Coaches on Couches
126 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 months ago - ★★★★★ - 35 ratingsEach week Coach D and Coach B-Fun share their 20+ years of endurance coaching, training and racing experience through less than serious conversations and interviews with other time crunched athletes, coaches, and experts within the endurance community. If you are a cyclist, triathlete, runner, or do-it-all athlete, this is made for you! We can't guarantee political correctness, but we can guarantee you will pull some great nuggets of information to help improve your own performance.
We'll be talking: Cycling, Running, Triathlon, Duathlon, Cross Country, Aquabike, SwimRun, Mountain Biking, Cyclocross, Gravel Grinders, and any other sports we have the pleasure of working with.
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Episodes
Heather Nichols and Life Balance
February 08, 2019 22:52 - 51 minutes - 47.3 MBWe chat with our good friend, athlete, and coach, Heather Nichols. Like many of you out there, Heather wears a lot of hats. Literally, we think she has more hats than Coach D. But figuratively, here are just a few: - Mom - Triathlete - Bike Racer - Full-Time Fitness Professional - Amateur Tattoo Artist (we made that up) We talk to Heather about how the heck she fits it all in, as well as some of the inner workings of how she trains for triathlons while having a job that piles more training st...
What We Wish We Knew From The Beginning
February 01, 2019 19:00 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBThis week Coach D and Coach B-Fun will run down their TOP 5-ish things that they wish they knew when they first got into cycling and triathlon. This can also be read ....Coach D and Coach B-Fun will be revealing the Top 5 dumbest things they did when they first got into cycling and triathlon. The hope is that by professing our blunders we can prevent you from doing the same. Learn from our mistakes, apply it to your own training, and make those gainz faster. If you have any things that YOU wi...
Short Course is Not a Crime
January 25, 2019 19:03 - 36 minutes - 33.2 MBIn this episode Coach D and Coach B-Fun talk about the benefits of short course racing in relation to overall speed skills development, long course speed, cost savings, and the growth of the sport of triathlon. For those that don't know, short course is basically sprint or olympic distance in the sport of triathlon. At times it seems to be a dying discipline with all the major focus going to half and full distance events. But there are a ton of direct and indirect benefits to entering and com...
How Repetitive Should My Training Be?
January 18, 2019 18:48 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBToday on the couch Coach D and Coach B-Fun answer a question we get a lot from athletes who simply put, want to make the most out of their training. How repetitive should my training be? It's a simple answer that you may or may not like. It's also a part of coaching that is tough to balance when you are trying to keep people from abandoning ship on their training. Here are some of the key points: 1. You need to choose the focus of a quality workout. Then repeat that 1-3x per week depending on...
Changing Your Environment to Achieve Goals
January 15, 2019 13:47 - 52 minutes - 48.1 MBToday on the couch Coach D and Coach B-Fun talk about how and what to change about your environment in order to achieve your goals as an endurance athlete, or any goal in general. The first thing to know is that there are certain aspects of your environment that are easier or harder to change. We will focus on the easiest first and move to the harder aspects of changing your environment. The big 3 things here are: 1. Your Gear and Equipment 2. Your Habitat and Surroundings (Includes Your Peep...
Steel Frame Builder Earl Glazer
January 03, 2019 23:52 - 29 minutes - 27.1 MBToday on the couch we chatted with Earl Glazer. When he’s not flying 777’s, his hobbies include riding (really aggressive geometry) bikes and building his own steel frame sets. We dove into his past as a cyclist in the 70s, and how he got into building custom geometry steel bike frames. We also talked about some of the benefits of steel frames and how they differ from the heavy, sloppy steel bikes of the past. We even get into the process of getting a custom bike made, options, and turnaround...
Phillip "The Machine" Young
December 27, 2018 20:13 - 53 minutes - 49.5 MBThis week on the couch (or a couch) we spoke with Phillip Young. Triathlete, full time salesman, husband, dog rescuer, and compulsive smiler. He's been a mainstay in the weekly shoutouts so it was about time to get him on and let him share his story. Phillip is one of the most consistent athletes we've coached over the years and he has made some CRAZY progress because of it. He's gone from fighting for an age group podium to fighting for the overall win. He also claimed his first national cha...
Holiday Gift Ideas for Endurance Athletes
December 14, 2018 22:44 - 42 minutes - 39.2 MBToday on the couch...Gift ideas for endurance athletes! Endurance athletes may be some of the hardest people to buy gifts for. The dead ringer gifts are all super pricey and all the less expensive gifts end up "magically" appearing on any given day. But today we will be offering up our gift ideas at several different price points based on things that we get the most use out of as athletes. Any one of these gifts, if your athlete hasn't already bought it for themselves, will get you maximum br...
