Top-10 books, blogs, and resources for triathletes | EP#125

"What's your favourite book, blog, or resource related to triathlon?" is a question I ask all my guests on the podcast. But today I answer that question myself. Ten times!
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In this Episode you'll learn about:
- My top 10 books, blogs or resources related to triathlon. Some well-known, some hidden gems you've probably never heard of.
- A few bonus honourable mentions.
- And some books, blogs or resources that I suspect would be strong candidates for the list, but I haven't read/listened to/watched them enough to place them on my list at this point.
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Shownotes
10 - Training Peaks blog
3:47 -
- Number 10 is the Training Peaks blog.
- There are some brilliant articles there, but there are also more generic posts that don't give much information.
- However, quite often if I have something I'm researching or want to learn more about, I check this blog, which is testament to the fact that it can be a great resource.
- I usually find a good article that helps me along with whatever the topic is.
9 - Twitter
4:57 -
- Obviously you need to follow the right people, and this depends on your interests.
- The great thing with Twitter is being able to stay up date with people you respect and can learn things from.
- You can learn from their own research and content, and also from what they are retweeting.
- From this you can learn about new resources or people to follow that you might not have known about before.
- Some of my favourite people on Twitter are:
- Yann Le Meur (@YLMsportscience)
- Asker Jeukendrup (@Jeukendrup)
- Inigo Mujika (@inigomujika (Spanish) and @inigomujika_en (English))
- Stephen Seiler (@StephenSeiler)
- Matt Fitzgerald (@Mattfitwriter)
- Alex Hutchinson (@sweatscience)
- Alan Couzens (@Alan_Couzens)
- Louis Burke (@LouiseMBurke)
- The best thing about twitter is if you have a question about a specific topic, you can find the experts in the field and send them a message.
- You can often get an answer directly, which is brilliant.
8 - Palladino power project Facebook group & Steve Palladino's articles
6:55 -
- The Palladino Power Project Facebook group is particularly for people using running power meters like Stryd.
- You can find Steve Palladino's articles through this Facebook group too.
- The articles include both more theoretical and technical ones, as well as ones focusing more on practical advice.
- There are also case studies which you can access.
- It's a brilliant library of articles.
- If I'm ever wondering about something related to running power this is my first check point.
Related listening
7 - Alan Couzens blog
8:06 -
- The Alan Couzens blog is perhaps a less known resource, but it's a gold-mine.
- This blog is the exact opposite of 'click bait' articles sometimes found on triathlon websites and media.
- Alan Doesn't post too often, but it makes sense because the research that goes into each articles is extremely high level.
- He often uses data he's collected from his own athletes over many, many years.
- He uses programming/data mining to investigate different phenomenons and shares what he finds on the blog.
- It's a brilliant resource, with blog posts on a variety of topics.
- A couple of the topics we mentioned when he was interviewed on the show were related to lab testing.
- Testing lactate threshold, testing VO2max.
- There are articles related to that, but also articles about training leading up to an Ironman, periodisation, pacing etc.
Related listening
6 - TrainerRoad "Ask A Cycling Coach" podcast
10:14 -
- TrainerRoad Ask A Cycling Coach Podcast is number 6.
- Their blog is also very useful.
- The podcast is usually based around listener questions.
- Trainer Road is a cycling software that can be used with an indoor trainer.
- This podcast goes into both cycling and triathlon questions that listeners send in.
- They don't answer live off the cuff, they do their research before hand and pick questions that are interesting for the audience.
- They go through the science and their coaching experience with each question.
- It's also very entertaining!
- The only minus about it is that a single episode can have a wide variety of content in it, as they answer listener questions.
- It can be a bit difficult to bookmark episodes to come back to with such a range of topics in each.
Related listening
5 - Kinetic Revolution website & YouTube Channel by James Dunne
12:57 -
- Kinetic Revolution with James Dunne is number 5.
- The tagline of the website is: Building Better Runners.
- He does that by providing great and well researched advice on things like core training, stretching, flexibility and mobility, injury prevention etc.
- These things are crucial but so often not done right among runners and triathletes.
- If you have a niggle, go to this website and search for the specific area and learn all about it.
- You can learn about the problem, the causes and the prevention methods.
- I do the same when I coach, and seek advice from here if I'm working with an athlete who has a niggle.
4 - Alex Hutchinson's Sweat Science blog & Endure book
14:34 -
- Alex's Hutchinson's Sweat Science blog is number 4, and now resides in Outside Online.
- Alex Hutchinson's book "Endure: Mind, Body and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance" is also a brilliant resource.
- The blog has all sorts of different topics to read about.
- Alex dives into the research on various topics and tries to distill it into what we know, what we don't know and what the practical implications are.
- Alex was a top class national level runner in his day too.
3 - Matt Fitzgerald books trifecta
16:03 -
- ​​​​I've lumped these resources together into the Matt Fitzgerald trifecta, these are my favourite Matt Fitzgerald books:
- Matt Fitzgerald is my favourite endurance sports author.
