Welcome to
my Sports section!
Here you will find all the information on training, eating, competition and other sports-related issues. Whether you're a swimmer, cyclist, runner, beginner or professional, this information will help you reach your potential, prevent injuries, improve recovery, burn more body fat and compete better. (Photo above--Triathlete Colleen Cannon)
The Latest Articles
Occasionally, someone emails me an article that mentions me in the past tense as if I’m no longer around. Or that I’ve vanished, maybe marooned on some tropical island. Tim DeBoom wrote a short piece in the current issue of Triathlete Magazine about his experience of first visiting my clinic in 1994. His essay ends with this rather odd nugget that any quick Google search of my name would have easily made him think otherwise: “Maffetone has disappeared quietly from the sport of triathlon.” Read more.
Heart Rate Variability and How It Helps with Training and Racing
The Sun: Vitamin D and Athletic Performance
-- How the sun can help your training and racing!
Joining a Gym?
Read Bill Katovsky's article first.
Most popular articles:
-- What is the 180-Formula? (scroll down to read).
-- What is the MAF Test (scroll down to read).
-- The Overtraining Syndrome. Click to read.
-- Athletes: Fit But Unhealthy. Click to read.
-- Athletic Shoes. Click to read.
Looking for real heart rate monitor information? Check out the blog in Running Ahead, where folks talk tech.
Also, Read Triathlete Magazine's Mitch Thrower's new book review here.
New to MAF Training?
If you’re new to my approach of building optimal endurance and speed, and want to eliminate injuries and burn more body fat (or if you’re ready to try it all again), here’s a good place to start.
First, read some of the key articles on the website which highlight the basics of the program. These include:
- What is the 180-Formula?
- What is the MAF Test?
- The Overtraining Syndrome
- Athletic Shoes
Also read the Sports Forum questions and answers.
If you still have questions after reading these articles, send me an email. Or, check out the Running Ahead forum (click here)
Are You Measuring Hydration?
Dehydration continues to be the biggest problem in sports nutrition. While the best measurement of dehydration involves blood tests such as isotope techniques and plasma osmolality, most health care professionals and athletes can also rely on other practical evaluations. These include urine-specific gravity and urine osmolality.
Athletes can also learn to evaluate the color of their urine to monitor hydration. Pale yellow color or lighter usually indicates good hydration status, but if urine color is brighter yellow or a darker brown/tan color, this it may indicate dehydration.
Note: Synthetic vitamin B2 (riboflavin) typically produces a very bright yellow color of the urine within hours of taking it, typically through a vitamin supplement.
What Others Are Saying...
“Dr. Phil’s balanced nutrition and natural snacks were a significant part of my preparation for the Olympic Games in Sydney. Thanks Dr. Phil!”
-- Misty Hyman
Gold medalist, 200m butterfly
"I have benefited from Dr. Phil Maffetone’s teaching for many years now. He has been an inspiration and source of knowledge in endurance training, and allowed me to compete in triathlon and stay healthy enough to complete a rigorous orthopaedic surgery residency program. During that same residency program, I completed a study on the effect of shoewear on running biomechanics, and was first inspired to design the project because of Dr. Maffetone’s writings. The study won a prestigious award from an international sports medicine society, and I presented the study to favorable review at the society’s international congress in Switzerland. I have also put my research to the test--running barefoot in several triathlons—and have even won my age-group! Some of what you will read may run counter to conventional wisdom; but if you keep an open mind and contemplate what you read in the following pages, you will discover a new source of knowledge and a way to keep your feet working well for life."
-- William B. Workman, M.D.
Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Surgeon
“Dr. Maffetone's program is a sensible and balanced approach to better fitness and health”
-- Kent Johnston, former strength and conditioning coach, Green Bay Packers.
“By teaching "Maximum Aerobic Function," Dr. Philip Maffetone is following the philosophy that has come down to us from the ancient Greeks. Their emphasis was on the cultivation of the self. The maximum function of the body was part of their “art of existence.”
-- George Sheehan, M.D.
“Dr. Maffetone is one of the most sought after endurance coaches in the world”
-- Velo News
“The great conductor Arturo Toscanini once remarked, ‘Tradition is the last bad performance.’ Like Toscanini, Philip Maffetone questions some of the weary tenets of performance training. His stable of athletes is perhaps the purest expression of his craft.”
-- John Howard, bicycling legend and coach.
“Dr. Maffetone is a modern day medicine man whose views, practices and techniques extend far beyond the turbo charged adrenaline of the exercise kingdom.”
-- William R. Katovsky, founding editor of Inside Triathlon Magazine and Triathlete Magazine
"I consider Dr. Maffetone's advice an integral part of my success as an ultra-distance athlete. If your goal is to improve endurance, maximize energy and achieve optimal performance, this book is for you."
