SportsRunningHealth & FitnessFitness

Science of Running

Steve Magness

An in depth look at training, coaching, Sport Science, and anything else that relates to enhancing endurance performance.

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25 episodes
weekly
Avg 53 min
English

Episodes 25

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Wednesday · 54 min
The Time-Starved Athlete: How to Train When You Can’t Do Everything
You don’t need a professional athlete’s schedule to train well. But you do need to stop pretending you can fit everything in. Steve and Jon explain how time-starved athletes can identify what matters, shift priorities across seasons, protect what keeps them in the sport, and resist shortcuts promising four years of adaptation in four weeks.…
October 22 · 48 min
The Workout Is Not the Point
Training is only the input. Adaptation is the goal. Steve and Jon explore why the same workout can transform one athlete and bury another and how stress, recovery, nutrition, individual differences, and the messy reality of working with human beings determine what actually sticks. Do us a favor, fill out this coaching survey to help…
August 24 · 55 min
Rethinking Recovery: The Essentials of Rest and Resilience
Steve Magness and John Marcus rant about the “recovery industrial complex,” arguing that while recovery knowledge has improved, monetized gadgets can waste money, create psychological fragility, and give a false sense of control—especially as aging brings non-negotiable limits. They emphasize prioritizing foundational recovery: consistent good sleep (the key “canary”), adequate fueling and hydration, and managing…
August 17 · 50 min
Beyond Mileage: The New Rules of Summer Base Training
Steve Magness and Jonathan Marcus discuss an updated approach to summer base building that keeps aerobic mileage as the foundation but adds “spices” year-round to prepare athletes for race demands. Instead of a reductionist focus on aerobic capacity alone, they emphasize integrating neural coordination, mechanical efficiency, and structural tissue resilience to reduce injury risk and…
August 11 · 58 min
Patience in Performance: Delayed Gratification in Training
Steve Magness and Jonathan Marcus discuss the art and science of delayed training effects, arguing that training adaptations are non-linear, hard to quantify, and often misunderstood as quick “return on investment.” They contrast complicated vs complex systems, noting hidden variables and individual response rates that make simple timelines unreliable. Using examples from elite runners, David…
August 4 · 1 hr 5 min
Navigating the Unpredictable: Managing Athlete Injuries
In this week’s episode Steve and Jon discuss injuries as an unavoidable, unpredictable part of running due to impact and eccentric loads, arguing coaching has shifted from “rest and hope” to creative training that maintains fitness without worsening injury. They outline a framework for evaluating injuries by type (bone, soft tissue, metabolic/overtraining, and “WTF” injuries),…
June 2 · 45 min
Unlocking Potential: The Power of Constraints in Coaching and Training
The episode focuses on constraints in coaching: manipulating training and environment to drive physical and psychological adaptation by identifying and widening an athlete’s primary bottleneck. David Epstein recounts Sheila Taormina learning the Theory of Constraints in college, shifting from aerobic volume to strength/power, making the Olympic team, winning relay gold, and later competing across four…
May 26 · length unknown
Marius Bakken on the Norwegian Method: Double Threshold, Lactate Control, and Muscle Tone
We host Olympian and Norwegian-method innovator Marius Bakken and talk bout the history and principles behind double-threshold training, lactate testing, and “muscle tone” as a key limiter of recovery and performance. Bakken contrasts lessons from coaches like Joe Newton, Peter Coe, and others, emphasizing long-term progression and balancing load with precision rather than uncontrolled intensity.…
May 19 · 52 min
Part 3: The Art and Science of Peaking
Steve Magness and John Marcus continue their peaking series by reframing peaking as maintaining fitness while eradicating fatigue so athletes can express existing fitness on race day, rather than expecting a magical performance boost. They emphasize that peaking is as psychological as physiological: coaches must set realistic expectations that racing will still feel hard, shift…
May 12 · 1 hr 5 min
Coaching Successfully Series Part 2: Defining Your Training Approach