- The Endurance Diet talks about the diet of endurance athletes.
- It goes into both the science and also what the top athletes in the sport actually eat.
- It includes food diaries so you can see and learn from the best.
- 80/20 Running gets into the concept of polarised training.
- Matt and David Warden are also writing a book called 80/20 Triathlon which is out this Autumn.
- This is something people often get wrong in training, so the resource is important to understand.
- The polarised approach should be adhered too - do you easy training easy and your hard training hard.
- How Bad Do You Want It is in the same vein as Alex Hutchinson's book Endure, it's about the mind and how important it is for endurance performance.
- You're not limited by your muscles or your physiology, it's your mind that imposes limits on you.
- You could go faster muscularly/physiologically but your mind stops you.
- The book gives great stories and examples from real world athletes.
- It also goes into the science and practical applications.
- The great thing about all of these books is they weave in the science, the practice and the stories from athletes.
- It's an enjoyable and easy to read experience.
2 - Swim Smooth book and website
19:52 -
- The Swim Smooth book is written by Paul Newsome and Adam Young and is number 2.
- Paul Newsom is the founder of Swim Smooth.
- The Swim Smooth website and newsletter are also really helpful resources.
- The book goes into all different swimming archetypes (e.g. Swinger, Smooth, Arnie, Bambino).
- Depending on your swim style it will give you tips for how you can improve your swimming.
- E.g. what a Bambino should do to improve is different to what an Arnie should do.
- The Swim Smooth book goes into all things swimming.
- Including technique, training/fitness aspect, and open water swimming.
- The book is written specifically for triathletes and open water swimmers.
- It is very well written and has great images.
- It's invaluable to me in my coaching, I use it a lot.
- The website and newsletter complement the book very well.
1 - Triathlon Science book
22:01 -
- It was a pretty easy choice to put the Triathlon Science book as number 1 as I refer to it regularly.
- Every time I make an episode, for example the Taper episode I did recently, I always start with this book to learn about the topic.
- The book also gives good references to read the full studies the research discusses.
- It's not just science, it's very practical.
- It has example training schedules.
- It has practical takeaways at the end of each chapter.
- You can be sure it's founded in actual science, it's not just one person's opinion.
- The authors of each chapter are the best experts in the world on that topic.
- It's edited by Joe Friel and Jim Vance.
- In my opinion it's the number 1 book any triathlete should have.
- A lot of the authors of the chapters have been on this podcast, check out the links at the end of this episode for a list of related episodes to listen to.
Could have beens...
24:54 -
- There are some other resources I wanted to mention that may have made the top 10 if I was more familiar with them.
- I encourage you to go and check these out as well!
- 80/20 Triathlon by David Warden and Matt Fitzgerald.
- It's not released yet but I believe that once it is it will be on my top 10 list.
- Training and Racing with a Power Meter by Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan.
- This is the most recommended resource from all the guests on the show.
- Listen to Training with power meters for triathletes with Hunter Allen | EP#103 for more
- Fast after 50 by Joe Friel.
- Especially if you're approaching this age, you want to get this book to know what it takes to stay or get fast.
- It's VO2max work, strength training and a focus on body composition!
- Listen to Joe Friel's advice for improving training structure and periodize your way to success | EP#1 for more.
- Fast Track Triathlete by Matt Dixon.
- I've started reading it and it's great so far.
- The book also gives a couple of example training programs.
- It's a well written book about what it takes to be a triathlete and balancing that with family, work etc.
- ​The Global Triathlon Network YouTube Channel.
- "Endurance Training – Science and Practice" by Inigo Mujika.
- Inigo Mujika is one of the best endurance researchers in the world.
- I'm sure the book will be brilliant - it would probably be top 5 in the list if I had read it, but I haven't just yet.
- "Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training" Paul Laursen and Martin Buchheit.
- This book is not yet released but will discuss the application of high intensity interval training.
- I'm not familiar with Martin Buchheit but I know Paul Larsen is a brilliant researcher.
- "Cycling Science" by Stephen Cheung and Mikel Zabala
- We did two episodes on this previously:
- I have used this book a lot and referenced parts of it, but I haven't read it cover to cover.
- It's already something I refer to when I need to check something in terms of cycling.
- Purplepatch Podcast with Matt Dixon.
- I have listened to a few episodes but not enough to be able to make a judgement yet.
- It's definitely worth checking out, I've enjoyed the episodes I've listened to so far.
Honorable mentions
30:30 -
- These are resources that I do use and are strong candidates, but they didn't quite make the top ten list.
- ResearchGate.
- For example, if I go to ResearchGate and search for Inigo Mujika I'll find plenty of things to get lost in.
- You can also use ResearchGate to look for publications on a certain topic.
- You can rank your searches by researcher ranking.
- You can also request PDF's of full articles which is really helpful.
- Some research articles that aren't OpenAccess will not allow you to see more than the abstract.
- On ResearchGate you can often access the entire article.