-- Stu Mittleman, World Ultramarathon Champion; member, Ultrarunning Hall of Fame.
The World Championship Pack-Burro race is a 29-mile run with a burro up and down a rocky 13,197-foot mountain pass in Colorado. The race course crosses high-altitude tundra and boulder fields, icy streams and snowfields that linger in the summer. I’d placed 2nd more times than I care to remember but wanted badly to win. Back in 1998 Dr. Phil Maffetone helped me put together a program to improve my endurance through better training and nutrition, and I won my first World Championship. Eleven years later I’ve now won the race six times, and at 49 years of age I’m looking for No. 7. (See photo.)
-- Hal Walter
“Dr. Maffetone’s system goes beyond dealing with symptoms; he looks at health and fitness as an integrated balance. He deals with the whole picture clearly and directly. Fascinating and illuminating…and I feel great!”
-- James Taylor, singer, recording artist.
“Thank you for the gift of your example; you’ve touched our lives. I appreciate your contribution to both my own physical health and to others.”
-- Anthony Robbins
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Coming This September 
FROM THE BACK COVER:
“Dr. Maffetone shares his lifetime of experience in helping athletes of all abilities to become better.”
— Dr. Tim Noakes, author of Lore of Running
Read Dr. Noakes Afterword here
"If you don't read Phil Maffetone, you're turning your back on one of the most powerfully probing minds in endurance sports. The brilliance of Maffetone's work is his re-discovery of the ancient understanding that the human engine doesn't need to be fueled on suffering, and that pain is only the penalty you pay for backburnering your brain. The best advice you could give any athlete, no matter what their level, is to read Maffetone and start over."
— Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Super Athletes, and The Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen.
To pre-order, click the title below:
The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing
by Dr. Philip Maffetone
SEE THE TABLE of CONTENTS here
Among the many new topics in The Big Book of Endurance Training and Racing is heart rate variability. Here's a great interview about this important subject that all athletes should better understand... click to read.
ENDURANCE Q&As
(there are many more in the Forum):Q: Which athletes benefit from endurance?
A: All of them. Endurance refers to building the aerobic system. This not only helps fat burning, but sugar burning too. And, aerobic function helps fast anaerobic muscles work better. In addition, those competing in very short events -- such as an all-out two-minute race -- rely on the aerobic system to provide 50% of their energy needs.
Q: Which is more important, training or eating?
A: Not long ago, there were athletes who focused mostly on training, and others who focused more on food. When I began working with athletes in the late 1970s, both training and diet were key issues. Today, the medical and scientific literature shows clearly that these two issues are intricately related. An athlete who wants to best for his or her body needs the best food, proper rest and efficient training to achieve optimal fitness and health.
Q: How can we get Dr. Phil's coaching and consultation?
A: Unfortunately, I do very little consulting these days -- I'm busy with writing fitness and health material, lecturing, writing music, tending to my year-round garden and working out. However, my friend and colleague Mark Allen does online coaching and I highly recommend him. Click on his photo below or go to MarkAllenOnline.com.
ARTICLES
Read Vera Stek's article, "Runner's High" with quotes from Dr. Phil on the phenomenon. Click here.
The Overtraining Syndrome
Perhaps the primary factor that prevents you from reaching your potential. By Dr. Phil.
Athletes: Fit But Unhealthy. Is death part of the game?
We read the sad headlines too regularly -- and it's preventable. By Dr. Phil.
Amenorrhea & Overtraining
An important issue for female athletes by Coralee Thompson, M.D.
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Below is Dr. George Sheehan's Introduction to Dr. Phil's first three editions of In Fitness and In Health
By teaching "Maximum Aerobic Function," Dr. Philip Maffetone is following the philosophy that has come down to us from the ancient Greeks. Their emphasis was on the cultivation of the self. The maximum function of the body was part of their “art of existence.”
We read in Seneca that we should spend our lives learning how to live. Primary to this was the training of the body. Everything a person did was important — exercise, diet, sleep, climate. Even the architecture of the house was thought to have an influence on health.
The emphasis on the care of the body is seen again and again in the works of philosophers since the Greeks. We are called upon repeatedly to have a sound mind in a sound body. The great Herbert Spencer in his treatise of education writes, “If you wish to be a success in this life you must first be a good animal.” And this thought is reiterated by Emerson. “Be first a good animal,” writes the sage of Concord.
How best to do that is being constantly amended and refined. As recently as 1972, a poll of Canadians asking about the rules of health elicited these three items: a balanced diet, a good night's sleep and regular visits to the doctor. These are obviously not enough. A return to basic principles and personal responsibility is necessary in order to live the athletic life.
