ENDURE 8/14/15 - Training to Peak Part II

Spoiler Summary - so if timing is everything and it's simply about steadily increasing demand until the goal is met, then how fast can we get from point A to point B?

[in my best soap opera announcer's voice.....]

 

Previously on the prevention blog Mike was talking about timing peak performance with peak demand, that time of the year -- either because of external factors or personal goals -- when we've got to be at our best if we want to keep the risk of injury/illness under control.  He reviewed 4 critical concepts: (1) understand that the "peak" is temporary and typically no more than a few times per year, (2) making sure the end goal is realistic, we're talking about a biological system here, it doesn't change overnight....at least not very much, (3) baseline testing to ensure we know where the starting point is (it's much easier to predict when you'll get "there" if you know where "here" is) and, (4) the difference between getting there in the fastest means possible and red-lining the system...and how fine a line that is, so use controlled acceleration.  

 

Now, back to our story....

__________________

 

When we get through the mental work of deciding we are ready to make a change (which ironically can take a long time), we want results NOW.....faster-even if possible.....we go from nothing to everything and want to see the results.  Although telling someone that that it could take weeks or months (or years) to meet their goals is never a favorite conversation, we often have to.  And so, it has to be about progress -- seeing improvement and collecting little victories until we get "there".  Of the 4 critical concepts, knowing how fast we can "ramp" the system stress, is usually where things go wrong.  If it's an external demand (like summer weather), there's not much decision - we just adapt - however preparing is no less important if we want to stay healthy & safe while it's happening.

 

For a very long time, the 10% increase in total stress (or "volume" or "load" as it's sometimes called) per week rule of thumb was the prevailing wisdom of what was safe. However, since there wasn't any gold-standard science to back it up, researchers began to study exactly how fast they could ramp athletes up.  What they found was that most athletes could ramp faster than 10%, that although "per week" was a convenient unit of time to measure, it wasn't perfect and that every athlete had unique considerations that could make or break the effort.  Of course, this makes total sense - (A) we have weeks where we can emphasize thework and weeks when we must put some extra recovery in the bank, (B) the body likes consistency and routine, so for maximum benefit we have to keep adjusting variables to challenge it to grow and (C) although guidelines are great, one size DEFINITELY DOES NOT fit all, customization at the individual level matters.

 

So how do you know what's reasonable or right for you?  In short, the easiest way is charting progress. If you like paper and clipboards, write it down.  If you like numbers or calendars, build a spreadsheet.  If you want the information but hate tracking stuff (and have the means) hire a person or a device (wearable, app on smartphone, etc) to do it for you.  Although there are many variables you could track - times or reps or sets or temperature or whatever - some of it is helpful and some of it is noise.  The latest research, when it comes to reaching a peak at the right moment, tries to answer 3 basic questions:  How many assets exist? (i.e. long-term fitness)? How many checks haven't been cashed yet (i.e. short-term fatigue)? What will my account balance be once everything is cashed?  Although the terms used are something a bit more confusing: "chronic training load", "acute training load" and "stress balance"....the concepts are the same; and timing the peak is about managing the balance.

 

To do this, most athletes use "phases" of training usually between 3 to 6 weeks in length, to meet the goal.  Depending on the goal, each phase might be repeated multiple times.  The goal of the first phase is to accrue assets (put money in the bank) - this is called "base" training.  In the second phase it's about pushing the system to grow (borrow from the bank and steadily payoff the loan) - this is called the "build" phase.  Finally, the third phase is about restoring a positive balance ("owning the asset" by paying off the loan) - this is called "peaking". It's important to do all three phases.  For many folks it's tempting to try to skip phase one, but almost always this results in problems.

 

For our example of peaking with the heat - this might mean low-intensity aerobic exercise starting in the middle of May.  This would be generally easy and consistent - like a walking program with stretching at the end and would last for a few weeks (base).  Then, somewhere around the first weeks of June it would mean steadily increasing the intensity, maybe adding in some hills or faster bouts, building to a jog or adding some short interval work like strength exercises (build). Then near the end of July, the shift would be toward peaking, increasing the intensity (in this case the heat would do this for us naturally) and backing down the stress-load so that early or mid-August we're strong, fit and rested.

 

Although not that complicated, it's not easy either.....it's an active process and it takes work.....but with the right timing and plan it's work anyone can do.

 

Winter-peak training starts with base training before you know it.....let us know if this is your year!

 

Have a great weekend,

 

Mike E.