Performance Science Lab
Evidence-backed performance, in athlete language.
A research-first hub for endurance performance: protocols, decision rules, and honest uncertainty. Study pages are reference notes; topic pages translate evidence into a practical default.
How to use this lab
- • One page = one claim you can test in training.
- • Protocols over vibes: you should be able to execute the steps.
- • Default to the minimum effective dose; earn complexity later.
- • Explain who it helps and who should skip — safety beats marginal gains.
- • Cite primary sources and separate evidence from speculation.
- • Prefer topic pages to reduce decision fatigue; use studies for depth.
- • No red-line topics (doping/unsafe biohacks/medical treatment).
A safe default
Start with topic pages.
Study pages are a reference library; topic pages turn evidence into a practical default.
Rubric
Evidence grades and action strength
Evidence grade (A–E)
- • A: strong evidence and athlete-relevant protocols.
- • B: good evidence with some limitations.
- • C: mixed or preliminary; test carefully.
- • D: weak evidence or low athlete relevance.
- • E: speculative; avoid unless you have expert guidance.
Action strength (1–4)
- • 1 (Default): low risk + high feasibility for most athletes.
- • 2 (Consider): useful if it fits your goal and context.
- • 3 (Experiment carefully): technique/population sensitive or mixed evidence.
- • 4 (Avoid): downside likely outweighs benefit for most athletes.
Categories
Pick the constraint you want to improve: sleep, fueling, heat, strength, and more.
Sleep performance research
Sleep is the biggest legal performance enhancer and the easiest place to get fooled by vibes.
Recovery performance research
Recovery is not passive rest — it’s targeted stress management so training can accumulate.
Endurance performance research
Endurance is built by repeatable work you can recover from — not by heroic weeks you can’t sustain.
Strength performance research
Strength work is a performance tool for endurance athletes when it’s specific, minimal, and repeatable.
Heat performance research
Heat changes pacing, hydration, and fueling — and it can be trained like altitude with fewer logistics.
Altitude performance research
Altitude can help, but it’s easy to do wrong: the constraint is quality training at reduced oxygen.
Fueling performance research
Fueling is performance, not just health: the right carbs at the right time change outcomes.
Hydration performance research
Hydration is context dependent: heat, sweat rate, and sodium losses change the plan.
Tapering performance research
Tapering is how you cash your fitness check — without getting stale or anxious.
Injury risk performance research
Injury risk is mostly about load errors — spikes, monotony, and ignoring pain signals.
Biomechanics performance research
Biomechanics changes can help — but most athletes should start with strength, cadence, and pacing.
Pacing performance research
Pacing is applied physiology: the best plan fails if you spend your budget early.
Supplements performance research
Supplements are optional. Only a few reliably move the needle, and context matters.
Breathing performance research
Breathing interventions can help if they reduce wasted effort and improve tolerance at high work rates.
Monitoring performance research
Monitoring is useful when it changes decisions: training load, recovery signals, and pacing control.
Mobility performance research
Mobility work should be minimal, targeted, and connected to training — not a second sport.
Outcomes
Browse by the outcome you actually care about: VO₂max, running economy, recovery speed.
VO₂max
A ceiling metric: useful, but endurance performance is usually limited by durability and pacing.
Lactate threshold
Threshold is 'how fast you can go for a long time' — where most endurance races are decided.
Running economy
Economy is the cost of speed. Small improvements compound over long races.
Fat oxidation
Useful for long events, but most athletes benefit most from better fueling and pacing first.
Time to exhaustion
A lab outcome that can still guide training: it often tracks fatigue resistance.
Time-trial performance
Practical performance outcome used in many studies: closer to racing than lab-only metrics.
Performance in heat
Heat punishes ego pacing; you need acclimation and cooling strategy to execute.
Cramp risk
Cramping is multi-factorial: fatigue + pacing + hydration context all matter.
Injury risk
Most injury risk comes from load spikes and insufficient tissue tolerance — manage both.
Recovery speed
Faster recovery means you can train consistently — the real performance moat.
Sleep quality
Sleep quality shapes adaptation. Treat it like a training variable.
Start here (topics)
Evidence-backed defaults with protocols, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Caffeine for endurance performance: a practical protocol
Evidence-informed protocol: Caffeine for endurance performance: a practical protocol. Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Heat acclimation: a protocol you can actually execute
Evidence-informed protocol: Heat acclimation: a protocol you can actually execute. Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Strength training for running economy: what to do (without ruining your runs)
Evidence-informed protocol: Strength training for running economy: what to do (without ruining your runs). Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Sleep extension for athletes: what changes, and how to do it
Evidence-informed protocol: Sleep extension for athletes: what changes, and how to do it. Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Carbohydrate fueling for long runs: a protocol you can practice
Evidence-informed protocol: Carbohydrate fueling for long runs: a protocol you can practice. Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Tapering for an endurance race: a simple protocol
Evidence-informed protocol: Tapering for an endurance race: a simple protocol. Practical steps, who it helps, and what to watch out for.
Coaching beta
Want this adapted to your week?
Get coach-style adjustments when you miss sessions, sleep poorly, or hit fatigue signals.
Keep going
Sleep performance research
Sleep is the biggest legal performance enhancer and the easiest place to get fooled by vibes.
Recovery performance research
Recovery is not passive rest — it’s targeted stress management so training can accumulate.
Endurance performance research
Endurance is built by repeatable work you can recover from — not by heroic weeks you can’t sustain.
Strength performance research
Strength work is a performance tool for endurance athletes when it’s specific, minimal, and repeatable.
Heat performance research
Heat changes pacing, hydration, and fueling — and it can be trained like altitude with fewer logistics.
Altitude performance research
Altitude can help, but it’s easy to do wrong: the constraint is quality training at reduced oxygen.