Diagnosing athlete plateaus

Triathlon is a sport that rewards a big aerobic base, built over multiple years (if not decades) of training. But even though we all know this, it’s often hard in practice to prioritise this kind of long-term aerobic development, and we make tradeoffs that might lead to short-term gains, but might not help us achieve our full potential in the long-term. Coach Carson Christen joins me today to discuss this topic in detail. By the end of this episode you should have a better idea of what you can do today, this month, and this year, to maximise your long-term development as a triathlete.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• How many lifetime training hours do you need to get close to (90% of the way there) your full triathlon potential? 
• How age-group triathletes should adopt a more long-term focused mindset to their training with this in mind
• What is the role of intensity when it comes to long-term aerobic development? 
• Do swimming, cycling and running require different approaches to maximise long-term development? 
• Common mistakes age-group triathletes and triathlon coaches make that might lead to short-term gains while limiting long-term potential
• Practical tips and takeaways

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES: 

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode. 
• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts694/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• Carson and Torden Multisport on Instagram
• Carson’s previous appearance on That Triathlon Show: The Trisutto Way of Triathlon Training with Carson Christen | EP#140

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following related episodes:

• World Champions keep things simple: training masterclass with Joel Filliol | EP#172 - similar sentiments, but applied to a world class context (where 90% is not enough)
• Aerobic training and testing with Scott Johnston | EP#326 - a great episode specifically on developing the aerobic engine

You can find our full episode archives here, where you can filter for categories such as Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.

You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specifically Q&A episodes, TTS Thursday episodes, and Beginner Tips episodes. 

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. 

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.
   
• Rouvy is hands down the most complete indoor cycling platform for triathletes. Among their thousands of beautiful bike courses from all around the world, all filmed in stunning quality, they have over 75 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 race courses plus 20+ Challenge Family courses, so you can pre-ride your race from home. Real gradients, real visuals, and real feel! Head to rouvy.com and use the code TTS to get your first month free on top of a 7-day free trial.
   
• 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.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.