Optimum Performance Training

This post is a result of a conversation I had with a client last week about their training over the last 4 weeks.

They made this real honest comment about week of the AirBike intervals.

“the 30/30 caught me off guard, and then on the 90/90 I had to pace myself”

Meaning, he felt he could push hard and recover on the 30/30. But he felt he could not push as hard and still recover on the 90/90. Giving him a false sense of ability.

I wrote an entire article on this type of problem.
https://optimumperformancecalgary.com/a-new-lens-for-analysis/

Bottom line, this client is explaining the inescapable reality of the Power-Duration curve (Critical Power and W’).

As a coach, if you do not understand this reality of exercise physiology it will be hard to coherently explain why you need to go slower for a 90/90 interval compared to a 30/30 interval. Hint, it has to do with the magnitude of W’ utilization and recovery rate.

—Michael

Learn it!

Buy the book - https://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Training-Endurance-Athletes-Philip/dp/0979463629/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?crid=3I2O1F2WVLTNM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.1cJ_jT7pS57QTOywvWF3aSa8GJgnC0TZHdzHtyqdpBzyUp8GVaq2pITqs2vDAW4HAtqRCs-USZH_6J-9nv8fNw.5rTxifRbCin-1o70KIcW5lnrvrIsUrSy8nNFQEPZD1k&dib_tag=se&keywords=philip+skiba&qid=1788708713&sprefix=philip+skib%2Caps%2C234&sr=8-1

Registration will open on Monday, September 7th.

This 6 week seminar encapsulates 20 years of Coaching (and learning).

This seminar is not meant to provide solutions. This seminar is meant to provide you with better tools for how to go about your coaching practice.

The seminar is not meant to create certainty for you. The seminar is meant to reveal the uncertain you should have, and therefore the humility with which you should go forward with.

The seminar is not going to give you all the answers. My hope is that this seminar may give you a better idea for how to approach the problems you have.

I don’t have all the answers, and I certainly don’t pretend to. This seminar is about the pursuit of mastery, not it’s attainment. That doesn’t happen. There is no arrival, there is only a pursuit of, a desire for… a passion.

If you love coaching as much as I do, this seminar is for you.

If you want to be on the email to receive a registration link, please ensure when you sign up here - https://optimumperformancecalgary.com/fitness-coach-mentoring/

Please note, if you register for this seminar, all lectures will be available to you permanently, and you will receive a workbook and entire reference list prior to the start of the seminar.

—Michael

The seminar is broken into four main sections.

This section will teach you about a decision making matrix. A map for how to see some of the problems you face as a coach.

As it pertains to fitness, these are the ideas I have developed over my career as a coach.

We will thoroughly discuss the problem of planning. How planning actually works. Correct framing for your role as a coach in this process. As well as rules to follow.

We will go through common misconceptions for how training adaptations occurs. We will also talk about a contemporary understanding for how training adaptation occurs. There will be a thorough discussion on transfer of training and how you should think about that as you work with your clients.

You will learn how movement emerges, and how it develops. You will also learn how your role will change overtime and how it needs to change overtime as the individual improves.

Here are some snippets from a workout I was doing with my 6 year old son.

I started doing these movements, then he saw what I was doing and then came over to where I was so he could join in. Simple as that.

“Daddy, what are you doing?”

He didn’t know the name of any of these movements, and he doesn’t need to. How did he to do these movements? He simply watched me and then tried his best to match what I was doing, plus a little encouragement from me.

We did these movements for as long as he was interested in doing so. When he decided to go do something else, that was fine with me.

Maybe the next workout will be a little longer, and so on and so on. My main goal here is to show him his Dad working out, and allow him to join me whenever he wants to. No stress, no judgment, just for fun.

—Michael

Registration for this seminar will begin September 7th.

This seminar is broken into 4 main sections:

1 - The Compass
We will spend the first session discussing my fitness compass. I will explain how I developed the system I use, one you can use too. We will talk about the 3 main components of the compass, and how they work together.

2 - Planning
We thoroughly discuss the problems associated with planning training for individuals. Suggestions and recommendations are offered and explained.

