sport like swimming, cycling, or running, you'll find expert guidance and relevant content here.
The podcast is hosted by Mikael Eriksson, a former engineer now coaching professional and age-group athletes. Mikael is a Level III certified coach with over a decade of experience in coaching.
Join a global community of dedicated triathletes and take your performance to the next level. Learn more at www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jun 4, 2020 • 39min
Q&A #89 - Typical training week structures; Frequency and load of hard workouts; Stacking hard workouts; Intensity control during swimming
Q&A #89 - Typical training week structures; Frequency and load of hard workouts; Stacking hard workouts; Intensity control during swimming What would be some good starting points for a weekly training structure? How many hard workouts is reasonable to include, and how much of a training load should they comprise? Does the load of hard workouts differ between triathletes and single-sport athletes? Can stacking harder workouts be a good strategy to get more relative rest between hard days? How can adult-onset swimmers in particular maintain intensity control and avoid overloading too much when it comes to swimming? LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing. CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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Jun 1, 2020 • 54min
High carbohydrate, low carbohydrate, or periodised carbohydrate intake with Louise Burke, PhD | EP#236
Professor Louise Burke is Head of Sports Nutrition at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS). Through her career she has worked both practically with applied nutrition science as well as deep in academia, so she has a great perspective on both ends of the spectrum. In recent years, much of her research has been focused on investigating the effects of low-carbohydrate, high-carbohydrate, and periodised carbohydrate dietary interventions on endurance performance. This research is the topic of today's discussion. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The "Supernova" studies - comparing the effects of low-carbohydrate, high-carbohydrate and periodised carbohydrate intake on endurance performance -How quickly does it take to get fat-adapted? -The impact of fat adaptation on fat oxidation and performance -Why a constant high-carbohydrate diet outperformed the more sophisticated periodised carbohydrate diet SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts236/ THAT TRIATHLON SHOW HOMEPAGE: www.thattriathlonshow.com SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Low Carbohydrate, High Fat diet impairs exercise economy and negates the performance benefit from intensified training in elite race walkers Organisation of Dietary Control for Nutrition-Training Intervention Involving Periodized Carbohydrate (CHO) Availability and Ketogenic Low CHO High Fat (LCHF) Diet Contemporary Nutrition Strategies to Optimize Performance in Distance Runners and Race Walkers A Short-Term Ketogenic Diet Impairs Markers of Bone Health in Response to Exercise Louise's profile on ResearchGate Endurance sports nutrition: state of the art in 2019 with prof. John Hawley | EP#181 Nutrition episode archives on That Triathlon Show 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.
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May 28, 2020 • 51min
Q&A #88 - Polarised training or 80/20 - how to distribute moderate and high intensity work across the three disciplines
Q&A #88 - Polarised training or 80/20 - how to distribute moderate and high intensity work across the three disciplines Should you follow a similar training intensity distribution in all three disciplines, or can you for example do more hard training on the bike and less on the run? The importance of lower intensity training (it's not just "filler") Alternatives to using fixed percentages for figuring out how much moderate and high intensity training you can do LINKS AND RESOURCES: Scientific Triathlon website Coaching Training Plans Q&A #87 - Swim training zones and heart rate monitoring How Trainable Is VO2Max Really? A Case Study - article by Alan Couzens Base training: off-season do’s and dont’s with James Teagle and Lachlan Kerin | EP#201 Polarised training with Stephen Seiler, PhD | EP#177 Polarised training Q&A and Mikael’s thoughts and perspective | EP#178 Polarised training Q&A and Mikael’s perspectives part 2 | EP#185 SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing. CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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May 25, 2020 • 1h 31min
Tire pressure, aerodynamics, and smart equipment upgrades with Josh Poertner | EP#235
Josh Poertner has spent most of his life in the cycling industry. First racing professionally in Europe, then working with Zipp as technical director before becoming the CEO of Silca. He also consults with professional cycling teams. Josh knows all the ins and outs of tire pressure optimisation, a topic we discuss in-depth in this interview. We also discuss a variety of other equipment upgrades that can make you faster on the bike, and importantly, the hierarchy of getting the most watts for your buck when it comes to such purchases. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Optimising tire pressure (and the potential cost of getting it wrong) -Equipment choices and watts-for-buck: bike frame, wheels, and nutrition and hydration setup -Equipment choices and watts-for-buck: helmet, clothing, socks, shoes and shoe covers -Equipment choices and watts-for-buck: drivetrain friction, ceramic bearings, oversized pulleys, 1x drivetrain SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts235/ THAT TRIATHLON SHOW HOMEPAGE: www.thattriathlonshow.com SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. LINKS AND RESOURCES: SILCA website SILCA Tire Pressure Calculator Cycling episode archives on That Triathlon Show 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.
