Ride Smarter, Get Stronger: Your May Athletica Update


Hi Reader

Train Smarter Together with Velocity

This month, we’re excited to spotlight our new partnership with Velocity — a virtual training environment designed to bring your Athletica plan to life through immersive, structured, and social indoor rides.

With free access to Athletica’s Workout of the Day (WOD) inside Velocity, it’s never been easier to complete your training sessions in a fun, motivating environment. For just $5/month, you can upgrade to Velocity Premium and unlock:

  • Live and replay rides with MJ, Dr. Paul, and our coaching team
  • Structured group workouts that adapt to your own fitness level
  • Strength training video sessions matched to your plan
  • Real-time Workout Reserve pacing directly in the ride interface
  • A social dashboard where you can ride with other Athletica users

It’s not just a virtual ride — it’s a community-powered experience that fits perfectly with your training goals. Learn more in the Athletica forum and join your next ride on Velocity.

Forum Highlights

Athletica users have been sharing some great insights lately:

From the Blog

  • Unlocking Endurance Durability: Why durability is a game-changing but underappreciated part of endurance training.
  • The FIELD Study: We're recruiting participants to help us explore how blood glucose tracking and endurance fueling strategies impact real-world performance — and discover what works best for you.

Podcast Picks

At Athletica, we’re committed to more than just great training plans — we’re building a connected community through expert-led podcasts, in-depth blog articles, a vibrant user forum, and new tools like Velocity that bring your training to life.

Happy training!

Download and review the Athletica mobile app

Train Smarter, Not Harder

Athletica AI Coach and Training Science

Smarter training starts here. Athletica’s newsletters deliver science-backed insights, expert tips, and AI-powered training updates for endurance athletes of all levels. Catch up on past editions and subscribe to stay ahead in your training journey.

Read more from Athletica AI Coach and Training Science
automatic interval detection

Hello Reader, Even the cleanest power file can hide what really happened in your session. Miss a lap press by two seconds, and your averages—and any Coach’s feedback—are off. Interval IQ™ fixes that. Our new machine‑learning engine scans every second of your ride and builds “virtual laps” for every meaningful effort, not just the best one. That means: True work‑bout averages for your 30/30s (or 4 × 10 min at CP) Hidden sprints and fatigue fades surfaced automatically Smarter compliance scores...

Hello Reader, I wanted to share a quick story and a new release I’m really proud of. Years ago, when Kyle Buckingham crossed the line first at Ironman South Africa, he reflected later and said to me: “Paul—I know you’re trained as a physiologist, but really, you’re more of a psychologist.” Kyle Buckingham: The Sweetest Victory at his Home Race – Ironman South Africa It made me smile. Andi Boecherer once told me almost exactly the same thing after winning Ironman Lanzarote. It took me back to...

The Catalyst —My 36-Hour Fasted Climb A few weeks ago I finished recording a podcast with Prof. Tim Noakes and Dr. Phil Maffetone—two mentors whose work underpins much of my own coaching. Inspired (and a little rattled) by their latest thinking on the importance (or lack thereof) of muscle glycogen, I tested my own beliefs in the subsequent days: Fed vs. 36 hours fasted (black coffee + water). 90-min climb up Mt Revelstoke. Result: Personal-best power with –13 % Athletica Workout Reserve. One...