Hello Reader,

I can’t remember the precise moment, but somewhere in my early 40s, across my time working to help optimize performance for Olympians, I recognized my mortality and the importance that health would play in extending the inevitable. My mate Dan Plews and I formed a partnership with the name that people started calling us—the Plews and Prof. You’ll note our subheading of the now-defunct coaching platform we formed: Performance, Health, and Longevity. So I’ve known for a while that that was what I’d spend much of my career focusing on.

Of course, today, longevity and health span is all the rage, thanks predominantly to the work of Peter Attia and his new bestseller, Outlive. We’ll continue to go back to many of the principles he professes and how to apply them, but to begin, and for this edition of Coaching Prof, I wanted to focus on some of the health and longevity philosophies discovered by one of the best in the world of cycling that I had the privilege to spend time with, Svein Tuft.

Last year, Svein joined me for some epic riding in my area, and I was thrilled to share conversation and learn of our aligned philosophies. One of a number of key health pillars we spoke on was specifically that of nutrition. As we know, nutrition is a slippery space because we all get to participate in it, making us all experts with varying opinions. But the big shift that both Svein and I made, and one that’s highlighted in today’s figure, was that of ultimately removing refined sugars and carbohydrates from our diets for a time, and replacing those calories with quality fats and protein. Why? To quote Svein:

At first glance the graph is a bit busy. To set the scene and bring us all on page, you’re looking at the maximal mean power (MMP) graph in a world tour cyclist over varying durations (like you have in Athletica) across 6 seasons. The story begins with your more traditional high carb (too much sugar) approach. Then there is an experimental low-carb phase (LCHF; yellow). What's interesting to me about this phase, and as has been shown in formal research, is that the LCHF diet isn't limiting to these very high power outputs as so often is touted.

Back over to Svein for his thoughts on the transition:

And there's the trick. The delayed response plus further tinkering with carbohydrates into what is now known as the periodized method (train low carb for easy training, and higher healthy carbs for hard training). The effect is clear with the highest MMPs reached with the periodized method.

Anyway, the blog and podcast are laden with an incredible story of discovery of performance and health, with the goal now of wellness and longevity. I feel so privileged to have met Svein, and I’m grateful for the openness he displays in sharing what to me is prudent advice for optimizing these factors in our lives. I hope you’ll enjoy it as much as I did.

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Read the Full Blog Post

For a deeper dive into these topics, including Svein's detailed dietary transition and more insights on performance and health, read the full blog post here.

Listen to the Podcast

Don’t miss the full conversation! Listen to the podcast episode with Svein Tuft here.

This Week's Athletica Releases

• Enhanced Annual Training Plan Functionality
  • Ability to add any number of 'A' priority races during the year.
  • 'A' race no longer needs to be the last race, i.e. another (B or C) race can be scheduled after an 'A' race.
  • Particularly helpful for coaches building full year plans for their athletes.
• Limiting Maximal Mean Power (MMP) Insight
  • We've added MMP limiting to session chart analysis, offering more detailed insights and highlighting its relationship to Workout Reserve (WR).
  • Super discussion of the utility of this feature being lead by Dr Andrea Zignoli on our Forum.

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Best regards,

Paul Laursen, PhD

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