Parker Spencer is the head coach of USA Triathlon's Project Podium, a men's elite development program based at Arizona State University. The project already has produced alumni like Chase McQueen, and Parker himself won the USAT Olympic Coach of the Year award for 2022.
IN THIS EPISODE YOU'LL LEARN ABOUT:
-Parker's role as head coach at Project Podium
-The long-term development plan - how to take an athlete from talent to world-class
-Using personality assessments
-Using metabolic testing to fine-tune training prescription
-A typical training week in the squad
-Parker's top pieces of advice for amateur athletes, overall and within swimming, biking and running
-Considerations for time-crunched athletes
SHOWNOTES:
https://scientifictriathlon.com/tts413/
SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON AND THAT TRIATHLON SHOW WEBPAGE:
www.scientifictriathlon.com/podcast/
SPONSORS:
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LINKS AND RESOURCES:
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Ryan Bolton – Olympian and coach of Ben Hoffman and Caroline Rotich | EP#221
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Physiology, Training, and INSCYD with Sebastian Weber (part 1) | EP#237
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Physiology, Training, and INSCYD with Sebastian Weber (part 2) | EP#238
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How Bad Do You Want It? Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle - book by Matt Fitzgerald
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Do Hard Things: Why We Get Resilience Wrong and the Surprising Science of Real Toughness - book by Steve Magness
RATE AND REVIEW:
If you enjoy the show, please help me out by subscribing, rating and reviewing: www.scientifictriathlon.com/rate/
CONTACT:
Want to send feedback, questions or just chat? Email me at mikael@scientifictriathlon.com or connect on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter.
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.
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