PALMARES Avis 

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I genuinely cannot praise Jon enough for his coaching style and the improvement I have achieved.

As an aspiring competitive cyclist, I initially thought that pushing hard all the time was the way to improve my speed and fitness. I was randomly choosing hard workouts on Zwift daily and truly tiring myself out. Following this model, I did notice initial gains, but then those gains plateaued and I decided to hire a coach for a more personalised structured programme.

After weeks of research, I felt that Jon's scientific background suited me perfectly. He explained the benefits of every workout with evidence based scientific articles. We discussed goals (of which mine kept changing) and adjusted the weekly structured training plans accordingly. Through him, I learned that our body needs to adapt and that it is actually detrimental to solely do hard sessions all the time. Throughout this time, he provided constant feedback and was always available for questions. He has been extremely supportive with all my achievements and I cannot thank him enough!

Eight months later, I am at my fittest. My fitness levels, speed, and confidence have truly improved, at an almost exponential curve. Despite not having many events to train for, I feel that he has given me an excellent base to continue working on and apply to races next year.

In early 2018, I had a life changing break in between job, as the company I worked for got sold. That break was a blessing. I quickly picked up road cycling that I briefly had tried a few years back….

Logic dictates I am too old for climbing fast. And if you consider the lifestyle I had for the last 15 years on top of that, odds were stacked against me.

The Lysebotn climb really got on my mind during the summer of 2018. In my view the most beautiful climbs in the world – consisting of 27 switchbacks the segment goes for 8.7 kilometers, elevating 855 meters.

I started working with Jon Baker / Palmares during pre-season in March 2020 with the overarching goal of getting the Lysebotn KOM. Jon helped me understand that it’s never about how hard you work, it’s about how smart you work. And that a smart athlete trains to adapt.

Jon is highly professional, flexible, educational and know exactly was needed in order to achieve your goals.

Late June we hammered the Lysebotn KOM. After getting the crown we have been busy hunting other epic KOM including Stalheimskleiva, Ørnevegen, Strynefjellet and Tronåsen to mention a few.

See KOMs being documented with help from Jon @switchbacknorway on Instagram and Facebook.

I seeked a cycling coach that could help me based on science and take into account my situations in my pretty hectic life. Jon was perfect for that, explained me what I had to do, why it was important and most importantly I think made it simple for me so that it was really easy to execute my weeks. Couple examples; 1) simple power zones where to train 2) my weeks were blocks where I was able to switch my planned exercises easily to accommodate into my situations. Very smooth, simple and effective. Highly recommended!
I am middle aged executive from Nordics, trained 10h / week, ride mostly gravel in endurance style, improved my FTP from autumn to spring 11% (275W => 305W).

Had the pleasure of working with Jon at Palmares for a little over six months, and have nothing but positive things to say about the whole experience. From clear and consistent communication and encouragement to a well-structured plan that took into account all the quirks and specifics of my daily life, Jon's coaching had everything one could look for if becoming the best cyclist you can be is your goal. In addition, Jon is never more than a text away in case of questions or last-minute adjustments and changes, which helps in keeping the training on track.

Although I ultimately decided to take a different direction - due to a change in objectives on my side - I think that my time with Jon as a coach has made me a better cyclist, in a way that had minimal negative impact on my life outside of sports and was incredibly efficient. I can thoroughly recommend him!

Right choice 100%.Training are very smart structured regarding on your current physical performance and gradually will lead you to success. I am working with Mr. Jonathan Palmares couch last three months and since beginning I start feeling much better. I achieved better results in endurance and power as well.After almost 3 years my fitness level become bigger then fatigue and I am feeling very light on rides.After all I don't have heavy legs any more and I am looking forward for every new training with excitement and good motivation.
If you are committed and disciplined and ready to follow this training programs, I can guarantied you great achievements and success.
I am very pleased and honored to have Mr.Jonathan for a cycling coach.

If you want to benefit from a similar level of insight and training planning knowledge as the pros, you cant go wrong with the Palmares plans. And Jon is really responsive if you have questions. It's like I now have a cycling coach!

I completed the Palmares Starter Plan and recorded a 5% improvement in FTP. The focus on getting the right balance between High and Low intensity workouts really paid dividends for me. Rather than endless intervals leaving me feeling tired this plan improved my basic aerobic fitness which then had a positive impact on my high intensity capacity. Additionally, the lower intensity workouts helped me sleep better and improved my morale. The scientific underpinnings of the plan are in the workout details along with clear instructions on how to perform the workouts. Recommended.

Palmares were recommended by a trusted friend and they did not disappoint. My 2 seasons of coaching by Rob Brundish were my most successful racing seasons ever. The improvement in my performance after a few months of switching to Palmares was marked and despite hitting my 40s my power across all ranges increased. I was most impressed by Rob's ability to keep the sessions interesting whilst allowing me some structural wiggle-room for my social life and the way he managed my training load to ensure high form for target events. He's very easy to talk to, gave great insights in response to my daft questions, and is generally a good egg and great coach. I have stopped racing now but would return to Palmares in a hearbeat if I ever start again, cannot recommend highly enough. Thanks Rob.

Easy to follow training plans with great email support from Jon. Would 100% recommend taking up one. Will be using mine to get me through to the start of the season.

Jon is always fast n answering questions, and the training-programs look promising and are fair priced.

I only just started, so later I will give my feedback on the results en my experience while progressing..

But for now: Happy days here and thumbs up!

Quality and detailed coaching service, really impressed with palmares. I 100% reccomend and wouldn't go anywhere else

having spent numerous years haphazardly riding my bike and seeing some improvement I decided it was time to get a coach. In August 2019 I found Jon on TrainingPeaks and gave him the task of getting me to qualify for the UCI Gran Fondo World Championships in Vancouver. My training plan started off slowly and built up over the next few months to where I was doing a variety of endurance rides and one interval training ride per week. I stuck with the plan as religiously as possible. My first qualifier was in Varese Italy in October and whilst I didn’t qualify I did manage the course much better than expected including a 20 minute climb maintaining an average of 270 watts.

I have just completed my second qualifier in Dubai and not only did I qualify but I also came first in my age group completing 100km in 2 hours 36 mins, just under 40kph. I will now be planning my trip to Vancouver!

Needless to say I shall be continuing with Palmares and Jon’s new task is to get me to win there :-)

Jon has been an excellent coach and one of the few people that has managed to work around my schedule and kept me in shape and always prepared me well for my A races.

His knowledge of physiology and how to try and get the best from you is excellent and I have really enjoyed training and the variety he introduces.

Palmares have been a pleasure to deal with. The training plan has been comprehensive, but easy to follow and is already bearing fruit.. Jon is always on hand to answer any questions that may have arisen. Thoroughly recommend.

As an amateur cyclist Palmares gives me the necessary tools to ride at a higher level. Taking into account the available time. Not always easy with family, busy job... Planning is done periodically in consultation after which I start working with the info. Jon mainly acts as a sounding board and adjusts or gives tips where necessary. This way I can get the most out of it within my possibilities and busy life.

Jon is a great coach who digs deep into the root causes of success, for cycling training, with a simple and effective approach.

Used this for quite a while when road racing. Great insight into power as a training tool. Explanation of Training load and the importance of recovery. Easy to understand. Great improvements. Good communication. Highly recommended.

Highly professional, comprehensive, top-class coaching.

The support and coaching is fantastic. The advice and training plans are clear to follow and it's good to know that the science and expertise are behind each session to help achieve my goals.