CoreRise Learn
Endurance, training and nutrition — answered properly.
A small, high-signal library of guides for cyclists, runners and triathletes. No fluff, no rehashed blog posts — just the concepts every serious endurance athlete eventually needs to understand.
Lire en françaisWhy does TSS overcount hilly runs in Strava, TrainingPeaks and Garmin?
Your hilly trail run showed 280 TSS when the honest number is closer to 150. Here's why Normalized Graded Pace over-counts descents in Strava, TrainingPeaks and Garmin — and which metric to use instead for mountain running.
Read articleWhat does an FTP test actually measure — and what does it not? (20-min, ramp, 8-min)
Every FTP test you do measures something, but most of them don't measure what you think they measure. Learn why the 20-minute test × 0.95 is a 1-hour-power estimate and not an MLSS measurement, why the ramp test and the 8-minute test give different numbers for the same athlete, how indoor and outdoor FTP diverge, and why 'my FTP went up' is not always the same as 'I got fitter'.
Read articleIs Garmin Training Status accurate? Why it mislabels Zone 2 and taper weeks
Your Garmin watch tells you your Training Status is 'Unproductive' and your Training Effect is low, and you feel fine. The disconnect is not in your body — it's in the algorithm. Learn what Training Status actually measures, why it systematically mislabels Zone 2 athletes, why it reacts wrong to taper and base phases, and how to use the metric without letting it override your training plan.
Read articleHow to train for your first Ironman: 24-week plan structure and realistic goals
Your first Ironman is not the race to optimize — it's the race to finish well without destroying yourself. Learn the realistic weekly volume for a first-time finisher, the 24-week build structure that works, the skills you need before week 1, the honest truth about first-timer finish times, and the five things first-timers consistently get wrong that turn a finishable race into a medical tent visit.
Read articleHow to train for triathlon: structuring swim, bike and run without breaking down
Training for three sports at once is not just one-third of three single-sport plans. Learn how the interference effect actually works, how to distribute weekly hours across swim, bike, and run without losing adaptation, sample weekly templates at 8, 12, 16, and 20 hour volumes, and why the classic amateur '40/40/20' time split is usually wrong.
Read articleHow to pace the marathon leg of an Ironman: negative splits and run-walk
The Ironman marathon is the most mispaced segment in endurance racing. Learn why controlled negative splits almost always beat even pace, the run-walk strategy validated for long-course athletes, realistic goal times from your open marathon and 70.3 splits, and the specific walk-through-aid-stations protocol that saves most Ironman runs from catastrophic collapse.
Read articleWhat are brick workouts in triathlon and how do you structure them?
Brick workouts are the single most important session type in triathlon training — and the most often poorly executed. Learn why the bike-to-run transition has a distinct physiology, how frequently to schedule bricks across a training cycle, exact session templates for sprint through Ironman, and why a 20-minute brick run is usually enough.
Read articleHow to pace an Ironman bike leg: IF, VI and the 70% FTP rule
The Ironman bike is the most consequential pacing decision in endurance sport. The difference between a marathon you can run and a marathon you can only shuffle is often 10 to 15 watts on the bike. Learn the exact Intensity Factor and Variability Index targets, why even pros rarely go above 78 percent of FTP, and the evidence-based protocol that determines whether the run becomes a race or a survival exercise.
Read articleHow to train your gut for race-day nutrition: 90–120 g carbs per hour
Most mid-race bonks are not fitness failures — they are gut failures. Learn the evidence-based protocol for training your gut to tolerate 90 to 120 grams of carbs per hour, the transporter biology behind it, and why gut training is now considered as important as any aerobic session in race preparation.
Read articleShould you train fasted? What the research really says about train-low
Fasted training is one of the most contested topics in endurance nutrition. Learn what train-low actually is, what the research supports, why it can backfire badly for female athletes and athletes at risk of low energy availability, and the honest answer to the question 'should I skip breakfast before my easy run?'.
Read articleWhat is polarized training? The 80/20 rule, Seiler's research and how to apply it
Polarized training is the model that says elite endurance athletes spend about 80% of their time easy and 20% hard, with almost nothing in between. Learn where the model came from, what Stephen Seiler's research supports, how it compares to pyramidal and threshold-heavy training, and how to apply the 80/20 rule without misreading the data.
Read articleHow much caffeine should endurance athletes take? Dose, timing, and the habituation myth
Caffeine is the most studied ergogenic aid in endurance sport and also one of the most misused. Learn the actual dose that produces performance gains, when to take it, whether habituation reduces the effect, and why the 'save it for race day' myth survives despite decades of clean research.
Read articleDoes altitude training actually work? Live-high, train-low, and what the research supports
Altitude training is one of the most famous and most misunderstood interventions in endurance sport. Learn what the research actually supports, why live-high-train-low became the gold standard, and why most amateurs who 'train at altitude' are doing something the science says is inferior to just training at sea level.
