Summary:

In Ep. 7 the coaches explain what running economy means, what the benefits are to improving your efficiency and some key takeaways on how to train to get more out of your running.

Key Discussion Points:

Addressing Common Misconceptions:

1. Running economy only matters for long-distance runners
2. Better economy just means shorter steps or higher cadence

Deep Dive:

1. How Your Muscles and Nervous System Affect Economy
2. What You Feel When Economy Improves
3. What’s Happening When You Sprint, Jump, or Change Direction
4. Why Running Fast Can Actually Improve Economy
5. Which Body Areas Matter Most for Efficiency
6. Training Takeaways for Athletes

Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

1. Final Thoughts
2. Webinar Plug
3. Next Episode Preview

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

1. 0:40 - Coach Donald recaps his cruise vacation with Coach Leslie and talks about some of their adventures
2. 12:53 - The coaches share their respective Coaching Moments
3. 18:00 - Coach Donald & Coach Tim discuss some common myths related to running economy and running efficiency
4. 27:40 - The coaches talk about the factors that actually make running more efficient
5. 46:35 - How an athlete can train and develop their running economy
6. 51:49 - Coach Donald expands on the neuromuscular component of up-tempo running
7. 59:58 - Wrap up & key takeaways

Resources Mentioned:

1. Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
2. Website: https://ghperformance.com/

Actionable Takeaways:

1. Efficient athletes turn on muscles quickly, turn off what they don’t need and don’t fight themselves with extra tension.
2. When your running economy improves, strides feel lighter, you don’t feel like you’re forcing speed and you recover faster between efforts.

Summary:

Coach Donald and Coach Tim discuss the key points of building an aerobic fitness base, and why it is such an important component of overall athletic performance regardless of an athlete’s sport or experience level.

Key Discussion Points:

1. Addressing Common Misconceptions:

1) Aerobic capabilities don’t matter for power sports

2) High-intensity activities are required for base-building

1. Deep Dive:

1) Cardiac and metabolic adaptations

2) Tendon, bone & muscle adaptations

3) Nervous system adaptations & efficiency/economy

1. Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

1. 5:22 - Coaching Highlights include learning programming techniques and fielding questions from athletes
2. 13:00 - The coaches dispel some common myths and discuss how the aerobic base serves a purpose as recovery in most sports
3. 19:30 - The purpose and dosage of high intensity interval work required when building an aerobic base
4. 22:50 - Defining what “base building” actually means
5. 26:05 - Sprinters, team/field-sport athletes, and endurance athletes all need aerobic development — just in different proportions
6. 26:30 - The coaches take a deep dive into cardiac and metabolic adaptations and tendon, bone and muscle changes to aerobic base building
7. 42:10 - The nervous system refines landing mechanics, making each step more uniform, more efficient and less costly
8. 46:00 - How strength training plays an important role in aerobic base building
9. 52:30 - Episode re-cap & Coaching Considerations

Resources Mentioned:

1. Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
2. Website: https://ghperformance.com/

Actionable Takeaways:

1. All athletes can benefit from having a good aerobic base!
2. Do a lot of low intensity work early in the training cycle, to support higher intensity activities later
3. Load and intensity will differ for each individual athlete
4. Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners...

Summary:

Coach Donald & Coach Tim make the case for single-leg strength training, along with how and why all athletes should incorporate it into their programming.

Key Discussion Points:

Addressing Common Misconceptions:

• Prehab/rehab, balance and lower loads

Deep Dive:

• Neuromuscular demands
• Biomechanical implications
• Relative force
• Programming

Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

• 7:00 - Coach Donald & Coach Tim share their most recent Coaching Moments.
• 14:25 - The coaches address some common myths when it comes to single-leg strength training, like it only being useful for rehab and balance and that you shouldn’t do it with high loads.
• 17:50 - A discussion on the neuromuscular demands of single-leg training versus bilateral.
• 20:52 - The coaches talk about the biomechanical implications of sprinting, cutting and jumping that make the argument for single-leg training.
• 25:40 - Coach Donald unpacks relative force, the bilateral deficit phenomenon and how single-leg strength training can help mitigate injuries.
• 32:30 - The coaches talk about best practices when programming single-leg strength training for athletes.
• 42:24 - Episode recap and closing notes.

Resources:

Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/

Website: https://ghperformance.com/

Hosts:

• Coach Donald: Coach Donald, M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human Performance
• Coach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNS

Summary:

Coach Donald and Coach Tim continue their discussion on the physiology of sprint training, and chat about what it means to run “fast” while exploring key concepts such as the metabolic demands of sprinting and the core aspects of speed training.

Key Discussion Points:

Coaching Moments:

• Coach Donald shares a story from Trackside, and Coach Tim chats about a recent in-gym onboarding session with a new youth athlete.

