Magness & Marcus On Coaching

How do we desing workouts? Designing workouts is something we all have to do, but there’s a science to it. In this episode, we go through how manipulating rest, interval length, speed, and more impact the adaptation an athlete has to a workout. It’s one of those nerd out type podcasts, so get on board!…

In this episode, we look at some of our cognitive biases that can help or hurt our performance. From optimism bias to our illusion of control, how does our psychology impact our performance. That’s what we cover! Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education. And…

What do you do when it all goes wrong? When an athlete is struggling, overtrained, or just not feeling good anymore? In this episode, we provide strategies for how to get athletes back on track from an emotional and psychological standpoint, as well as a training and physiological standpoint. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor…

In this episode, we take on the importance and value of measurement. Should you wear a GPS watch, measure HRV, heart rate, power, or lactate? We break down the balance you need to have between measurement and feel. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-stop-shop for all things coaches education.…

How do we get the most out of our athletes? How do we help them get as close to their potential as possible? In this podcast, we talk about striving for excellence and giving people the freedom to perform. Steve and Jon outline the attributes needed and what we should do as coaches to develop…

Coaching is about balancing contrasting forces, the coach who relies on intuition and feel with the part of you who relies on objective data and science. The best coaches in history, from Lyrdiard to Cerutty to Bowerman, find a happy middle place, knowing when to stick with history and what’s worked, and when to push…

Athlete + Event = Training Model. We don’t train for events, we coach athletes, with their unique abilities, to be able to take on an event. In this episode we dive into how to classify different athletes based on their physiology and psychology. This athlete profiling will help determine what type of workouts you do,…

We tend to simplify training into either hard workouts or easy days. In this episode, we bring you the nuance of training. Instead of hard and easy, we like to classify training as either building, maintaining, or restoring. You’ll learn why Canova includes a lot of ‘in-between’ moderate days. And why Alan Webb’s ‘easy days…

You can have the perfect training plan, but it won’t work unless you have buy-in. In this episode, we break down the keys to getting trust, buy-in and belief with your athletes. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-stop shop for all things coaches education. Join the Scholar Program! From…

Famed high school coach Joe Newton used to have his team run for 45 minutes, take a 5min break, run for 30 minutes, another 5-minute break, and finally run for 15 more minutes. Ninety minutes of total running, but split up. It’s an idea that few other teams copied, yet seems to have helped York…

What does it take to perform on race day? The physical components are the easy part. But setting someone up to have the right expectations, the correct mindset, to be able to choose to the difficult path when you’re mind is yelling at you to quit, is often the difference-maker. In this episode, we outline…

The long run is a staple of the runner’s diet. In this episode, we explore how the long run became a weekly staple and whether that still holds true. We dive into the function and physiology of the long run, and how you may want to gradually wind it down as the season comes to…

Training is messy. You are dealing with human beings. In this episode we dive into adaptability, aiming for mastery, and giving your athletes autonomy to grow and develop. How do we manage the messiness of competing and racing and not just fall for the temptation of the training plan. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor…

Leibig’s Law of the Minimum states that “growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource.” In this episode we discuss how to identity your limiting factor and what to do about it. Our limiting factor shifts as you adapt to training. That’s the reason why the same training for an…

How many times have you had an athlete who has fantastic workouts, yet when it comes to race day, it’s like a different runner shows up? In this episode, Jon and Steve dive into what is going on here. Why did what’s going on in practice not translate? From not having time to absorb the…

How do you handle failure? Do you freak out, let your anger get the best of you, or wallow in despair? Failure is a normal and expected part of racing. In fact, we ‘fail’ far more often than we succeed. In this episode, we dive into how to create an environment that frees athletes up…

How do you survive heat and humidity? In this week’s episode, we delve into the science and practice of training in hot and humid conditions. From heat acclimatization and strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of heat and humidity, we keep you informed on the latest research and best practices. Steve & Jon Visit our…

In this episode, we welcome coach Danny Mackey to the show to discuss the training and preparation of Olympic Bronze medalist Josh Kerr. We dive into everything that went into preparing Josh for the games. From the training decisions, and workouts leading into the race to the psychology. How did he prepare Josh for the…

Warming up should be simple. Go jog around for a bit, do some drills and strides and you’re ready to go. In this episode we break down the science of two staples of running that are often afterthoughts. You’ll learn how warm-ups and cool downs aren’t just about priming your body to perform and then…

We are taking a trip back into the time machine. It’s time to look back at training and coaching that we used to do, that we now look back upon and ask “what in the world were we thinking?” This weeks episode is about reflection. Not only to laugh at our ignorance, but to learn…