Instagram story viewer> @theplews> Tagged

Dr Dan Plews | Educator. Sport Scientist. Coach (PhD)

@theplews

22.6K

followers

733

following

IM Kona AG record 8:24
Ironman 7:56
HYROX AG world record
@autsprinz Snr Researcher
@endure_iq @the_endurox_system
@pillarperformance Head Research

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Not long now until the first Elite Series race in Hamburg!🇩🇪

It’s been a solid training block since Perth and I’m looking forward to seeing where the fitness is at!

First up, the HYROX Cruise before heading to Hamburg for the big dance! 🕺

Keeping on top of my fuelling throughout this training block with @maplemovement 🍁 Use code DEXTER to save $$

🎥 @henryjlim_

#hyrox #hyroxworld #hyroxtraining

52

7

The big-picture view of triathlon training? It's triathlon training.

The swim affects the bike, the bike affects the run, and your plan should reflect that. The biggest mistake he sees from athletes and coaches is mixing and matching swim, bike and run sessions without thinking about them together.

Take the swim. People call it a nothing event. But swim the exact same time and do it 20 percent easier, and the effect on the rest of your race is big.

Place your sessions to make them specific. That means runs off the bike, or even a long run close to a long swim, which changes how hard that run feels.

Save this for your next training plan.

#triathlon #endurance #trainingscience #endurancetraining #EndureIQ

204

5

The biggest sled pull mistake is...

Not knowing how big the walk back box is.

It's 1.8 m long, so train in a 1.8 m box and count your steps in the front to the end.

Every time.

Know the number of steps without looking for the line. This will save you time, mental load and from getting penalties.

Send this to someone who's always struggling on the sled pull.

#hyrox #hyroxtraining #raceprep

46

0

Ice towels or ice slushies before you warm up?

Both can keep you cool.

Here’s the setup.
Three groups:
-No pre-cooling.
-Ice towels, which is external cooling.
-Ice slushies with electrolytes, which is internal cooling.

Every group did the same standardized warm-up.

Four readings were taken at set points during the warm up: heart rate, RPE, thermal sensation and thermal comfort. Then came a 1K SkiErg time trial.

The result: both cooling methods kept heart rate, RPE, and thermal scores down throughout the warm-up. There was only a slight difference between external and internal.

Towels or slushies, which would you try before race day?

#HYROX #HYROXtraining #precooling #endurox

38

0

Does cycling for HYROX actually help?

Our monthly Engine Room newsletter covers just this...

A new study from Marcos Paulo Rocha and colleagues at the University of Copenhagen put 12 healthy, untrained young adults through a year of cycling. 3 sessions a week, building up to 1 to 2 hour rides with hard intervals.

VO2max (how much oxygen your body can use) went up about 27% in the first six months. That's a big win.

Then the researchers tested blood vessel function in the arms and found no measurable change.

Blood vessels seem to adapt where the blood flow is. Cycling is leg-dominant, so the adaptation is mostly local. The arm gets very little of that stimulus.

The study doesn't say cycling failed. Those people got fitter and healthier. It says adaptation depends on where the demand is.

HYROX uses your upper and lower body across its stations, from the ski erg and sled push to the lunges and wall balls. So some adaptations may not transfer as well, even when your VO2max number goes up. The study measured blood vessels and not HYROX results, so don't cut cycling because of one finding.

What to take from it:

* A better VO2max is beneficial in any sport, so don't dismiss the single-sport specific benefits.
*Specificity matters. A strong VO2max from running will transfer, but it won't fully prepare every system for the demands of a HYROX event.
*The body adapts to the specific demands you impose on it.
*If you want the vessels supplying your upper body to be well adapted for the ski erg and the sled push, you need to give them a reason to adapt too.

Comment "Engine" to sign up for our monthly insights!

#HYROX #HYROXtraining #hybridathlete #raceprep #endurox

40

19

The dust and emotions have settled after my 2nd round of racing in Kona.

Not the day I expected, but the journey to get there is always worth celebrating. It was one of my best preps without any major injuries, and my back was pain-free enough to give me some hope.
The day started with heavy tropical rain that made Kona feel like a steam room. Brought back memories from 2025.

🏊🏻‍♀️ After the rough waters the day before 😱, the sea looked much calmer. Managed to get into the front pack and off we went. What looked “calm” ended up being a tough swim with lots of current and chop, conditions that suit my speedy turnover. Happy with 3rd out of the water, only a few minutes slower than last year’s much calmer swim.
🚴🏻‍♀️ The forecast tailwind never really came 😅. The winds were very strong, especially after Hawi, and the road to T2 felt like forever. I paced it well and still had good energy towards the end.
🏃🏻‍♀️ The leg I worry about most, as it can turn quickly for me due to my chronic back issues. Felt good and took it easy for the first 10km as planned. But my back started hurting at Palani, and by 17km walking/running was the only option.
 I felt really sad because I really don’t like giving up. Exactly a year ago, three surgeons told me a back operation was my only option, and most likely no triathlons after that, so I was committed to get the job done.

Even though I didn’t perform to the level I’m capable of, I’m happy I got to experience again the journey of getting ready for the biggest battle in endurance sport🌺!
Time to rest, recover and focus on some exciting new things in the pipeline

Thank you for all the messages across the globe🙏🏻. Tri community is the best.
Thank you for getting me to the start line @theplews @sam_purchase @brad_beer

139

52

A few selects from @grid.hybrid that I shot a few months back. Love trying to find these unique frames while shooting events where you have zero control and have to react to what’s in front of you!

52

5

1750 HRV book copies sold in 5 months!!!
Very special place to celebrate 🤩
#hrv

60

0

Water & heart rate variability
#hrv

47

0

19 of our athletes started in Kona. 19 finished.

Unofficially, the most Kona finishes from any coaching group!

Three of them went under 10 hours: Martin Capriotti (9:46), Jordan Scott (9:50) and Eduardo della Maggiora (9:55).

Two stood on a division podium. Amy Rappaport took 3rd in her division and Jonathan Whitehead took 3rd in his. Vanessa Bowden finished 8th in her division.

Add it all up and our group raced 2,671 miles and spent 9 days, 6 hours and 12 minutes on course between them.

Every finish time on that list took months of work. From 9:46 to 16:06, all 19 of you got it done.

Congratulations to:

Martin Capriotti, Jordan Scott, Eduardo della Maggiora, Vanessa Bowden, Jonathan Whitehead, Merle Maud, Rodolfo Zeledon, Paul Thomas, Adil Gourari, Jason Gambill, Mark Peverett, Giovanni Carriere, Natalie Stewart, Andrea Ugazio, Metka Jug, Michael Villanueva, Amy Rappaport, Phil Willson and Carlos Sagasta.

Proud of every one of you.

#kona #ironman #triathlon #ironmanworldchampionship #endurance

128

10

Mahalo, Kona. This one didn’t come easy. That’s exactly why it means the most. 🌈🤙🏻

797

42

Wall balls are the only HYROX station where you can’t slow down.

You can ease off on the rower. You can ease off on the burpees. The ball doesn’t care. It comes back at the same speed every rep, so you do the rep or you don’t.

Here’s how to train for it:

-Racing solo? Do at least 300 wall balls a week. That’s the floor.
-Split them into 5 or 10 minute blocks and find out how many you can hold with clean form.
-Run 10 to 15 seconds per km slower into the station. It can make a reasonable difference, because how tired you arrive decides how fast you finish.
-Pick how many reps you’ll do before your first break, then practise that exact split.

Save this for your next wall ball session.

What’s your plan, unbroken or sets?

#HYROX #HYROXtraining #strengthendurance #raceprep

320

9