Have you heard of Magtian Blummentlev, who has a 500 watt FTP, a VO2max of 100 mL/(kg*min), is huge and tiny, and intimidates small children - until they realize he's just a nice uncle, as long as they don't annoy him?

Blu is the king of trolling.

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"FTP is a bit 2015, don't you think?" - Gustav Iden

7700 ml/mn VO2 peak is not usual indeed.

And the RER is still below 1 (0,94) indicating that there is still fat consumption. So probably either low lactate production or great lactate metabolization, or both.

Would be interesting to have final blood lactate concentration.

Either wrong reading from the equipments, either some progression...

But... can he swim ? (pink, of course, sort of LS infused joke)

The video is up now! The numbers were so high the coach clearly thought they were wrong, but the verified and said everything looks correct! Blum is better than ever in all 3 diciplines by quite the margin it sounds like and on the bike he is better than ever not only for time of season but all time! Scary!
I hope they don't burn him up before Paris!

And what a contrast to the Lionel videos, polar opposite!

Even so, at this point I'd bet Blu won't be on the podium in Paris. Maybe I'll revise that opinion if we see some of his old magic return in early season races this year, but he hasn't really been much of a feature since coming back to short course has he?

Nope he hasn’t featured at all. I don’t think he’ll podium at the Olympics either and if Yee and Wilde show up healthy I’ll be shocked if they don’t finish 1/2 with a Frenchman rounding it out.

One can't make significant claims without significant evidence, but something is definitely suspicious. (Now I don't know anything just a gut feeling).

Am I alone here?
And no, I'm not trying to be a pos..

That depends, has Blummenfelt lost his motivation to run on a wheel?

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/...both%20line%20types.

"EPO treatment significantly increased VO2,max by approximately 5% in both the HR [EPO] and C lines, with no dosexline type interaction. However, wheel running (revolutions per day) [by mice] did not increase with EPO treatment in either the HR or C lines, and in fact significantly decreased at the higher dose in both line types...Moreover, we hypothesize that the decrease in wheel running [by mice] at the higher dose of EPO may reflect direct action on the reward pathway of the brain."

The feeling I get watching that video is a sense of how "mechanical" the Norwegian method seems to be. I know his fitness is stratospheric, but sometimes it seems like they're just training to hit higher numbers in the lab. Can that be translated into results this year?

Am I alone here? //

Not sure if you are alone, but perhaps the lack of response to your question is an indication? I mean their are the usual suspects that think everyone is doping, sure they will chime in eventually, but I think for most of us fans, and the peers of these guys, they feel they are playing fairly. Now of course virtually no one has the resources they do, and a coach thinking out of the box at the very pointy end of human performance. And even he isn't set in his ways, changing with each new bit of information that didnt fit into the old equations.


Blu is just one of those real freaks that come around once a generation. I mean look at the guy, you would maybe think he could ride flats pretty good, but as far as body shape, looks nothing like most elite runners and swimmers. But there he is, hammering sub 28 10k runners in the biggest race in the world, and completely trashing them for the last k. And now he has swam his way into the super elite lead group in swimming, taking a spot in front of Jan in that last PTO race they did with the pace on from the gun..And now this video shows his bike power has also increased, dude is going to be really hard to beat in non draft races going forward. He already was, but now with several retiring and aging up, he could be setting the tone for some time to come.


But of course there is the pesky olympic thing that has to happen first, and he basically needs the same race as last time. Running in the last k's with the same two guys, and just finding a gear that neither of them have in a long drawn out sprint...I will not be betting against him there, other races yes, but just not there...

Lab tests are leading indicators of race performance. If the Norskies only performed in the lab you could argue that they “ only train for the numbers”. But history has shown that when they get it right they are very hard to beat.

And that’s his problem - the others will not allow the race to play out in his favour. Yee and Wilde are more mature and confident than they were in Tokyo, so will afford him no respect. The French will likely be doing what they need to as a team to give best chance of one of them winning, so the pace will likely be too strong for a last km kick to be the winning move.
I don’t write Blu off, as that would be foolish. But for me he’s not a favourite.

Do you think the pace was slow last time?

Yea and Wilde are not going to dictate this race until several K's into the run, and only if everything goes perfect before then. As we have seen both of those guys can get caught out in the swim and never get back to the real race. It will be the French and Aussies with a few others that will dictate how the race plays out, the last medal winners will be chasing hard just to get to where their runs will matter.

And dont really understand how their confidence would be higher now, I imagine they still have PTSD from what happened the last time. And you can bet they are not looking at what has happened since, they know what this guy is capable of on the big day. I do think the mens race will come together at some point on the bike, which all 3 of them need. So expect instead of 3 guys left at 6k into the run, their could be 5 to 7 left there for the final k's.

And I also dont consider Blu the favorite, just the most feared in the pack at 5k left to go. I would however put money on him if the odds were 5 to 1 or better, because on the day the race can be such a crapshoot and the favorites often dont take the top spot. I would bet on the guy with the best odds out of those 3, just figuring it will be Blu because of recent history in ITU racing...

And dont really understand how their confidence would be higher now, I imagine they still have PTSD from what happened the last time.

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Maturity and top results in said sport goes a long way in an athlete's confidence to overcome whatever PTSD you suggest they will have.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

There was a female pro years ago who would race like 30 IM's a year. Someone in the media asked her why she would do that...."So I don't have to train".

I sometimes think Blu has this crazy race schedule simply so he can be free from being the Drago of triathlon stuck in the lab training all the time.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

In Tokyo, Yee especially was still pretty green. He seems quite a humble guy. My impression was that however much he believed in himself, to be on the podium was still a bit of a shock. Now, he knows that on his day he’s good enough to beat anyone.

If Yee had thought himself the favourite, perhaps there’d be some lingering PTSD as Monty puts is, but I don’t think he was ever in that mindset.

 


I sometimes think Blu has this crazy race schedule simply so he can be free from being the Drago of triathlon stuck in the lab training all the time.[/quote]
that is a ridiculous statement he is free to chose his coach.

otherwise the video is a good advertorial

Only on slowtwitch, in one page, that the olympic and IM champion only gets results in the lab and races because he doesn’t like to train. Lol.

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My Strava | My Instagram | Summerville, SC | 35-39 AG | 4:41 (70.3), 10:05 (140.6) | 3x70.3, 1x140.6 | Cat 2 Cyclist

Does everything have to be pink when it's half joking (lol I compared him as a fictional character for crying out loud lol)? The Norwegian method is very very scientific with training in this zone or that zone and this blood lactate daily test with and that power test being done. And it's fucking gotten incredible results for those very select individuals. It seems from afar that the "Norwegian method" is far more scientific/regimented and far less "art of coaching" applied to the principles of their training. Thus when you go race, many of those structures go out the window and you just have to react to the race situatino as it unfolds.

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Brooks Doughtie, M.S.
Exercise Physiology
-USAT Level II

+1

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Sorry if my english is pretty bad, I am not english native

-1

Even with the "Norwegian Method" I still think Blu is an anomaly. Meaning, if you took 25 athletes and used the same method none of them would reach Blus level. I think your see results, but coach wouldn't be scratching his head in disbelief. I wonder if Gustav seeing Blu excel will cause any depression within himself.

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http://www.sfuelsgolonger.com

I feel so bad for gustav!
Blu firing on all cylinders, while he had a shit year, slowly mentally getting back into it and then has to deal with a serious injury as well!

that is a ridiculous statement he is free to chose his coach.

otherwise the video is a good advertorial[/quote]
Aren’t the Norwegians trying to monetise their ‘method’ ?