Read articlePerimenopause and endurance training: evidence-based strategies for female athletes
Perimenopause is the most consequential and most under-discussed phase in women's endurance sport — a years-long hormonal transition that changes recovery, strength, thermoregulation, body composition, and sleep in ways that often blindside athletes. Learn what perimenopause actually does physiologically, what the evidence supports for training adaptations, and the specific strategies that help female athletes keep performing through and beyond this transition.
Read articleNutrition for female endurance athletes: iron, RED-S and fueling across the cycle
Nutrition for female endurance athletes has its own specific needs — iron, adequate fueling, RED-S prevention, and individual responses across the menstrual cycle. Learn what the evidence actually supports, why under-fueling is the most common nutritional mistake in women's endurance sport, and how to eat for performance and health across decades of training.
Read articleHow does the menstrual cycle affect endurance training? (Evidence vs popular claims)
The menstrual cycle's effect on training is one of the most-talked-about and most-overclaimed topics in women's endurance coaching. Learn what the four phases actually do hormonally, what the research really supports, what the popular 'train harder in the follicular phase' advice gets right and wrong, and how to make practical training decisions when the evidence is thinner than the confident claims suggest.
Read articleWhat is base training? The aerobic foundation of every endurance plan
Base training is the longest, most important, and most frequently skipped phase of endurance preparation. Learn what base training actually is, why professionals spend months on it while amateurs skip to intensity, the specific adaptations it produces, and how long your base phase should be for your race.
Read articleHow to structure a long run: duration, pace and progression by training phase
The long run is the cornerstone session of almost every endurance runner's week — and the one most commonly butchered by running the same distance at the same pace every weekend. Learn how to structure long runs for each phase of training, how long they should actually be, how to add race-pace or tempo segments productively, and why the purpose of the long run shifts across the training cycle.
Read articleSweet spot vs threshold training: what's the difference and which should you use?
Sweet spot and threshold sit just a few percent apart on the FTP zone map, but they produce different adaptations, different fatigue costs, and different best-use cases. Learn exactly what each is, which to use when, and why sweet spot became so dominant in amateur cycling while elite research points the other way.
Read articleHow to recover between stages in a multi-day race: hour-by-hour protocol
Multi-day races — cycling stage races, multi-day ultras, stage triathlons — are a recovery problem more than a fitness problem. Learn the hour-by-hour between-stages protocol that keeps glycogen topped up, legs functional, and performance stable across consecutive days of hard racing.
Read articleWhat to do in the final 24 hours before a race: hour-by-hour checklist
The final day before a race is where months of training meet the rest of your life — sleep, food, logistics, travel, last-minute decisions. Learn the hour-by-hour checklist that gets you to the start line rested, fueled, and ready to execute, and the specific things you should never do in the last 24 hours.
Read articleHow to handle race-day nerves and execution anxiety (techniques that actually work)
Race-day nerves are universal — elite athletes have them too, they just handle them better. Learn the physiology of pre-race anxiety, the difference between useful activation and destructive panic, the specific mental techniques that actually work, and how to build a race-morning routine that keeps you calm, warmed up, and ready to execute.
Read articleWhat is carb loading and how do you do it? (Modern protocol, grams per kg, timing)
Carb loading is one of the few race-week nutrition interventions backed by decades of research — and one of the most-botched by amateur athletes who've read about it and are making it up. Learn what carb loading actually does, the modern protocol that's replaced the old miserable week of depletion, how many grams of carbs you actually need to hit, and when carb loading genuinely matters versus when it's a waste of stomach space.
Read articleHow to structure a strength session for endurance athletes: sets, reps, compound lifts
You've accepted that endurance athletes should lift weights. Now what does an actual session look like? Learn how to structure a 50–60 minute strength session — the exact sequence, rep schemes, rest periods, and sample workouts for runners, cyclists, and triathletes — built around what the research says actually works.
Read articleWhat is running cadence and does the 180 steps-per-minute rule matter?
Running cadence is the most-discussed and most-misunderstood form metric in distance running. Learn what cadence actually is, where the famous 180 steps-per-minute number came from, what the research actually supports, how cadence really affects injury risk and running economy, and how to change yours safely — or leave it alone.
Read articleHydration for endurance athletes: how much to drink, sodium targets, hyponatremia risks
Endurance hydration advice has swung from 'drink as much as possible' to 'drink to thirst and nothing else' and the truth is somewhere in between. Learn how to measure your real sweat rate, why sodium matters more than any other electrolyte, how to pick between water, sports drink, and electrolyte mix, and how to avoid the two opposite hydration disasters — dehydration and hyponatremia.
Read articleHow to train in the heat and race a hot event: heat acclimation explained
Heat is one of the few environmental stresses that predictably destroys endurance performance — and one of the only ones you can fully train your way around. Learn how heat acclimation actually works, the research-backed protocols that produce real adaptation in 10–14 days, how to train through a summer, and how to race a hot event without falling apart.
