Training Theory: There must be a system to the madness!
An article written by Sophie Herzog, Øyvind Sandbakk, Trond Nystad, Rune Talsnes
Training theory and the underlying scientific principles can sometimes seem a little overwhelming. With so many options (training programs, training platforms, “smart” gadgets, AI-guided assistants etc.), it’s challenging to separate the wheat from the chaff. Even more concerning, the sheer volume of information can often lead to “analysis paralysis,” making it harder to take good decisions. Therefore, we should remember Albert Einstein’s wise words:
“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”
This is especially true for coaches who want to design and implement the best possible systems and training plans for athletes who want to fulfil their potential. Coaches need to have a clear training philosophy and communicate it concisely so that athletes can easily follow and implement it.
Although long-term development and sustainable success in sport are dependent on a very complex combination of physiology, psychology, nutrition, and other factors, we always need to understand the basics first before we can move on to the details. Training is a little like preparing a steak – there is no need to focus on the spices if you do not have a quality steak to start with.
This article will focus on introducing basic training principles that should later enable you to plan and execute training in the best possible way.
There are many training principles which one should be aware of to ensure optimal development. Note, however, that the importance of each principle varies with (biological) age, training years, experience, physical and mental state, fitness, health, goals, and the sport(s) the athlete is participating in. Here, we provide a short overview of common main principles:
These principles provide building blocks to structure an effective training program and ensure that training is safe, challenging (enough), fun and effective. Optimal development requires attention to all of these principles. In this article, however, we will focus on the two principles that we believe are the most important to avoid underperformance in sports.
Continuity
Continuity in training is perhaps the most overlooked, and at the same time, the most important principle to safeguard. The importance of “continuity” is intuitive to understand, but unfortunately very hard to implement. Continuity requires a systematic approach to training and life, to ensure that the athlete can train well over a long period of time without having to take any breaks due to injuries, mental burnout, sickness, or other disruptive factors. Consistent and high-quality training without any breaks leads to a positive athlete development as the load (of training and life in general) is balanced, or in other words, “just right”. The athlete should not be training too much (negating injuries, being overly tired or “sick of training”), but the stimulus of training should be large enough to facilitate positive adaptations. To ensure continuity, one must be flexible and not be afraid to adapt the training plan to changing circumstances. This “sweet spot”, i.e., the balance between training load and recovery, is dependent on training years, health, life situation, environment, nutrition, mental state, sleep, and a wealth of other factors.
So how do we ensure continuity? Why are the best athletes in the world able to perform on a high level over long periods of time? The key is that they have found this dynamic “sweet spot”. In other words, they know what is required to train ”just right” and they have the resources to be a “24-hour athlete” (i.e., to focus on improving training quality, recovery, nutrition/hydration etc.) without losing balance in life. In addition, they have great body awareness and intuition, enabling them to take more correct decisions. This “skill” is of utmost importance to avoid mistakes in daily training and preparation, which would disrupt continuity. Athletes, coaches and teams are responsible to develop a culture and set of values that enable the best possible development. Toughness is often seen as a prerequisite for athletic success, but toughness, without a fine feeling for doing what is right, can jeopardize training. Who hasn’t heard the glorious and heroic slogans such as:
“No pain no gain” / ”The more the merrier” / ”Tough as nails” / ”Blood, sweat and tears” / ”A balance on a knifes edge”.
But now compare this to:
“Passion for training” / “Listen to your body” / “Long term development” / “Body and mind balance” / “Fun and rewarding”.
Which approach seems more sustainable? Which one allows long-term development? What sounds more fun?
Experienced and successful coaches and athletes know that development takes time!
Although popular literature is full of programs promising to get you ready for a “big event” in 6 weeks or less, good coaches and athletes know that development is a process which takes several years. The “10 000 hours” rule[i], might not be entirely accurate, but it is closer to reality than the 6-week plans. To reach your potential and ensure development you must train with continuity for a long period of time and avoid making mistakes which force you to take longer breaks. And it may come as no surprise that passion and fun must also be present in order to stay motivated for this process long enough and to be successful.
