Articles by Garth Fox

Guidance from science

View articles by category: | Cycling | Nutrition | Running | Swimming | Triathlon |

15 December 2012
The science of Team Sky
The science of Team Sky First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - December 2012 Read the article >... Read more >

15 September 2012
HIIT and run
HIIT and run - Why you should add high-intensity interval training to your running schedule First published in Runner's World Magazine - September 2012 Read the article >... Read more >

20 August 2012
Go top 10 in your age group at Ironman 70.3
Go top 10 in your age group at Ironman 70.3 First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - August 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

20 August 2012
Get the body of a triathlete
Get the body of a triathlete First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - August 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

15 July 2012
Do races makes you faster?
Do races makes you faster? First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - July 2012 Read the article >... Read more >

25 June 2012
Q&A. Building Multisport Training Blocks
How should you train for a season of varied multisport racing? First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - Summer 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

4 June 2012
3 Ways to Run when Injured
How the latest technology can help the injured runner. First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - June 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

4 June 2012
Q&A.Grind or Spin/Training Load Progression
What is the most efficient cadence to use when the road goes up? Over what length of time should you increase your training load for optimal gains? First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - June 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

31 May 2012
Nuffield Health Sprint Win for Garth
I always enjoy the sprint races organised by Human Race at Dorney Lake, especially if I win my age group! The fact is though that the really fast boys were out in force the previous weekend for the Auckland World Champs Sprint Qualifier, so the competition was less severe on this red hot, sunny afternoon. But a wi... Read more >

7 May 2012
Q&A. Less Work, More Training
If, for whatever reason, you suddenly find yourself with more time to train, then this is what you need to know to ensure optimal progression. First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - May 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

7 May 2012
The Sports Scientist's View
Know yourself, Understand Your Races. First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - May 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

7 May 2012
3 Secrets to Getting Faster
How come the Brownlees et al. go so fast and what do we need to know and do? First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - May 2012 Read the full article >... Read more >

2 April 2012
Secrets Of Age Group Success
Four of the best age group triathletes share their training and racing secrets. What are they doing, that you aren't? First published in Triathlon Plus Magazine - April 2012 Read the full article here > ... Read more >

19 March 2012
Congratulations to Phil Mosley on winning the British National Duathlon Championships
Phil Mosley became the new British National Duathlon Champion at the Dambuster Race at Rutland Water on 10th March 2012 in 01:54:13 with a very nice 32:34 10km first run. The race format is 10k/42k/5k run-bike-run. We knew that Phil was in good shape for the event as I'd persuaded him to enter a little local duathlon r... Read more >

20 December 2011
Treadmill Running - so much more than convenience.
This is an article for published by Triathlon Plus magazine:- Treadmill Sessions of Champions - The indoor running workouts that work for the pro's, and how you can adapt them to work for you. In June this year I was lucky enough to be invited to watch the USA Triathlon team, and the likes of Andy Potts, Hunte... Read more >

30 November 2011
Cold Weather Training - no excuses please.
This is an article originally written for Triathlon Plus magazine: Cold Weather Training – Don't Let It Beat You. Training in less than perfect weather conditions is a reality of life for most triathletes based in Britain. In some ways, because our climate is temperate rather than seriously cold, damp rather t... Read more >

3 November 2011
Q&A: Does lifting weights hurt your speed?
Q. I am new to triathlons and have previously been an avid weightlifter and short distance runner. I enjoy weightlifting but am worried it is detrimental to my speed. What's the general rule on weight for triathlons. Will lifting hurt my distance training? A. Weight training is a controversial topic amongst enduranc... Read more >

4 October 2011
How To Eat Right.
How To Eat Right The September issue of TIME magazine featured a superb article by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the practicing heart surgeon and US TV host. Essentially the piece was about getting back to basics when it comes to eating properly and for good health. Oz makes lots of very valid points which I am going to summarise... Read more >

26 September 2011
Triathlon: How much speed can you buy and what will it cost?
This article was written for Triathlon Plus Magazine:- Pimp Your Kit Spending money on upgrading your triathlon kit is easy. The question is will it make you faster? Whatever your budget, here is what you need to know when you go ‘speed shopping’. Lance Armstrong used to refer to it as “The s**t that kills ... Read more >

21 September 2011
Runner's World Article:The Latest on Endurance Nutrition
The Latest on Hydration, Fueling, Fat-Burning, Beet Juice, and Endurance Nutrition from the New Guy at Gatorade. Dutch-born Asker Jeukendrup, Ph.D., once an elite road cyclist, decided to concentrate instead on sports nutrition, and has become one of the world's leading experts in the field. He has especially stu... Read more >

19 September 2011
The Aero/Metabolic Ratio - The Key To Bike Speed.
Here is a brief article I did for Triathlon Plus Magazine on a very interesting subject and one that remains close to my heart as I studied it at University! :- The New Way to Ride Faster The new advice that shows why the most aerodynamic riding position isn't always the fastest. On a bike, enemy number one is... Read more >

9 September 2011
Cycling sessions to target different fitness components
Written for Cycling Plus Magazine: Boost Your Fitness Before the Lights Go Out The light summer evenings are drawing to an end. But this does not mean your hard earned condition has to. You can still target several components of your cycling fitness with these four high quality sessions, tailored to make the most... Read more >

19 August 2011
4 Steps To The Perfect Taper.
Here is a short piece I did for Cycling Plus magazine on tapering down to a cycle sportif event which comes up in 10 days. The basic principles hold true for any other endurance event. The key is to experiment because we all react differently the 'unloading' of training stress - these really are just the bare bones...... Read more >

