empowering Endurance runners, cyclists & triathletes to perform better
No matter your age, sex, standard or endurance aspiration, The Endurance Project provides a range of testing services, effective training plans and coaching support that will empower you to perform better.
Test > TRAIN > PERFORm
any of the following sound familiar?
early fatigue in events?
Are you sometimes "hitting the wall"/"bonking", or at the very least struggling to hold effort to the end. Maybe cramping, or just plain exhausted. Maybe you feel great at half-way and then wonder why the "wheels come off" later.
struggle to balance training & life's commitments?
Training for endurance requires time. Sometimes it's difficult to fit everything in to your life - something has to give, but you don't know what or how to manage it.
frequent injury/illness/fatigue
You frequently get injured or ill during training blocks, especially when training time and intensity start to ramp up a bit. You may generally feel fatigued.
performance plateau
Your performances haven't improved for some time, or have got worse. You've perhaps stopped enjoying training or the events you're doing. .
social media noise
Don't know which way to turn with all the info on social media or which "guru" should believe. Or maybe the training plan you have doesn't really work for you anymore.
training app not really working for you
To begin with your training app brought you good gains, but you've noticed that's not the same any more. Or perhaps you want some 1:1 connection and advice.
fuel/hydration issues - "too little - too much?"
GI distress, cramping, peeing a lot, feel a bit nauseous? unable to sustain effort?
just don't know where to start
Maybe you're just starting out and don't really know what to do. Or you've been training for a while and don't know what to change.
time to take a different approach
TEST:
UNDERSTAND WHAT MATTERS
Testing services to understand:
How your body's physiology drives and responds to exercise - V'O2max, thresholds, economy.
Your development needs with respect to your goal event demands.
Accurate training intensities (zones).
Fuelling and hydration needs for training and performance.
Movement and strength limitations and key injury risk factors.
TRAIN:
DEVELOP WHAT MATTERS
Train smarter not harder - train intentionally and effectively to match your development needs with the demands of your event or goal.
Training plans and coaching support options tailored to meet your circumstances, always individualised based on testing outcomes, with a human-centred approach and always with a human connection.
PERFORM:
DELIVER WHEN IT MATTERS
You've done the training, you've got to the start line feeling the best you can - be empowered to perform your best, give yourself the best chance of success with informed preparation, planning of fuelling, hydration and power/pace strategies to meet your goal.
TEST.
Understand you. Understand what matters.
"i didn't know what i didn't know until feedback from my assessment – training game changer"
IN-lab PHYSIOLOGICAL TESTING
Understand how your body drives and responds to exercise with physiological testing at the Endurance Project's high-spec Endurance Performance Lab.
Undertake sub-maximal and maximal tests on a treadmill or cycle ergometer to accurately determine key aspects of your "athletic architecture" and the determinants of performance for your sport/event. including:
Body composition (%body fat)
Lactate thresholds (LT1 and LTP) - power, pace and HR
Economy/Energy Cost of movement
Utilsation of fats and carbs including FatMax and Maximum Rate of Fat Oxidation, Crossover and Carb Utilisation at key goal paces.
V'O2max and HRmax
Following data analysis, the results are provided in a comprehensive report, presented to you during a follow-up meeting (in person or video-call) during which we will discuss what the results mean for you:
Your athletic architecture
Strengths and development needs
Fuelling needs and strategies
Training zones (HR, pace. and power)
Key directions, next steps and focus for your training.
The results will enable you to train more intentionally and effectively on what matters for you, inform on-the-day event strategy -ultimately empowering you to perform better.
remote testing
Circumstances may mean that you may not be able to come to the lab for testing. So, without visiting the lab, your body's performance can be analysed based on GPS watch or power meter data using INSCYD Performance Analysis Software used by many of the top pro-cycling teams, pro-triathlon teams and running coaches.
At a location and time of your choice - outdoors, on the road or track or indoors on a smart trainer - you complete a simple test protocol of 4 intervals. After completing the intervals, the GPS watch or smart meter data files are analysed using INSCYD Power-Performance Decoder (PPD) software to accurately determine your performance profile - key thresholds, substrate utilisation, V'LAmax and V'O2max.
From there, the process is the same as a full lab test - we will review the test results in an online video call, during which we'll discuss strengths and weaknesses, training zones and directions for training.
optimise your hydration
sweat testing
If you struggle in the heat, experience performance decline, early fatigue, frequent peeing, nausea, bloating, feel thirsty or have a dry mouth or experience cramping during training or races, your sweat losses and hydration strategy could be the issue. But simply drinking more may not be the right answer.
Sodium is the key electrolyte lost in your sweat and is crucial to your hydration status (and performance). Everyone loses a different amount of sodium in their sweat (from as little as 200mg of sodium per litre, to as much as 2,000mg/L) - this is largely genetically determined, so a one-size-fits-all hydration strategy is often ineffective. A Sweat Test will tell you how much sodium you lose so you can optimise your hydration strategy.
To refine a hydration plan, we also need to understand your total sweat sodium losses - a function of your sweat rate (driven by genetics, environmental conditions and exercise intensity), and duration of the exercise.
Your sweat sodium concentration is accurately determined through a non-exercise, non-invasive sweat test which takes about 45mins - sweat test kit stimulates your sweat glands and then we collect a sample. During the test we’ll discuss your history, training and competition routines to get some context. Your sweat rate can be measured during exercise from home or in the lab using a cycle ergometer or treadmill for around 60 minutes.
