Targeted training is different for everyone

Targeted training is planned training, the purpose of which is to achieve the individual’s own goals. The main focus consists of realistic training planning, goals and individuality. One and the same model does not fit everyone, everyone has their own strengths, weaknesses and goals, which require a targeted approach. In other words, training is always tailored to everyone’s own needs.

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Morning routines for an energetic day

Do you get enough sleep at night? Is your sleep good quality? Do you wake up in the morning energetic or tired? Sleep has a great effect on the state of alertness, and in addition, morning routines often affect how the day starts. Many people may get enough sleep during the night and still be tired.

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How long does it take to see training results?

Often when we start training, we have a goal in mind. The goals can be anything from improving general fitness conditions, running a marathon, losing weight, or increasing muscle mass. People often wonder how quickly the training results will be visible. How quickly will I reach my goal?

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One or several simultaneous goals

Setting goals requires careful planning, it is easy to grab many different goals. That is why it is worth thinking about whether one or several simultaneous goals are more profitable, and what should be taken into account. Although the focus here is on physical goals, the same applies to other areas of life.

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Pros and cons: big and small marathons

There are many differences between big and small marathons, which may already affect the choice of race, and where you want to run. Both have good and bad sides, and you should consider them when choosing a race venue.

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Carbon plate shoes pros and cons

Surely every runner has already come across carbon plate shoes. You can see them on every professional, and many amateurs have also switched to wearing shoes. But does anyone benefit from carbon plate shoes? Are the benefits of carbon plate shoes so great that it is worth investing in them?

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How to avoid running burnout?

Let’s be honest, goal-oriented training and running can sometimes be really hard, also mentally. Months of training for a marathon, for example, is not always only a joy. There are bad days, the weather is bad for many days in a row, the darkness of winter tires the mind and the thought of running feels hard. It’s easy to burn out, but it can also be avoided.

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The most under-rated physical training tools

The tools of physical training are often seen only as training, and the ancillary tools that go along with it, such as recovery and nutrition. But behind all of these, there are common factors that can help in development. These tools are often underestimated or forgotten. Many runners may also feel that these things are too far away, or only intended for professionals.

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Muscle cramps during or shortly after training

Muscle cramps during training or at other times are certainly familiar to almost every one of us. During a cramp, the skeletal muscle contracts sharply. The causes behind muscle cramps are not yet completely clear scientifically, but there may be several possible causes. Let’s go through these causes and what you can possibly do to prevent cramps.

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Hydration – Do you drink enough?

Do you drink enough during the day? Hydration plays a significant role in the daily state of mind and endurance. The amount of exercise and different activities increase the need for hydration, but various factors such as temperature and body weight also affect hydration.

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“I’m a slow runner” – What do statistics say?

It is again the time of year when many have started or are about to start the race season. In particular, social media are filled with medal images, and many also compare their own times with those of others. It’s easy to think that “I’m so slow runner” compared to others, but what do statistics say?

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Active and passive recovery

Balanced training takes rest into account. There is active and passive recovery, each with its own good points. Passive rest is easier for most and active rest often turns too hard and exhausting.

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Body peace in sports

Every month and a year, body peace in sports raises its head and the subject is repeatedly on the surface. Athletes talk about how their appearance, weight and body are publicly judged, coaches monitor weight and body composition, social media is full of critical comments. At the same time, there is talk of body peace and performance pressures.

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Setting goals

The new year is approaching and many are always setting new goals for the coming year. However, setting goals may not always be easy. Different goals can easily be taken too much and motivation runs out very quickly because the implementation feels tough. So what should be considered when setting goals.

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The effect of everyday passivity on exercise performance

The effect of everyday passivity on exercise performance can be huge. The passivity of everyday life affects exercise performance and development. There are slight differences in the weekly and daily exercise recommendations for different countries, and it is not considered here. The passivity of everyday life includes everything longer outside of physical exertion and exercise.

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I started strength training, and I’m too sore…

Roughly speaking, there are two types of runners, those who do strength training and those who avoid it. Sometimes those who avoid strength training start it, but they find excessive body soreness a couple of days after the training session. This often leads to quitting the whole thing. Before you give up with strength training, here’s what you do.

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How to get back in training, if you miss several days of running

Sometimes we miss several training sessions in a row. The longer the break is, the more adjustment needs to be done. So, how to get back in training, if you miss several days of running. And why you missed those running sessions?

