Debating controversial nutrition studies

Sebastian Sitko is a cycling and triathlon coach, and a sports scientist. His active involvement in coaching both amateur and professional athletes, as well in conducting and evaluating research means today’s episode is a perfect opportunity to discuss how to approach the integration of science and practice in cycling, triathlon, and other endurance sports. 

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS: 

• The most impactful sports science on Sebastian’s training and coaching practice
• Periodisation - science and practice. 
• How to implement block periodisation in your training program. 
• Sebastian’s approach to ultra-endurance training, with an extremely high proportion of low-intensity training
• Threshold training - science and practice
• Why Sebastian mainly prefers other intensities than threshold training in his coaching
• The myth of “active recovery” 
• What are the limitations of sports science, and applying it in training programs? 
• What are some common misinterpretations of scientific evidence by athletes and coaches? 

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/tts688/

LINKS AND RESOURCES: 

• Sebastian’s website and Instagram
• Cycling 2.0: Evidence-based training for peak performance on the bike - Sebastian’s newly published book
• Sebastian Sitko, PhD | EP#376 - Sebastian’s first appearance on That Triathlon Show

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

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

• Training Talk with Kolie Moore | EP#271 - Kolie is a cycling coach known for his use of science and physiology in coaching.
• Training talk with cycling coach James Spragg | EP#251 - Similarly to Sebastian, James is a coach-scietist, and we discuss several topics in this episode from a “science to practice” perspective. 

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. 

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• The Scientific Triathlon website is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
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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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