Author: Vernon Gambetta
Meaningful Training
There is training that is just work and leads nowhere – this is training as performance. This is the Crossfit WOD mentality that each workout is an end unto itself and must be as hard as possible to be good. These workouts make you very tired and sometimes even put you in the hospital. Contrast that with real training, training that is contextual within the demands of the sport and the needs of the individual – this is training for performance. Each session has a specific goal and flows from the previous sessions and flows into the next session. There is a rhythm to the workouts – A hard workout is followed by an easier or less intense workout to allow for adaptation. This training makes you better by leading toward the goal of developing an adaptable athlete that will thrive in the competitive arena. There is a clear distinction between the two approaches, if you are interested in getting better and making your training transfer then train for performance. Training accumulates in small increments, think of each workout as a small step to the podium.
Getting Better
The daily challenge for you and your athletes is getting better. How do you get better? How much better can you get? It is a simple proposition: How much better do you want to be? How far out of your comfort zone can you get each day & how deep into the performance zone can you get? Most of us limit ourselves because we believe in boundaries, limitations and barriers. There are no boundaries and barriers! Get out now and do it better than you did yesterday. Action not words!
Training Mistakes – Part Two
Repetitious Exercises This usually overloads one area or one component; the end result is a poor training response. I always say hunt with a rifle, not a shotgun. Training to failure This leads to failure. Each workout becomes an end unto itself and the athlete starts holding back anticipating the failure thus dulling the ultimate adaptive response. Over reliance on one exercise or training method This creates a one trick pony. Highly adapted instead of fully adaptable. You are what you train to be. Reliance on a machine in training or a modality in rehab You adapt to that environment, it is an artificial “safe” environment but not the environment you need to perform in. Sport performance occurs in an information rich dynamic environment. Quick Fixes There are none! I have learned that a quick fix is an easy come, easy go proposition. Crash Programs Crash programs eventually crash, probably sooner rather than later you can’t hurry the process. Adaptation takes time and the time frames for the various components are quite predictable.
Training Mistakes – Part One
The following is a list of some mistakes that I have made in my coaching and teaching. If you learn from your mistakes I should be a genius, but unfortunately some of the lessons were only learned after I repeated these mistakes several times. I hope that by sharing these with you, it will help you to avoid making the same mistakes I have made. It does not have to be hard to be good. Each workout is part of a larger picture. If you put their backs to the wall in each training session you will quickly lose sight of the big picture. Everything must be in context. Remember that different physical qualities adapt at different rates, so they need to be stressed differently. Too much, too soon You can’t hurry the adaptive process. The younger athlete can handle a lot both in terms of volume and intensity, but once again if you lose sight of the big picture it is important to remember that by not following proper progression and individualizing can stifle long-term development. Overloading the spine – Too often and too young I think this is obvious so I don’t know why it took me so long to figure it out. Even with the mature athlete the spine just cannot take the heavy repetitive loading that is imposed on it by too much heavy back squatting and dead lifting. That does not mean you don’t use those exercises, just use them wisely. Too many exercises or drills in a training session This just leads to confusion from an administrative perspective and poor adaptive response on the part of the athlete. This results in a loss of focus. They get tired but they do not get better.
The Bowerman Influence
Bill Bowerman had a huge influence on my decision to be a track coach. In the winter of 1968; my senior year in college at Fresno Sate Bowerman came to speak as the featured speaker at the first ever Fresno Sate Track & Field Clinic, he was brought to Fresno by Red Estes, assistant track coach at Fresno State (later to be head coach) who had competed at the University of Oregon under Bowerman. What can I say; Bowerman was Bowerman, passionate, direct to the point, outspoken and strong in his beliefs. He was obviously very knowledgeable in all disciples of Track & Field even though he was known as a distance coach. After the first night of the clinic as I was walking back to my apartment through the cold wet San Joaquin valley fog I made up my mind to be a track coach. I wanted to be like Bowerman, I was so impressed with his knowledge and passion I could think of no other way to go. Over the next few years I read everything about him and his program, heard him speak numerous times, but that presentation that first night of the clinic still sticks with me. He and my father had a huge influence on my thinking that there are no shades of gray; it is right or wrong, no argument. Not that I have ever have achieved what Bowerman did in his career but that has stuck with me. These quotes capture a little of Bowerman. The first quote is not directly from Bowerman but you can clearly see his influence. It is from Oregana, 1962 University of Oregon Yearbook “World record shattering potential is not easy to come by, and even after it is found it has to be developed to realize its maximum potential. This potential is diverse in its many forms and a knowledge of the components that make up this potential is essential to successfully exploit it.” "Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won." “It is quite simple to observe that great middle distances runners have usually been medium to just above average in height, slightly below average in weight, slight of build, with well-defined musculature. They also usually have a somewhat lower pulse rate than average. But to select runners purely on the basis of these characteristics would probably result in little more success than choosing them by the color of their eyes and hair.” “Champions and potential champions must have an abundance of energy and tenacity. They must be willing to stick to workout procedures that would seem grueling to the average person, to perform them in fair weather and foul. Furthermore, they are eager, not only to defeat opposition, but to push themselves to full capacity on the competitive field.” “My method of devising a training schedule (specific assignments for workouts) is not very different from a physician's method of arriving at a prescription for a patient. The first step is diagnosis, becoming acquainted with the patients or athlete's abilities and disabilities. The second step is an assessment of what improvement can reasonably be expected and what specific recommendations are needed. The final step is a period of trial and observation to adjust the "dosage" or training schedule to optimum levels for the safest and most rapid improvement of condition.” If you want to learn more about Bowerman read Kenny Moore’s fine book – Bowerman and The Men of Oregon. What sport needs today is some more Bill Bowerman’s who have the passion, courage and knowledge to speak their mind and stand up against drugs and cheating.
