HOW TO TRAIN LIKE AN ATHLETE by Daniel Reilly of The Training Room.
We’re all searching for that magic ingredient, nugget of expert advice, or killer training method to elevate our performance to the next level, so who better to learn from than elite athletes! The people who are at the top of their games, pushing the limits of what’s humanly possible? We may not be up to their supreme levels of fitness or ability, but, by understanding the way that elite athletes train – considering that they have access to the very best coaching, science and programmes available, bringing them close to perfection in their various disciplines – we can mimic those principles in our training to achieve some great results.
Strength and Conditioning To start with, let’s take a look at strength and conditioning; an essential factor in any sport, especially if you have lofty ambitions of performing amongst the world’s best. One good source of information to understand how elite athletes train is The Journal of Strength and Conditioning, which reviewed the common skills and protocols currently in use by elite athletes in the U.K. Its findings suggested that the specific strength and conditioning programmes designed for top-performing athletes include the following key skills: Agility – the ability to minimise transition time from one movement pattern to another.
Accuracy – controlling movement in a given direction or at a given intensity. Balance – managing the body’s centre of gravity in relation to its support base. Cardiovascular and respiratory endurance – the ability of body systems to gather, process and deliver oxygen. Coordination – combining several distinct movement patterns into a singular distinct movement. Flexibility – maximising the range of motion at a given joint. Power – how muscular units apply maximum force in minimum time. Stamina – how well the body’s systems process, deliver, store and utilise energy. Strength – the ability of a muscular unit, or combination of muscular units, to apply force. Speed – the ability to minimise the time cycle of a repeated movement. This may seem rather complicated, but, before you get overwhelmed, it’s important to say that strength and conditioning training isn’t just for the professional athlete. Non-elite athletes, like you and I, may not need this same level of stimulation, but, by implementing some of the basic, key principles into our daily training routines, we too can reap the benefits. If we take a moment to focus on
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running, several studies have been published in recent years investigating the link between strength and conditioning training and performance. One of these, published in the Journal of Strength and Condition Research, which surveyed 667 distance runners, from local amateurs to international competitors, identified that the best runners were significantly more likely to partake in strength and plyometric training compared to those who were less accomplished. Likewise, a study published in Sports Medicine concluded that “the addition of two to three strength training sessions per week, which include a variety of strength training modalities are likely to provide benefits to the performance of middle- and long-distance runners.” Following Mo Farah’s incredible double gold medal-winning performance at London 2012, hitting it hard in the weight room was given as a possible contributing factor. While we, the general population, may not be able to work at the same intensity as Mo, or lift the same weights (although he’s wiry, he’s also very strong), if we’re able to include some strength and conditioning training in our exercise regimes, tailored to our sporting interests and goals, we’re also likely to see an improvement in performance. So, what exercises should you do? Firstly, it’s worth taking some time to think about the skills that almost every elite athlete needs to master, as the exact requirements of their sports
