ALAN COUZENSMaximal. Athletic. Development.Subscribe on Substack

THE BOOKS & THE CONVERSATIONS

The science of
better training.

Build your endurance. Develop your strength.
Make an athletic life your own.

Explore my books on the science and practice of athletic development, and the conversations that bring it to life.

Explore the chapters

By Alan Couzens Exercise physiologist & coach

THE ENDURANCE CODE 01 / THE BOOK SERIES
The Endurance Code by Alan Couzens — book cover

Print edition coming soon

Start reading early-release chapters today.

YOUR READING GUIDE

Chapters and episodes open on Substack. Free links are open to everyone; Subscriber chapters require a paid subscription for full access.

01 / ENDURANCE

The Endurance
Code.

A framework for a lifetime
of athletic development.

From building your aerobic foundation to planning, recovery, and race-day performance. Follow the early-release chapters in order, or go straight to the topic you need.

26 EARLY-RELEASE CHAPTERSRead the introduction

These are the original serialized chapters. Titles, numbering, and content may differ from the forthcoming print edition.

Early-release chapters

READ IN ORDER
The foundations01—03
  1. 01Athletic development through the lifespan- The importance of living an athletic life.Subscriber
  2. 02First, principles.The key ingredients in any successful training plan.Subscriber
  3. 03Adding the science to Maximal Athletic DevelopmentMaking effective use of data (and code!)Subscriber
Building & understanding fitness04—09
  1. 04The Foundation of Fitness - Building a Strong Base.Subscriber
  2. 05Specialization - Fine tuning your fitness for a fast race.Subscriber
  3. 06Everything you need to know about Training ZonesSubscriber
  4. 07Building the Blueprint - Assessing Athletic Foundations for Tailored TrainingSubscriber
  5. 08How to build your body for Victory: Tailoring body composition to excel in your sportSubscriber
  6. 09Are you responding to your training?Measuring and improving training response.Subscriber
Planning your development10—12
  1. 10Long Term Athletic Development: Lessons from the World's best!Subscriber
  2. 11The ultimate guide to crafting your winning Annual Training PlanSubscriber
  3. 12The key workouts - Your building blocks to high performance.Subscriber
Readiness, recovery & nutrition13—16
  1. 13Dashboard Insights - Gauging Athlete Readiness for Peak PerformanceSubscriber
  2. 14Weekly planning to maximize readiness and response:Getting the most fitness "bang" for your training "buck"!Subscriber
  3. 15Fueling the Work - High performance nutrition for endurance athletes.Subscriber
  4. 16Rise stronger - A comprehensive guide to maximizing your health, recovery & training responseSubscriber
Racing & the environment17—20
  1. 17The Science of Racing. Part 1: Selecting the right race!Subscriber
  2. 18The Science of Racing II - Perfect PacingSubscriber
  3. 19Thriving in Extremes – How Temperature and Altitude Shape PerformanceSubscriber
  4. 20The impact of heat on training and performance.Subscriber
Athlete case studies21—26
  1. 21Case Studies of Athletic DevelopmentLevel 1 - The Health & Fitness Athlete: Metabolic MelvinSubscriber
  2. 22Case Studies of Athletic DevelopmentLevel 2 - The Recreational Athlete: Fiona FunrunnerSubscriber
  3. 23Case Studies of Athletic DevelopmentThe Level 3 Athlete: Ironman IanSubscriber
  4. 24Case Studies of Athletic DevelopmentLevel 4 - The Competitive, Working, Amateur - Kona KarenSubscriber
  5. 25Case Studies of Athletic Development:The Level 5 Athlete: The aspiring Pro - Elite EricSubscriber
  6. 26Case Studies of Athletic DevelopmentLevel 6: The full-time Professional - World-Class WendySubscriber

02 / STRENGTH

The Strength
Code.

Develop the complete athlete.

Movement, muscle, strength, and power. A companion book exploring how to become stronger, more capable, and more durable.

BOOK IN PROGRESSThe Strength Code by Alan Couzens — working cover

Early-release chapters

THE STORY BEGINS
START HERE · FREEIntroducing The Strength CodeThe vision for the book and its planned contents.
  1. 01What Does It Mean To Be Strong?The Strength Code - Chapter 1Subscriber
  2. 02Stronger for what?The Strength Code - Chapter 2: First principles of effective strength training.Subscriber
MORE TO COME

A book taking shape.
A chapter at a time.

New early-release chapters will appear here as they are published. Subscribe on Substack to follow along.

Follow the book

03 / THE PODCAST

MAD Science
Meets Real Life.

The science. The experience.
The people behind the performance.

Join Alan Couzens and Iñaki de la Parra for conversations about training, coaching, and building an athletic life.

19 CONVERSATIONS TO EXPLOREVisit the podcast on Substack

Episode library

NEWEST FIRST
  1. EP 18Stay in the Game - Justin Daerr on the Real Secret to Long-Term Performance.Free
  2. EP 17Building an Athletic LifeFree
  3. EP 16The Athlete’s Heart - The Good, The Bad & The Misunderstoodwith world-class sports cardiology researchers Andre La Gerche, PhD & Guido Claessen, PhD.Free
  4. SPECIALOlympic Champion Alistair Brownlee on the Real Secrets of Endurance DevelopmentFree
  5. EP 15Strength Training for Endurance Athletes - You're Doing It Wrong (w/Erin Carson, CSCS)Free
  6. EP 14Joel Filliol - Insights from 30 years of coaching champions!Free
  7. EP 13Season Planning Mistakes - Most athletes peak too early, here's why:Free
  8. EP 12Aitor Viribay & The Real Currency of Performance: Energy.Free
  9. EP 11Dr. Howard Luks - Why We Should Train for Life!Free
  10. EP 10HRV, Readiness & Metabolic Realities w/Marco AltiniWhat most athletes get wrong — and how to actually use the dataFree
  11. EP 9Strength Training for Endurance Athletes - You're doing it wrong!Free
  12. EP 8How Arild Tveiten Engineered the Norwegian Triathlon RevolutionFree
  13. EP 7Real-world BenchmarkingHow simple benchmarks and “boring” base work turned an overtrained athlete into an Ultraman World Champion.Free
  14. EP 6Gordo ByrnGordo 1.0 to 2.0: How Endurance, Family, and Wisdom Redefined PerformanceFree
  15. EP 5Johan RöjlerSome profound lessons from the man behind one of the most equally unconventional and impressive sporting performances in history.Free
  16. EP 4How to recover from the work requiredFree
  17. EP 3Fuel for the Work RequiredFree
  18. EP 2Getting real about the WORK required.Free
  19. EP 1Make movement your default!Free