Sports Nutrition Q&A with Coach Casey Morgan, RDN
December 08, 2018 04:51 - 1 hour - 60.9 MBToday on the couch we talked to our very own registered dietician nutritionalist, Casey Morgan and answer listener questions on nutrition. We also talk to Casey about her experience and education not only in nutrition, but also as a triathlete and triathlon coach. Here is a list of questions we touched on (not necessarily in order): - Is intermittent fasting something I should utilize for an extended period of time? - I've plateaued with my weight loss. What should I do to jump-start my diet ...
Meet Coach D
November 30, 2018 23:10 - 42 minutes - 38.8 MBToday on the couch we are prying into Coach Dale’s personal life in hopes of making him sweat. If nothing else, you’ll find out more on how he got into endurance sports, how he got into coaching, and the driving principles behind how he helps athletes improve on a daily basis. If you've ever wondered why the heck you would take advice from our coaches, today is your opportunity to get to know Coach Dale aka Coach D aka Quads Malone. He’s a cat 2 cyclist, a USAT All-American, and has the bigge...
Last Minute Marathon Prep
November 16, 2018 20:30 - 47 minutes - 43.2 MBIn this episode we bring in our head running coach Chris Winter to talk about last minute preparation for running a marathon. With the St. Jude Marathon only a couple weeks away, we figured we could help those in total freak out mode chill out a bit. We cover: 1. What you SHOULD be doing in the last 3 weeks before your race. 2. What you SHOULD NOT be doing in the last 3 weeks before your race. 3. Tips for the athlete who is saying to themselves, “oh sh!t, I botched my training but I still wan...
Optimizing Winter Training
November 10, 2018 01:41 - 43 minutes - 39.7 MBToday on the couch Coach D and Coach B-Fun are talking about how to optimize your winter training. It's easy to let the weather dictate your training. Cold weather brings along a lot of excuses for many endurance athletes so the coaches roll through their tips for keeping your training consistent and high quality during those cold winter months. Some of the topics include: 1. Having a plan and planning ahead. 2. How to stay motivated and accountable. 3. How to maximize the convenience of your...
Andy Blow and Jonny Tye from Precision Hydration - Low Volume Training
November 01, 2018 00:00 - 36 minutes - 33.6 MBToday on the Couch, Coach D and B-Fun talk to Andy Blow and Jonny Tye from Precision Hydration about guess what? NOT hydration. We figured they could use a break from the same old same. So since both Andy and Jonny are former pros, exercise science nuts, and now time crunched athletes, we talked to them about how to train for endurance events on 5-6 hours per week. Just recently Andy trained for the Otillo SwimRun World Championships all on 5 hours of quality work each week. Both Jonny and An...
Leigh Ruston - Mom and Fiercely Competitive Cyclist
October 26, 2018 16:40 - 35 minutes - 32.9 MBToday on the couch we talk to Leigh Ruston. Wife, mom, part time personal trainer, bad mamajama competitive cyclist. Leigh gives insight into how she balances it all (work, family, training) and how she’s handled some serious adversity over the last 2 years. See, 2 years ago Leigh went down in a rainy criterium and shattered her elbow. She fought back, worked hard, only to find the pavement again. This time it was a fractured scapula. BUT, 3 surgeries and lots of hard work later, she's reapin...
Meet Coach B-Fun
October 19, 2018 18:59 - 26 minutes - 24.3 MBToday on the couch we pry into Coach Bryant's life so you can know more than you'd care to about him, how he got into endurance sports, and how he became a full time coach almost 10 years ago. One of the main take aways is the fact that like most people, Coach B-Fun is a time crunched athlete himself. In fact, he works more when most people are training, so his workout schedule is very different than most. He even drops in his top 3 tips for time crunched training. This may be the least Bryan...
Creating a Successful Cross Country Program
October 04, 2018 00:00 - 38 minutes - 35.7 MBIn this episode we talk to our own Coach Chris Winter and Memphis Youth Athletics president, Nick Dwyer, on how to create a successful (a relative term) cross country program. Between the two of them they have over 30 years cross country coaching experience, a number of regional, and a few state titles under their belt. They share a lot of good nuggets of info through their experiences over the years. We chat more in depth about their top three facets of a great program which are: 1. Culture ...