Simplicity Yields Complexity
I am a simplifier. If I can’t explain it in five minutes or less and explain to someone who knows nothing about training an athlete then I should reconsider what I am trying to do. The following is a summary of the process of preparing a completely adaptable athlete to be ready to compete to win at the appointed time: Get Functionally Strong Get Functionally Fast Get Functionally Fit Get Specific Compete Not many words, it is very direct, simple but very complex in it’s applications. Remember the goal is not to make it complex, but to make it simpler; the body is complex enough without adding unnecessary complexity.
Training Session Management
In coaching there are three management functions 1) Training Session Management 2) Competition Management 3) Injury management In this post I will give you some ideas on Training Session Management. Training session management is the cornerstone of the coaching management functions because it occurs so much more frequently than the other two. Make sure that the session fits in the context of the whole plan in regards to the microcycle, block and yearly plan. Have a theme for each session; it can be as simple as just one word that you and the athletes can focus on to set the tone for the workout. This is not to be confused with the objectives of the workouts. Objectives are very specific and measurable outcomes you hope to achieve in the workout, I usually have no more than two objectives per workout. On the workout sheet list the equipment needed and when and where in the workout I will need it. I make sure all equipment is working. If it requires electrical power make sure the batteries are charged and the outlets work. Also list the personnel you will need, where and when they will be needed, and make sure they are fully briefed before the workout begins. The next step is to have a detailed plan for the entire workout and a contingency plan in the event of inclement weather or facility unavailability. Keep it simple; I have a tendency to make workouts too complicated with the end result confused athletes. Start with introduction of the theme and special instructions to the group. Plan complex movements and high skill demand activities early. Speed development should be planned for early in the session before there is any fatigue. If possible try not to mix high neural demand activities with high metabolic demand activities in the same session. If there are groups in the workout be sure to assign the groups and leaders in advance. Make sure that transitions between segments of the workout are set up to allow flow from one segment to the next with minimal time loss. Be sure to allow for intra workout recovery and nutrition breaks if necessary. Within the workout focus on the sequence, order and timing of the exercises you chose to accomplish your training objectives. If you have a digital timer to keep track of the time of segments that is a very helpful tool to manage the workout. Carefully record results and observations for future reference. At the end of the workout be sure to evaluate the workout in the context of the objectives. Were the objectives of the workout achieved and if they were not, why not? What were the highlights? Were there any particular individuals that needed special attention or were unable to accomplish parts of the workout? What stood out about the workout that was particularly effective? These ideas may seem obvious to some, but this is the stuff that makes or breaks you as a coach and it is not taught to young coaches any more. Please feel free to add any ideas or suggestions you might have that I have missed, always interested in other ideas and perspectives.
It’s Still Just A Number
In many ways the rush to gather numbers in the guise of monitoring and measuring training and competition fascinates me but I have many questions. Is this a fad that will pass? It certainly has created many jobs and a big buzz in the media, but what does it all mean? 45 years into this journey I have to say I am a bit skeptical of some of what I see. Too many profound inferences and conclusions are being made from measures that are artificial at best. In the rush to jump on the bandwagon very few people are asking hard questions. 90% of what I see with GPS is really no better than fancy pedometer data. Numbers need context. Numbers are one dimensional, human performance is multidimensional. We must focus on the human element, the athlete; they are not integers in an equation. There is still no substitute for a well-trained “coaching eye” who knows their athlete. The coach is the person who makes the data meaningful, not someone labeled a sport scientist because they can sit in front of a computer screen and crunch numbers. The coach can provide the context, the critical thinking skills and the knowledge of the sport that is ESSENTIAL. The coach is the captain of the performance team; ultimately it is the coach’s job to get the athlete to perform. Let’s be careful we are not marginalizing the coach in this process. Let’s all be sure that the numbers we gather are meaningful and actionable. Just gathering random numbers does no one any good.