Magness & Marcus On Coaching

We tend to simplify training into either hard workouts or easy days. In this episode, we bring you the nuance of training. Instead of hard and easy, we like to classify training as either building, maintaining, or restoring. You’ll learn why Canova includes a lot of ‘in-between’ moderate days. And why Alan Webb’s ‘easy days…

You can have the perfect training plan, but it won’t work unless you have buy-in. In this episode, we break down the keys to getting trust, buy-in and belief with your athletes. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program is our one-stop shop for all things coaches education. Join the Scholar Program! From…

Famed high school coach Joe Newton used to have his team run for 45 minutes, take a 5min break, run for 30 minutes, another 5-minute break, and finally run for 15 more minutes. Ninety minutes of total running, but split up. It’s an idea that few other teams copied, yet seems to have helped York…

What does it take to perform on race day? The physical components are the easy part. But setting someone up to have the right expectations, the correct mindset, to be able to choose to the difficult path when you’re mind is yelling at you to quit, is often the difference-maker. In this episode, we outline…

The long run is a staple of the runner’s diet. In this episode, we explore how the long run became a weekly staple and whether that still holds true. We dive into the function and physiology of the long run, and how you may want to gradually wind it down as the season comes to…

Training is messy. You are dealing with human beings. In this episode we dive into adaptability, aiming for mastery, and giving your athletes autonomy to grow and develop. How do we manage the messiness of competing and racing and not just fall for the temptation of the training plan. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor…

Leibig’s Law of the Minimum states that “growth is dictated not by total resources available, but by the scarcest resource.” In this episode we discuss how to identity your limiting factor and what to do about it. Our limiting factor shifts as you adapt to training. That’s the reason why the same training for an…

How many times have you had an athlete who has fantastic workouts, yet when it comes to race day, it’s like a different runner shows up? In this episode, Jon and Steve dive into what is going on here. Why did what’s going on in practice not translate? From not having time to absorb the…

How do you handle failure? Do you freak out, let your anger get the best of you, or wallow in despair? Failure is a normal and expected part of racing. In fact, we ‘fail’ far more often than we succeed. In this episode, we dive into how to create an environment that frees athletes up…

How do you survive heat and humidity? In this week’s episode, we delve into the science and practice of training in hot and humid conditions. From heat acclimatization and strategies to mitigate the deleterious effects of heat and humidity, we keep you informed on the latest research and best practices. Steve & Jon Visit our…

In this episode, we welcome coach Danny Mackey to the show to discuss the training and preparation of Olympic Bronze medalist Josh Kerr. We dive into everything that went into preparing Josh for the games. From the training decisions, and workouts leading into the race to the psychology. How did he prepare Josh for the…

Warming up should be simple. Go jog around for a bit, do some drills and strides and you’re ready to go. In this episode we break down the science of two staples of running that are often afterthoughts. You’ll learn how warm-ups and cool downs aren’t just about priming your body to perform and then…

We are taking a trip back into the time machine. It’s time to look back at training and coaching that we used to do, that we now look back upon and ask “what in the world were we thinking?” This weeks episode is about reflection. Not only to laugh at our ignorance, but to learn…

In this week’s episode we dive into how our striving to get better, to perfect every single thing may actually be holding us back. We dive into the disease of overplanning, what occurs when we chase the minutia and the distinction between fragile and robust athletes. Steve & Jon Visit our Sponsor The Scholar Program…

How do you get prepared for the big meet? It’s not only about physical preparedness, but also your mental and decision making framework. In this episode, we cover everything from understanding and setting up your psychological framework to priming for performance to making better decisions. Steve & Jon Resources Mentioned: The OODA Loop by John…

We’ve all been there before. The bear jumps on our back in the final 200 meters. Our legs turn to lead and cease to function. What’s going on when the bear jumps on our back? In this episode we explore fatigue related to acidosis, H+, and more. And as always, tell you how to deal…

Hitting the wall is a dreaded experience in the marathon. Your body runs out of energy and you feel like you are fighting your muscles every step. But what’s really going on? We don’t actually run out of energy. In this episode we dive DEEP into the physiology of hitting the wall and more importantly…

What do we do when it’s all going wrong? When an athlete seems to be headed in the wrong direction? In this weeks podcast we dive into how to get performance back on track. Do we take a week off, run easy for a while, change the workouts? Jon and Steve explore all the ways…

In our early days or running, improvement comes easy! A little bit of training and our performance improves. We get fooled into thinking work and improvement are directly correlated. This is great for getting us to put in the work, but what happens when improvement slows down, when it becomes a jagged line? Do we…

It’s time for a state of the sport check-in. In this episode, Jon and Steve take on the sleeping giant that is the sport of track and field. We discuss how to improve it, what we are missing, and how we need to change the narrative. From big ideas to small tweaks that we all…