3 - Adapting
We will go through many of the misconceptions associated with adapting to training. We will cover the research associated with how adaptation works and why it works. They will also discuss the challenges associated for the coach.

4 - Coaching
We will discuss the challenges associated with coaching movements, when to involve yourself in the process and went to remove yourself from the process. We will discuss how movement develops, how it emerges naturally and and how you can utilize a constraints led approach to assist in athlete development.

Some basic details:
1 live Zoom meeting every week
Each call will last about 2 hours
The first meeting with be on Thursday, October 22nd
All meetings will take place on Thursdays. Exact time to be determined.

This is the 2nd time I’ve offered the seminar. Last year was the first time. It was a great group last time and I’m sure this one will be no different. This seminar encompasses all of the ideas that I have developed throughout my career.

Let’s pursue mastery, together.

if you are not already on our mailing list, please copy this link to join. Registration link will be sent to this email list first - https://optimumperformancecalgary.com/fitness-coach-mentoring/

—Michael

Part 2

Today’s lesson will show examples of how the modality + intensity will determine the size of the response (the size of the gears).

In the 3 examples provided here in the slides, you can see specific examples of how this works.

You as an athlete or Coach can only really “measure” this via an athlete in the following ways:
1 - RPE
2 - RPE + Heart Rate
3 - RPE + NIRS + Heart Rate

The reason RPE is the preferred variable to use, is that it is directly related to size of Gear 1 (the muscle gear) and Gear 3 (the respiratory gear). The larger those gears are, the larger the RPE will likely be, in most contexts.

If you enjoy this type of content, please sign up for our Coaches Email List. There you will find Coaches content, and registration information for our Coaching Seminars.

—Michael

Smallest Gear - Walking
As you are aware, you can mostly walk around and talk to anyone as much as you want. The reason you can do this is because the size of or demand for the respiratory gear (gear 3) is relatively small. You can sacrifice some ability to intake O2 and expire CO2 because the intensity of activity is small.

Medium Gear - Easy Running
I am thinking here about a pace you could maintain without undue fatigue (ie it is sustainable). Because the force production required is larger here than with walking, you will have to engage a larger/greater amount muscle, meaning gear 1 will now be larger. As a result, so will other 2.

Largest Gear
Now you are moving towards the largest possible amount of muscle to be engaged, meaning there will be an enormous increase in the size of the gears.

Smallest Gear
You will become fatigue rather quickly, but only really on a local level (ie the lower leg). Because the total muscle engaged is small (gear 1), the other gears will also be small. You will perceive a high amount of muscle burning in the calf’s, but a relatively small increase in heart rate or breathing rate.

Medium Gear - Single Unders
Because more muscle will be involved compared to the previous, you will notice a larger/higher heart rate and breathing rate.

Largest Gear - Double Unders
Similar movement as the Single Unders, but will demand more muscle to

Part 1

Here’s one of my favourite models for helping individuals and coaches understand how your body responds to physical activity.

I’m going to simplify this a lot, because this is quite an integrated model.

There are three main gears in this model.
1 - Muscle Gear
The muscle engaged in force production/movement

2 - Circulation Gear
Meeting oxygen demand by the muscle(s) via adjustments to circulation

3 - Respiratory Gear
Responding to the oxygen needs, expiring CO2, maintaining acid base balance

From Wasserman (1), “The foregoing discussion emphasizes that physiological mechanisms for gas transport and energy production are interdependent. The primary determinant of the amount of oxygen consumed during exercise depends on the amount of external work to be done by the muscle and the efficiency”.

Important point here, the amount of oxygen to be consumed is contingent on the amount of muscular work required. Or, the amount of muscle being activated. Gear 1 is primary.

As more muscle is activated (Gear 1 💪🏻) there will be an instantaneous response for greater delivery via the circulatory system (Gear 2 ❤️) and therefore the lungs will have intake O2 and expel CO2 to a greater extent (Gear 3 🫁). You will perceive this as a rising perception of effort.

As you increase exercise intensity for a given modality, there will be he an increase in the demand for all 3 of the gears. As exercise intensity decreases with any given modality, there will be a reduction in the demand for all 3 of the gears. Again, you will perceive these changes via increasing or decreasing perception of effort.

Will provide more examples of why I like this model in my next post.