Deep Dive:

1) How to move the needle in sprint performance

2) The foundation of sprint performance is a function of stride rate, stride length and endurance

3) An exploration of the relationship of effort and fitness as it relates to speed expression

4) The metrics and metabolic demands of sprinting

5) The core aspects of speed training are acceleration, max velocity and speed endurance

6) Managing load and volume

7) A discussion on speed endurance

8) Coaching and training considerations

Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

• 2:39 - The coaches share their most recent Coaching Moments.
• 4:54 - Coach Donald and Coach Tim discuss what getting “faster” means in the context of running versus field sports, and rail against the fallacy of “more” again.
• 9:27 - How do you move the needle in sprint performance? The coaches take a deep dive into the foundational components, the physiological mechanisms and the practical application of sprint training.
• 10:05 - Coach Donald discusses the basic components of speed: stride rate, stride length and endurance.
• 13:50 - The coaches talk about the differences between competing at all distances, and what max velocity or “full speed” means in a training and racing context.
• 15:57 - Coach Donald explores the relationship between speed expression and the corresponding effort level, as well as the metabolic demands for power vs. speed.
• 19:05 - The coaches talk about how an athlete can improve the most important metrics of speed and sprint performance, like stride rate, stride length, ground contact time and posture.
• 22:03 - Coach Donald takes a deep dive into the metabolic demands of sprinting.
• 24:38 - Coach Donald and Coach Tim go on a “6-7” tangent.
• 29:24 - Coach Donald discusses how an athlete can improve their tolerance for sprinting, which includes skipping, drilling, lifting and running.
• 30:32 - What are the core aspects of training for speed, and how do plyometrics, hill sprints and resisted running help?
• 37:53 - Coach Donald talks about load management and proper volume with sprint training.
• 39:01 - Fitness in the form of tempo running, speed endurance training and special endurance.
• 43:25 - Coach Donald recaps the episode and shares some final thoughts on coaching and training considerations.

Resources Mentioned:

• Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
• Website: https://ghperformance.com/

Actionable Takeaways:

• Sprint training is much more nuanced than just running “fast.”
• Speed is a function of stride rate, stride length and endurance, and all of those are trainable qualities.
• Quality training includes managing the metabolic demands of...

• Coach Donald: M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human Performance
• Coach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNS

Coach Donald & Coach Tim take a deep dive into the physiology of sprint training, and discuss the what, when, why and how of high-intensity sprinting.

Coaching Moments:

• Cross country season re-cap and success stories
• In-gym highlights

Deep Dive:

• The Fitness-Speed Pipeline, and the ever-present argument about what comes first
• More is not always better, especially with high-intensity activities
• The physiology of sprint training, sprint mechanics and plyometrics
• Motor learning, brain training and body positioning
• The integration of strength training with sprint training.
• CNS fatigue
• Stride rate & stride length
• Coaching challenges

Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

• 2:10 - Coach Donald and Coach Tim share their most recent Coaching Moments and Performance Highlights.
• 9:00 - Coach Donald discusses the Fitness-Speed Pipeline, and addresses some common misconceptions with the “fitness first” approach.
• 16:02 - More myth-busting conversation about how more is not always better, especially with athletes training and competing on a very high level.
• 19:48 - Coach Donald explains the physiology behind sprint training, including neural drive, motor unit recruitment, rate coding and coordination.
• 25:56 - The coaches talk about tissue stiffness during sprinting, and explore tendon elasticity and the muscle-tendon interaction.
• 30:33 - Ways to incorporate and apply plyometric training, as it relates to running economy.
• 31:38 - Coach Donald talks about motor learning and how “brain training” is crucial for athletes, and the importance of doing drills and skill work with specific intent.
• 36:02 - A chat about force application, quality of movement and body positioning.
• 40:25 - Coach Donald brings things full circle, and explains why/how strength training integrates into sprint training.
• 43:52 - CNS fatigue: what it is, things to look for and how to manage it.
• 49:09 - Coach Donald summarizes the episode with stride rate and stride length.
• 50:45 - The coaches explore how sprint training can benefit endurance athletes.
• 54:45 - Coaching challenges with sprint training can include personalizing approaches in a group setting, knowing when to appropriately end a session and balancing being knowledgeable in biomechanics, physiology and environmental control.

• Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
• Website: https://ghperformance.com/
• Jack Daniels’ Running Formula
• The Mechanics of Sprinting & Hurdling
• Jumping into Plyometrics

• Coach Donald: Coach Donald, M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human Performance
• Coach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNS

Coach Donald & Coach Tim scratch the surface of endurance training, and discuss the physiological adaptations as well as different types of training stimulus. The coaches touch on heart rate zone models, high-intensity interval training and biological responses to jogging, running and sprinting.

