That Triathlon Show

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Gordo Byrn is a former investment banker turned professional triathlete at a later stage in life without an endurance sports background. He podiumed at Ironman New Zealand and Ironman Canada, and also became Ultraman World Champion. Today, Gordo is a coach and a prolific writer, with a lot of great thoughts and perspectives on how to improve performance in triathlon and endurance sports, and even in life. 
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 
The importance of high-volume training, mainly at low intensity, in Gordo’s training philosophy.
Gordo’s comeback to endurance sports in his 50s after a long time out from consistent and focused triathlon or other endurance sports
Why you should not do an Ironman within your first year of triathlon training
The difference between adaptive and maladaptive training load, and how to make sure you stay on the adaptive side.
The importance of lactate testing to establish your low-intensity training zones
Practical tips for age-group athletes on how to apply more “elite” or professional training principles to their day to day life and constraints
The main differences between professional Ironman training methods in the 2000s and today.
DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 
We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode.
The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts679/
LINKS AND RESOURCES: 
Gordo’s Substacks: Endurance Essentials, Gordo’s Substack, True Wealth
Gordo’s Youtube, Twitter and Instagram
Gordo’s book (with John Hellemans and Julie Dibens): From Lemon To Legend: A Comprehensive Guide To Running, Cycling, Swimming And Triathlon
Papers citedAerobic Energy Turnover and Exercise Economy Profile During Race Simulation in a World-Record-Breaking Male Full-Distance Triathlete - Christensen 2024 (the Magnus Ditlev case study, already a modern classic in triathlon science)

How to Skate a 10k by Nils van der Poel (free download)
WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?
If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following related episodes:
Craig Alexander – Three-time Ironman World Champion | EP#461 - one of the very best of Gordo’s contemporaries goes deep into the training that made him a three-time Ironman World Champion
Rune Kjøsen Talsnes, PhD | EP#427 - great scientific and applied information on overtraining and non-functional overreaching, related to Gordo’s points about maladaptive training, stress and fatigue
Ironman World Champion Solveig Løvseth on her race day strategy in Kona, her training block at altitude, heat training and more! - my interview with Solveig with the simulation session referenced in the episode
You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.
You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 
The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
SPONSORS: 
Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.

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Take the TTS LISTENER SURVEY HERE!
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Gordo Byrn, investment banker turned professional triathlete and multiple Ironman podium finisher, discusses how to manage training load and fatigue. 

The full episode (an almost two-hour long episode!) will be available in the episode "Gordo Byrn on optimising Ironman training, the importance of volume and low intensity training, and practical age-group training" (release date 22nd of January 2026). 
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CLIP: 
Volume and training load is good, but fatigue is not. You want to maximise the former while minimising the latter.
Practical tips on how to maintain as high a load as possible within your life constraints without accumulating chronic stress and fatigue
How Nils van der Poel (ice skating Olympic Champion and former World Record holder), Olav Aleksander Bu, and Stephen Seiler informed Gordo’s perspective on these topics. 
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 
The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals. 
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far! 
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.

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We “Power rank” our favourite swim sessions. Some of these might not be favourites in the moment of doing them, but they most definitely are when it comes to the results they deliver in terms of improving your triathlon swimming! If you’re looking for some fresh ideas and perspectives to boost your swimming, this one is for you. Expect to find some bread and butter sets that have stood the test of time, but also some sets you had probably neither heard of nor thought of, but that work wonders. 
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 
VO2max, threshold, and speed sets we really rate 
Jack’s top set for improving your swim technique
Mikael’s surprising (?) inclusion of butterfly in one of his sets
Two open water swim sessions made the list - what are they? 
And, we upvote and downvote each other’s sets
DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 
We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. 
The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/677/
LINKS AND RESOURCES: 
All swimming related episodes on That Triathlon Show
WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?
If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes related to sswimming:
Triathlon Base Training Series 2 – Swimming
Beginner Series 5 – Swimming for Beginner Triathletes
Arild Tveiten – from triathlon to swimming, and reflections on Paris 2024 | EP#458
Technique improvement and swim training for triathletes with Brenton Ford | EP#320
Open water swim training with Olympic gold medal coach Marcel Wouda | EP#246
Swim Types and Fault Fixers with Swim Smooth’s Paul Newsome | EP#188
You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.
You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 
The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals. 
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far! 
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack. 
SPONSORS: 
Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.

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Two swim sets that will elevate your triathlon swimming - one Ironman specific set, and one brutal but amazingly effective VO2max set. These two sets are number 4 on the "Power Rankings" top-five of Jack and Mikael, respectively. The full rankings will be available in the episode "Power Rankings - Our top five sessions to improve your triathlon swimming" (release date 15th of January 2025). 
TOPICS COVERED IN THIS CLIP: 
The Ironman specific set you should do in the specific preparation leading up to any Ironman or full distance triathlon
The unconventional VO2max set that gets real results, so much so that it makes you forget about the pain! 
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 
The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals. 
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far! 
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.

NordVPN - EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/TRIATHLON
Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

In the final instalment of our Triathlon Base Training Series, Mikael Eriksson and Jack Hutchens discuss how to think about strength training, nutrition and diet in the context of your base training phase. We then finish things off with a listener Q&A. 
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 
How should you periodise your strength training in the base training phase?
Does effective strength training require going to the gym, or can you do it from home?
Is strength training necessary for all triathletes?
Should you work on mobility, or do things like yoga or Pilates?
Should your training nutrition be different in the base phase compared to the specific preparation phase or competition period?
What about nutrition and diet outside of training?
How should you think about nutrition and diet around the festive periods?
Listener Q&A with assorted triathlon base training (and general triathlon) questions
DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 
We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode.
The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/base5/
LINKS AND RESOURCES: 
Jack's coaching profile and Instagram
Triathlon Base Training Series 1 – How to train smarter in winter to race faster in summer
Triathlon Base Training Series 2 – Swimming
Triathlon Base Training Series 3 – Cycling
Triathlon Base Training Series 4 – Running
WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?
If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes related to strength training, nutrition and diet:
Strength training for endurance performance with Richard Blagrove, PhD | EP#292
Strength coach Erin Carson | EP#367
Matt Pendola | EP#387
Injury prevention, strength training, and running biomechanics with Eoin Everard, PhD | EP#336
The Performance Chef – Alan Murchison | EP#366
Nutrition for endurance and ultra-endurance athletes with Trent Stellingwerff, PhD | EP#265
Nutrition and hydration best practices with Monique Ryan, RD | EP#471
You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.
You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON: 
The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
Subscribe to our Newsletter
Follow us on Instagram
Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)? 
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time. 
Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
SPONSORS: 
Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.

NordVPN - EXCLUSIVE NordVPN Deal ➼ https://nordvpn.com/TRIATHLON
Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.