—Michael

Reference:
1 - Wasserman et al. Interaction of physiological mechanisms during exercise. Journal of Applied Physiology. 1967

Figure adapted from Poole DC, Rossiter HB, Brooks GA, Gladden LB. The anaerobic threshold: 50+ years of controversy. J Physiol. 2021;599(3):737–767. doi:10.1113/JP279963. Fig. 2. Originally redrawn from Wasserman et al. (1967).

An okay graphic designed by ChatGPT. Sorry 😞

Of all the Dolly Parton content I saw yesterday, a short segment from a conversation she was having with Reese Witherspoon was my favourite.

Reese - “I’ve always wanted to be more like you. You’ve inspired me so much. You still inspire me.”

Dolly - “Well, don’t be like me. Be like you.”

I have had several role models throughout my life. Having a role model can be very helpful. Helpful as an Athlete, helpful as a Coach.

That said, one thing you may notice as you continue to use them as point of reference is that you keep failing. Failing to implement things or to create things the way they did or do. Falling short in one way or another.

While you are noticing all these things, the areas you need to improve upon as an Athlete or a Coach, you are ignoring one very important thing.

You have strengths too. Many people simply fail to acknowledge that. They don’t think of their strengths as anything unique or anything valuable. They simultaneously see the strengths of others and their own failures or inadequacies.

The way you succeed and the way they succeeded will not be in perfect alignment. The way you fail and the way they have failed will not be in perfect alignment. You need to succeed and to fail in your own unique ways. Just like they succeeded and failed in way that are unique to them.

A beautiful parallel to this is being a Dad. My son wants to be like me in many ways. He wants to be tall like his Dad, he wants a cool car like his Dad, he wants to sit in the front seat with his Dad, he wants to have a nice house like his Dad, etc.

Just as it is with Coaches and Athletes, I must remind him “don’t be like me, be like you”.

—Michael

Short term tests are good for assessing beginners. The more “hardware” based the test is, the more reliable the result will likely be for an initial assessment. The less learning that is required for the test to be optimally performed the better of an actual result you’re probably going to get.

I often joke during my mentorships that it would be great if Fitness assessments were like getting a blood test. That would mean the individual wouldn’t need to do anything other than just sit there and give you the data you’re looking for. Unfortunately, for us, the individual is required to perform work in order for us to collect data. It is not a passive process.

Once your understand this reality, it becomes important to then select the type of testing you are going to do with beginners.

Barring some physical ailment or limitation, it is easy to have an individual hang from a pull up bar and attempt a pull up. It is also easy to set them up for a push-up, a shoulder press, a bike sprint, a wall sit, etc.

Compare these examples to picking something like a 10 Minute AirBike for Max Calories (or something longer and more complex). The person may show significant improvement in a short time simply because they now have experience doing the test. They know the terrain of the test now, they know how to do better execute. In this case, in a short time frame, what you’re assessing is the individuals ability to learn, not so much a change in the hardware (a commensurate improvement in their actually physiology).

To compare this back to the blood test example, you didn’t obtain good data because you didn’t set the testing parameters appropriately. You want to set up good parameters for testing so you can assess actual improvements.

An easy way to mitigate this would be leverage what is done in many research papers. Allow the individual to perform a familiarization trial. This may counteract some of the learning issues mentioned.

What you don’t want to do is perform these tests on day 1 and then retest them a 3-4 weeks later. You are not showing the efficacy of your training program, you are revealing your lack of concern for data collection.

—Michael

The volunteer crew for this past weekend’s competition in Calgary. Some volunteers are missing from photo.

An event like this past weekend simply cannot occur without volunteers. These people give up their weekend to support an event like this so that the athletes will have judges, the event will be organized and run on time, scoreboards will be updated and everything else. Their service allows the athlete to be an athlete. To show up, compete, go home.

This sport (ie - fitness) is not large enough to support paying people to do these things. It never has been, and likely never will be. And that is just fine with me!

Volunteering is a good thing to do. Not everything you do needs to be valued monetarily. The value is in the act of service, to something greater than yourself. In this case, to a group of athletes wanting to participate in their sport. I was honoured to be a part of making that happen.

—Michael