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May 21, 2020 • 28min
Q&A #87 - Swim training zones and heart rate monitoring
Q&A #87 - Swim training zones and heart rate monitoring Why it does and doesn't make sense to track your time in different swim training zones How to track your time in zone using pace, heart rate, and the session-goal approach Is heart rate a variable worth monitoring in swimming? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching If you are an elite or subelite athlete, take part in this survey study on how COVID-19 is affecting athlete training, attitudes, and belief SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing. CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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May 18, 2020 • 1h 9min
Caffeine and Endurance Performance with Ajmol Ali, PhD | EP#234
Dr. Ajmol Ali is Associate Professor at Massey University and one of the author's of the most up-to-date meta-analysis on the use of caffeine as an ergogenic aid in endurance sports. In this episode Dr. Ali discusses this meta-analysis (including 44 studies and more than a thousand total participants), the findings, practical applications, and limitations and direction for future research on caffeine in endurance sports. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -The background on caffeine in endurance sports, including the time on WADA's prohibited substances list -The differences between the meta-analysis conducted by Dr. Ali and previous reviews and meta-analyses, including the specific inclusion criteria and reasons behind them -The findings: 2-3% improvement in endurance performance longer than 5 minutes when ingesting 3-6 mg/kg bodyweight prior to the event -Responders and non-responders: how factors such as caffeine metabolism and sensitivity (determined by specific genes) may impact the effect each individual gets from caffeine -Washout period: do you need to taper off your coffee consumption before an event to get the benefits of caffeine supplementation on race day? SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts234/ THAT TRIATHLON SHOW HOMEPAGE: www.thattriathlonshow.com SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. LINKS AND RESOURCES: The Effect of Acute Caffeine Ingestion on Endurance Performance: A Systematic Review and Meta–Analysis Caffeine Use In Sports: Considerations For The Athlete Dr. Ali's website Dr. Ali's profile on ResearchGate Evidence-based supplements for triathletes and endurance athletes | EP#193 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.
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May 14, 2020 • 30min
Q&A #86 - Static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling or manual therapy; How to pace VO2max-intervals (running)
Q&A #86 - Static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling or manual therapy; How to pace VO2max-intervals (running) When does and does it not make sense to use static stretching, dynamic stretching, foam rolling and manual/physical therapy? How should you pace VO2max-intervals when running? LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching Training Plans McMillanRunning.com Running Rewired by Jay Dicharry SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing. CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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May 11, 2020 • 1h 2min
RED-S (Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports) with Margo Mountjoy | EP#233
Dr. Margo Mountjoy, Associate Clinical Professor at McMaster University is a sports medicine clinician and an academic. She is the lead author of the 2018 IOC concensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sports (RED-S, previously known as the "Female Athlete Triad"). In this episode we discuss RED-S, it's symptoms and root cause, screening and diagnosis, treatment and recovery and more. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Health and performance consequences of RED-S -The root cause of RED-S: energy deficincy -Prevalence, risk groups and risk factors, and early warning signs of RED-S -RED-S in female and male athletes - beyond the female athlete triad -How to avoid RED-S -Energy deficiency and calorie deficit: what is an acceptable range during periods of weight loss? -Screening and diagnosis, treatment, and recovery time course of RED-S SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts233/ THAT TRIATHLON SHOW HOMEPAGE: www.thattriathlonshow.com SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. LINKS AND RESOURCES: IOC consensus statement on relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S): 2018 update Dr. Mountjoy's ResearchGate profile Dr. Mountjoy's profile on the McMaster University website "Health" episode archives on That Triathlon Show 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.
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May 7, 2020 • 26min
Q&A #85 - Backyard pool training; Ammonia smell after workouts; Can Max Heart Rate be trained?
Q&A #85 - Backyard pool training; Ammonia smell after workouts; Can Max Heart Rate be trained? If you have access to a small backyard pool and a tether, how much is a reasonable amount to train in it? What is the reason for smelling ammonia after long workouts and what to do about it. Can you increase maximum heart rate with training? Possible reasons for seeing a very low maximum heart rate. LINKS AND RESOURCES: That Triathlon Show website Q&A Episode Archives Coaching Training Plans Scientific Triathlon Training Zones calculator SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. RATE AND REVIEW: If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing. CONTACT: Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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May 4, 2020 • 1h 10min
Bike fitting with Phil Burt (former Team Sky) | EP#232
Phil Burt is a world renowned bike fitter and physiotherapist who has spent 12 years with British Cycling and 5 years with Team Sky. In this episode we go deep into the topic of bike fitting, covering topics ranging from physiotherapy and injury prevention through power production and aerodynamics. IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT: -Physiotherapy, injury prevention, and bike fitting -The balance between aerodynamics, power production, and comfort -How to adapt to a new position on the bike -How to optimise aerodynamics through bike fitting -Saddles and saddle health SHOWNOTES: https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts232/ THAT TRIATHLON SHOW HOMEPAGE: www.thattriathlonshow.com SPONSORS: Precision Hydration - One-size doesn't fit all when it comes to hydration. Take Precision Hydration's FREE sweat test and learn how you should hydrate. Use the discount code THATTRIATHLONSHOW15 to get 15% off your order OR use the code THATTRIATHLONSHOW and get your first box for free. ROKA - The finest triathlon wetsuits, apparel, equipment, and eyewear on the planet. Trusted by Javier Gómez, Gwen Jorgensen, Flora Duffy, Mario Mola, Lucy Charles and others. Visit roka.com/tts for 20% off your order. LINKS AND RESOURCES: Phil's website Cycling episode archives on That Triathlon Show 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.
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