Aidan King Coaching and Fitness

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Aidan King Coaching and Fitness

Performance, Endurance and fitness coach and level 2 nutritionist helping you to and achieve your goals and more.

24/06/2026

🔥 Metabolic Flexibility: The Missing Piece of Zone 2

We all love Zone 2, right?

It’s the foundation of endurance training, helping build aerobic fitness, improve FTP, and support fat loss.

One of the biggest benefits of Zone 2 is improving your metabolic flexibility—your body’s ability to switch efficiently between carbohydrates and fat for fuel.

To encourage greater fat utilisation during Zone 2:

✅ Train first thing in the morning when glycogen stores are lower

✅ Avoid high-carbohydrate meals immediately before easy endurance sessions

But don’t make every ride a fasted ride.

Training with carbohydrates before and during some Zone 2 sessions helps your body become more efficient at using and absorbing carbs, which is crucial for longer rides and racing.

A simple rule:

🔹 70-80% of Zone 2 with carbohydrate availability

🔹 20-30% in a lower-carbohydrate state

The goal isn’t just to burn more fat—it’s to become more efficient at using both fuel sources when needed.

That’s metabolic flexibility.

Nutrition coaching and event preparation packages available at:

AKCoachingfitness.co.uk

Aidan King Coaching and Fitness

17/06/2026

🚨 The biggest performance-enhancing drug for endurance athletes is 100% legal… and you’re probably not getting enough of it.

😴 SLEEP.

You can nail every workout, hit every nutrition target, and buy every fancy recovery gadget—but if you’re sleeping 5-6 hours a night, you’re leaving speed, endurance, and recovery on the table.

While you sleep:
✅ Muscles repair
✅ Hormones rebalance
✅ Glycogen stores replenish
✅ Your brain locks in training adaptations

Want to run faster, ride stronger, and recover quicker?

Stop looking for the next hack. Start protecting your sleep. Magnesium is often related to improve sleep., but doesn’t really work? Future post to follow!

Your next PB might be waiting in your pillow. 🛏️💨

16/06/2026

Same business, more development and involvement, and growth as a coach and a business - oh and a new look!

15/06/2026

🚨 Endurance athletes: if you’re only running and cycling, you’re leaving performance on the table.

One of the biggest mistakes I see runners and cyclists make is treating strength training as “optional.”

It’s not.

Strength training isn’t just about building muscle or looking athletic.

It’s about becoming a more efficient endurance athlete.

Here’s why:

✅ Increased power output
Stronger muscles can produce more force with less effort, helping you climb hills, sprint harder, and maintain pace when fatigue sets in.

✅ Improved running economy and cycling efficiency
The stronger you are, the less energy you waste with every stride and pedal stroke with poor cadence or not being able to hold aero positioning on the bike.

✅ Reduced injury risk
Most overuse injuries aren’t caused by doing too much training. They’re caused by tissues not being strong enough to tolerate the training load.

✅ Better durability
The goal isn’t just to perform well in the first hour of a race.
It’s to still be performing well in the final hour. As well as creating longevity for life, it’s not about being strong today, it’s about supporting your weight in your elder years.

✅ Maintains muscle mass as you age
Endurance training alone isn’t enough to preserve strength and muscle over the long term.

The athletes I coach who consistently strength train aren’t just stronger in the gym.

They’re faster on event day.

If you’re serious about improving your endurance performance, stop thinking of strength training as something you do “if you have time.”

Make it part of the plan. Why not use one of our personalised training plans at akcoachingfitness.co.uk

👇 How many strength sessions are you currently doing each week?

11/06/2026

CLIENT TESTIMONIAL: Farhad

I’ve been working with Aidan for almost 6 months now and have been very happy with my progress, and rebuild to fitness post knee surgery.

The training plans are highly tailored and I particularly appreciate his responsiveness to any queries I may have. I would highly recommend him if you are looking to improve your cycling performance.

10/06/2026

🏃‍♂️⚡ 5-Day Carb Loading Breakdown for Endurance Events ⚡🚴

Carb loading isn’t just about eating a huge bowl of pasta the night before race day as explained in the previous post.

It’s a process of development and nutritional training, and in a basic form this:

📅 Day 5: Normal training with 5-6g carbs per kg body weight. (400-480g per day for a 80kg individual)
Focus on quality carbohydrates at each meal while maintaining balanced nutrition.

📅 Day 4: Moderate training with 6-7g carbs per kg
Increase portions of rice, oats, potatoes, fruit, and whole grains.

📅 Day 3: Reduced training with 7-8g carbs per kg
Begin shifting the plate toward a higher carbohydrate intake while reducing overall training volume.

📅 Day 2: Light training with 8-10g carbs per kg
Prioritize easy-to-digest carb sources and stay consistent with hydration.

📅 Day 1 (Pre-Race): Minimal activity with 7-9g carbs per kg (560-720g)
Aim for frequent meals and snacks rich in carbohydrates while avoiding foods that may cause gastrointestinal discomfort.