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Running uphill: ascent

Hills are so beneficial for all runners, and there is plenty of different kind of hill workouts to choose. Long and short hills, hilly routes, even treadmill hills. Ascent plays a big role in hill training. As not every hill has the same effect.

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Running at altitude – how high and what’s happening?

Many professional athletes go to altitude training camps, some like Kenyans living high altitude all the time. There is a lot of discussions about whether you should live and train at altitude or just live. We will look, what the basic information you should know about altitude training.

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Running every day or not?

Should you run every day or not? Some people like to run every day, while others prefer a rest day. Which one is more beneficial and are they something you should consider? There are many factors that should be considered.

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Humans are the greatest distance runners in the world

We are born to run and we are the greatest distance runners in the world. We might lose with speed to cheetahs and antelopes, but we win every other animal in endurance. How about sledge dogs or horses, who has amazing endurance capacity?

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Failing the performance – Returning after the failing

DNF, failed performance, struggles during the performance are familiar to most of the athletes. Not only professionals but amateur too. It doesn’t matter how hard we worked, but sometimes things don’t go as planned. Returning can be difficult, so what you should do after failing to be able to make a better return?

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Does running ever get easier?

Does running get easier? Yes. But of course, there are always certain limits. If you are training regularly and systematically, you will become stronger and develop better fitness and physiology.

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What happens to you when running a marathon?

Marathons are fun, right? We all know that after marathon muscles are quite sore for a couple of days. But, there are happening a lot more than muscles fatigue and soreness. Following things might sound crazy and scary, especially if you are a beginner or just planning to run a marathon. Remember, everything is temporary and overall feelings during the marathon and after crossing the finish line beats everything else.

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Review: Master Your Core – Dr. Bohdanna Zazulak + Giveaway

I got to chance to read Master Your Core: A Science-Based Guide to Achieve Peak Performance and Resilience to Injury by Dr Bohdanna Zazulak. I also have an opportunity to give one paperback copy to some of you, so keep reading.

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Negative, positive split vs. steady pace in a marathon – what can we learn from professionals?

Preparing for a marathon often comes up with a pace, and both the words negative and positive split. Everyone has also heard of the guidelines for an easy start and faster second half what is called a negative split. A faster start pace and a slowdown for the second half, in turn, means a positive split. However, for many runners, a negative split distribution produces grey hair.

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Running shoes: heel to toe drop

The importance of running shoes is increased over the past several years. Especially the materials and heel to toe drop place an important role in the industry. Without taking a bigger stance on it, will you benefit more from some shoe than others? Let’s consider what you need to know about heel drop, when you go shoe shopping.

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Body composition methods – how can benefit?

The scale doesn’t tell everything. What do you need to know about body composition methods? Are they reliable? Who can benefit them and who not? There are several different ways to measure your body composition. They all tell us much more than just a scale number.

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Training intensity distribution – how to make it?

Training intensity distribution (TID) can seem confusing, as there is a couple of different styles. People often speak about the 80:20 division, where 80% of training will be performed easy level and 20% of training are speed training. It’s a good start, but at the same time, it does not give many details. We consider three different TID styles in this post.

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Training, but stuck on the same fitness level?

Are you spending hours after hours on the road and gym, but you are still stuck on the fitness level? Maybe first your progress was fast and everything went well, but now nothing happens. This happens to many of us and there can many reasons behind this scene, which we going through in this post.

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Runners foot and ankle mobility for better performance

Runners tend to look after their legs and train them to stronger, but foot and ankle mobility is often overlooked and forgot. Poor foot and ankle mobility can cause injuries that can appear upper legs. It also affects the running technique and speed. Foot and ankle absorb the shock when we run, the force is transmitted all the up in the back. Poor shock absorption make ankles stiff and cause calf and shin stiffness and other problems.

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What is endurance and how to improve it?

Endurance is maybe the main factor for distance runners. What is good endurance, depends on where to focus. People often think that you are really good shape if you are a marathon runner, but downplay shorter distance like 5km or 10km. You might have heard someone say “I’m ONLY running 10 km”. Well, it’s not only 10 km, as it needs way different speed endurance capacity than a marathon, also it’s often difficult pace compared to a marathon.