Based on your test results and context, we’ll create a personalised hydration strategy using proprietary PFH software. We'll advise on what, when, and how much to drink before, during, and after training and a goal event - ensuring you are well-prepared to deliver.
OTHer testing services
RUNNING QUALITY
An assessment of injury running form and injury risk. Using the runeasi.ai wearable sensor whilst running on the treadmill we will measure your dynamic stability, impact loading and symmetry to determine your Running Quality. Ground contact time and flight ratio are also measured. Video of your running form will also be taken to identify
These metrics are implicated in efficiency of movement and injury risk
If you're coming in for running physiological testing we will do this as part of the testing anyway.
fuelling & hydration assessment
If you have done the training, spent all that hard-earned cash on the relevant kit and entry for your event, you are limiting your performance if you don't fuel and hydrate appropriately. Fuelling with the right amount of carbs is critical to maintaining performance and reducing fatigue development.
Exercising for around 60mins in the lab on the cycle ergometer or treadmill at intensities typical of your goal event, whilst continuously measuring inspired and expired V'O2 and V'CO2 breath x breath, and HR, enables determination of your rates of fat and carbohydrate utilisation.
So in addition to the hydration plan from the sweat test will have a better understanding of the fuelling needs to optimise performance.
neuromuscular & Functional movement assessment
Understand injury risk, target weaknesses and improve movement quality. Whether you are in a team sport, individual sport, or even performing arts get an assessment to help benchmark, monitor performance development or help your rehabilitation.
Using VALD HumanTrak, a 3D motion capture and biomechnical analysis system that captures movement data from 20 different points on the body, we can will evaluate your functional movement ability by capturing objective data on a variety of single or multi-joint movements.
Using VALD ForceDecks we will do a range of functional and jump tests to evaluate capabilities and performance during tasks (such as squats), and assess lower body explosive and neuromuscular performance appropriate to your sport
Unilateral and bilateral jump tests can help identify and quantify attributes that are difficult to judge by eye including reactive strength, jump height, eccentric and concentric capabilities, overall power and inter-limb asymmetries.
Functional movements provide valuable insight into functional strength, movement quality and coordination. Uncover deficiencies and improve movement mechanics.
what people say
train
Develop what matters. Train Intentionally. Enjoy it.
Individualised.
evidence-informed.
human-centred.
The goal of any training plan or support is get you to the start of your goal event in good health, in the best shape you can be, to give you the best chance of achieving your goal, in a way that works with your circumstances. Train smarter not harder to develop those attributes that are important for success in your goal event. Train with intention and ENJOY IT.
A human-centred approach, focusses on your needs, goals, experiences and circumstances. It recognises that you are unique, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. Effective training is individualised to develop adaptations consistent with the demands of your goal event. We will work together to achieve your goals considering you as a whole person, not just an athlete with physical sporting abilities. I work to empower you by building self-awareness, confidence, and self-reliance.
I offer 4 tiers of training plans and support, ranging from a one-off 16-wk (minimum) plan with little contact from me through the plan, through to regular and frequent contact and development of the plan with regular testing included. Whether you choose a one-off plan or full training support, there are no generic plans and there is no AI, just human connection. All plans are individualised based on the outcome of testing (whether in-lab or remote) and through conversation to gain a deeper understanding of your goals and circumstances.
All plans are delivered through the AZUM training platform (www.azum.de) and app. The process starts with your physiological and metabolic profile derived through the testing. Training is added to your Agenda and delivered to your watch and/or through the app. So you will be set the correct intensities for you - pace or HR based, rather than using goal paces or historic PB times.
Following testing, we will discuss the options. You don't have to take a training plan or support with me, you can take the outcome of the testing to your own coach or feed in to your own plan. But testing is required for training support.
PERFORM
Deliver WHEN it matters. And enjoy it.
"Victory is in having done your best.
If you've done your best, you've won."
- Bill Bowerman"
You've done all the training, give yourself the best chance of achieving your goals with an effective event strategy including pace/power tailored to your condition and event demands and appropriate Fuelling and Hydration to optimise performance, reduce the impact of fatigue so you can finish strong and enjoy the experience.
A bit about me
Andy Knowles MSc.
Endurance Performance Physiologist and Running Coach
Husband, dad of 2, owner 1 dog.
Runner
I am passionate about endurance running and helping people improve their performance.
I have completed many, many marathon or marathon-plus distance events over the last 10-15 years and many 5km, 10km and half-marathon events. During COVID lockdowns, starting on my 50th birthday I did 50 runs on 50 consecutive days covering 535km raising money for Women's Aid. On my 54th birthday I set out to do 54 in 54 days, but ended up doing 74days! I've run in the Alps, done multi-day events, trails in the mud, trails in the heat, trails in the wind, rain and snow. And the same on the road. I've made many mistakes.
In 2022 I completed MSc Applied Sports Physiology (Distinction) so that I could understand the science behind developing endurance performance. With the Endurance Project, I am combine two of the things that I enjoy the most - endurance sport (running) and helping people get better. I think it's a privilege to be able to help people in this way.
I take a human-centred approach that focusses on your needs, goals, experiences and circumstances - recognising that you are unique, so a one-size-fits-all approach is not effective. We will work together to achieve your goals considering you as a whole person, not just an athlete with physical sporting abilities. I work to empower you by building self-awareness, confidence, and self-reliance.
Improving takes hard work and commitment - if you are prepared to do the work, I will provide the right support to help you achieve your goals.
