Notes from a high-volume cycling training camp

Simon Wegerif shares his experience and tips following this years week long cycling training camp in Tenerife in the Canary Islands. The excellent paved roads extending from sea level to the main crater of Mt Teide at 2100m give continuous climbs of 18 – 48 km i.e. some of the longest in Europe.

HRV: It knows me better than I know myself

By Coach Laura Henry I started taking daily Heart Rate Variability (HRV) readings last February when my coaching company, Team MPI, partnered with ithlete.  I hadn’t ever heard of HRV before, and I was curious to see what it was about.  I was interested in learning...

How to use HRV for marathon training

The build-up to a marathon is a big commitment. Most people train for 12-15 weeks (3 months). Generally, training plans suggest you should be running 5 times each week with 2 rest days spaced between. But how do you schedule these runs and rest days for optimum benefit?

Periodisation – A shake up to training adaptation theory?

The stress – adaptation response considered to underlie improvements in performance caused by training has hardly been questioned in almost 100 years. Now, a new and thought-provoking review paper questions the basis for this model, especially as it applies to human...

Individualised cold water immersion to speed recovery

Who, what and why? Coldwater immersion baths are often used to speed up recovery in both endurance and team sports. It is thought to be effective by moving fluid back from muscle tissue into the circulation, preventing reduction in contractility and associated muscle...

How to take your ithlete measurement

Find out how to take your ithlete measurement successfully first time every time. This infographic will help you to connect your sensor correctly as well as understanding how to use the app features. Following correct measurement protocol will ensure you’re...

Athletes and Poor Sleep

Sleep is intrinsically linked to performance, recovery, health, wellness and much more. This infographic looks at why and how you can improve your sleep.

GB du/triathlete’s HRV and race performance correlation

I have been using ithlete for over three years now but it’s only been since the start of the year (2017) that I have started using it to its full potential with an ithlete Pro subscription. In previous years I would exclusively just use the iPhone app to help guide me...

Science and Cycling 2017 Dusseldorf – Our Highlights

Science and Cycling is an annual event, held near to the start of the Tour de France. The event enables sports science researchers and top-level practitioners to mix informally, and to listen and participate in a formal program of high quality peer reviewed...

Simon’s Tenerife Training Camp

The plan The main objective of this camp was to get in some good base miles with an emphasis on climbing in preparation for my second year of the Mallorca 312 challenge. Living in the New Forest in southern England, the terrain barely meets the criteria for...

How to use HRV in sports training Part 3

Recovery Strategies Sleep. Not only quantity, but quality is important. Human growth hormone which is essential for body repair, is mostly produced during the first four hours of sleep, and these turn out to be the most critical hours for recovery. Alcohol, caffeine,...

How to use HRV in sports training Part 2

Performing the Daily Measurement with ithlete Here are recommendations for taking your daily heart-rate variability (HRV) measurement: Take the 60-second test in the morning, before breakfast or caffeinated drinks. The exact time is not as important as making sure you...

Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV

AF affects the performance of the heart, especially amongst older, less healthy people. But it also affects a significant percentage of Masters athletes. A large study over a 20 year period shows an interesting correlation between Atrial Fibrillation (AF) and HRV. There are optimum values of HRV and resting heart rate, above and below which the chances of developing AF increase significantly.

Ironman Training utilizing HIT as a primary training tool

A member of my training group just finished his first Ironman™ in 12:31 (1:18 swim, 5:51 bike and 4:59 on run) and his training was unique for an event this long. His program schedule may be of interest mainly because it was based on a much higher percentage of short session, high-intensity cardiovascular intervals combined with heavy strength training.

Why does it remain so difficult to recover? Loss of Routine and Structure

I had always felt like my routine was dictated by pool and gym hours. Strangely I had never set myself recovery hours. Never set aside any portion of the day for doing things to promote recovery; napping, meditating, visualisation etc. and subsequently recovery was being neglected. The irony then, of complaining of free time, when there were already more swimming related jobs for me to be doing than I was fitting into a day.