Joe Friel’s Blog

I was recently asked about "crash" training, which I wrote about in my Training Bibles. I've written about this before, but not in much detail. So perhaps it's time to go back to … [Read more...] about “Crash” Training

An author asked me today what purchases I'd suggest triathletes make to help them improve and grow based on their ability and experience levels. This is a tough one as there are many, many … [Read more...] about Triathlon Purchases by Ability & Experience

In the last two posts I wrote about one of my favorite topics – race pacing. In the first I once again described the issue I’ve written about so many times. In the second I briefly discussed the issue … [Read more...] about Again the Pacing Thing – Heart Rate Monitors

There are times when it’s ok, even necessary, to start the race very fast. Some events just start that way and if you want to be with the lead group or have an advantageous position then you have no … [Read more...] about Again the Pacing Thing – Fast Starts

Here I go again. Yet another post on pacing (also see here, here, here, here, here, here and here). It seems I need to repeat this topic several times a year. I suppose that’s because it’s so hard to … [Read more...] about Again the Pacing Thing!

One of the young male athletes I coach brought this article in the Wall Street Journal to my attention today. It's an interesting area for thought and discussion. This is a topic that comes up … [Read more...] about Men, Marriage, Money – and Sport

Given how occupied I’ve been in the past two weeks with a camp in the Canary Islands, Dr. John Post volunteered to serve as an official Guest Blog Contributor. Dr. Post is a close friend of many … [Read more...] about Internet Medical Advice

I believe that the most important thing an athlete takes to the start line on race day is confidence. It may even be more important than fitness or form. There are several things I do to help build … [Read more...] about Confidence

One of the most important aspects of training for the endurance athlete is developing aerobic endurance – the ability to perform efficiently and effectively for a long duration at an intensity below … [Read more...] about Comparing Output and Input

I’ve received several suggestions for blog topics from readers recently. Thanks for that. While I really enjoy researching and writing about training-related issues there are often times when I draw a … [Read more...] about Build Period Overview

The following is a question from a coach. He and the athlete he coaches are somewhat frustrated by the difference inpower numbers they produce relative to heart rate when riding indoors as opposed to … [Read more...] about Indoor vs. Outdoor Bike Performance

One of the fitness indicators that we hope to improve in the Base period has to do with using more fat and less glycogen (carb) for fuel during long endurance events. As your body becomes better at … [Read more...] about Becoming a Better Fat Burner

Following are the 10 blog posts from this site which were the most read in 2010. #1 below never ceases to amaze me as it’s #1 every year and shows no sign of slowing down. Only three posts from 2010 … [Read more...] about Top 10 Most-Read Posts of 2010

This time of year I'm often asked about indoor bike workouts on a trainer.  I would much rather have the athlete training outdoors, but realize this isn't always possible due to weather … [Read more...] about How Long for Indoor Rides?

I received this question by email today. I've been asked this a lot in the past week since my latest book came out. So rather than answering it frequently by email I will now just direct people to … [Read more...] about Tri Training Bible or Your Best Tri?

I few years ago I heard John Cobb say that when he tested aero helmets in the wind tunnel it didn’t matter if the rider’s head was up or down. That always struck me as strange. When looking down the … [Read more...] about Head Up vs. Head Down

Completing this look at what I consider the top 10 training mistakes of athletes is taking much longer than expected. Travel the past two weekends and holiday activities are taking their toll on my … [Read more...] about Top 10 Mistakes of Athletes (#1-3)

Here are 4 more mistakes I see athletes often make. I’m traveling this weekend but back in the office on Monday for a few days before my next trip (speaking in Saco, Maine on Dec 12). I’ll finish the … [Read more...] about Top 10 Mistakes of Athletes (#4-#7)

A couple of weeks ago I posted on my Twitter account (@jfriel) what I consider to be the 10 biggest mistakes self-coached athletes make in their training. @BeerMatt_96 suggested I collate them into a … [Read more...] about Top 10 Mistakes of Athletes (#8-#10)

I sometimes see confusion among athletes about the Base period of training. This is the time of year when you train to train, not train to race. That means in Base you are preparing the body for the … [Read more...] about Training in Base 2 and 3

There have been a lot of comments asking about the “force reps” workout described in my last post about Base 1 training. And since many readers receive my blog as an RSS feed they may not have seen my … [Read more...] about Force Reps

This series on Base 1 training is probably stretching out a bit too long. Some athletes may be well into Base 1 and others may be even be starting Base 2. The good news, however, is that Base 2 is … [Read more...] about Base 1 Training, Part 4

This is the third of a four-part series on how to train in the early part of your season which I call Base 1. You can read my previous posts on workout frequency and duration if you haven't seen … [Read more...] about Base 1 Training, Part 3

This is a continuation of the discussion on how I train endurance athletes in the Base 1 period. Actually, what you are reading here applies to Base 2 also, with only slight modifications. In Part 1 I … [Read more...] about Base 1 Training, Part 2