GENERAL
TRAINING
ARTICLES
Big
week training: Part one
By
Brent
Lorenzen
I think now might be a good time to paraphrase Joe's quote
that Gordo often uses...
" Crash training is appealing to almost
everybody but appropriate for almost
nobody."
Since Gordo has described his experiences with high volume aerobic training,
it seems everyone here wants to jump on board. But Gordo would be the first to
point out that that may not me the best idea for many of you.
First, you must have the time. people are talking about doing that type of training
for 10-15 hours a week. Someone in another thread asked about minimum weekly
hours required to make this approach viable. There are no hard and fast numbers
and it will depend on other factors, but I would say at least 20, and to really
do it right probably takes at least 30.
So, to do this, you have to have the background. Dan Empfield has said
that it takes 5 years to train to train for an Ironman. this is my fourth
year at it
and I've always pushed the limits in terms of volume. So far, each year I've
been better able to handle the work. I also grew up as a competitive swimmer.
Molina talks about how this is great preparation in terms of triathlon training.
Yes, there is the amount of time spent training hard. Perhaps more importantly
is that swimmers tend to place fewer limits on their training and are known for
doing ridiculous and excessive sessions. I think this mentality carries over
into triathlon. But again, it takes time. I used to get hurt trying to run more
than 40 miles a week. Now I can put in 100+ mile weeks but it took 4 years to
get there. You don't jump in and do it right away. And if you're only going to
be putting in 40, then you're not doing enough volume to make "epic" or "AeT" training
effective.
Consistency is key. Putting in a big week every now and then is nice, but the
real improvement comes from doing it over and over again. Sometimes you need
to make some tweaks to your training to stimulate adaptation, but the best way
to get better is to consistently do the same kind of work over and over again.
If you're a regular 15 hour a week guy, going 1 week of 30 each year isn't really
going to do much for you.
I think Rich Strauss has pointed out that most people are time limited, therefore
the breakthrough approach tends to be more suitable. There is always a tradeoff
between volume and intensity so he is correct. I just think of it in terms of
the less time you have available, the more you can focus on a few, key, intense
workouts.
Look, there is no substitute for training volume, especially when training for
an Ironman. And as others have pointed out, if you really want to push your limits,
this approach is probably required. But the time investment is huge and it is
consistent over years, not big weeks here and there. And to be honest, there
are plenty of examples of great athletes, even some top pros, getting a lot out
of themselves on a much more time limited approach.
Just remember that most of you don't have the situation that Gordo does. You
have work, family, etc. - and as nice as it is to think that putting in an epic
week is going to work wonders, you are most likely better served by a consistent
approach that promotes incremental improvement. There are no magic bullets. A
huge week here and there is not going to dramatically change your ability. Focus
on your limiters, work on them over time, and if your background and situation
allows, consider the high volume approach and whether it is suitable and/or desirable.
Many of you might find that you have no desire to spend 30-40 hours a week training
and feeling mostly brain dead the rest of the time, even if you can.
Brent
Brent Lorenzen is a CpC coach and can be
reached at brent@counterpartcoaching.com |
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