Podcasts · The Marathon Podcast
#218 What Happens Inside Your Body During Low Intensity Training? | With elite coach Brant Stachel
· 1 h 14 min · S1 E218
Episode #218 What Happens Inside Your Body During Low Intensity Training? | With elite coach Brant Stachel
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Kristian welcomes back coach Brant Stachel for his third appearance on the podcast, this time to answer a question sparked by his own wife: why does low intensity training actually work?
Brant and Kristian dig into the physiology behind easy running, from mitochondrial density and capillary growth to the honest caveat that a lot of the exact science still isn't fully settled. They discuss why low intensity training has become such a hot topic in the sport, what elite programs seem to be finding through trial and error even without perfect research to back it up, and how to actually judge whether your easy runs are truly easy. The conversation closes with practical advice on using the talk test, ignoring your watch, and getting past the ego hit of running slow on Strava. Kristian then shares a full recap of his own training week, including a look ahead to Puma Project 3 athletes racing Berlin.
In this episode:
- Why Brant's wife inspired this episode's big question
- The physiology behind low intensity training, explained simply
- Mitochondrial density, capillary growth, and what the research actually shows
- Why elite training groups keep coming back to low intensity work
- What "easy" is actually supposed to feel like
- Using the talk test instead of your watch
- Getting past the ego hit of slow paces on Strava
- Kristian's own training week recap
- A preview of Puma Project 3 athletes racing the Berlin Marathon
Timestamps
00:00 Welcome and the question that sparked this episode
02:10 Announcing the podcast's sponsorship with Saysky Copenhagen
04:51 Welcoming Brant Stachel back for his third appearance
08:10 The alphabet soup of training zones and paces
20:22 An honest look at what the research actually shows
25:03 The capillary system explained through a father's advice
39:36 Why zone two became such a hyped up trend
46:55 Ditching heart rate and pace altogether for a season
51:30 What easy is actually supposed to feel like
52:07 Using the talk test to judge your effort
55:21 Getting past the ego hit of slow Strava times
56:11 Wrapping up and planning a future episode on hard training
57:39 Kristian's own training week recap begins
1:02:33 A breakdown of his easy runs and average heart rate
1:08:19 Looking ahead to Puma Project 3 athletes racing Berlin
1:13:01 Closing thoughts and thank you for listening
Brant on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/brant_stachel/
Brant on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC4Nd1yg5n94puosXxjeL5FQ
Start your free Musicbed trial: https://fm.pxf.io/kristianwarwick
Full episodes + the Boston 2025 documentary: https://www.youtube.com/@Warwickruns
Follow my training journey on Instagram: @warwick.runs
Music from Musicbed: MB01XPYH8ZYENVAMB0133EV2TCQFZY
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