Elite Endurance Coach: “They Trained More… and Got Worse” — The Science of Endurance with Alan Couzens

Alan Couzens is one of the sharpest minds in endurance training. Alan works with everyone from first-time triathletes to world-class pros, bringing a data-driven, long-term approach to getting better.

In this conversation, we break down what actually drives endurance progress, why most athletes train too hard and improve too little, and how long it really takes to reach your potential. We also get into HRV, glycogen, metabolic testing, and why rest might be the most underrated tool in your training arsenal. 👇

Full episode breakdown:

00:00 Intro

00:30 What causes endurance improvements?

02:40 How long does it take to reach endurance potential?

06:06 What separates world-class pros from promising amateurs? 10:30 Volume of elite endurance athletes

13:00 Who does Alan work with?

14:30 What does working with Alan look like?

17:00 What is training response?

20:50 What to do when you hit a plateau

27:50 Heart Rate Variability (HRV)

29:20 How to make training dynamic

31:15 Why dynamic training is key

35:30 Why Alan doesn't like minimum effective dose thinking

35:45 Why is fitness worth pursuing?

38:40 What does it feel like to be fit?

41:00 Alan's journey into coaching

43:40 Alan's testing setup

47:15 What is metabolic testing?

50:20 Fat vs. carb burning

53:00 Zone 1 and Zone 2 training

54:30 How muscular should you be?

56:37 Alan's thoughts on Hyrox

59:50 Why Alan likes circuit training

1:01:00 How Alan writes so much

1:04:00 Alan’s new forum – MAD Crew

1:07:00 Alan’s views on AI

Check out Alan's book The Science of Maximal Athletic Development. Alan also runs the MAD Crew forum, which is an excellent resource for endurance training. Thanks for watching! If you enjoyed this, consider subscribing — it’s the best way to support the channel

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