Welcome to the Purple Patch podcast! A few weeks ago, we began a special series on case studies of Purple Patch athletes. In this series, we share their stories and insights to help you learn how they have benefited from the Purple Patch methodology. Our goal is to help you understand how this methodology and mindset can facilitate better performance in your own life. Our first athlete in this series was Mike Kane. Mike initially focused solely on fitness, but with some guidance, shifted his perspective towards health and habits and unlocked effectiveness in his training and how he showed up a ..read more

On this week's episode of the Purple Patch podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon delves into the topic of stress. Dealing with stress is crucial for personal growth, but it can also negatively impact your daily performance.  In this episode, Matt highlights the role of stress in nutrition and eating habits and emphasizes three key areas where your approach and the role of stress can determine your success or struggle.  Matt explains how different stressors can affect athletes' eating habits. He describes how stress can create weaknesses by disrupting regulatory processes that help ..read more

It's race season, folks! The season is beginning in full swing, especially in the northern hemisphere, and we have some exciting races to look forward to. It’s a perfect opportunity to test your limits, skills, and abilities, but most importantly, it’s an opportunity to have fun. IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon explores performance readiness and the racing mindset to help you perform your best on race day. The aim is to provide a fresh perspective to show up for your important events and focus on the things that will result in the best performance possible. Matt discusses the importance of tra ..read more

This week on the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon discusses high performance with Purple Patch athlete Mike Kane. Mike is the Chief Manufacturing Officer at Framebridge, a framing company based in New Jersey. He has been training with Matt as a Purple Patch athlete for a couple of years. Mike is the epitome of a time-starved athlete. He's a busy senior executive who travels a ton while trying to integrate sport into life by competing in athletic events such as marathons and Ironman competitions. In this episode, Matt and Mike detail the challenges and struggles they faced ..read more

In the latest episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon talks about the world of coaching and the importance of establishing a strong foundation of trust and commitment in your coaching relationship. Your perspective, mindset, and actions are key factors in creating a successful coaching relationship. When done correctly, this relationship can lead to positive outcomes. However, if not done properly, it can easily become stuck. Matt breaks down the discussion into three main parts: The value of being coached, the role of a coach, and how to make the most of your coac ..read more

Swimming can be a frustrating sport, especially for those who don't start early. With 90% of your body weight displaced, it's like competing in the weightlessness of space. Moreover, finding pool times, commuting, and improving technical skills can be quite challenging, especially for amateur triathletes. However, as a triathlete, swim training is essential for overall improvement. You need to minimize the time spent swimming to go faster while limiting physiological costs and fatigue. Swimming also has a cross-pollination effect on other sports, such as improved cardiovascular conditioning ..read more

We recently received a question from a Purple Patch Tri Squad athlete, asking if the Purple Patch Coaching Team keeps up with recent trends and scientific advances when it comes to developing and evolving Purple Patch training. He was particularly interested in factors such as Zone 2 training, blood lactate testing, keto or fat adaptive diets, and the methods of Norwegian athletes in endurance performance. He also wondered why the Purple Patch Tri Squad doesn't add forced rest days each week when prescribing training. At the core of his curiosity was a broader question: Does Purple Patch consi ..read more

This week, on a special edition of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon is celebrating his 50th birthday. To commemorate this significant milestone, Matt reflects on the past 50 years of his life, sharing 50 valuable lessons he learned from his experiences as an athlete, coach, and entrepreneur. These lessons are not only beneficial for athletes looking to enhance their performance but also for anyone who wants to improve their approach to work and life. Whether you are a coach, athlete, work leader, or parent, Matt's insights are sure to provide you with valuable perspect ..read more

Throughout our coaching journey, we have shared numerous stories of success in training top-tier triathletes and C-suite executives who strive to achieve and maintain high performance in their personal and professional lives.   Over two decades of coaching both groups, we have observed strong parallels in the challenges they face and the solutions to those challenges that are universally applicable. In this week's episode of the Purple Patch Podcast, Ironman Master Coach Matt Dixon highlights those elements by focusing on executives and CEOs. He delves deeper into the reasons why many of ..read more

We continue to kick off the year with our on-location podcasts from the 2024 Purple Patch Kona Camp. This year, we have 25 athletes who have put in some hard work and learned some valuable lessons. In this week's episode, IRONMAN Master Coach Matt Dixon talks about the importance of training camps and what athletes gain from coming together with like-minded individuals to be coached through the experience. Matt highlights three often overlooked components every athlete and coach should consider, as well as the main reasons why we have so many people returning to our training camp experiences y ..read more