Tim Spears

❤️Hope 🧡Strength 💙Resilience The blue cornflower, a symbol for the MND community, sits at the heart of our 2026 MND Awareness shirt — with its fragile appearance but hardy nature. Join us in supporting the work of the @LDShospcharity Rob Burrow Centre for MND. Let’s stand together for those affected by MND. #GlobalMNDAwareness More therhinos.co.uk/article/23293/…

@Marathon_Man365 Unreal effort @Marathon_Man365 … enjoy tomorrow legend 🙌👍

I’ve just completed my 99th marathon in 99 days… 26.2 miles everyday since 17th January. 🏃 Tomorrow I run my 100th - the 2026 London Marathon with my son, Beau.

@GavWilson 🤣

Yesterday we opened the hot tub for the first time this year, and our Norris wasted absolutely no time in finding out… 😂

@jennmndassoc Fantastic experience Jenn, it’s an amazing city. First half was pretty good, second half very tough ! As always, great to support the brilliant @mndassoc 🤝👍🟠🔵

@TimSpearsYCK Well done 👏 how was it?

Paris marathon done! 🟠🔵

Come on the @parismarathon let’s be having you! Thanks to everybody for their continued support for the wonderful @mndassoc , it’s really appreciated. Please share @CTRLFC @BatleyRLFC @FevFoundation @YorkRLFC @leedsrhinos @jennmndassoc

@leedsrhinos Awful news, rest in peace Geoff. Sincere condolences to all the Burrow family.💔

It is with deep sadness that the club has learnt of the passing of Geoff Burrow, the father of Rob Burrow. Our deepest condolences go to Geoff's wife Irene and the whole Burrow family at this time. May he rest in peace therhinos.co.uk/article/23118/…

@Hybridathlete @SummersJohns69 This is really interesting. My understanding of z2 is 60-70% of max HR, which would put yours 115 -135 ish bpm? How is yours as high as 150-155 and how is this established for each individual?

@SummersJohns69 All of my zones have been extensively tested. Models are good starting points but can be off. And I said 150-155 and I do have a very low resting HR.

Yep, especially true as your fitness improves. My top end Z2 running is 6:30-6:45min/mi and 150-155 HR but I do my easy runs mostly at 7:40-8:00 pace and 130-135 HR. My top end Z2 biking is ~270W and 140HR but I do most easy bikes at 200-230W and 120-125 HR. If I were to start doing all of my easy runs, even at 7:00-7:15 pace, or all of my bikes at 240-255W, it would start negatively affecting my training very quickly. And that's not to say I don't do any work in that range or at the top of Zone 2, because I do. Every week I probably spend ~20% of my easy training in high Zone 2. Simply put, any additional benefit (and arguably, there isn’t much, if any) of doing all of your easy training in mid to high Z2 isn't worth it due to the disproportionately higher recovery cost versus Z1 work. In the short term, and on lower volume training, you can get away with doing mostly zone 2 but eventually, it'll catch up to you. If your goal is long-term consistency and improvement, you should focus on keeping the easy days truly easy. And a quick disclaimer before a bunch of you lose your mind in the comments: I'm not saying you should completely avoid zone 2. I'm just saying the majority of your easy work should be zone 1, with targeted Z2 “intervals” worked in when necessary. A good example of this that I have my clients do and that are in my programs is what I call "easy plus steady run". For me, “easy” is Z1 and “steady” is mainly high Z2. An example would be this: 20-25 mins easy + 15-20 mins steady And how that would look for me is over the first 20-25 mins I'd probably start off around 8:30 pace and steadily work it down to about 7:30 pace by the end of the easy portion. Then the steady portion I would work from probably 7:15 pace down to 6:30-6:45 pace depending on how I feel.

@Hybridathlete Great work mate. Is the rest completely static?

Yesterday's Training: 10AM: Running 4x1 mile sub threshold (6:08->6:03) 2x200m at 5:00/mi pace 2x100m fast 400m at 6:00/mi pace 100m bodyweight walking lunges (2:05) 400m at 5:20/mi pace *1:00 rest between 1 mile reps, 200m reps, and 100m reps. 3PM: Biking 10 mins Z1 6 sets of: 1:00 Z1 (200W) 1:00 Z2 (240W) 1:00 Z3 (280W) 1:00 Z4 (320W) 1:00 Z5 (350W) This was fun, first time really doing anything harder than sub threshold on the bike so still figuring out right wattages. Did last min at 450W for fun. Will likely do a full profile test soon to figure out higher zones a bit better, or just do a 5 and/or 20 minute test. These are probably pretty close tho. Runs felt great. HR barely even left Z3 on the mile repeats. And the 400m after the walking lunges felt great.

@DeanTTraining Not knocking your statement for bodybuilding / isolation purposes, but just think it’s important to recognise horses for courses.. 🤝👍

@TimSpearsYCK Based on nothing other than status quo bias

Every man lives 2 lives The second begins when he realizes free weight exercises place a much higher reliance on ancillary musculature than machine exercises b/c of their greater coordination/stability demand… Which is EXACTLY why they are INFERIOR for hypertrophy

@DeanTTraining … Haugen, M.E., Vårvik, F.T., Larsen, S. et al. "Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis." BMC Sports Science, Medicine and Rehabilitation 15, 103 (2023)

@DeanTTraining Read this and come back to me:

@DeanTTraining And multiple scientific studies…

On 12 April 2026 I will be running the Paris marathon in support of the Motor Neurone Disease Association. Check out my @JustGiving page and please donate if you can. Thank you! #JustGiving justgiving.com/page/t-spears-…

@410CavRecon @Hybridathlete Think this is pretty much exactly what @Hybridathlete is saying. The person needs to adapt their training to achieve the appropriate stimulus, therefore the person and their level of fitness has everything to do with it.

@Hybridathlete Depends on the person’s cardio training. The person has nothing to with it. Nobody naturally has cardio 🙄

Walk more. Bike more. Elliptical more. Anything where you can control your HR much easier and keep it ~125-145. You can still run a bit, but I’d do only short runs with long walks between, start with something like jog 1 min, walk 3-4 mins for 30 mins.

@chrisbatsford @statmanrhys I think when you hit that hard you’re always going to struggle to wrap both arms around someone and I think you can see an attempted wrap by both arms. Yep, agree, the flop on an already grounded player is a clear penalty.

Came across this clip of Jorge Taufua destroying his opposite number playing level 6 rugby union Some hit

@CoachFHM Nice chief… particularly like that last grindy rep.. what weight are you using there?

Weighted dips = elite Nails the whole pressing musculature at once. Also makes your shoulders even more resilient if you’re strong in this full stretch position. Control, precision, tension where we want it. No dip machine ever beats this for me.

@DeanTTraining Would a dumbbell preacher curl be equally effective Dean? Would have thought they would have greater tension at the bottom and be superior for grip strength?

Instead of WASTING YOUR TIME with this nonsense, just do the Biceps exercise I’ve attached here instead: (There are only a handful of Bicep exercises that even come CLOSE to this btw)