What Coach Steve is listening to…
"People conceptualize conditioning in different ways," he said. "Some think it's a ladder straight up. Others see plateaus, blockages, ceilings. I see it as a geometric spiraling upward, with each spin of the circle taking you a different distance upward. Some spins may even take you downward, just gathering momentum for the next upswing. Sometimes you will work your fanny off and see very little gain; other times you will amaze yourself and not really know why." - Once a Runner
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The above quote was directed to me by one of the best endurance coaches on the planet, Joel Filliol.
This week I relistened to a podcast that Joel did with The Physical Performance Show. He goes into a deep dive on many topics surrounding training, the culture of coaching, group environments, and many more. The most prominent aspect that separates Joel from other coaches is his ability to keep the training mindset simple when there is so much information, opinions, and gadgets floating around. Having coached in this type of environment, I know the level of stress and energy required to be successful. What Joel continues to do with his athlete is remarkable.
In the podcast, Joel discusses four phases that he goes through with his athletes:
1- Consistency in training. To see long term improvements in muscle resilience and aerobic fitness, you have to be consistent. The difference-maker in your fitness will not be the four-week block of vo2 max intervals that may or may not stick. The real difference-maker is the continuous development of your aerobic system. The deeper the foundation, the further and faster you will go. You have to love the training.
As Joel says, "simplicity is the ultimate sophistication." This quote is gold. For every successful athlete I've been able to coach, this phrase continues to hold true. When an athlete cannot execute the day to day training, they are unlikely to see improvements. When their mind is clear on race day, they will race well. Keep in mind that no product will do the work for you. The aerobic work is what makes you great.
2- Conditioning. Training matters. Once you've found your formula to be consistent, the fun begins. Don't overthink it, get out the door and enjoy the training. I also love that Joel uses the word conditioning versus something else to describe the process. The word conditioning follows along with the simplicity mindset. The quote that rings in my ears is Herb Brooks "the legs feed the wolf," and if you want to be the wolf, you need to put in the work.
3- Improving/Understanding the loading for each individual. Not all training is created equal. An athlete of two years will respond differently than an athlete of ten years. Even if you have better genetics, you can’t fast track your body’s limits. Success early with less training is oftentimes followed by too much training and more injuries. Understanding what you can and cannot handle long term is critical for improvement.
Also, the amount of training an athlete can absorb is always changing. One block an athlete can do well with ten hours a week while the following block an athlete's body may reject it. There are many variables an athlete can pay attention to in order to determine the correct training load at that time. Also, the proper progression isn't always to add more. It's about doing what's needed.
4- Minimum Effective Dose. The newly motivated wants to train more and harder. More volume and intervals will not make you a better athlete and fortunately, there is good science that proves this. 6x1 Mile at 10k pace isn't always better than 5x1 Mile. 12x400m at 5k pace isn't always better than 8x400. More intervals commonly lead to more injuries.
What happens when you do more work than your body can absorb? You induce too much fatigue with minimal return. Minimal absorption means minimal improvement. When you train at your minimum effective dose, you allow yourself to be consistent. When you are consistent, you are healthy and happy. When you train above this dose, you consistently deal with niggles and illness. I like to tell athletes that you should always be around a fatigue level of 4-5 out of 10. Sure, some days you will be above this but on average you should be around a 4-5. Carrying some fatigue is a good thing. If you consistently carry too little fatigue you are not training hard enough to see improvement. Carrying too much fatigue brings along many consequences.
I can't tell you how often I hear as a coach... I don't feel fit, I'm terrible at swimming, I'm slow on the bike, etc... after this athlete has just completed a huge and successful training block, swam a new 100yd PR, or just set a new run threshold pace. The negative comment comes from one single 'off' workout. If I told you that of all your training sessions in a week you would have 1-2 great ones, 1-2 bad ones, and the rest just standard 'putting in the work, workouts' would that allow you to see things differently?
Every week, I’m reminding athletes that they are right on track, that they are making progress, that one bad workout does not mean they've completely lost all fitness. It seems silly to write this, but it happens far too often. So why am I constantly reassuring athletes of this?
Your confidence in your ability to perform will come from consistent effort, steady improvement, and recognizing that 1-2 bad workouts (or even more!) doesn't mean any more than you just had a few off sessions. So next time you feel sluggish in a workout, don’t hit the same pace as you did the workout prior, or mentally can’t ‘get up’ for a workout… don’t sweat it! It’s part of the process, part of the flow of training, and part of the daily grind that continues to move you along on your path to success. Living your training day to day will put you on an emotional roller coaster that isn’t a fun ride. It is critical to look at the long-term accumulation and flow of training, and not just day to day. Improvements in both fitness and skill come with months and years of consistent training, success does not happen overnight, nor do you lose it overnight.
So, what is a huge factor in your daily performance and subsequently, how you interpret your training?
Stress. If you have a lot going on in your life, and let’s face it, who doesn't, your training will be affected by this. Your body doesn't know the difference between work stress, family stress, relationship stress or training stress. It is all accumulative. So if you have a shit-ton going on in your life and think your training won't suffer as a result, you are being naive. Training can be a great way to manage the other stresses of life with a little adrenaline boost, endorphin rush, or simply allowing your brain some time to process everything. Just recognize that this doesn't eliminate the accumulated stress. If you find yourself tired or unmotivated to get out the door and you don’t know why cause you are excited to pursue your goals with a key race coming up!... then take a look at all the other aspects of your life. What other stresses are pushing in on you and what can you do to relieve those? Sometimes the best thing might be to skip that workout (that probably would fall into the ‘bad workout’ category anyhow) and rather, sleep in, take a nap, spend time with your kids, go for a walk, or invite a friend to ice cream. It’s all part of the balance, and the best version of you on the race course will present itself when you have the other aspects of life in balance. So did I just say you can skip a workout? Yes! I did, sometimes this is the best choice for you on that day. If this becomes a weekly habit, then we’ll have to talk. ;o)
In summary; listen to your body, don’t stress if you have a bad session, keep things in perspective, and find joy in this journey. We are all out there to be fit, healthy and have fun. This is a lifestyle, one that most of us hope to do for years to come, so do your best to keep life in balance, aware of the big picture and go with the flow.