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Let’s talk about sports psychology with Janica Järvenpää

I have an amazing opportunity to get an interview with Janica Järvenpää, a licensed psychologist and sports psychology student. She provided a lot of information for everyone how our mind affects us and of course what we can do.

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How much your beliefs affect you?

Our beliefs, values and attitudes are formed over time, through the different influences (family, friends, society…). Sometimes our beliefs can help us and they are positive, but often they can also slow us down. These affect all aspect of our lives, but this post considers sport and training.

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Starting a new hobby – Starting the right order

Maybe you made a new year resolution or you are otherwise new to running and training. You are excited about a new hobby or pick up an old hobby again and have a new goal. It’s easy to do many things “wrong”, and learn “wrong” habits and some point slow down or stop progress.

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Sweet dreams… How sleep affects us?

We all know that nothing is better than good night sleep and how important they are. Unfortunately, nowadays many suffer insomnia and other sleeping problems. Sleeping affects us in many ways. This post does not only consider how it affects us but also evening training and sleeping relationship.

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Goodbye 2020, Welcome 2021

The year 2020 is almost over, finally! Who would have guessed what this year will bring? Not me! It’s difficult to even describe this year, every plan turned around as the whole world turned upside down. But still, I believe there are some good things also, as I want to believe that everything happens in reason.

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Why have several pair of running shoes?

We all know that good running shoes are essential, and you should not use one pair year after year. But why have several different shoes, when you have found a good pair and want to use them? The shoes can affect the running speed, biomechanics and economy, and also injuries.

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Relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S)

Relative energy deficiency (RED-S) is a result of prolonged insufficient energy intake. It’s common in female sports, repeated weight loss and an eating disorder. But also men can experience RED-S.

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Hamstring movements for runners

In the case of runners, there is often talk of little tension, which is expected to improve economic running and thus performance. The mobility and flexibility of the core and lower limbs are in a special position. The tension of the core, which limits the rotation and thus the rotation of the leg from the hip, improves economic running. Similarly, lower back, hip, and ankle tensions shift running biomechanics in a more economical direction. So, while a certain degree of tension may be beneficial from a running performance perspective, consideration must be given to how to determine the appropriate tension.

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Interview: registered dietitian Holley Samuel

I have a great opportunity to get an interview with Holley Samuel RD, LDN, CPT. She provided a lot of tips and shared her free guide, so continue for reading. You can find her social media and website end of the interview.

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I wish I’d known these before the first marathon…

We all have been there, the race which wasn’t going as it was planned. Some point every runner experience the bad race, but they are good for learning. There are many things which, can be overwhelming especially for new runners. Many of us might run our first race, without much knowledge and preparation. I did that too, so here are some things which I wish I had known before the first marathon, and points which many runners had said.

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Chimpanzee products reviews

I got an opportunity to test Chimpanzee sports nutrition products. The company was totally new to me, and I don’t normally do a collaboration with sports nutrition products and supplements as the field is so wild and there are many things to consider. But Chimpanzee sounded a different kind of company and their products were interesting.

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The perfect recipe of running

We often speak certain factors and their importance for running performance. But as often we forget the amount of these factors. Some of the training factors are not as important as others, some provide only minimal benefits or not at all, and still, we use them more than we know.

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How your job affect your training?

How often you feel physically or mentally tired after work? Some people like to go running the end of the day, but can your occupation affect your training performance? Many factors affect our training performance, and people often forget their job until they feel drained or stress out.

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My coaching philosophy

You might have noticed that I love science and share a lot of tips and information here. For me, science is base to many things, but it’s not determine everything as we all are individual and that’s also my coaching philosophy.

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Running challenges when races being cancelled

Running world turned upside down when Covid-19 hit to the world and all the spring races being cancelled. Now many race organizer also cancels the autumn marathon. That means some runners might not be able to race this year at all and might be lost their motivation as there is anything that to expect. Try to remember, that you should always train for yourself and races are just extra.

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Running motivation – how to motivate yourself?

Sometimes we all struggle with lack of motivation. Especially now as the many marathons are cancelled or postponed because of Covid-19. Many countries have total lockdown and some runners don’t have the opportunity to exercise like normally.

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Mental training for runners

Long hours in the outside, sweating and discomfort. Runners know how to push their body to the limit, but do they know how to train their brain.
Mental training is not only for a professional athlete. Mental factors are seen as high self-esteem and confidence, but it’s much more.

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