🏁 Race Day:
Top up glycogen stores with a familiar carbohydrate-rich breakfast (overnight oats, porridge, kedgeree) 2-4 hours before the start.

✅ Benefits of proper carb loading:
• Increased muscle glycogen storage
• Improved endurance capacity
• Delayed onset of fatigue
• Better race-day performance

Remember: Carb loading strategies are individualised based on body weight, event duration, training status, and gut tolerance. If you are wanting nutrition or race day support then get in touch: akcoachingfitness.co.uk or the socials.

09/06/2026

🚴‍♂️ CARB LOADING: WHY I PREFER 5 DAYS OVER 3 🚴‍♀️

Many athletes still follow the traditional 2–3 day carb-loading protocol before a big event. While that can work, I’ve found that a more gradual 5-day approach often produces better results for endurance cyclists and runners.

Why?

✅ **Less digestive stress**
Trying to dramatically increase carbohydrate intake over just a few days can leave individuals feeling bloated, sluggish, and uncomfortable. Spreading the intake across 5 days allows the gut to adapt and tolerate the extra fuel more effectively.

✅ **More complete glycogen storage**
Your muscles store carbohydrates as glycogen — your primary fuel source during long rides and races. A longer loading phase allows athletes to steadily maximise glycogen stores without needing huge carbohydrate intakes each day.

✅ **Better energy availability**
A gradual increase in carbohydrate intake supports training quality during the final days before an event while ensuring energy stores are consistently topped up.

✅ **Reduced race-week anxiety**
Many athletes struggle to hit extremely high carbohydrate targets in a short window. A 5-day strategy reduces the pressure and makes the process more practical and sustainable.

The goal isn’t just to eat more carbs. It’s to arrive at the start line feeling fuelled, confident, and ready to perform.

Remember: carb loading isn’t about the night before. It’s about the week before.

How do you approach your race-week nutrition? 👇 future post to come on the breakdown of a carb loading week.

Do you need support for your next endurance event? Get in touch for real life, tried and tested support and feedback.

04/06/2026

🔥 HALF MARATHON PB IN 27°C HEAT 🔥

Most people saw the result. What they didn’t see was the preparation behind it.

Running a PB in hot conditions doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from having a plan and executing it when the pressure is on.

Here’s what we did:

✅ 30g gel every 5km to keep carbohydrate intake consistent throughout the race.

✅ 2000mg electrolytes 90–120 minutes before the start to begin the race well hydrated and support fluid retention.

✅ Months of heat training on the indoor bike using a Sensor and hydration testing to improve heat tolerance and understand individual sweat losses.

✅ Making the most of every water station — not just for hydration, but also pouring water over the head and body to help reduce core temperature and manage heat stress.

✅ A structured 5-day carb load, gradually increasing carbohydrate intake across the week to maximise glycogen stores without feeling overly full or sluggish.

When race day temperatures climb, pacing matters. But your hydration, fueling, heat adaptation and preparation matter even more.

A huge PB on a very hot day and a perfect example of preparation meeting ex*****on. 👏🔥

01/06/2026

🚨 Exercise burnout isn’t just feeling tired after a hard workout.

For cyclists, runners, and gym-goers, burnout can show up as:
• Constant fatigue despite getting enough sleep
• Declining performance even when training hard
• Elevated resting heart rate
• Decreased HRV
• Loss of motivation to train
• Persistent soreness and slower recovery
• Increased risk of injury and illness

More training doesn’t always mean more progress. Fitness improvements happen when training stress is balanced with proper recovery.

The goal isn’t to train as hard as possible—it’s to train consistently over time.

Recovery strategies matter:
✅ Easy days between hard sessions
✅ Adequate sleep
✅ Proper nutrition and hydration
✅ Deload weeks
✅ Listening to early signs of fatigue

This is something head coach Aidan has been doing, with demands of final uni essays (on burnout), PT courses, half marathon blocks and races as well as working full time, it’s time for some down time as an athlete and as someone growing a brand.

Trying new things, having a week off everything and climbing a mountain has been the reset he’s needed and will be back to the usual consistency and content soon.

Remember: the strongest athletes aren’t the ones who never rest. They’re the ones who know when to push and when to recover.

Train smarter. Recover better. Perform longer. Always embrace progress 🚴‍♂️🏃‍♂️🏋️‍♂️

24/05/2026

Does training, consistency and hard work pay off?

Absolutely it does! Head coach Aidan had some unfinished business post debut marathon in March. The place for this redemption? Exeter’s great west run.

25 degrees, hilly and far from ideal PB conditions but the grafting process pays off and Aidan jumps in with a sub 1:35!

Since starting running in October, it has snowballed drastically with running becoming a key part of his training program. But what a way to mark a comeback from injury with this run, on today of all days.

Next up Budapest in September for a flat, and hopefully fast half marathon.

Address

Exeter Hill
Cullompton
EX151DJ

Website

http://akcoachingfitness.co.uk/

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