Michael Joyner is without doubt one of the most revered train physiologists over the previous 50+ years. What are among the main themes that he’s seen in coaching elite endurance athletes over his superb profession? is without doubt one of the most revered train physiologists over the previous 50+ years. What are among the main themes that he’s seen in coaching elite endurance athletes over his superb profession?
Mike Joyner VO2 testing
What a Profession
Michael Joyner is a MD/PhD primarily based on the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Simply do a fast Google of his title and also you’ll see that Mike is just about THE knowledgeable on the subject of endurance coaching and train. Moreover his unbelievable publication report, he’s the knowledgeable that almost all American media retailers flip to for background and opinion about sport science.
From getting into undergraduate schooling on the College of Arizona, Mike has had the fortune of working with a assassin’s row of lots of the prime train physiologists. This consists of Ed Coyle, John Holloszy, Jack Wilmore, Roger Enoka, Doug Seals, Jerry Dempsey, and plenty of others.
Mike’s profession can also be attention-grabbing as a result of it spans the age from when metabolic carts for measuring oxygen uptake have been JUST beginning to be automated and capable of be completed comparatively merely, during to at this time’s high-tech monitoring of practically each variable 24/7 and synthetic intelligence.
One of many issues I actually admire about Mike is that, like me, he’s an enormous believer in integrative physiology, of wanting on the total human organism in its complexity quite than our scientific tendency to be extremely reductionistic (e.g., let’s take a look at this one single tiny piece in isolation).
Trying Again to Look Ahead
This January, Mike wrote a retrospective piece in Scandinavian Journal of Medication & Science in Sports activities concerning the main traits that he’s seen actually stand the take a look at of time on the subject of endurance coaching (Joyner 2025). I discovered the piece extremely reflective and informative for athletes, coaches, and sport scientists to bear in mind.
What may be measured, will get measured
With more and more quick access to instruments that may measure physiological variables, the temptation is to measure these variables and maintain them up because the magic bullet. Assume how each endurance athlete needs to know their VO2max, regardless of them usually not figuring out what it truly means and it probably not being a key metric in designing coaching applications.
Now we have now so many wearables (coronary heart charge, coronary heart charge variability, sleep, lactate, hydration, temperature) of probably doubtful accuracy. On this sea of substances and monitoring, it’s essential to bear in mind whether or not these variables are literally correct, related to efficiency, and actionable earlier than leaping in.
The aggressive significance precept
On the very pointy tip of elite efficiency, the margins for victory are so razor skinny that they basically can’t be detected in scientific research. This isn’t to say that we sport scientists ought to simply retire our lab coats. Slightly, when working with prime stage coaches and athletes, the dialog must be far more nuanced than simply “science says this.” Athletes are in search of the chance of a profit, and the trick is to concentrate on the artwork of coaching quite than rigidly making use of scientific findings.
For instance, what are cross-training modalities to include for an injury-prone runner? What kind of coaching greatest maintains a protracted racing peak? These are questions the place it’s nearly unattainable to design a top quality research, however science can nonetheless contribute to a coach and athlete figuring these questions out.
Athletes are forward of scientists
The Fosbury Flop. Improvements in swimming flip turns and the usage of excessive underwater takeoffs in backstroke begins. Aero bars in biking (I bear in mind my dad welding me a customized set at work in 1989!). Skate snowboarding and double poling in Nordic snowboarding. These are all examples of athletes main innovation quite than innovation being designed in a lab.
For us, this additionally signifies that we shouldn’t be blindly counting on science to cleared the path to innovation. In the event you assume one thing works for you, attempt it and check it out for your self. Some could change into false leads (e.g., low-carbohydrate diets, minimalist sneakers) however that’s the character of scientific discovery.
Effectivity over biology
When it comes all the way down to it, assuming good coaching and health, only a few main efficiency beneficial properties have been had by way of biology or physiology. Most likely the large exception has been carbohydrate feeding methods and supply strategies.
In distinction, a lot of the large efficiency beneficial properties have come by way of methods to make us extra environment friendly. This consists of working “supershoes,”, swimsuit and pool design, clap skates in speedskating. In biking, we have now disc wheels and aero wheels/bikes, indoor velodromes, aero bars, non-circular chainrings, aero clothes. They enhance effectivity by both lowering drag or bettering power switch.
What does this imply for us non-elite cyclists? In case your focus is to maximise efficiency, free pace is a really actual factor!
The identical finish can come by way of many means
There is no such thing as a one RIGHT or excellent coaching program. Optimum elite efficiency has been achieved by way of nearly as many coaching philosophies as there are athletes. Candy spot, pyramidal, polarized, HIIT.
This is applicable particularly strongly to us non-elite athletes. Consistency in coaching and wholesome habits (diet, sleep, minimizing stress) will do extra to optimize our athletic potential than getting overly distracted concerning the excellent coaching program.
Whereas we’re at it, don’t ignore psychological coaching both. We may be optimally match bodily, but when the thoughts isn’t prepared no quantity of bodily means will compensate.
Right here’s Joyner’s endurance coaching haiku:
Run plenty of miles
Some sooner than your race tempo
Relaxation on occasion
That just about encapsulates all of coaching science!
Abstract
Joyner has fairly actually seen and completed all of it as an athlete and sport science practitioner. I actually loved his retrospective article and assume that it has plenty of classes for the way we as on a regular basis athlete ought to strategy sports activities and coaching.
Experience quick, and have enjoyable!
References
Joyner MJ (2025) Coaching Elite Athletes: 50 Years of Pondering About Observe and Analysis for Endurance Sports activities. Scandinavian Med Sci Sports activities 35:e70013. https://doi.org/10.1111/sms.70013
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