Training for Advanced Athletes, Part 1

Should all athletes training for a given event prepare in the same way? I expect most readers of this blog to answer that with a resounding “no.” It’s fairly obvious that if your intent is to win the race you will train altogether differently from that of the athlete whose goal is to simply finish the event.

Advanced athletes shouldn’t train the same way as novices. A novice athlete can do almost anything in training and they will improve their performances. A newbie triathlete getting ready for a sprint triathlon can only lift weights for several weeks never swimming, biking or running and improve their performances compared with doing nothing at all as they had done prior to “training.” On the other hand, advanced athletes cannot afford to make mistakes in training if they have high performance goals. But they often do. Let’s look at just one example of this. In Part 2 I’ll examine another way of training which has recently been shown to benefit advanced athletes, but not novices or those less-well-trained.

It’s been well-established by research that while emphasizing the volume of their training produces dramatic improvements in novices, doing so with elite athletes has little or no benefit beyond a certain and easily achieved point. However, high-intensity training, especially intervals, has been shown repeatedly to significantly improve the performances of elites in endurance sports [Lindsay, Westgarth-Taylor, Weston, Kubukeli, Laursen, Laursen, Midgley].

For example, researchers at the University of Copenhagen studied the effects of volume vs. intensity on 17 experienced runners [Bangsbo]. The runners were divided into two groups. One group reduced their training volume by 25% and did 6-12 x 30-second sprints 3-4 times per week for 9 weeks. The other group of runners continued training as before with a lower average intensity and a volume of about 55km per week for 9 weeks. At the end of the experimental period there was no change in the aerobic capacities (VO₂ max) of the runners. However, those who ran sprints with reduced volume improved their 10km race times from 37:20 to 36:18—they were 2.7% faster. There was no improvement in the higher-volume, lower-intensity group. The results of this study are similar to what is typically found in such research.

Certainly some events are more volume-oriented than others. Training for an Ironman triathlon usually requires more volume than training for a one-hour criterium bike race. But volume is not the key issue here; it’s duration. If you are an advanced Ironman triathlete who is focused on how many hours, miles or kilometers you accumulate in a week then you’re missing the point.

I’ve said this so many times that I’m thinking about making it the name of this blog: The closer in time to the race, the more like the race your training must become. In the last 12 weeks before any event—Ironman or criterium—it is the interplay of individual workouts, not your weekly volume, that determines how well you will race. But the individual workouts in preparation for an Ironman are necessarily longer than what’s required of workouts in preparation for a crit so this results in greater volume. But it’s not the volume that determined the outcome; it’s the individual workouts. In the last 12 weeks Ironman as well as criterium workouts must be not only duration-specific but also intensity-specific. Intensity is no less important for the Ironman than for the bike crit racer. And both can do workouts that are longer than their race or race split. But neither can maintain race intensity for longer than race duration if they intend to race at maximal effort.

Bottom line: If you’re an advanced athlete and in the last 12 weeks before your A-priority race then you had better be doing intensity-specific workouts and disregarding your weekly volume.

In Part 2 I’ll take a look at periodization for the advanced athlete.

References

Bangsbo, J., T.P. Gunnarsson, J. Wendell, et al. 2009. Reduced volume and increased training intensity elevate muscle Na+/K+ {alpha}2-subunit expression as well as short- and long-term work capacity in humans. J Appl Physiol 107(6)):1771-80.

Kubukeli, Z.N., T.D. Noakes, S.C. Dennis. 2002. Training techniques to improve endurance exercise performances. Sports Med 32(8):489-509.

Laursen, P.B., D.G. Jenkins. 2002 The scientific basis for high-intensity interval training: Optimising training programmes and maximizing performance in highly trained endurance athletes. Sports Med 32(1):53-73.

Laursen, P.B., C.M. Shing, J.M. Peake, J.S., et al. 2002. Interval training program optimization in highly trained endurance cyclists. Med Sci Sports Exerc 34(11):1801-7.

Lindsay, F.H., J.A. Hawley, K.H. Myburgh, et al. 1996. Improved athletic performance in highly trained cyclists after interval training. Med Sci Sports Exerc 28:1427-34.

Midgley, A.W., L.R. McNaughton, M. Wilkinson. 2006. Is there an optimal training intensity for enhancing the maximal oxygen uptake of distance runners?: Empirical research findings, current opinions, physiological rationale and practical recommendations. Sports Med 36(2):117-32.

Westgarth-Taylor, C., J.A. Hawley, S. Rickard, et al. 1997. Metabolic and performance adaptations to interval training in endurance-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol Occup Physiol 75(4):298-304.

Weston, A.R., K.H. Myburgh, F.H. Lindsay, et al. 1997. Skeletal muscle buffering capacity and endurance performance after high-intensity interval training by well-trained cyclists. Eur J Appl Physiol 75(1):7-13.

Comments

[Angela]

Hi Joe,

How do you define "advanced athlete?"

thanks

[Joe Friel]

Angela--An experienced and highly fit competitor.

[Jane Runner]

Why does it become more difficult to get your HR into zone 5 as you get more fit? It seems the RPE feels so much higher than your actually HR readings when this change in fitness occurs. Thanks.

[Joe Friel]

Jane Runner - Because your stroke volume (amount of blood pumped per beat) has increased so much that heart rate frequency doesn't have to be as high as when less fit to supply the muscles with oxygen etc. This is a good adaptation from the heart's point of view.

[Tom]

Hi Joe. How would this "race-alike", interval-based training look alike if your A-competition is a 7-mountainstage cycling race? I mean you can hardly practice such things 1:1 in between your job, or do you? Thanks.

[Anthony]

Joe
In relation to making training as race specific as possible, in the Half Ironman training plan from "Your Best Triathlon", during the Build phases you have cycling and running muscular endurance done back at Zone 3 HR, which of course is race specific. However, the swimming muscular endurance is done at Zone 4-5a. Wouldnt it be more specific to do it at Zone 3 HR as well?
is there a reasoning behind keeping the swimming muscular endurance at a higher intensity during the Build phase than what you would expect to swim at during the race?

[Boon]

Hey Joe,

As an athlete wants to increase the difficulty while doing an interval set, which will derive the most physiological benefit? (Baseline comparision: 3X3min zone 5 intervals with 3 min rest between reps)

a) Adding another interval rep (so doing 4X3min)

b) Decreasing rest time between sets (e.g down to 2 min of rest between set)

or

c) Lengthening the time of the interval set ( so doing 2X3min and 1X6min)

Thanks for taking your time out to reply!

[Joe Friel]

Anthony - The swim is usually done at a somewhat higher intensity, especially in the first several minutes, Being prepared for that requires higher intensity in training.

[Joe Friel]

Boon - the answer is yes. All of these should be done throughout training. It's not either-or.

[Joe Friel]

Tom - do workouts that are as much like the race as you can manage.

[Boon]

Hey Joe,

Re: my last question. I understand that this should be done throughout. But what if I want to raise the difficulty by one notch? Which of the options should I take first to ensure that it is manageable but not too hard as well as being the most beneficial?

Thanks!

[Joe Friel]

Boon--It depends on where you are starting from. The first order of business is to get the total stress of the interval workout to a decent level. That depends in part on the sport, your experience, susceptibility to injury, etc. For 3 minute intervals done at VO2max with 3 min recoveries the total accumulated work interval target for a single session is generally about 15 minutes for running and perhaps a little more for cycling.