The 3 Best Tools These Experts Recommend to Maximize Your Training

Coach Doug Guthrie, knows a thing or two about training tools he recommends for tracking workouts, cycling smarter and taking some of the guesswork out of training. With over 25 years as an endurance athlete, he’s taught triathlon beginners to avoid mistakes and shorten the learning curve.

For this reason, he personally trains with an older Garmin Epix Pro 2, while the Garmin fēnix 8 is the current model linked here. What Guthrie finds especially useful about a Garmin smartwatch is how many elements of training it can keep straight for you.

“They all do basically the same things,” he says. “They track all your sleep data, your pace, heart rate and running metrics. You can [even] load maps in.”

And it’s not all about numbers for Guthrie. It can also help take some of the guesswork out of following a workout. 

“I’m able to do a structured workout for my athletes that they can import into their watch,” Guthrie explained. “I use [TrainingPeaks’] platform to deliver my workouts to the athletes. It’s got all the data from the workout session in there. Depending on the athlete and the equipment that they have, I can structure the workout.”

Certified personal trainer Zach Schunder was tired of burning through workout pants. After seven years in the fitness industry, he found a pair of Lululemon athletic trousers that balance flexibility and durability with a more professional look he can work and train in. 

“I’ve had them for the past two years now and they’ve lasted longer than any other kind [of pants],” Schunder says about the Lululemon trousers. Part of what gives them that sweet spot between workout-ready and put-together is the material. 

“It’s an athletic-material pant, similar kind of [to the] material of leggings, but a little bit more khaki kind of feel to it,” Schunder added. “They last really well in the wash. They look nice too.”

For a long time, he says he was kind of trying to be a contrarian and be like, “I don’t want to buy Lululemon, it’s too expensive, it’s stupid,” Schunder explained. “I could just buy Target [pants], and the Target stuff would break.”

Eventually, he decided to give the brand a closer look. 

“I had two years of washing them probably twice a week and drying them,” Schunder says of their durability. He does admit, though, that his pair has had some modifications and isn’t ideal for maximum effort squats. “I had my first split, but my fiancée and I know how to sew, so it was fine.”

“I started writing about fitness and nutrition, because as someone who was perusing different websites and different articles on the matter, you notice that there's a lot of misinformation and a lot of people trying to steer you down the wrong road for their own commercial interests,” O’Reilly says. 

That’s why this particular protein powder caught his attention. “My favorite choice for [baking] is Naked Whey. This is an unflavored protein and if you look at the ingredients list on the back, there is one ingredient: whey protein concentrate. That's all you're getting,” O’Reilly shares. 

“What's great about this brand is they even show you the amino acid breakdown of the protein. So you know you're getting all the essential amino acids that are needed for a complete protein.”

According to O’Reilly, this is a great brand, and a great product. “I also really like it because there are different variations for people who are vegan, for people who just have lactose issues, or for people who want to go with a soy protein or even an animal-based protein.”

When it comes to cooking and baking applications of protein powder, O’Reilly has a few favorite recipes on hand. “I make protein ‘McGriddles’ and this is what I will use in my pancake batter. It has no chalky taste, it mixes really, really well with just about any liquid. You won't know that it's in there. I've served this to people and I'm like, this is a protein pancake.”