What if endurance performance is not so much about VO2max, lactate threshold, or running economy… but more about the muscular system itself?

In this episode, Dr Marius Bakken shares the thinking behind his latest book The Norwegian Method Applied and the decades of experimentation that shaped his approach to endurance training. From double threshold training and lactate controlled intensity to muscle tone, elasticity, and stiffness, this conversation explores performance through a very different lens.

The discussion unpacks why sub-threshold training became foundational within the Norwegian system, how muscular state may influence performance and fatigue more than most athletes realize, and why recovery is often misunderstood in modern endurance training.

Marius also reflects on his experiences training in Kenya, his observations of elite African runners, and how balancing training load may matter more than any other factor.

This episode challenges conventional thinking around endurance performance and opens up a broader discussion about what truly limits adaptation, recovery, and race day performance.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Dr Marius Bakken https://www.mariusbakken.com/

The Norwegian Method Applied Book: http://geni.us/norwegianmethod

What really happens to your neuromuscular system after different types of HIIT — and how do we know?

This episode does something we've been building toward for years: puts real data behind the HIIT Science taxonomy. Using low-frequency fatigue measurements from Myocene technology, Martin Buchheit tested the taxonomy on himself — mapping how different interval types load and recover the neuromuscular system in ways we previously could only infer.

The conversation covers why some sessions crush your legs for 48 hours while others don't, why neuromuscular RPE tracks fatigue better than most coaches expect, and why the distinction between load and response still gets muddled in practice.

The episode closes with a second topic: how change of direction changes everything in HIIT prescription — and why acceleration and deceleration capacity need to drive individualization in team sport training.

In this episode:

• Why HIIT has always been about more than metabolic zones
• Low-frequency fatigue as an objective window into neuromuscular recovery
• Concentric vs. eccentric load — why cycling and running recover so differently
• Neuromuscular RPE: cheap, practical, and surprisingly valid
• Rethinking COD-based interval prescription for team sport athletes

Martin Buchheit's New Course

For those interested in going deeper, Martin’s updated course on Load and Response Monitoring in Elite Football is now available inside the HIIT Science course library.

It builds on the same ideas discussed here, focusing on how to better connect training load with athlete response using practical frameworks and real world examples

Early access is currently available for a limited time. You can subscribe to the HIIT Science email list to receive details and access to the discount

https://hiit-science.thinkific.com/courses/monitoring-load-and-response?ck_subscriber_id=4050821192&utm_source=convertkit&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Its%20finally%20here:%20Martin%20Buchheits%20New%20Course%20%F0%9F%8E%89%20-%2021641648

Are asymmetries something we should actually be fixing… or just better understanding? Chris Bishop is an Associate Professor of Strength and Conditioning and one of the leading researchers in interlimb asymmetry, bringing years of work across performance, rehab, and applied sport science.

In this conversation, Chris breaks down one of the most misunderstood topics in sports performance. From how asymmetries are calculated to whether they even matter, this episode challenges common practices in screening, rehab, and training decisions. He explores why asymmetry data is often noisy, how context changes everything, and why chasing symmetry alone may not lead to better performance or reduced injury risk.

Today’s speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit: https://martin-buchheit.net/

Chris Bishop: https://www.linkedin.com/in/chris-bishop-a2462b35/

What if you could bring lab level physiology into every training session?

Arnar Larusson is the founder of Tymewear and is working to make breathing data accessible outside the lab, giving athletes real time insight into how their body is actually responding to training.

Coming from a background in mechanical engineering and prosthetics, Arnar saw the gap between what we can measure in controlled environments and what athletes can access in the real world.

This conversation explores how ventilation and breathing patterns reveal intensity, efficiency, and stress in ways that heart rate and power alone cannot.

From identifying ventilatory thresholds to understanding fatigue and durability, this episode looks at how breathing data could reshape how we train and measure performance.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Arnar Larusson https://www.linkedin.com/in/arnar-larusson-58872a2b/

Tymewear: www.tymewear.com

What does it take to build a career across the highest levels of sport and keep evolving along the way?

Jon Bartlett has worked across football AFL the NBA and Olympic cycling building a career shaped by curiosity adaptability and a constant drive to learn.

Rather than staying in one system Jon chose to explore different sports and environments to understand how high performance actually works in practice
From hands on roles with athletes to leading global development systems and now working in performance technology his journey shows how transferable thinking leadership and problem solving can be across completely different contexts.

This episode dives into what he learned at each stage how his role evolved over time and why stepping outside your comfort zone is often the biggest catalyst for growth.

Today’s speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit: https://martin-buchheit.net/

Jon Bartlett: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jon-bartlett-8284503a/

We all “love” 😍 STRENGTH & gym training 🏋🏻 to a certain degree - but that does not mean that you CANNOT develop SPEED & STRENGTH without it!

Dr Darren Burgess want you to understand that WHOLE sport CULTURES ⚽ 🏀 🏈 have been developed over decades without having very much strength or speed specific training AT ALL. Many footballers in Europe for example barely do any gym work. Obviously that does not mean it is useless, but it is important to understand that apparently you can get good at the sport WITHOUT it.

In the 72nd episode of The Training Science Podcast, Martin and Darren discuss how:

🏛️ various sports “cultures” can be a downside or upside if you are a multidisciplinary professional;

🏋️ player specific loads are important, but you need to remember ALL the other types of load a player (and staff too!) experience - it is a whole wellbeing model;

🕛 chronic load for adaption, rehab or simply helping players to improve needs to be balanced and maintained for certain durations, but without “peaks” and “valleys”.

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Today’s speakers:

Dr Martin Buchheit https://martin-buchheit.net/

Dr Darren Burgess https://au.linkedin.com/in/darren-burgess-a1580628

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What if you could predict your race before you even start?

In this episode, Ryan Cooper shares the story behind one of endurance sport’s most influential tools, Best Bike Split. With a background in electrical engineering and aerospace, Ryan saw early on that the same physics used in aviation could be applied to cycling and triathlon performance.

We dive into how power meters and modeling unlocked a new way to race, why normalized power became a game changer for long course athletes, and how smart pacing can make or break your entire performance.

From early prototypes during the Tour de France to real world validation at world championship races, this episode is a behind the scenes look at how data, physics, and practical application came together to change the way athletes approach race day.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Ryan Cooper https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-f-cooper/

What if your biggest performance limiter isn’t your fitness, but your nervous system?

In this episode, Lawrence van Lingen shares a radically different lens on endurance performance, one that shifts the focus from traditional training metrics to fascia, breath, and vagal tone. Drawing from years of work with elite athletes like Andi Böcherer and Jan Frodeno, Lawrence explains how movement efficiency, recovery, and performance breakthroughs often come from restoring internal balance rather than pushing harder.

We explore why breathing mechanics and nervous system health are foundational to performance, how simple practices like walking and crawling-like movements can create massive changes, and why many athletes struggle not from lack of effort but from an inability to absorb training.

This conversation challenges conventional thinking and offers a new way to approach performance, recovery, and long term health.

Today’s speakers:

Prof Paul Laursen https://www.paullaursen.com/
Lawrence van Lingen https://www.lawrencevanlingen.com/
https://www.youtube.com/@LawrencevanLingen