Hill Running Technique for Different Distances
September 27, 2018 20:07 - 22 minutes - 20.3 MBFor a lot of runners, hills elicit a lot of self doubt, fear, and anxiety. So today on the couch we talk about why and how to properly run up and down hills along with some technical differences for someone running a marathon or shorter versus and ultra distance race. We will give you a hint, it all revolves around the possibility of muscular fatigue. No one wants to be shuffling to the finish line, so take these tips and dominate some hills.
The Season Is Over Now What?
September 19, 2018 00:00 - 31 minutes - 28.8 MBToday on the couch Coach Dale and Coach Bryant talk about proper use of a transition phase to help refresh the mind and body after a goal event or a long season of racing. The transition phase is one of the most ignored training blocks and although unstructured, it's no less important to maximizing performance, preventing injury, and avoiding burnout.
Greg Rohde - First Year Triathlete
September 10, 2018 00:00 - 43 minutes - 39.9 MBIn this episode we talked to newbie triathlete Greg Rohde about his first season in triathlon, his tips for getting started in multisport, and some things he wish he knew before embarking on this journey. Greg is a regular dude, with somewhat uncommon levels of focus and self motivation. He works a full time job with a wife in PT school. He also has a life outside of triathlon that includes building awesome custom cafe racer motorcycles. In his first season, Greg took on only sprint triathlon...
How to Start Strength Training Without Crushing Yourself
September 06, 2018 00:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBToday on the couch, coach Dale and Bryant lay out how they would progress and structure the training for an endurance athlete looking to add strength training to their regimen. The benefits of strength training to runners, cyclists, and triathletes are undeniable, yet most of the endurance world is still skipping the weights. Don't be that athlete! Take our advice, get started on a strength program, and let the gains begin!
Adventure Racers Keith Merriman and Brian Eason
August 23, 2018 00:00 - 33 minutes - 30.5 MBIn this episode we talk to Keith Merriman and Brian Eason about adventure racing and their experience at Untamed New England. Both Brian and Keith are business owners, dads, and lead extremely busy lives. Brian is a seasoned adventure racer, competing all over the world. Keith jumped in head first and took on this event as his first ever adventure race. Listen for a ton of great insight into what adventure racing is, what qualities make a great adventure racer, and how to get into the sport i...
Hart Robinson - Single Speed Mountain Biker Extraordinaire
August 15, 2018 00:00 - 34 minutes - 31.4 MBIn this episode we talked to Hart Robinson. Husband, Dad, business owner, part time sheriff, grower of epic staches. Oh and he’s fast on a bike. He was 2nd overall in the single speed division at Breck Epic this year, among other great results. Hart talks about how he balances training, work, and family, as well as how he prepared for such a grueling event...at sea level, and without any major climbs nearby. As Hart's coach, Coach Bryant also gives his input into Hart's training and what they...
2018 USA Triathlon National Championships Recap
August 15, 2018 00:00 - 38 minutes - 35.2 MBShout out to Cleveland! On this episode, the coaches talk about the 2018 USA Triathlon National Championships in Cleveland, Ohio. They dive into the logistics of travel, the city, the courses, and daily preparation for racing "the double", which is the Olympic Tri on Saturday and the Sprint Tri on Sunday. If you are racing USAT Nationals in 2019 you won't want to miss this!
Proper Pre Workout and Race Fueling
August 03, 2018 00:00 - 35 minutes - 32.4 MBOn today's episode Coach Dale and Coach Bryant are on the Costco Special talking about morning fueling for endurance athletes. We dive into proper nutrition timing, calorie amounts, and give you some ideas of what our athletes are fueling with before races and longer workouts. If you have ever struggled with bonking or lack of energy during a race or event, you won't want to miss this!
The Art of Race Selection
July 24, 2018 00:00 - 31 minutes - 28.6 MBOn todays episode the coaches talk about how best to pick races for your best chance at a PR or high placing. A common mistake when training for an event is overlooking the course and conditions you will be racing in. For this reason, Coach D and B-Fun will be going over all the things they look at when helping an athlete choose a goal race with the intention of placing high or setting a personal best.
Tips for Avoiding a Heat Beat Down
July 14, 2018 00:00 - 35 minutes - 32.2 MBIn this first episode, Coach D and BFun talk about trends they are seeing from our athletes who train in extreme heat, and ways to minimize performance impacts. Main Trends: 1. Much higher HR for similar effort 2. Drops in power and pace by as much as 5-10% 3. General freaking out by athletes who think they are loosing fitness. Hydration Tips: 1. Preload electrolytes, not just water 2. Know your sweat sodium concentration and tailor bottles to that concentration 3. If sweat volume out is grea...