That Triathlon Show is the podcast for triathletes of all levels who want to train smarter and race faster. With over 600 episodes and millions of downloads since 2017, this show cuts through the noise and misinformation, delivering practical, no-nonsense advice rooted in both the art and science of training and performance.
The podcast features in-depth interviews with the world’s best coaches, top sports scientists, and elite athletes. Each episode dives into the nuances of training methodology, performance optimization, and race-day execution, providing insights you can apply right away. Whether you’re preparing for a supersprint or an Ironman, or focusing on a single sport like swimming, cycling, or running, you’ll find expert guidance and relevant content here.
The podcast is hosted by Mikael Eriksson, a former engineer now coaching professional and age-group athletes. Mikael is a Level III certified coach with over a decade of experience in coaching.
Join a global community of dedicated triathletes and take your performance to the next level. Learn more at www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast.
Mikael and Jack answer listener questions on indoor versus outdoor FTP differences, whether time in zone is all that matters and how to optimise interval intensity, a first 70.3 debrief covering swim breathing problems and bike cramps, and lots more!
Email us your questions, or answer the question prompts in our Instagram stories to get your questions answered on the next Q&A.
HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:
- Why indoor and outdoor FTP differ, whether a 20-watt gap is normal, and why Mikael has never had an athlete test both.
- Fans and airflow as the most underrated indoor cycling upgrade, including the research showing 40 km time-trial power is maintained up to 27°C when airflow matches outdoor riding speed.
- How to back-calculate an outdoor FTP from your own sweet spot and threshold interval data rather than doing a second test.
- Why a 10-minute interval should not be done at your 10-minute power, and how to perform a session so you finish at a session RPE of 7 to 8 with something left in the tank.
- Is time in zone all that matters? The same power and the same total work can produce very different internal loads.
- Minimum rep lengths if you want to spread work through a longer ride: 4 to 5 minutes for VO2max reps, 10 to 15 minutes for threshold reps.
- A first 70.3 debrief: why the swim breathing fell apart and how to break the hypercapnia (CO2 buildup) spiral, and what most likely caused hamstring cramps at 70 km on a hilly bike course.
- Instagram questions: finding your bike power in the first 20 minutes of a race, whether a VO2max block followed by a threshold block is a silver bullet, training after dental surgery, splitting 120 g of carbs per hour, and preparing for the Ironman Nice climb when you have no long climbs.
SHOWNOTES, LINKS, RESOURCES AND RELATED EPISODES:
- The shownotes for today’s episode can be found here.
- The full podcast episode archives (including category filters) can be found here.
- Is VO2max more important than lactate threshold? | Research roundup
- Kolie Moore – Overrated and Underrated Factors for Cycling Performance
- Why 90 Grams of Carbs Still Beats 120 | Paul Booth
- Triathlon Base Training Series 1 – How to train smarter in winter to race faster in summer
- Prolonged self-paced exercise in the heat – environmental factors affecting performance – Junge et al. 2016
- Physiological comparison of intensity-controlled, isocaloric intermittent and continuous exercise – Combes et al. 2018
- Short intervals induce superior training adaptations compared with long intervals in cyclists – an effort-matched approach – Rønnestad et al. 2015
- The higher the fraction of maximal oxygen uptake is during interval training, the greater is the cycling performance gain – Odden et al. 2024
SPONSORS:
- Precision Fuel & Hydration produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.
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- Effortless Swimming produce the best swim goggles for triathletes and open water swimmers. Their NanoClear anti-fog lenses give you clear, fog-free vision that lasts and doesn’t wear off. Don’t let foggy or leaky goggles ruin another swim. Go to shop.effortlessswimming.com and use the code TTS15 to get 15% off your goggles, and get a free two-month Effortless Swimming course membership.
- ZenAI is the next frontier of podcasting. It lets you turn your ideas into a podcast without any knowledge of audio editing, video, or production. You do the talking, and the AI handles the production, editing, clipping, and the rest, and you can direct your AI producer in plain English. You can even record from your phone, so no expensive studio gear is needed to sound great. ZenAI is a new product from Zencastr, a platform I’ve been a paying customer of for over nine years here at That Triathlon Show. ZenAI is currently in invite-only beta. Join the waitlist today here.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON:
- The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
- Contact us through our contact form or email me directly (note – email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
- Subscribe to our Newsletter
- Follow us on Instagram
- Learn more about our coaching, training plans, and training camps. We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)?
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.
- Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to automatically get all new episodes as they are released.
- Tell your friends, internet and social media friends, acquaintances and triathlon frenemies about the podcast. Word of mouth is the best way to grow the podcast by far!
- Rate and review the podcast (ideally five stars of course!) in your podcast app of choice (Spotify and Apple Podcasts are the biggest and most important ones).
- Share episodes online and on social media. Share your favourite episodes in your Instagram stories, start a discussion about interesting episodes on forums, reference them in your blog or Substack.
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