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The Scientist’s Notebook
Research-backed training insights for endurance athletes.

What readers say

Stopped using FTP alone after reading the lactate thresholds article. Ursula (33), Switzerland
The CP/W′ calculator matched my field test within ~5 W. Javier (42), Spain
The only place I’ve seen practical protocols without influencer noise. Max (25), Germany

Join the community of evidence-based athletes.

Featured articles

Vo2 Max, CP and Lactate threshold Calculators added to The Scientist`s Notebook

Vo2 Max, CP and Lactate threshold Calculators added to The Scientist`s Notebook

Snippet #001: Reducing Oxygen Diffusion Distance Through Capillary Growth

Snippet #001: Reducing Oxygen Diffusion Distance Through Capillary Growth

OpenLab #001: Real-time muscle oxygen measurements correlate well with blood lactate - Dr. Phil Batterson

OpenLab #001: Real-time muscle oxygen measurements correlate well with blood lactate - Dr. Phil Batterson

Entry #002 - The interaction between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems during endurance efforts

Entry #002 - The interaction between aerobic and anaerobic energy systems during endurance efforts

Entry #001 - Welcome to the Lab

Entry #001 - Welcome to the Lab

Latest

11
Sep
Snippet #035: Phosphocreatine: The Muscle's Instant ATP Battery

Snippet #035: Phosphocreatine: The Muscle's Instant ATP Battery

Creatine accumulates in muscle mainly as phosphocreatine (PCr), a high-energy compound that rapidly re-donates a phosphate group to
4 min read
09
Sep
The athletes at the end of the alphabet

The athletes at the end of the alphabet

Bruna Maia is a runner, a data scientist and an electrical engineer. She played tennis at international level for a
15 min read
07
Sep
Entry #037: The Hydration Line: Sweat Rate, Sodium, and Why Overdrinking Is the Dangerous Mistake

Entry #037: The Hydration Line: Sweat Rate, Sodium, and Why Overdrinking Is the Dangerous Mistake

A few summers ago I weighed two athletes on the same scale, before and after the same two-hour ride,
15 min read
04
Sep
Snippet #034: Minutes Near the Ceiling: Why Time at VO2max Shapes Aerobic Adaptation

Snippet #034: Minutes Near the Ceiling: Why Time at VO2max Shapes Aerobic Adaptation

VO2max is the ceiling rate at which the body can use oxygen to fuel muscle. The data show that accumulating
4 min read
31
Aug
Entry #036: Nitrate, Bicarbonate, Beta-Alanine: The Big Three, and Where Each One Actually Helps

Entry #036: Nitrate, Bicarbonate, Beta-Alanine: The Big Three, and Where Each One Actually Helps

There is a shelf in my pantry that tells a small, slightly embarrassing story about endurance science. A purple bottle
15 min read
28
Aug
Snippet #033: What Your Muscle Oxygen Sensor Is Actually Reading

Snippet #033: What Your Muscle Oxygen Sensor Is Actually Reading

Near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) shines near-infrared light through skin into muscle and reads how much hemoglobin and myoglobin is
2 min read
26
Aug

Hi (again). I`m Thomas

Many Mondays in, a growing community and time for a proper re-ntroduction: who writes this, why it started, and the half of the work a newsletter could not do on its own.
5 min read
24
Aug
Entry #035: The Aging Engine: What Masters Athletes Reveal About Mitochondrial Decline

Entry #035: The Aging Engine: What Masters Athletes Reveal About Mitochondrial Decline

A muscle biopsy from a seventy year old cyclist who has trained for three decades does not read like a
13 min read
21
Aug
Snippet #032: Muscle Memory Is Written in Your DNA's Dimmer Switches

Snippet #032: Muscle Memory Is Written in Your DNA's Dimmer Switches

DNA methylation works like a set of dimmer switches sitting on top of your genes, turning each one down or
2 min read
17
Aug
Entry #034: Reading Training Load: The Fitness-Fatigue Balance

Entry #034: Reading Training Load: The Fitness-Fatigue Balance

Two athletes finish the exact same twelve week block: same sessions, same hours, same numbers logged to the watch. One
14 min read