Found this article on the net, it basically says that after a relative short amount of training a maximum is achieved and it has no added value to train harder and more. It works against you.
What do you think?
www-rohan.sdsu.edu/.../rushall1.htm
The very first line:
All physiological capacities have a limited level of development. Once maturational growth stops there is no possibility of improving VO2max or anaerobic capacity any further. In fact, the various physical capacities achieve their inherited limits at various times. For example, an athlete's ability to do endurance work is set in the early stages of the adolescent growth spurt. At the end of the adolescent growth spurt, anaerobic capacity is set.
I find this difficult to believe. I'd like to see the studies that back it up.
The very first line:
I find this difficult to believe. I'd like to see the studies that back it up.
I agree,but also he doesn't say stop training,he says train enough to be able to focus on technique.
What I'd be interested in knowing is what his recommendations are for the "maintenance phase." Are we talking 1000 yards per workout dedicated to maintaining anaerobic threshold and VO2 max or are we talking about 5000 yards?
he doesn't say stop training,he says train enough to be able to focus on technique
True. But the assertion that "an athlete's ability to do endurance work is set in the early stages of the adolescent growth spurt" is tough to wrap my mind around. It does make sense that there are theoretical upper limits to anyone's performance, given genetics and physics and a perfect training method, and I'm sure part of this perfect training method would involve a lot of work in adolescence. But anecdotally, at least, it seems that our bodies are still very capable of performing adaptations later in life. How many people go through high school doing nothing, then decide to become endurance athletes in their 30s or 40s? It's hard to reconcile a fixed adolescence-based peak with the guy who starts out unable to run a mile and eventually trains to complete a marathon.
I have to admit that I personally hope this guy is incorrect. It's pretty bleak to think that my current performance is capped by slacking I did when I was fifteen. If the only thing left to improve is my technique, then I may need to rethink my goals :( It would be really nice if the Coaching Science Abstracts posted some sources.
It's hard to reconcile a fixed adolescence-based peak with the guy who starts out unable to run a mile and eventually trains to complete a marathon.
But maybe the difference is someone who can complete a marathon in under three hours and someone who can complete a marathon.
I'm pretty much brand new to thinking about training methods and found the description of different stages of training very interesting and helpful - but am wondering if this is still in line with accepted theory today. And if so, can anyone give some idea of what the different stages would look like in terms of actual swim sets? For example, what might some typical swim sets in stage 1 - the "transition and basic preparatory phases," where "the anaerobic threshold (ANThreshold) should be trained to its highest level" - look like; and how would these be different from sets for stage 2 - meant "to develop the aerobic capacity (VO2max) to its fullest" - and so on?
But if this article is no longer up-to-date, can anyone point me to a trusty resource that offers a good basic overview of stages of training and how to design sets for those stages? (Perhaps just a link on this website?)
Thanks for posting this article and for any further suggestions anyone might have.
Yes, physiological benefits are limited, but (especially with swimming) neurological benefits are endless and furthermore need constant attention.
Glad I just realized (thanks for the thread posting)- main sets are for the training effect, all the other stuff (warm up, drills, kicking, warm-down) just allows for the training effect efficiently
This one zooms more in on lactate
sites.google.com/.../lactate-tolerance
Interesting article. But given that one of the three primary benefits (according to this author) is the ability to maintain good form even when tired, why would one want to do land-based lactate sets?
