Scott Semple (Page 5)

Sign in Subscribe

More issues

Do we have an effort bias?

In January, I started using Anki, spaced repetition software, to study for an exam. My first impression was negative. "This is too easy," I thought. "This can't be helpful." But as I read more about spaced repetition, my initial reaction reminded me of how

How I Estimate Goal Times

If you run all out for 10 kilometers in 30 minutes, does that mean that you can run all out for 20 kilometers in 60 minutes? No, but there is a way to make a decent estimate of a goal time.

How much of your training is bioavailable?

"More is better" is almost never the case. Like nutrients, the body can only absorb what it can absorb. Anything more than that dose is wasted or, worse, counterproductive.

The Basics of Basic Training Principles

To maximize performance, an athlete needs to do some anaerobic training. But to optimize the anaerobic benefits, an athlete needs to have an aerobic foundation. The bigger the base, the bigger the benefit. The bigger the benefit, the better the performance.

Does arduous exercise compromise immunity?

Originally published at Uphill Athlete in July 2020. A recent article solicited opposing expert arguments about exercise and immunity. The researchers wanted to know whether “arduous exercise” compromises immune function. But for practicing athletes, the answer doesn’t matter. And it could be detrimental to know for sure. The important

What is aerobic evolution?

Many athletes get suckered into believing that physical potential is a genetic lottery. That's only partially true.

Does more fatigue mean more fitness?

Training causes fatigue and fitness to appear in sequence. Then athletes confuse the degree of fatigue with future fitness. Sometimes, it’s the opposite. I’ve had a sinus infection for three weeks. On day 17, I started taking antibiotics. The next day, I felt much better. Did the antibiotics

Gap the mind.

Climbers feel fear but cannot act on it. Forced restraint widens the gap between stimulus and response. A tunnel becomes a decision tree.

To perform or protect? Which is better?

Most mornings, I make pour-over coffee. I weigh and hand-grind 20 grams of whole beans. I pre-rinse a filtered V60 cone. Then I put the grounds in the cone on a mug on a digital scale. When the water reaches ~93 degrees Celsius, I start to pour.

Genetic potential? Excuses matter more.

“Uh oh, you’re not going to like that,” my wife said. We were in a bookstore, and I had picked up a copy of The Sports Gene. I often sneer at discussions about genetics in sport. It’s not that I disbelieve that genes set our limits. They do