Volume used judiciously can be a powerful stimulus for adaptation. But in many ways it is a double-edged sword. It is so easy to get caught in the volume trap. It is a trap that can cause a downward spiral that at the least will lead to performance decrement and at the worst injury. At the beginning stages of an athlete’s career anything the athlete does will result in significant improvement. At this stage there is a direct correlation with more work and subsequent improvement. This is where volume loading begins to weave its seductive spell. Both coaches and athletes make this connection so the temptation is to keep doing more. More weight, more miles, you name it more of everything. Everyone becomes addicted to work, they feel they have to keep adding more to get better, after all isn’t that what got them to where they are.
This is the crossroads, at this point there needs to be a big s
top sign. Stop and assess where there is the greatest potential for improvement going forward. In 99% of the cases it is not more volume loading. Now you can build on what you have done before. Now is the time to be more specific to the individual athlete in terms of their strengths and weaknesses as well as to the demands of their sport. Take into account that training accumulates from day to day, week to week, month to month and year to year.
Volume loading is easy, it is comfortable and secure, on the other hand intensity hurts, it is often very uncomfortable. You need to have a balance between the two to achieve optimum results. It is important to rememb
er that training is not an end unto itself it is a means to an end. That end is competition and competing is uncomfortable. In competition you push the envelope so in training you must prepare to thrive on increasingly higher levels of discomfort. Don’t end up singing the more is better blues while rehabbing from stress fractures or tendonitis. Balance the training and prepare for success in the competitive arena
daniel m
great thoughts! I often times encounter a situation with the parents of athletes that I have worked with- “Why isn’t my son or daughter exhausted from their workout(s)” or “How come your workout is so short compared to (fill in blank)’s workouts”. Amongst other comments. I would say I probably have lost quite a few clients for this ‘reason’.
Often times I try to explain to parents and athletes themselves that they are ‘paying me’ to teach their child/athlete proper technique, for them to learn good ‘sense of body’, and overall learn proper athletic/human movement traits. It is not about just ‘doing work’- anyone can just make you do work.
Volume is important sometimes, esp. if you are trying to teach the athlete (young or old) how to control mechanics despite mental and physical fatigue BUT it is not the only thing. And it definitely doesn’t make sense if your athlete cannot even execute movements appropriately in a low repetition setting.
At the end of the day, it should be about training as an adjunct to sport and not it be about the sport of training.