MOVE: 8/28/15 More is not Better...BETTER is better

I have worked with athletes (a term I use to define anyone in pursuit of any physical endeavor that pushes their current physical, mental and perhaps spiritual capacity) of all types over the years. In almost every case they walk in frustrated by injury, with the same question: "when can I do more _______?"... insert weight, reps, sets, laps, miles, repeats, the list goes on.  Regardless of how many times I am asked, I always give the same vague, yet honest and seemingly frustrating reply: "It depends".

Their next logical question: "depends on what?"

At that moment, in terms of their future achievement(s), we can start covering real ground as we build their recovery and training picture by accounting for the many variables and nuances that make them the unique athlete they are.

We might start with age:  Are they a 14 year old female or a 52 year old male, or somewhere in between?

Then, movement quality analysis: Is their movement efficient or not?

Then training history: What is their current training load (noticed I said "load" and not "volume" or " intensity"...There's a difference and yes, it matters; a lot)?

Recovery patterns: How much sleep do they get?

Nutritional patterns: What's their nutrition like?

Social Determinants:  How are their relationships? Supportive of their goals?

And on, and on as we gather some of the information that helps them achieve better results....not by training more, but by training BETTER.

Common Case 1

Take the 14 year old female who wants to increase training load, perhaps "mileage" in a runner.  After all, she's just starting to realize her athletic potential, that she has the engine to be a high performance machine.  We all want to know how fast and how far we can push ourselves, but when we get into the details, it's a trickier story. Considering, for example, that the bones of a 12-14 year old female are typically in a high state of metabolic activity as she is in the midst of one of life's biggest growth spurts, second only to the growth spurt seen from birth to about 3 years old, should scream "caution"; that we should increase mileage and speed in a very deliberate way based on the best science available.  We see injuries from mileage jumps all too frequently in this age group, but with proper planning it doesn't have to happen.  By the time the athlete reaches 15 the risk may be lower, assuming her mechanics (movement efficiency) are good and there's been adequate focus on building the strength/flexibility/coordination needed - all part of proper progression.

Common Case 2

Now how about that 52 year old male version of this endurance athlete?  How many 50-something endurance athletes have you met who DO NOT have a "tendon issue"?  That's right, not many.  Seems a little sarcastic, but the fact is, as we age there is a drastic decrease in the tensile strength of our tendons.  There are several key reasons for this, and even though an in-depth analysis is a bit beyond the bounds of this write-up, it's not unlike the picture we can paint of the 14 year old when we consider all of the training variables. Also not unlike the 14 year old, with knowledge of the right training load and corrective exercise, crisis (unfortunately, for any serious athlete an injury feels like a crisis) can be averted.

The point is, even though it seems contrary to what we, as athletes, like to tell ourselves (which is sometimes reinforced by other parents, coaches, training partners, etc.)... more is not always better - BETTER is better. Yes, there is a science to it and when followed, the results can be extraordinary.

Better performance is the result of better training, which comes from better knowledge, which comes from....how should I put this, human performance nerds like me I guess.

Happy to answer your questions, reach out anytime.

 

Justin Bagley, PT, DPT

Doctor of Physical Therapy