Designing Optimal Training Loads with Purple Patch's Matt Dixon

Matt Dixon shares his clear and simple approach to coaching, emphasizing the importance of purpose, consistency, and developing foundational habits over chasing the latest trends or technologies. Whether you’re an ambitious amateur or a seasoned pro, this episode has valuable takeaways to optimize your training and life balance.

Matt is the founder and CEO of Purple Patch Fitness, a coaching company that caters to endurance athletes of all levels. Under his guidance, more than 1,500 Purple Patch athletes have qualified for the IRONMAN World Championships. He’s an IRONMAN U master coach, a former professional triathlete, and a two-time Olympic trials finalist in swimming with a master’s degree in clinical and exercise physiology.

Despite the common perception that high-volume training is essential for success, Matt demonstrated that a focused regimen, averaging about 10 hours per week tailored to fit an athlete’s lifestyle, was just as effective. While running a large tech company, one of his athletes won an IRONMAN World Championship overall as an amateur on a 10-hour-per-week training plan.

Standout Quotes

Performance Predictability: “What I do know is, what we’re looking to achieve in each week and how that links together week after week month after month and so it’s a shift of mindset but that’s how once an athlete gets that it unlocks because they they feel better they show up better and they have one magic thing which I think is something that breeds confidence and results performance predictability.”

“What it is, it’s a spirit of how do you maximize the total training time that you can do while it remains effective?”

On Maximizing Training Time

The Power of Training Camps: “For me, a camp is a really important moment where when athletes come and we do several a year, we put a lot of resources to them. They’re high ratio of coaches to athletes, and they really are immersive and experiential is the way I call it. And what what’s the purpose? Yes. You go away and do some great training, but the important part is it has to be driven by education and helping people develop tools that they can take home and apply in their own training environment.”

The Privilege of Pressure: “Pressure is a privilege. I think pressure and the word stress is really important because a lot of people view stress as something harmful that you need to try and reduce. High performers, whether it’s athletes or C-suite executives, they don’t find stressful situations comfortable. It’s not fun, but they know it’s necessary for growth.”

“It’s a practice that on a Sunday, typically, before you go into the week, you sit down no more than twenty or thirty minutes. And in order, you go through a process where first, you look at all of your life commitments.”

Purple Patch’s Sunday Special for Athletes