This book, it seems to me, does not teach us how to be athletes, but rather it teaches us how to teach ourselves to be athletes. Ultimately, we must become our own individual coaches in this common goal. But first we must be convinced of the importance of everything we do — to or with our bodies. Our bodies are us. Our lives are our bodies in action. So we must live at the top of our powers.
There is no better time to start than now.
-- George Sheehan, M.D.
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Photos
Dr. Maffetone's guidelines are easy. All you need is
a heart rate monitor and a little patience. And yes you can do it just by slowing down and letting your body catch up with your mind. -- Mike Pigg
AMAZING! I went from a 40-minute 10K to a 35- minute 10K without training hard. – Colleen Cannon, World & National Champion triathlete; Founder -- Women's Quest
"Thanks Dr. Phil!”
-- Misty Hyman
Gold medalist, Sydney Olympics, 200m butterfly.
Hal and Laredo heading out on the World Championship Pack-Burro Race course.
Photo by Tim Van Riper
Heart rate monitor cartoon -- from the second and third editions of In Fitness and In Health.
Another record, on a rainy June afternoon.
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What is the 180-Formula?
As written in many articles and books over the past 25 years, below is a summary of this important training heart rate formula.
Dr. Phil Maffetone’s
The 180 Formula
(an excerpt from In Fitness and In Health)
The first step in the ideal exercise program is to find what level of effort is best for you. This corresponds to a particular heart rate, which, when not exceeded, will give you optimal aerobic benefits. This is the 180 Formula, and it’s been a solid, time-tested method of training the aerobic system in beginners, world class and professional athletes, and for the rehabilitation of many types of patients since the early 1980s.
Many people are familiar with the 220 formula, and others think the talk test works well. But neither are effective, and the 180 Formula replaces both. The talk test assumes you are exercising within your aerobic range if you can comfortably talk to an exercise partner during a workout. This test is unreliable and in fact often maintains someone in a mild anaerobic state.
The 220 formula is still widely used despite its inaccuracy. You subtract your age from 220 and multiply the difference by a figure ranging from 65 to 85 percent. The resulting number supposedly provides you with an aerobic training heart rate. This formula contains two serious errors. It assumes that 220 minus your age is your maximum heart rate. In reality, most people who obtain their maximum heart rate by pushing themselves to exhaustion (I don’t recommend you do this) will find it’s probably not 220 minus their age. About a third find their maximum is above, a third will be below and only a third may be close to 220 minus their age. The second inaccuracy is the multiplier, which can range between 65 to 85 percent. This arbitrary figure doesn’t consider a person’s overall health or fitness. Do you use 65 or 75 percent? How about 80 or 70 percent? Without a more precise indicator, you are leaving your training heart rate to a very wide range, and your fitness to chance.
Rather than guess, it’s best to use a formula that is not only more sensible, but has a proven success record and is more scientific: the 180 Formula. This method also considers physiological rather than just chronological age. To find your maximum aerobic exercise heart rate, there are two important steps. First, subtract your age from 180. Next, find the best category for your present state of fitness and health, as follows.
Calculating Your Maximum Aerobic Heart Rate:
1. Subtract your age from 180 (180 – age)
2. Modify this number by selecting one of the following categories:
a. If you have a history of a major illness, are recovering from any surgery or hospital stay, or if you are taking any regular medication, subtract 10.
b. If you have been exercising but have an injury, are regressing in your efforts (not showing much improvement), if you often get more than one or two colds or flu a year, have allergies or asthma, or if you have not exercised before, subtract 5.
c. If you have been exercising for at least two years and four times a week without any injury, and none of the above items apply to you, subtract 0.
d. If you are a competitive athlete, have been training for more than two years without any injury, and have been making progress in both training and competition, add 5.
For example, if you are 30 years old and fit into category “b”:
180 – 30 = 150, then 150 – 5 = 145 beats per minute
The result of the equation is your maximum aerobic heart rate. In this example, exercising at a heart rate of 145 beats per minute will be highly aerobic, allowing you to develop maximum aerobic function. Exercising at heart rates above this level can quickly add a significant anaerobic component to the workout, and stimulate your anaerobic system, exemplified by a shift to more sugar-burning and less fat-burning.
If you prefer to exercise below your maximum aerobic heart rate, you will still derive good aerobic benefits, but progress at a slightly slower pace. It always pays to be conservative, so if your resulting number is lower, it’s also safer compared to guessing it may be a higher number.
The only exceptions for this formula are for people over the age of 65, and those under the age of 16, as follows:
For seniors in category “c” or “d,” you may have to add up to 10 beats after obtaining your maximum aerobic heart rate. That doesn’t mean you must add 10 beats. This is such an individualized category, getting assistance from a professional would be very helpful.