- When you can't, you can request access if you have an ResearchGate account (which is free).
- "Daniel's Running Formula" by Jack Daniels.
- This was the first book I read about endurance sports.
- It almost placed number 1 on my list, but Triathlon Science covers most topics in a triathlon way.
- It's still a must read for anyone doing endurance training.
- A lot of it applies to triathlon as well as running.
- Triathlonlive.tv
- I really enjoy watching the World Triathlon Series, the ITU races, draft legal racing.
- You can sit on the trainer and watch the races which is great.
- It costs around 15 euros per year to get access to all of their races - both live and on demand.
- Bodybuilding.com
- I'm a big fan of strength training and this website has a great exercise database.
- You can either search for a movement and get specific instructions on how to do it with videos, written and audio explanations.
- Or if you want an exercise for a certain muscle, you can filter by a muscle group, or other filters such as machine/not machine.
- They also have great content on their blog about strength training and nutrition etc.
- Sigma Nutrition Radio (podcast).
- This podcast is about nutrition and takes a variety of angles.
- It's often about strength training, and not specifically endurance athletes.
- You still learn a lot about nutrition and it's all based on science.
- It's the best nutrition podcast I've heard.
- "The Endurance Training Diet and Cookbook" by Jesse Kropelnicki.
- This book would have made my top ten if I didn't already have Matt Fitzgerald's Endurance Diet.
- This book essentially contains the same content but it's a bit more specific and technical, which maybe makes it a bit less practical.
- However, I do recommend reading it, especially if you're interested in nutrition.
- Related listening: Race-day fueling and The Core Diet with Jesse Kropelnicki | EP#40
- DC Rainmaker's blog.
- For any gear, gadgets and gizmo's this is where you go for reviews.
- This could have been a top 10 but a lot of age groupers probably already spend too much time on here instead of training!
- If you're making investment in new kit, this is the best place to go.
- ​Precision Hydration blog - Hydration Advice.
- It's a great blog, with well-researched articles.
- It's good for information on hydration and nutrition but there are other articles as well.
- There are training articles too.
- The Precision Hydration newsletter is also helpful to find out about new articles.
Links, resources & contact
Links and resources mentioned
- Running with Power Revisited - Advanced Analysis with Steve Palladino | EP#93
- To lab test or not to lab test with Alan Couzens | EP#79
- Mind, body, and the curiously elastic limits of human performance with Alex Hutchinson | EP#101
- Dysfunctional movement patterns, injuries and reduced performance with James Dunne | EP#45
- Structured, power-based cycling training with Chad Timmerman | EP#38
- Joe Friel's advice for improving training structure and periodize your way to success | EP#1
- How to use data to get faster with Jim Vance | EP#7
- Cycling Science and Myth Busting Part 1 with Stephen Cheung | EP#74
- ​Cycling Science and Myth Busting Part 2 with Stephen Cheung | EP#75
- ​Race-day fueling and The Core Diet with Jesse Kropelnicki | EP#40
- ​Training with power meters for triathletes with Hunter Allen | EP#103
- Balancing a Big Life with Big Performance - Matt Dixon | EP#60
- Training Peaks blog
- ​Palladino Power Project Facebook Group
- Alan Couzens' blog
- ​TrainerRoad Ask A Cycling Coach Podcast
- ​Kinetic Revolution with James Dunne
- ​Alex Hutchinson's Sweat Science Blog
- Alex Hutchinson's book "Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance"
- Matt Fitzgerald's "The Endurance Diet", "80/20 Running", and "How Bad Do You Want It?"
- The "Swim Smooth" book (by Paul Newsome and Adam Young)
- The "Swim Smooth" website
- "Triathlon Science" book by Joe Friel and Jim Vance
- ResearchGate
- "Daniel's Running Formula" by Jack Daniels
- triathlonlive.tv
- Bodybuilding.com
- ​Sigma Nutrition Radio (podcast)
- "The Endurance Training Diet and Cookbook" by Jesse Kropelnicki
- DC Rainmaker website
- Precision Hydration blog
- "80/20 Triathlon" by Matt Fitzgerald and David Warden
- "Training and Racing with a Power Meter" by Hunter Allen and Andy Coggan
- "Fast After 50" by Joe Friel
- ​"Fast-Track Triathlete" by Matt Dixon
- Global Triathlon Network Youtube channel
- "Endurance Training – Science and Practice" by Inigo Mujika
- "Science and Application of High-Intensity Interval Training" Paul Laursen and Martin Buchheit
- "Cycling Science" by Stephen Cheung and Mikel Zabala
- Purplepatch Podcast with Matt Dixon
Connect with host Mikael Eriksson

Hi! I'm your host Mikael,
I am a full-time triathlon coach and an ambitious age-group triathlete. My goal is podium at the Finnish national championships within the next few years.
I first started the website Scientific Triathlon in autumn 2015 as a passion project to share my learnings with a larger triathlon audience. Later on, in early 2017 I started the podcast That Triathlon Show.
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