Hi, I’m Chris, founder of Point Zero. I started Point Zero to help people train more efficiently and develop a better understanding of their own physiology. Too often, athletes train hard without really knowing whether their training is targeted in the right way. My aim is to make performance testing and structured training insight more accessible, so athletes can make better decisions, waste less time, and get more from the work they put in.
My background in endurance sport began in swimming, where I competed at an international level from a young age. I was fortunate to have access to a comprehensive support team around my training, and performance testing was a central part of that environment. Understanding how the body responds to training, how to manage intensity, and how to develop both speed and endurance shaped how I think about performance to this day.
As I moved from pool swimming into long distance open water, my training had to evolve. The demands were very different. Endurance became the foundation, with long hours in the water and a greater focus on sustainable pacing and energy management. At the same time, I was always conscious of holding on to the speed I had developed in my earlier sprint focused training. That balance between endurance and speed became a key part of how I approached training, and it was where physiology and performance testing began to make real sense. Understanding lactate response, training thresholds, and how different intensities develop different systems helped bring structure to that balance rather than relying on guesswork.
That approach carried me through some of my favourite endurance challenges. I completed the English Channel in 2007, the Straits of Gibraltar in 2008 and 2010, and the swim around Manhattan in 2017. Each event demanded a slightly different preparation, but the principle was always the same. The better you understand your physiology, the more effectively you can train for the specific demands of the event.
Over time my focus has shifted more towards cycling and triathlon. My racing days are largely behind me, but the mindset has never really changed. I still enjoy seeing how good I can be, and I still believe in the same principle that underpinned my swimming. Train smart. Point Zero is built around that idea. Using tools such as VO2 and lactate testing alongside structured training, the aim is to give athletes clearer insight into how their bodies work so they can train with purpose, adapt their training as they improve, and perform at their best within the realities of everyday life.