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Joe Friel

Helping endurance athletes stay current on the science and art of training

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Joe Friel

My 5-2 Training Routine

January 5, 2021 by Joe Friel

Learning from History: Emil Zátopek and Roger Bannister’s intervals I recently read Today We Die a Little, a biography of Emil Zátopek by Richard Askwith. Zátopek was arguably the best runner in the post-WWII era and perhaps even the best the world had ever seen. While he led a very interesting life in Czechoslovakia during […]

Filed Under: Training

Dryland training

December 3, 2020 by Joe Friel

Recently I’ve been telling triathletes who live where pools are still closed due to Covid to do some strength-endurance training at home with an elastic stretch cord. But it must be done with good technique or there is some risk of injuring the shoulder. Unfortunately, most age group swimmers use a technique I call the […]

Filed Under: Training

Why Ride Inside?

November 8, 2020 by Joe Friel

This blog post is excerpted from Ride Inside: The Essential Guide to Get the Most Out of Indoor Cycling, Smart Trainers, Classes, and Apps by Joe Friel and Jim Rutberg, with permission of VeloPress. For a 15% discount go here and use the coupon code rideinside. When you really stop and think about it, there are a […]

Filed Under: Training

Thoughts on Training During the Pandemic

November 2, 2020 by Joe Friel

For the past few months I’ve been talking with cycling and triathlon clubs in the US and UK via Zoom about training during the pandemic. With what appears to be another surge starting I’ve tried to help these athletes not only cope but also, hopefully, take advantage of this strange time to prepare for when […]

Filed Under: Training

Muscle Fiber Type and Training

October 21, 2020 by Joe Friel

This week Alex Hutchinson tweeted a link to an article he had written for Outside magazine which featured a study that examined the effect of athletes’ muscle fiber types on their proclivity to overreaching (heavy fatigue that precedes overtraining and is accompanied by a decline in performance) when training volume was increased. The 24 male […]

Filed Under: Training

A Personal History of Indoor Riding

October 9, 2020 by Joe Friel

What a weird year it’s been. Who would ever thought just 10 months ago that we’d be doing so much indoor training – and even indoor racing – in 2020. Apps such as Zwift, Trainer Road, Sufferfest, Road Grand Tours, Rouvy, BKool, Fulgaz, and others have changed the way we think about riding indoors. And […]

Filed Under: Training

New Ride Inside Book

August 15, 2020 by Joe Friel

Jim Rutberg and I just finished writing a book called Ride Inside. I’m sure that from the title you can guess what it’s about. But just in case, I’ll tell you – it’s about indoor training for cycling. I’m sure it must seem like we wrote this due to the Coronavirus pandemic since so many […]

Filed Under: Training

For Coaches: Do You Coach Just Anyone?

July 11, 2020 by Joe Friel

In the first 15 years of my coaching career I fired two clients. It’s not that they were “uncoachable,” as we coaches sometimes classify athletes who don’t seem to respond to our philosophies and methodologies. Those two were likely coachable by someone. But, as I found out for both of them, that was not me. […]

Filed Under: For Coaches

My Pandemic Clinics

June 13, 2020 by Joe Friel

Three weeks ago I felt a bit guilty. That was at the height of the lockdown due to the Coronavirus pandemic. While I was living through it along with the rest of the world I was mostly unaffected. In my home state of Arizona there was no restriction on working out outside on your own. […]

Filed Under: Training

Muscular Force Training for Cycling

April 11, 2020 by Joe Friel

In The Cyclist’s Training Bible  (5th edition) an entire chapter is devoted to building muscular force — strength. This is part of what produces power when turning the pedals. The other part is the velocity of your pedaling – cadence. What this means is that power is the result of force and velocity (p = […]

Filed Under: Training

Muscular Force Training for Triathlon

April 8, 2020 by Joe Friel

In The Triathlete’s Training Bible  (4th edition) an entire chapter is devoted to building muscular force. This is part of what produces power when swimming, biking, and running. The other part is the velocity of your movement – cadence (steps per minute and strokes per minute). What this means is that power is the result […]

Filed Under: Training

Suggestions for the Aging Athlete

April 6, 2020 by Joe Friel

Who is an “aging athlete?” For simplicity’s sake let’s assume that’s anyone over the age of 50. While I’ve known many half-century athletes who are still successfully competing with 30-somethings, by this stage of life most of us start to see things change a bit. The most obvious is the need for more recovery time […]

Filed Under: Training

Indoor and Outdoor Power Agreement

April 5, 2020 by Joe Friel

Here’s one of the reasons I like using Assioma Duo power pedals: They are quick and easy to move between indoor and outdoor bikes with the changing spring weather. Yesterday was nasty. Rode inside. Today is nice. Ride outside. These quickly interchangeable pedals ensure power measurement is the same every time I ride. See vid […]

Filed Under: Training

A Quick Guide to Setting Zones

April 1, 2020 by Joe Friel

This Quick Guide will help you get the intensity of your workouts dialed in for your heart rate monitor, power meter, and runner’s speed and distance device such as a GPS or accelerometer. Swimming pace is also described here. For a more complete guide to training with heart rate, power and pace please see my […]

Filed Under: Training

RIDE INSIDE WORKOUTS

March 30, 2020 by Joe Friel

With many cyclists and triathletes forced to ride inside now I thought it might be helpful to post a few workouts from my upcoming book – Ride Inside. All of the following workouts are designed for riding indoors on a cycling machine or on a bike mounted on an indoor trainer. Note that some cycling […]

Filed Under: Training

Who Are You, Coach?

March 20, 2020 by Joe Friel

There’s lots of coaching competition out there. It’s only going to increase. You have to stand for something unique as a coach to stand out in the crowd. What sets you apart from other coaches? What do you do that is different? Why is that important? What types of athletes do you coach? Do you […]

Filed Under: For Coaches

Coronavirus Race Delay Problems

March 18, 2020 by Joe Friel

I’ve gotten a few emails this week from athletes whose A-priority race was re-scheduled for later in the spring or summer. One of them didn’t even know when the race would be held. All had the same question: What should I do in the meantime? First, I’m sorry to hear this is happening, but there […]

Filed Under: Training

Couzens’ 50-40-30-20-10 Rule

March 14, 2020 by Joe Friel

I spoke at a camp in Saudi Arabia a couple of weeks ago and a triathlete asked me what he should do on downhill portions of a bike course. Should he pedal hard, pedal easy, or coast? That was a great question and one that also applies to cyclists doing time trials. It does not […]

Filed Under: Training

Hills: Sit or Stand?

March 8, 2020 by Joe Friel

I am often asked about standing vs sitting on hill climbs on the bike. This is an article from some time back that addresses this matter. Realize there are different answers, to some extent, if you are doing a triathlon/time trial or a road race. —————————————– Should a rider should sit or stand when climbing […]

Filed Under: Training

The Efficiency Factor in Running

February 22, 2020 by Joe Friel

This is something I wrote a while back, but recent questions I’ve received tell me it’s time to reprint it. ________________________ High performance runners are typically very efficient. You can observe this just by watching them run: there is no apparent wasted energy. They look very graceful. For cars we simply measure miles per gallon […]

Filed Under: Training

Mallorca Triathlon Camp

February 16, 2020 by Joe Friel

Filed Under: Camps and Clinics

Coach Clinic

February 16, 2020 by Joe Friel

Filed Under: Camps and Clinics

Chile Coaches Clinic

February 16, 2020 by Joe Friel

Filed Under: Camps and Clinics

Arizona Triathlon Camp

February 16, 2020 by Joe Friel

Filed Under: Camps and Clinics

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