Using Subjective Feedback to Drive Performance with Natàlia Balagué and Lluc Montull | Koopcast Episode 155
Episode overview:
Coach Koop discusses how athletes are Complex Adaptive Systems and how subjective feedback can be integrated into training.
Episode highlights:
(14:23) Athletes as complex adaptive systems: humans have nonlinear responses, context is key
(20:32) Physical context: comparing the context of training camps with daily life
(43:37) Long-term skills: improving subjective feedback, contextualizing feedback in the long term, examples
Our conversation:
(0:00) Intro: return to normal KoopCast schedule, contextualizing research, introducing Natalia and Lluc
(3:09) Subjective and objective athlete data: background, impetus for the study
(5:11) Natalia on researching subjective feedback: restructuring the way we approach sports science, the “why” behind training architecture, useless training metrics
(8:28) Lluc on researching subjective feedback: background, catering to athletes, coaches, and scientists
(10:06) Copy-pasting elite athlete training: benefits and drawbacks, failures of linear thinking, arbitrary metrics
(12:32) Fallacies of training scores: training load does not equal fitness, anecdote and examples
(14:23) Athletes as complex adaptive systems: humans have nonlinear responses, context is key
(17:19) Fallacies in coaching methodology: using experiential and outdated techniques, the importance of science in training
(18:58) Lluc on contextualizing objective values: using heart rate to track training
(20:32) Physical context: comparing the context of training camps with daily life
(22:55) Social context: using human experience over algorithmic methodology
(25:04) TrainingPeaks feedback: subjective and objective data
(26:11) Defining subjective and objective feedback: subjective monitoring includes social, physical and environmental contexts
(29:50) Bias and subjective feedback: bias also affects physiological systems, discussing perception and action
(34:02) Making sense of objective data: adding context, using subjective and objective feedback together
(36:13) Practicing subjective feedback: “garbage in, garbage out”, health applications
(40:41) Practicing self-awareness: mental skills, subjective training feedback, practicing physical as well as mental awareness
(43:37) Long-term skills: improving subjective feedback, contextualizing feedback in the long term, examples
(47:01) Objective subject measures: the limitations of subjective scores
(47:53) How to start subjective monitoring: cause-effect assumptions in sports science, understanding the body as a complex system, network physiology
(52:33) Lluc’s advice for athletes: see how you react to environmental changes, changing training architecture by how you feel
(54:40) Wrap-up: giving thanks, recap of key points
(55:29) Outro: giving thanks, KoopCast scheduling, the Running Event
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