To get good in anything, you must devote a considerable amount of time and effort to training and preparation. It cannot be a mindless process where you are beating yourself up every day and in every session. Training volume and quality are necessary components to develop, but more importantly you must listen to your body and make correct training decisions every day. A famous skier once said: “If you have doubts whether you should train, then you should not have any doubts” – in other words, if you feel a little sick and/or tired and doubt whether training hard or racing is the right decision, then you already know that you should not race or train hard. Take a day off or reduce the intensity of the session to secure continuity in the training – increase the margin of safety. Taking more correct decisions ensures better continuity in your training, whereas poor decision-making leads to interruptions and increases the risk of UUPS.
Variation/Periodization:
Training periodization includes a sub-division of the training program into sequential, focused training periods designed to prepare athletes for peak performance during prioritized time frames[ii]. Periodization lays the foundation for the subsequent programming, where training load variables become concretized. The typical key periods of periodization are:
• Macrocycle: The long-term plan, typically a year or more.
• Mesocycle: Intermediate phases, weeks to months.
• Microcycle: Short-term plans, days to weeks.
It is not so important what we call the different periods. The important concept to understand is that you need to periodize the training to match your training state, goals, life demands etc. and to meet the demands of your sport(s). Most coaches and athletes divide the training planning/season into different phases which have different development goals and focuses. The most common ones are the preparatory phase (pre competition season), competition season and a transition period (post competition season). The idea behind periodization is to organize the training focus in a way that stress/load and recovery/adaptation are optimally modulated to facilitate continuous development (progressive overload). Many of you may be familiar with the concept of “supercompensation”. Basically, training makes the body tired (in the short term), but with enough time to recover/adaptation, the performance improves.
Figure 1: Illustration of super-compensation after an optimal training stimulus. Source: Science4performance.com
Examples of periodization:
Build in more volume and intensity as the athlete gets older, is more experienced, and more resilient.
Start with less training in the preparatory phase and then increase volume when the athlete tolerates and has adapted to the lower load.
Start with less and lighter intensity in the preparatory phase and then increase volume and intensity of the harder sessions when the athlete is ready for it.
Start with less specific training and then increase specificity closer to the competition season.
Organize the training in easy, medium and hard training weeks.
Organize training within a week in harder and easier days.
Train more in the preparatory phase and less in the competition phase.
Periodization is a multi-faceted and complex process, involving the application of other training principles (e.g., overload, specificity, progression, variation, individualization), and the examples given above, with a gradual change in focus from period to period, align with the so-called “traditional periodization” model. A possible limitation associated with traditional periodization is the focus on the simultaneous development of many underlying fitness components, which can sometimes cause conflicting physiological responses (i.e., interference effects). This can be avoided by prioritizing some areas of development over others in a given time period. An extreme variant of this is the so-called “block periodization”, which involves the planning of successive specialized mesocycle-blocks, where highly concentrated training workloads are focused on a minimal number of performance determinants/skills. Two examples of this are high-intensity (HIT) blocks with many intervals over short timer periods or strength-blocks with many subsequent strength sessions. This has the advantage that performance-limiting factors can be extensively targeted and developed over a given time-period, but its use can also lead to monotony (lack of variation) and thus staleness of the athlete. The block periodization can also be used to prepare for or use environmental factors (i.e., heat, cold, and altitude) to improve performance. Overall, we believe that a pragmatic approach to periodization is most effective, with a general use of traditional periodization. However, a well thought-through and purposeful implementation of specific blocks of concentrated stimuli (e.g., altitude training, heat exposure, periods with high density of competitions, etc.) can be beneficial in periods where this fits into the training plan.
To summarize, organizing the training in easier and harder periods (sessions, days, weeks, months, and years) increases the chances of achieving training continuity and allows the body to adapt to the training. If done correctly this will inevitably lead to performance improvements. As the saying goes, “failing to plan, is planning to fail”, and if training is not organized correctly, it can lead to underperformance. Another word of wisdom is that the biggest mistake is to have no plan, the second biggest mistake is to blindly follow the plan. Make sure to plan and then adjust the plan according to how you respond to the training and your daily physical and mental state.
If you want to safeguard performance and gain more insight in how to organize your training, reach out to us today for more information, support, or just to get in touch!
[i] Ericsson, K. A., Krampe, R. T., & Tesch-Römer, C. (1993). The role of deliberate practice in the acquisition of expert performance. Psychological Review, 100(3), 363–406. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-295X.100.3.363
[ii] Kiely J. Periodization Theory: Confronting an Inconvenient Truth. Sports Med. 2018 Apr;48(4):753-764. doi: 10.1007/s40279-017-0823-y. PMID: 29189930; PMCID: PMC5856877.
