The Stryd / Running Power is working really well. Previously I’ve swapped out my running sessions for ones prescribed by Stryd, however now I feel more confident in just using the options within Athletica AI instead. The zone boundaries are virtually the same in both as well.
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Super excited for this; power training has been great on the bike and having it more naturally in Athletica rather than separate systems is awesome. Thank you!
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New release:
Athletica’s Daily Availability feature (found in Settings=>Training) allows you to customize your training availability by selecting:
Which days you want to train (or set as rest days)
The duration available for training each day (adjustable via a slider)
The preferred training mode for each day:
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Paul I normally like your pods but this one on the use of sugar for endurance athletes really lost and disappointed me.
Especially when the lady started saying using high carbs caused her to start losing her vision and she had to lie down on the couch… seriously…then she talks about how you should never use sugar but perhaps in a race situation use some trail mix, some candy, maybe a banana and oranges??? Wtf has she ever done an IM? Terrible and dangerous advice…
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Hey Gunna, the lady here. I’m sorry our podcast annoyed you.
Without going into the entire history why I’m promoting carb intake lower than 140g per hour, I’d just like to say that I used to try fueling my Ironman training with as many carbs as I could, which did not work for me at all (hence the symptoms I mentioned, and many more). Agree my comment needed a little more context for the listener not familiar with my story. Happy to have a proper conversation with you about my experience with high carb vs. low carb. It’s n=1 of course.
I may not be a World Champion but I did qualify to IM WC twice so perhaps not too shabby performance-wise for an old gal. I’ve done 4 Ironmans, 4 x 70.3, Ultramarathon, several marathons, ski marathons and only improving my performance (and as bonus and overall energy levels) WITH lower carb approach.
In the podcast we were talking about training rides and when to introduce sugar (as was the listener question) - which we said NEVER to, but use natural sources of carbs, like bananas, apples, etc. In a race situation we mentioned to include carbs, but perhaps just enough to keep blood sugar levels up and stable, which the Prins study supports.
Why is it terrible and dangerous advice?
Best, 
“the lady”
I think you have to consider the output and energy requirements of different athletes. While some with a low output might be ok with a lower carb and energy intake, the same might not be true for someone with a higher output in training and racing. For athletes with high energy requirements relying only on fruits etc for fueling will probably not be enough nor practical. I think the dangerous part might be to offer general advice based only on ones own experiences when the effects of relative energy deficiency is no joke: Endocrine and metabolic repercussions of relative energy deficiency in sport - ScienceDirect
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Thanks bjorn, my thoughts entirely. Suggesting that the best way for someone do an IM race is with trail mix and fruit for the ride is setting them up for failure, an absolute horrible day for most people. Sure, if you are out for a casual scenic ride its a different story.
As for the hate for sugar-what is it that the body breaks down in the banana for fuel, and how is it different to sugar? At the end of the day all you are doing is changing is the processing time, and for a race how is a slower processing time more beneficial?
Mariana, you sound like you have been able to successfully fat adapt but it has ended in tears for many who have tried. The only successful triathlete I can think of is Plews, can you suggest any others?
ETA Mariana for context what power are you putting out on a 5 hour ride? Again as bjorn has said different power and energy needs is a critical piece that is being overlooked. On 130 watts you might be able to fuel a training ride on a bannanas and nuts, for someone doing 200 watts for example it’s another story…
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These are great points you are raising @bjorn & @gunna. While both a banana and pure sugar contain carbohydrates, the key difference is how they are metabolized and their long-term effects. A banana provides sugar within a fiber-rich, nutrient-dense matrix, which slows digestion and moderates blood sugar spikes, while also delivering potassium, antioxidants, and polyphenols that support recovery and metabolic health.
In contrast, pure sugar (mono- and disaccharides like glucose, fructose, and sucrose) enters the bloodstream rapidly, causing a sharp insulin spike. Over time, frequent sugar spikes can contribute to insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and inflammation, which are linked to metabolic issues and long-term health risks as Lionel is now experiencing. No one wants to be in his situation and collectively we should be doing all we can to help ourselves and those we influence to be healthy high performers.