18 August 2011
Heart Rate Training 101 for Novice Runners.
Q&A article written for Runner's World:- Q. Why should I use a heart rate monitor when I run? A. Heart rate is a bodily response to physical exertion. With each beat of the heart, oxygen molecules contained in the blood are pumped to working muscles. The harder we run, the more oxygen our working muscles nee... Read more >

16 August 2011
Book Review: Breathe Strong, Perform Better by Alison McConnell
Here is a short book review I did for Triathlon Plus magazine. The book was written by Professor Alison McConnell who was my tutor during my Master's year at Brunel University. Alison guided me through a dissertation in which I studied the effects of different cycling positions on running economy off the bike. That sub... Read more >

19 July 2011
Barefoot Running. Born To Run, But Since Forgotten how?
Dump the Nikes and start running barefoot - or at least get a pair of Vibram Five Fingers. I now hear this everywhere. It is certainly a very appealing idea to be able to throw off another layer of corporate branded sports equipment and do as nature intended, running barefoot through grassy meadows. There is already s... Read more >

21 June 2011
Interview with Michi Weiss - Pro Ironman triathlete and future King of Kona
Michael ‘Wiki-Miki’ Weiss is one of the world’s fastest Ironman triathletes - already. Why already? Because so far, he is has only entered 5 Ironman races in his very short triathlon career. Weiss switched from mountain bike racing - previous U23 European Champion - to triathlon in 2008, proceeded to win the first 4... Read more >

25 May 2011
Vitamin D deficiency. Does D stand for 'die early'?
Vitamin D is good for strong bones and teeth, right? And anyway you get it from the sun so what is there to think about? Well what if I said that not only does new evidence suggest that low vitamin D status is linked to a whole raft of very serious health issues such as increased rates of multiple sclerosis, cancer, he... Read more >

10 May 2011
New to Open Water Swimming? Relax, but know this..
Open Water Rookies Understanding the unique challenges of the open water and preparing for them accordingly, are the keys to ensuring your first event goes swimmingly. Garth Fox explains what you can expect on the big day and how a little inside knowledge can make it a great one.  Even if swimming were not a re... Read more >

4 May 2011
Easy, Moderate and Hard. How many training zones do you really need?
Deadly Simple Training Ever feel the need to de-clutter your training and lose all the gadgets?  The good news is that it could make you faster than ever. Here's how. If you have become one of those triathletes that need to get more tooled up than your average US marine before each training session, then listen ... Read more >

15 April 2011
Running Economy. Why improving it will take your running to the next level.
Improve Your Running Economy The Latest Research Suggests That We Could All Improve Our Running Economy. Here Is How.  Of all the factors that determine our ability to run fast over long distances, running economy is probably the least understood by exercise physiologists. Indeed, ask any recreational triathlete... Read more >

15 April 2011
Active or Passive recovery? Does it even make a difference?
Active and Passive Recovery – Rest Up to Speed Up  Training does not make us fitter. We get fitter through recovering from training. Therefore, recovery is of equal significance to training. I actually believe that most triathletes train too hard too often and would perform better if they built more rest into thei... Read more >

28 March 2011
Cycling position effects running economy in triathletes.
So you've invested in some tri bars for your bike? Great! All you need to do now is get nice and low at the front so that your chin’s almost scraping on the road and before you know it you’ll be slashing minutes off your triathlon times, all because you create less drag. So clip them on and let’s get flying, I hear ... Read more >

28 March 2011
Polarised Training. The best endurance athletes in the world do it, shouldn't we?
According to Albert Einstein, the definition of insanity is ‘doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results. As a triathlete, you need to ask yourself this question: is the time and effort I spend training really giving me the results I deserve? If the answer is no, then you are probably trai... Read more >

27 March 2011
Strength training can improve both cycling power and endurance.
According to the latest research from the University of Copenhagen, you can radically boost your cycling endurance and power with strength training, but only if done in a certain way. Researchers investigated the effects of 16 weeks of heavy resistance strength training on a group of elite road cyclists. They found tha... Read more >

27 March 2011
The 10 Laws of Endurance Training
1. Train Frequently, All Year-Round The human body thrives on physical activity. Little and often always outweighs heavy training sessions interspersed by lots of days off. Our physiological systems adapt to the stress placed upon them consistently not sporadically. New or improved movement patterns are engrained by d... Read more >

12 January 2011
The Importance of Regular Fitness Testing for Triathletes.
There is an old adage in business that goes: “You can’t improve what you don’t measure.” I believe it applies to triathlon too, where people are often guilty of training for months on end without ever really knowing if they’re improving. This is where fitness testing comes in. Read the full article >... Read more >

24 November 2010
Building base fitness. How to do it right.
The off-season is here and you can look at it in two ways: miserable weather, dark evenings and slippery roads, or a chance to reinvent yourself as a triathlete. It’s the perfect time to build the physiological characteristics that will underpin your spring and summer racing campaign. The first step in training for... Read more >

8 June 2010
Grow Older, Race Faster.
We've all been there, being passed in the latter stages of a triathlon by someone who's much younger than we are. "That's it, I'm getting slow, Ironman here I come" you mumble to yourself between gasps of air. Numerous studies have shown you can maintain top-end endurance performance until about 35. After that, it grad... Read more >

Contact Garth for a chat about your requirements >

Read our frequently asked questions >

Try our Bespoke Training Camps, High Performance Coaching, or Sports Science services >