For children under the age of 16, there’s no need to use the 180 Formula. Instead, use 165 as the maximum aerobic heart rate.
If you’re used to exercising, when you first work out at your maximum aerobic heart rate, it may seem too easy. Many people have told me initially they can’t imagine it’s worth the time. I tell them to not only imagine it will help, but to understand how the body really works. In a short time, exercise will become more enjoyable, and you’ll find more work is needed to maintain your heart rate. In other words, as your aerobic system builds up, you’ll need to walk, ride or dance faster to attain your maximum aerobic heart rate. If you’re a runner, your minute-per-mile pace will get faster; bikers will ride at higher miles per hour at the same heart rate; and so on.
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What is the MAF Test?
The MAF Test is the companion to the 180-Formula, helping to objectively measure progress and provide the earliest indication of potential problems in training.
Dr. Phil Maffetone’s
The MAF Test
(an excerpt from In Fitness and In Health)
Another important benefit of using a heart monitor is the ability to objectively measure your aerobic progress. Feeling good is one of the benefits of aerobic exercise. And feeling like you’re improving is good too, but subjective. A very objective measure of progress is accomplished using the maximum aerobic function test, or MAF Test.
The MAF Test measures the improvements you make in the aerobic system. Without objective measurements, you can fool yourself into thinking all is well with your exercise. More importantly, the MAF Test tells you if you’re headed in the wrong direction, either from too much anaerobic exercise, too little aerobic exercise or any imbalance that is having an adverse effect on the aerobic system (for example, from stress or poor diet).
The MAF Test can be performed using any exercise except weight-lifting. During the test use your maximum aerobic heart rate found with the 180 Formula. While working out at that heart rate, determine some parameter such as your walking, jogging or running pace (in minutes per mile), cycling speed (miles per hour) or repetitions (laps in a pool) over time. The test can also be done on stationary equipment such as a treadmill or other apparatus that measures output. If you want to test your maximum aerobic function during walking, for example, go to the high school track and walk at your maximum aerobic heart rate. Determine how long it takes to walk one mile at this heart rate. Record your time in a diary or on your calendar. If you normally walk two or three miles, you can record each mile.
Below is an actual example of an MAF Test performed by walking on a track, at a heart rate of 145, calculating time in minutes per mile:
Mile 1 16:32
Mile 2 16:46
Mile 3 17:09
During any one MAF Test, your times should always get slower with successive repetitions. In other words, the first mile should always be the fastest, and the last the slowest. If that’s not the case, it usually means you haven’t warmed up enough, as discussed later.
The MAF Test should indicate faster times as the weeks pass. This means the aerobic system is improving and you’re burning more fat, enabling you to do more work with the same effort. Even if you walk or run longer distances, your MAF Test should show the same progression of results, providing you heed your maximum aerobic heart rate. Below is an example showing the improvement of the same person from above:
September October November December
Mile 1 16:32 15:49 15:35 15:10
Mile 2 16:46 16:06 15:43 15:22
Mile 3 17:09 16:14 15:57 15:31
Performing the MAF Test on a bike is similar. When riding outside, the easiest method is to pick a bike course that initially takes about 30 minutes to complete. Following a warm-up, ride at your maximum aerobic heart rate, and record exactly how long it takes to ride the test course. As you progress, your times should get faster. Riding your course today, for example, may take 30 minutes and 50 seconds. In three weeks it may take you 29:23 and in another three weeks 27:35. After three months of base work, the same course may take you 26 minutes. Another option is to ride on a flat course and see what pace you can maintain while holding your heart rate at your max aerobic level. This works best on a stationary apparatus. As you progress, your miles-per-hour should increase. If you start at 12 mph, for example, following a three-month aerobic base you might be riding 17 mph at the same heart rate.
Perform the MAF Test regularly, throughout the year, and chart your results. I recommend doing the test every month. Testing yourself too often may result in obsession. Usually, you won’t improve significantly within one week.
For those who walk, or do other activities that, over time, will not raise the heart rate to the maximum aerobic level, it’s possible to do the MAF Test without using the maximum aerobic heart rate. Since it’s usually too difficult to reach that heart rate, choose a lower rate for your MAF Test. For example, if you have difficulty reaching 150, your max aerobic rate, use 125 during your walk as the rate for your MAF Test.
Performing the test irregularly or not often enough defeats one of its purposes — knowing when your aerobic system is getting off course. One of the great benefits of the MAF Test is its ability to objectively inform you of an obstacle long before you feel bad or get injured. If something interferes with your progress, such as exercise itself, diet or stress, you don’t want to wait until you’re feeling bad or gaining weight to find that out. In these situations where your aerobic system is no longer getting benefits, your MAF Test will show it by getting worse, or not improving.
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