Read articleWhat is the lactate threshold? LT1, LT2, MLSS and how it differs from FTP
Lactate threshold is the real physiological marker that FTP is trying to estimate. Learn what LT1 and LT2 are, how they're measured in a lab, why there are two of them, and how lactate thresholds relate to FTP, Zone 2, MLSS and race pacing.
Read articleWhat is running economy and how do you improve it? (Strength, plyos, cadence, altitude)
Running economy — how much oxygen your body uses at a given pace — is the hidden third factor that separates runners with the same VO2max. Learn what it measures, why it's often the biggest difference between two runners with identical fitness, and the evidence-based ways to improve it through strength, plyometrics, cadence and altitude.
Read articleHow long does it take to recover from a marathon, Ironman or ultra?
A race is not the end of the training block — it's the hardest single session in it. Learn what actually happens to your body in the days and weeks after a marathon, 70.3, Ironman, or ultra, how long true recovery really takes, how to structure the first month back, and why returning too fast is the most common mistake in endurance sport.
Read articleDaily nutrition for endurance athletes: carbs, protein and periodization
Most athletes know how to eat during a race — and almost none know how to eat the rest of the week. Learn the carb, protein, and fat targets that actually support endurance training, how to eat differently on hard days vs easy days, and the under-fuelling mistake that silently sabotages most amateur training blocks.
Read articleHow much sleep do endurance athletes need? Hours, banking, and recovery
Sleep is the most powerful and most underused recovery tool in endurance sport. Learn why athletes need more sleep than the general population, what the research actually says about sleep extension, how to bank sleep before a race, and the small changes that recover more performance than any supplement.
Read articleWhat is periodization in training? Base, build, peak and race phases explained
Periodization is the skeleton every serious training plan is built on — and the reason random hard training rarely produces a breakthrough. Learn what the classic phases (base, build, peak, race, recovery) actually mean, how to plan a training year around one or two key races, and when to pick linear, block, or polarized periodization.
Read articleHow to taper for a race: length by distance and what to cut
The taper is the final phase of training that turns months of work into race-day performance. Learn what a taper actually does to your body, how long it should last for every race distance, what to cut and what to keep, and why doing less feels wrong but works.
Read articleWhy should endurance athletes lift weights? The evidence for heavy strength training
Strength training is the most underused intervention in endurance sport — and the evidence is overwhelming that it makes runners, cyclists, and triathletes faster, more durable, and more injury-resistant. Here is what the science actually says, and exactly how to lift without breaking your running.
Read articleWhat is HRV? How heart rate variability works and how to use it in training
Heart rate variability is on every Garmin, Oura, WHOOP, and Apple Watch — and the marketing around it is mostly wrong. Learn what HRV actually measures, why a single day means almost nothing, how to use the 7-day trend correctly, and when HRV should actually make you change your training.
Read articleHow to pace a marathon, half marathon, Ironman or any endurance race
More races are ruined by bad pacing than by bad fitness. Learn how to pace a 5K, half marathon, marathon, Ironman, or ultra by effort, heart rate, power, or pace — and why the first five kilometres are the ones that matter most.
Read articleHow to fuel a long endurance session or race? (Carbs/hour, sodium, before/during/after)
Fueling is the single biggest performance lever in long-duration endurance sport — and the one most amateur athletes get wrong. Learn how many carbs per hour to target, how to train your gut to tolerate them, what to eat before, during, and after, and how to stop bonking for good.
Read articleHow does CoreRise help manage running and endurance injuries?
Most endurance injuries are training-load problems, not accidents — which means a coach that sees your full load picture is your best line of defence. This guide explains how CoreRise's AI coach prevents injuries before they happen, adapts your plan the moment something hurts, and guides your return to full training.
Read articleWhat is Zone 2 training? The complete guide for runners and cyclists
Zone 2 is the low-intensity aerobic work that builds the foundation of every serious endurance plan. Learn what Zone 2 really is, how to stay in it, how much of it you need, and why top coaches and physiologists call it the single most underrated intensity in training.
Read articleWhat is FTP in cycling? A complete guide to Functional Threshold Power
FTP (Functional Threshold Power) is the highest average power a cyclist can sustain for about an hour. Learn what FTP means, how to test it, how to build training zones, what a good FTP looks like, and how to improve it.
Read articleWhat is TSS (Training Stress Score) and how do you use it?
Training Stress Score (TSS) is the single number that tells you how hard a session actually was. Learn what TSS means, how it's calculated, what healthy weekly ranges look like, and how to use CTL, ATL and TSB to plan load without digging yourself into a hole.
Read articleHow to improve VO2max: intervals, protocols and timelines for runners and cyclists
VO2max is the single strongest predictor of endurance performance and long-term health. Learn what it is, how much of it is trainable, the interval protocols that actually move it (Norwegian 4×4, 30/30, 5×3), and how to build VO2max work into a real plan without burning out.
Read article