Training Science Podcast

Does strength training make runners more durable? In Dr Michele Zanini's randomised trial, ten weeks of heavy strength and plyometric work twice a week improved running economy at the 90-minute mark and raised time to exhaustion at 95% VO2max by 35%, with no change in the control group.
Michele is a lecturer in applied exercise science at The Open University, a visiting research fellow at Loughborough University, and strength and conditioning coach and physiologist to the Italian Triathlon Federation. His PhD at Loughborough, with Richard Blagrove and Jonathan Folland, was among the first on durability in running.
In this episode he explains the difference between durability and physiological resilience, walks through what happens to VO2max, running economy and threshold speed over 90 and 120 minutes of marathon-pace running, and why fractional utilisation climbing to 91% is a warning sign rather than a strength. We cover why female trail runners held their pace over three hours while performance-matched men lost 10%, what long runs and weekly volume do to economy durability, and the type II fibre mechanism that may link high carbohydrate intake and strength training to the same outcome. Michele also shares what works, and what goes wrong, when elite triathletes lift, and what he hopes wearables and AI will answer next.
Interested in learning more about the latest developments in endurance performance and sports science? Subscribe to the HIIT Science email list for updates on new research, courses, and educational opportunities.
Today's speakers:
Prof Paul Laursen: https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Michele Zanini:
LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-zanini-901011164/
Instagram https://www.instagram.com/michelezanini.physiology/
X https://twitter.com/MicZanini ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Michele-Zanini-3
Resources:
Strength training improves running economy durability and fatigued high-intensity performance (RCT, MSSE 2025) https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003685
The effect of 90 and 120 min of running on the determinants of endurance performance in marathon runners (SJMSS 2025) https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70076
Regular long runs and higher training volumes are associated with better running economy durability (MSSE) https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000003840
Highly trained female runners show greater durability than performance-matched males (SJMSS 2026) https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70299
Defining physiological resilience and durability (J Appl Physiol letter, with Andy Jones and Lars Nybo) https://doi.org/10.1152/japplphysiol.00671.2025
35 years of Joyner's endurance performance model, 888 individuals (Sports Med 2026) https://doi.org/10.1007/s40279-026-02439-y

Ten years ago Dan Plews and I did ten-minute geek-outs on Bevan McKinnon’s Fitter Radio as Plews and Prof. Back then we were the two guys drinking ketone ester out of a bottle marked “not for human consumption.” This week we got the band back together.
Dan is the Kona age-group record holder, now chasing a HYROX Worlds podium, Science Lead at Pillar Performance, lead author on the Sports Medicine paper Fuelled or Fooled, and co-author of the new HRV book with Marco Altini, Sylvain Laborde and Emma Mosley. He still thinks he has to educate me sometimes. On ketone chemistry, fair enough.
We cover:
Why 90 g/h is still the evidence-based starting point and 120 is not, where the carbohydrate you don’t oxidise actually goes, and why racing hot in Kona is a reason to eat less, not more
The ageing endurance athlete’s strength problem: plyometrics, the sub-50 HYROX strength benchmarks, and why Dan now caps his long run at 90 minutes
Training HYROX like a triathlete, and why the CrossFit crowd didn’t love that
The vagal tank: resting, reactivity and recovery, and why a falling HRV in your taper can be good news
What we got right and wrong ten years on, and who has mellowed more
Plus a guitar, a four-kilo medicine ball, Napoleon Dynamite, and an alpaca named Tina.
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Today’s Speakers
Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Dan Plews https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniel-plews
www.endurox.co I www.endureiq.com I www.pillarperformance.com
https://endureiq-daily-dose.vercel.app/#pricing

What separates a good coach from a great one? Sometimes, it comes down to the words they use, the systems they build, and their ability to connect with athletes.

In this episode, Dr Nick Winkelman joins us to reflect on his journey from helping develop EXOS into a globally recognized coaching education platform to leading athletic performance within Irish Rugby.

Nick shares how the EXOS training philosophy helped reshape approaches to movement preparation, why effective performance systems need both consistency and flexibility, and how Irish Rugby has successfully connected its provincial teams through shared standards, data, and collaboration.

The conversation then turns to Nick's work on the language of coaching, exploring how external cues, analogies, and carefully chosen words can influence movement and skill development. He explains why giving athletes more information isn't always better, how to recognize when a coaching cue is working, and why understanding the person behind the athlete is essential to effective communication.

Interested in learning more about the latest developments in endurance performance and sports science? Subscribe to the HIIT Science email list for updates on new research, courses, and educational opportunities.
Speakers:
Today's Speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/martin-buchheit-6a355828/?locale=fr
Dr Nick Winkelman: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nwinkelman/

What does it actually take to become a faster HYROX athlete?
Dr Charlie Davids joins us to explore the physiological demands of HYROX, combining his research in muscle physiology and strength training with his own experience competing in the sport.
The conversation examines why aerobic capacity provides the foundation for HYROX performance, how lactate threshold and critical speed influence race pacing, and why muscular endurance may become more important than maximal strength once athletes reach a sufficient strength level.
Charlie also shares findings from his research linking running speed at the second lactate threshold to HYROX performance, alongside practical approaches to periodization, station technique, and training under fatigue.
The episode also explores blood flow restriction training and its potential to improve muscular endurance and aerobic adaptations, while highlighting where more research is still needed to establish meaningful performance benefits.
Interested in learning more about the latest developments in endurance performance and sports science? Subscribe to the HIIT Science email list for updates on new research, courses, and educational opportunities. And for access to our adaptive HYROX training plans check out athletica.ai. 
Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Charlie Davids https://scholars.latrobe.edu.au/cdavids
https://www.instagram.com/drcharliedavids/
https://www.trainrox.com/athletes/charlie-davids

Developing a footballer is about more than preparing them for the next match. It means understanding what that individual player needs to keep training, developing, and ultimately reach their potential.

Mattia Modonutti joins us to share his approach to player development and performance within elite football. Rather than treating performance as a collection of separate disciplines and datasets, Mattia explains why the real value comes from getting coaches, strength and conditioning staff, nutritionists, medical teams, and mental performance practitioners around the same table to build a richer
understanding of the athlete.

The conversation explores training continuity, individualizing load within a team environment, balancing match demands with long term physical development, and the difference between simply using a physical capacity during football and actually training it. Mattia also shares how his thinking has evolved as he moved from hands on coaching into performance leadership and why being evidence informed means combining research with experience, practitioner expertise, and athlete feedback.

Interested in learning more about the latest developments in endurance performance and sports science? Subscribe to the HIIT Science email list for updates on new research, courses, and educational opportunities.
Speaker:
Mattia Modonutti: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattiamodonutti/