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
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.
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.