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But isn’t there a difference between getting up at night and going through your treats cabinet (which is what Lionel says he did) and ingesting sugar during a workout?
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Here is a great article from Dr. Alex Harrison published on this very site about this issue. During exercise, insulin is actually downregulated because muscles have their own mechanism to absorb blood sugar during exercise. This downregulation actually can cause hypoglycemia in Diabetics, which many struggle to manage during exercise (see here https://www.gssiweb.org/sports-science-exchange/article/sse-90-diabetes-exercise-and-competitive-sports).
So no, insulin does not spike the same way as someone sitting on the couch eating a candy bar. As discussed in the article consuming sugar during bouts of exertion is totally different than consumption of a body at rest.
Of course everyone’s body is different, but generally its not responsible for a non-scientific n=1 anecdote to be walked around like its a fact.
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Came here to say something similar to this. I’ve personally been on both ends of the spectrum: did my first half IM on keto, fueled with nuts and fruit and fat-heavy homemade “gels” (nut butter, coconut oil, honey), and then last year swung hard to gels (to use what was on course) for my first full.
TL;DR: neither was the right approach, both had problems, and Prof’s approach of flexibility, a mix, is where’s it’s at.
Keto: I could go all day, but super slow. Also was mixing in TRE (time restricted eating) and intermittent fasting, and the combo caused some hormonal imbalances. So I went back to a “well balanced” e.g. heavier carbs diet, and trained / raced on gels and concentrate bottles. Ended up with crazy sugar spikes and crashes (I wear a CGM), couldn’t maintain energy without a constant sugar intake.
I’ve been where “the lady” is, super excited about low-carb and feeling great most of the time and espousing it, and it can work for many of us, but it can go too far. High carb can also work, but per my results above a sugar/gel-heavy approach also isn’t great.
What I like about Prof’s approach is that it’s a mix, the idea to be metabolically flexible. Be able to handle and train on low carb, keep from causing insulin resistance, and be trained so that your body can use your onboard fat fuel…
BUT when needed still be able to uptake additional sugar/carbs. I believe they are talking like 40-60g/hr vs the 90+, so it’s still a fair volume of carbs, and from better sources potentially. Or stick with gels/sugar, but don’t make them your daily driver.
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I listened to the pod and this comment seems disingenuous. You wernt advocating carb intake of less than 140g per hour, you were arguing zero sugar! Or are you now trying to say sugar is OK up to 140g per hour…?
If someone is doing 200+ watts an hour using bananas is… bannanas. At around 20g per banana I’d need at least 15 bananas for a 5 hour ride…
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Our latest release, integration with intervals.icu, provides a solution here. While Athletica does not yet have a direct Zwift integration, Intervals.icu does. Now, users can sync their Athletica training plan with Intervals.icu, which then pushes the workouts into Zwift—allowing for a smoother, automated experience when using Zwift for structured training.
The other nice unlock for many will include HRV analysis from the various sensors intervals.icu accepts using our AI coach interpreter. Not everyone understands how to appropriately interpret HRV data but Athletica does.
How long does it take for athletica workouts to appear in intervals after the connection is made?
Lagoon, it should be pretty quick, but if you aren’t seeing them yet then go into the connection in Athletica to check the workout sync - I was already connected and waited days w/o seeing workouts, didn’t realize that needed to be updated. For me once I checked that and refreshed both platforms, it was within minutes for the first workouts to start appearing in Intervals.
Settings > Connections > Configure > check the below box:
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Ah yes I had to go in and check that box then it happened instantly. Thanks!
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Great! I’m loving no longer having to download workouts to get them into Zwift, now I just open Zwift and the prescribed workout is there 
(Occasional bugs with the data transfer as with any new feature, but you can report them on the Athletica forums and they’ve been resolving them pretty quickly). Enjoy
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Direct Wahoo integration is now live for all users.
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