How to Train Your Brain to Race to Your Potential | World Tour Neuroscientist David Spindler, PhD

Most triathlon training focuses on physiology and skills. Dr. David Spindler argues that the brain is the missing piece, and that you can (and should) train your brain to better process pressure, adapt under stress, and execute under fatigue. This episode will teach you how to do this.

Dr. David Spindler is a neuroscientist and cognitive performance specialists who has worked with athletes at the very highest level (including with Sir Mark Cavendish, Sam Laidlow, Chelsea Sodaro, Katie Courtney, and Tom Evans) and across sports from cycling, triathlon and trail running through soccer and Formula 1.

HIGHLIGHTS AND KEY TOPICS:

• The brain's central role in athletic performance: coordination, decision-making, focus, emotional regulation, fatigue perception, and recovery.

• Allostatic load: why amateur triathletes carry far more cognitive stress than professionals, and how to account for it in training.

• How the brain controls pacing, and why perceived effort rises and the efficiency of firing muscles drops when the brain decides an effort isn't sustainable.

• Self-efficacy vs. confidence: why they are different, and how to address a lack of self-efficacy as a triathlete.

• Self-regulation: why understanding how your brain and body behave under stress matters, and how poor self-regulation undermines both triathlon training and the athlete-coach relationship.

• Joy and happiness as recovery tools: why they are the most effective mediators of cortisol, and how to find joy and happiness in training and life (it’s not the same as dopamine hits)

DETAILED EPISODE SHOWNOTES:

• We have detailed shownotes for all of our episodes. The shownotes are basically the podcast episode in written form, that you can read in 5-10 minutes. They are not transcriptions, but they are also not just surface-level overviews. They provide detailed insights and timestamps for each episode, and are great especially for later review, after you've already listened to an episode.

• The shownotes for today's episode can be found at scientifictriathlon.com/tts699

LINKS AND RESOURCES:

• Psychobiology of fatigue during endurance exercise (researchgate.net/publication/332783788_Psychob…) - book chapter containing much of the seminal work of Prof. Samuele Marcora. For more related research and science, see Prof. Marcora’s ResearchGate page here (researchgate.net/profile/Samuele-Marcora/publi…), and listen to my podcast interview with him here (scientifictriathlon.com/tts17).

• Mark Cavendish: Never Enough (netflix.com/pt-en/title/81568626) - Netflix documentary in which Dr Spindler makes an appearance

• Endure: Mind, Body, and the Curiously Elastic Limits of Human Performance (amazon.com/Endure-Curiously-Elastic-Limits-Per…) - book by Alex Hutchinson

• How Bad Do You Want It?: Mastering the Psychology of Mind over Muscle (amazon.com/How-Bad-Do-You-Want-It-audiobook/dp…) - book by Matt Fitzgerald

• Relentless: Secrets of the Sporting Elite (amazon.co.uk/Relentless-Secrets-Sporting-Alist…) - book by Alistair Brownlee

WHAT SHOULD I LISTEN TO NEXT?

If you enjoyed this episode, I think you'll love the following episodes, related to the brain, psychology and mental skills aspects of triathlon and endurance performance.

• Brain training and psychobiology of endurance performance with professor Samuele Marcora | EP#17 (scientifictriathlon.com/tts17)

• Mind, body, and the curiously elastic limits of human performance with Alex Hutchinson | EP#101 (scientifictriathlon.com/tts101)

• Mindfulness, Mental Fatigue, and Brain Endurance Training with Walter Staiano, PhD | EP#207 (scientifictriathlon.com/tts207)

• Psychology and triathlon performance with Stuart Holliday | EP#364 (scientifictriathlon.com/tts364)

• Josephine Perry, PhD | EP#415 (scientifictriathlon.com/tts415)

You can find our full episode archiveshere (scientifictriathlon.com/podcast-archives), where you can filter for categories such as Triathlon Training, Racing, Science & Physiology, Swimming, Cycling, Running etc.

You can also find separate archives for specific series of episodes I've done, specificallyQ&A episodes (scientifictriathlon.com/qa),TTS Thursday episodes (scientifictriathlon.com/ttst), andBeginner Tips episodes (scientifictriathlon.com/beginner-tips).

SPONSORS:
• Precision Fuel & Hydration (sweattest.precisionhydration.com/discount/TTS2…) produce our favourite gels, sports drinks, and electrolyte and carbohydrate products here at That Triathlon Show and Scientific Triathlon. Use the free Fuel & Hydration Planner (precisionhydration.com/planner/?code=TTS2026&a…) to get a personalised plan for your carbohydrate, sodium and fluid intake in your next event, and get 15% off your first 2026 order by using the code TTS2026 at checkout.

• Rouvy (rouvy.com/triathlon?utm_source=thattriathlonsh…) is hands down the most complete indoor cycling platform for triathletes. Among their thousands of beautiful bike courses from all around the world, all filmed in stunning quality, they have over 75 IRONMAN and IRONMAN 70.3 race courses plus 20+ Challenge Family courses, so you can pre-ride your race from home. Real gradients, real visuals, and real feel! Head to rouvy.com/triathlon?utm_source=thattriathlonsh… and use the code TTS to get your first month free on top of a 7-day free trial.

• Effortless Swimming (shop.effortlessswimming.com/?utm_source=podcas…) produce the best swim goggles for triathletes and open water swimmers. Their NanoClear anti-fog lenses give you clear, fog-free vision that lasts and doesn't wear off. Don't let foggy or leaky goggles ruin another swim. Go to shop.effortlessswimming.com/?utm_source=podcas… and use the code TTS15 to get 15% off your goggles, and get a free two-month Effortless Swimming course membership.
LEARN MORE ABOUT SCIENTIFIC TRIATHLON:
• TheScientific Triathlon website (scientifictriathlon.com) is the home of That Triathlon Show and everything else that we do
• Contact us through ourcontact form (scientifictriathlon.com/contact) or email me directly (note - email/contact form messages get responded to much more quickly than Instagram DMs)
• Subscribe to ourNewsletter (scientifictriathlon.com/newsletter)
• Follow us onInstagram (instagram.com/scientifictriathlonhq)
• Learn more about ourscientifictriathlon.com/coaching/,training plans (scientifictriathlon.com/plans), andtraining camps (scientifictriathlon.com/training-camp-mallorca). We have something to offer for everybody from beginners to professionals.
HOW CAN I SUPPORT THAT TRIATHLON SHOW (FOR FREE)?
I really appreciate you reading this and considering helping the show! If you love the show and want to support it to help ensure it sticks around, there are a few very simple things you can do, at no cost other than a minute of your time.
• Subscribe to the podcast in your podcast app to …