• Coaching Moments:

1. Cross-country season update
2. Great Race recap

• Deep Dive:

1. Physiological adaptations to increased running volume
2. Heart rate zone training
3. Stimulus/training adaptation to different types of running workouts
4. High-intensity interval training

• Webinar Pitch, Outro & Feedback

• 1:45 - The coaches introduce the topic of conversation, and lay the groundwork for the discussion.
• 3:15 - Coach Tim talks about his personal journey with distance running.
• 7:34 - The coaches talk about their recent Coaching Moments, and chat about their cross-country season highlights.
• 14:15 - Addressing common assumptions and misconceptions in distance running and training.
• 17:28 - Coach Donald’s leg falls asleep, and he shares a funny anecdote about it.
• 18:30 - The coaches chat about the fact that more isn’t always better, but that more can be effective and how to properly condition to be able to effectively absorb more mileage.
• 19:50 - A discussion on the physiological changes and adaptations to running.
• 28:05 - Coach Tim unpacks heart rate zone training, and explores the nuances to the prevailing five-zone model.
• 33:53 - The coaches explore LSD runs, tempo runs, lactate threshold and Vo2 max.
• 38:48 - Coach Donald dives deep into lactic acid, lactate, pyruvate, acidosis and oxidative capacity.
• 45:15 - Exploring high-intensity training as it relates to recovery needs, and highlighting density, volume and intensity as well as the “talk test.”
• 52:04 - The coaches ask for listener feedback, get slightly distracted, pitch the webinar and then sign off.

• Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
• Website: https://ghperformance.com/
• https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2040-4603.2011.tb00346.x
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17099248/

• Run easy most of the time and run fast some of the time, but never do all your workouts at the same pace!
• When increasing training volume, focus on frequency first, duration second and intensity third.
• Heart rate zone training is a useful way to approach things, but is much more nuanced than it seems on the surface.
• Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!

In Season 2: Episode 3, Coach Donald geeks out about the physiology of sprint training while Coach Tim just tries to keep up and apply the principles to the world of distance running.

Hosts:

• Coach Donald: M.Ed Exercise Science, Owner of Global Human Performance
• Coach Tim: MBA, CPT, PES, FNS

Summary:

Coach Donald & Coach Tim introduce the revamped Training Well Done podcast, and discuss the basics of strength and conditioning for the general population, youth beginners and endurance athletes.

Key Discussion Points:

• Addressing Common Misconceptions:

1. Getting “bulky” from lifting
2. Introducing weightlifting to youth athletes

• Deep Dive:

1. Neuromuscular adaptations & muscle fiber recruitment
2. Training for performance & injury prevention
3. Resources for athletes

Noteworthy Moments/Quotes:

• 1:40 - Coach Donald & Coach Tim introduce themselves and discuss their respective careers, education & coaching backgrounds
• 3:36 - Coach Donald introduces the episode topic (“How you get stronger”) and the podcast format (high-level discussion of training concepts in an accessible, conversational tone).
• 6:45 - Coaching Moments & Member Highlights
• 14:05 - The coaches address some common misconceptions in the world of strength training, including: getting bulky from lifting, and introducing weightlifting to youth athletes.
• 23:42 - Coach Donald & Coach Tim dive into the physiological mechanisms behind building strength, such as: neuromuscular adaptations, muscle fiber recruitment, and methodologies for elite vs. recreational athletes.
• 29:50 - Coach Donald breaks down what is biologically happening in muscle fibers during strength-training.
• 32:53 - The coaches discuss frequency of training, and how to cycle through training loads & intensity in-season vs. off-season including skill-based work and recovery costs.
• 39:40 - Utilizing strength-training as a means for injury-prevention, and improving an athlete’s ability to develop stress tolerance and raise the ceiling on the volume & intensity of their workouts.
• 47:00 - Coach Tim talks about the two main things that might keep a long-distance runner from prioritizing a strength-training program.
• 52:49 - Coach Donald walks through what an athlete can do on their own to ensure a safe and effective strength & conditioning training protocol, such as progressive overload, utilizing isometrics/tempos, emphasizing major movers and having appropriate supervision.
• 57:45 - The best tools and resources for athletes looking to enhance their knowledge and skill set when it comes to strength training, including Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!
• 1:01:23 - Outro & feedback request

Resources Mentioned:

• Webinar: https://ghperformance.com/webinar/
• Website: https://ghperformance.com/
• Meta-Analysis - https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/physiology/articles/10.3389/fphys.2025.1598149/full?utm

Actionable Takeaways:

• Strength training is for everyone, but looks different for every athlete.
• Support the podcast by downloading Coach Donald’s Strength Training for Runners webinar!

Next Episode Teaser:

In Season 2:

I am beginning a series on plyometric training, aka jump training. On this episode I explain what plyometrics are & what the benefits are.

1) Springiness for running

2) Power production

3) Injury risk reduction