Steve Magness and Jonathan Marcus discuss how coaches should define a training approach without falling into two traps: having no coherent philosophy by mixing everything, or rigidly copying one system with no flexibility. They argue training must account for environment and reality (altitude, heat/humidity, sea level), athlete population, and psychological constraints, not just physiology or…
May 5 · 55 min
Defining Coaching Success: Philosophy, Boundaries, and Authenticity”
Coaching Successful, Part 1: Defining Your Philosophy and Boundaries Steve Magness and Jon Marcus begin a “coaching successful” series by arguing that sustainable high-level coaching depends less on perfect training plans and more on clearly defined philosophy, boundaries, and principles. They discuss the messy identity shift from athlete to coach and warn about “boundary creep,”…
February 17 · 51 min
Training the Brain and Body: A discussion on the dynamics of physiology and neurology.
The Illusion of Optimization: Balancing Physiology and Neurology in Coaching In this episode of the Coaching Coaching Podcast, hosts Steve Magness and John Marcus dive into a deep discussion about the complexities of coaching that lie beyond the modern obsession with optimization. They argue that true coaching success comes from a balance between understanding physiology…
February 10 · 59 min
Fit and Fast: Achieving Robustness in Training
Balancing Fitness and Robustness: The Importance of Neuromuscular Coordination in Training In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast, Steve Magness and Jon Marcus discuss the concept of ‘fit but flat,’ exploring the phenomenon where athletes excel in metabolic fitness but fail to perform competitively due to a lack of neuromuscular coordination. Using examples like…
January 21 · 56 min
Mindset Matters: Training the Mind for Peak Race Day Performance
Mastering Race Day Mindset: Proven Strategies and Quirks In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast, hosts Steve Magness and Jon Marcus delve into the psychology of training the mind for race day. They explore the importance of adopting a growth mindset over a fixed mindset and the critical role of visualization in achieving peak…
Nov 4, 2025 · 48 min
Recovery Demystified: Focus on What Really Works
In this episode of the On Coaching Podcast, we delve into the critical topic of recovery, emphasizing the importance of keeping it simple and avoiding the pitfalls of the ‘industrial complex of recovery.’ They discuss the transformation of recovery techniques from the early days of simple practices like hydration and nutrition to the modern inundation…
Oct 14, 2025 · 52 min
Coaching the New Runner. Part 2: Individuals
In this episode of the On Coaching podcast, hosts Steve Magness and Jon Marcus walk you through how to coach a runner from the very start. From the training to the mental game, we cover it all. -Steve Steve’s NEW Book is OUT NOW: Win The Inside Game! Learn how to perform under pressure, come…
Sep 15, 2025 · 53 min
Coaching the New Runner. Part 1: In a team setting.
In this episode of the On Coaching podcast, hosts Steve Magness and John Marcus discuss the challenges and strategies of coaching new runners in a team setting. They emphasize the importance of creating an inclusive environment where newcomers feel integrated, see progress, develop intrinsic motivation, and avoid burnout. The hosts share practical tips for introducing…
Sep 9, 2025 · 43 min
Footwear Insights: From Training Flats to Super Cushions
Mastering the Art of Super Shoe Training In this episode of the On Coaching podcast, Steve Magness and Jon Marcus delve into the timely and highly requested topic of using ‘super shoes’ in training. They revisit the evolution from traditional trainers to modern super shoes and super-cushioned shoes, discussing their impacts on performance and recovery.…
Aug 11, 2025 · 44 min
Exploring the New Era of Training: Embracing Experimentation
In this episode of the On Coaching podcast, Steve Magness and Jon Marcus delve into the current era of training experimentation, inspired by a recent in-depth discussion in the Scholar Program. They explore historical ebbs and flows in training practices, highlighting the 1960s experimentation period, and draw parallels to today’s innovative landscape influenced by super…
Jul 7, 2025 · 49 min
Keeping Training Fresh: Science, Methods, and Strategies
In this episode of the ‘On Coaching’ podcast, hosts Steve Magness and Jon Marcus discuss the importance of consistency in training and coaching. They delve into how simple, repetitive actions over time foster the capacity to achieve larger goals. Highlighting historical examples such as the training logs of Jack Lovelock, they emphasize the value of…

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