Some red meat for lightheir 
(Honestly, I haven’t listened to it yet, just saw the clickbaity title and, well… clicked on it. It could be something worthwhile, it could be complete crap, I’ve never listened to this podcast before.)
Anybody can be a Kona qualifier: genetics is not your limiter with Alan Cozens | EP#186
Anyone can now that the genetically gifted will boycott due to the swim start change
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Maybe you have to be patient enough to listen for an hour if you want to KQ.
Anyone got a transcript? 
I listened. IMO, the whole thing is just a somewhat subtle pitch for the dude’s coaching service. Lots of anecdata presented.
Anything actually useful in there? I’ll skip it if not.
How much do we owe you for that hour?
A lot of my experience (in the lab and coaching) parallels AC’s, not a lot of bull or anything out of the ordinary in there. The differences between most people at their max performance, in the right training environment, quite often isn’t much less than the best of the best (genetically “gifted”).
He presented some evidence that VO2 max is more trainable than traditionally advocated, a n=1 case study in which a trainee improved by 40% over 3 years, and said the overall average VO2 max improvement of his trainees is 24%. (No number or data given on number of trainees, length of time of the training, age, etc.) That about 800 or more hours per year are required to KQ and the bulk of training should be endurance.
But I heard no evidence to support the leap from saying that VO2 max is very trainable (which I have no problem believing) to saying that pretty much anyone can KQ (which to me falls in the realm of clickbait hyperbole).
I listened. IMO, the whole thing is just a somewhat subtle pitch for the dude’s coaching service. Lots of anecdata presented.
Who’s coaching service, Alan’s or Mikael’s? because Alan does not need any self promotion to get clients, he is one of the best and highest regarded coaches in the tri world. I don’t know Mikael as a coach, but his podcast is fantastic with tons of relevant information.
I like https://www.alancouzens.com/ blog - very informative, and with a ton of details - like this post http://alancouzens.blogspot.com/2012/12/5-basic-movements-that-all-athletes.html
The podcast somehow fell short in terms of representing his vast knowledge. He might be a better writer than a public speaker.
Anyone can qualify for Kona, that’s what the Legacy program is for.
Alan does read the forum so he might show up here to explain…
When he was part of Endurance Corner there was a similar article which I saved, had a more realistic estimate. “Anyone” is pretty bold.
For people who like to read, video is way too slow (Brent Simmons). Podcasts have the same problem.
So here’s some plain text.
Although the date in the URL shows 2016 I believe the article is from 2011 or so.
https://alancouzens.com/...lan-for-the-realist/
"The vast majority of folks respond to training load quite similarly and most of us have the potential to reach a very high level of fitness. As I suggested in the previous article on athletic types, for 70% of folks, if they do the work, Kona is within reach but setting up your life to do the work is another matter and for many it is far easier to attribute the limiter to genetics than to make the required change.
Merely setting up your life to have the space to fit in five months’ worth of 18-20 hour weeks of training in your Kona build isn’t enough. The realist knows that even with the life space to fit the training and sufficient attention given to recovery, you can’t just get up off the couch and throw down one 18-20 hour training week after another. You also need a fitness “base†to pull this off. So you’ll want to factor in a period of preparatory “training to train†weeks, progressively building up the fitness to tolerate the back to back big weeks that will comprise your Kona build.
Based on my experience, most folks coming in from normal active fitness levels are going to need to both be generally fresh and healthy (that is, come into the hard training unloaded), and have a base fitness of five to six months of preparatory training in the 12-15 hour range to tolerate those 18-20 hour weeks of your “get to Kona†push. If you’re coming from below normal fitness (less than 45 VO2) you’ll probably need another five to six months of preparatory “get in shape†work before even beginning the “train to train†period.
Additionally, we both know that your chances of putting together 20 or more back to back weeks in the 18-20 hour range without recovery isn’t good. You’re going to get tired and need some recovery weeks sprinkled in to your Kona build. In fact, if you manage a ratio of 3:1 loading to recovery weeks in the context of a 9-5 job and family life without getting sick or injured you’ll be doing very well! So that five months of specific training, more realistically becomes six or seven months.
Adding it all up, the realist should be planning for:
Six to 12 months of uninterrupted, consistent “basic training†to get ready to train for the event.
Six to seven months of focused “specific training†directed specifically towards your Kona push.
You need both the fitness and a good day on an appropriate course to pull it off. In other words, you may need to put together more than one of these builds before high fitness and a good day coincide! "
All of this made it clear to me I’d never have time to qualify for Kona
The general point is the same though - commit to the training and you can do more than you’d think…
anecdata
I have never heard that phrase before - I love it! Going to have to get it into my next report at work somehow. Thanks!
Based on my experience, most folks coming in from normal active fitness levels are going to need to both be generally fresh and healthy (that is, come into the hard training unloaded), and have a base fitness of five to six months of preparatory training in the 12-15 hour range to tolerate those 18-20 hour weeks of your “get to Kona†push. If you’re coming from below normal fitness (less than 45 VO2) you’ll probably need another five to six months of preparatory “get in shape†work before even beginning the “train to train†period.
Sorry, may be I’ve misread. This coach is talking about <2 year plan from a non-athlete to KQ?
His plan is based on nearly 20 hour weeks on average. Also “anyone can get KQ fitness, but genetics are needed for pro level fitness� In the competitive AG’s at least, most KQer’s could qualify for their elite license as well. It’s a warm and fuzzy theory but sometimes it doesn’t matter how much you bust your butt, you just don’t make it (myself so far)
Anyone can qualify for Kona, that’s what the Legacy program is for.
That was my first thought as well
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I listened. IMO, the whole thing is just a somewhat subtle pitch for the dude’s coaching service. Lots of anecdata presented.
Who’s coaching service, Alan’s or Mikael’s? because Alan does not need any self promotion to get clients, he is one of the best and highest regarded coaches in the tri world. I don’t know Mikael as a coach, but his podcast is fantastic with tons of relevant information.
I do, being one of his coached athletes and can recommend him 100% - loads of super individual and helpful feedback. Very data-based approach of course although he is really chasing individual subjective feedback too. In addition he currently hast to turn away clients so probably no need to pitch coaching services. It is a pretty provocative subject for the show, though but we are living in the age of click-bait…
Agreed- in all my dealings with AC I have been super impressed -he is one of (too few) coaches I think who would genuinely add value to you
And he certainly does not need the publicity - I have been trying to be coached him him for 3-4 years now but he has no slots
And he’s that good (IMO) that I would rather be self coached in the meantime…
Maybe next year is my year!
Haven’t listened to the podcast; but I plan to. Parsing an hour out of my day though its going to be awhile.
I’ll say this in his defense; out of the hundreds of people I train with, stalk on strava, etc. I can count on one hand the people that actually train optimally. Most of us have some big flaws mentally, be it diet, sleep, burnout, rest weeks, training plans, etc. So if you take an average athlete and he goes all in, they’ll probably get close at least.
The above though is a tall ask; if you’re a masters athlete that probably also means gym work, some form of stretching, extra sleep, and a lot of other time occupied outside of training specifically for training.
Agreed- in all my dealings with AC I have been super impressed -he is one of (too few) coaches I think who would genuinely add value to you
Sorry, should’ve been a bit more specific: I was talking about Mikael Eriksson, not Alan Cozens.