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Endurance performance is limited by the ability of the body to establish oxygen homeostasis.
Therefore, understanding biological processes underpinning the transport and uptake of oxygen is essential for maximizing performance.
We give athletes and coaches the tools necessary to understand their physiology and maximize their athletic potential.
Head Coach and Physiologist
Phil Batterson, Ph.D.
Critical Oxygen was started to allow me to synthesize and distribute information I have learned from my formal education and practical experience.
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The purpose of Critical Oxygen is to give coaches and athletes resources to train efficiently and effectively.
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Coached national-caliber/champion cross-country teams at the high school and junior college levels.
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Five peer-reviewed publications.
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ACRA Rowing National Champion.
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8th place Junior College Cross-Country Nationals Men's Team
Stop chasing numbers, start chasing physiology!
The critical oxygen training philosophy hinges on tracking your physiology in order to maximize performance. The ultimate goal of training is to maximize performance on RACE DAY!
Too many times, I see people ignore their physiology during training to chase numbers (speed, power, Strava segments, etc). People who take this approach generally wonder why they feel "flat", become burnt out, or injured. It's because you are training too hard too often! But how do we know if we are going too hard? By tracking your physiology.
Monitoring physiological metrics like heart rate, SmO2, HRV, and stress response gives us opportunities to tweak and tailor each workout to our bodies physiology on any given day to elicit the most benefit.
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In order to truly chase physiology, there are a few requirements:
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1) You must understand your physiology.
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2) You must understand how to evaluate your physiology.
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3) You must understand how to track and target your physiology.
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Understanding these three principles will allow for a methodical targeted approach to training and racing that will result in maximal performance!