The Three Cornerstones of
Training - The training and competition are
complex activities; there are a number of things that contribute to success.
However, three very basic rules should always be followed when training. These
cornerstones of being a successful system of training are:
·
Moderation,
·
Consistency, and
·
Rest.
Moderation -
The first
cornerstone of training is moderation. Moderation means not going to
extremes in any aspect of training. In fact there have been some studies that
suggest workouts lasting over one hour will compromise the body’s endocrine
system. To be more specific, production and testosterone, the male hormone,
levels off 50 minutes into a workout and begins to decline after one hour.
Therefore and the athletes (male and female) are working and testosterone
deficit in the train beyond an hour’s time. He At the leads who consistently
over train my feel a need to use anabolic steroids - which contain artificial
and testosterone – in order to compensate for poor training methods or
overtraining. Workouts that last too long tend to produce too much of a
catabolic substance, cortisol, and no progress can be made until it is removed
from the system. Steroids mask the catabolic effects of cortisol so that the
athlete can continue to train unwisely.
In any event the long-term
results of more extreme training programs are inconsistent, with more athletes
failing than succeeding in reaching their performance goals. Some athletes
develop serious injuries, and many become burned out, psychologically drained
by the heavy training loads. Or, as mentioned above, turn to performance
enhancing substances to compensate for what they perceive as an acceptable
means of jump starting their athletic performance.
The human body can take far
more stress than we generally give it credit for. However, it needs to adapt
to heavier stresses gradually. Moderation means carefully planned training of
programs that avoid extremes in physical and psychological stress. Training
and competing can be beautiful and exciting part of life, but they’re not all
their kids to life. Principle of moderation permits the athlete to enjoy the
other parts of life as much as his or her sport.
Consistency -
The
second cornerstone of training is consistency. One way to avoid
extremes in training is to train at a reasonable level every day. This does
not mean using the same training load each day however. When an athlete trains
consistently, the body has more time to adapt to the stress of training,
easing its way to higher levels fitness and better performances. If a few
days of training are missed, the body loses tone and endurance. A day or two
of extra training will not make up for that loss. In fact, the athlete my
overstress the body, resulting in an injury or even worse illness. Extra
physical strain does more than simply tire the body, so the consistency of
training is critical. The athlete who trains daily at a moderate level will
outperform the equally talented athlete who trains extremely hard at times and
then skips training at other times.
Consistency has another
reward for the athlete. As training continues, a solid fitness base is
developed. The longer the time used develop that base, the less effect that
interruption in training has. Although an athlete loses conditioning when
training is interrupted, the long-term base loses in conditioning is slower
and regained more quickly once the athlete resumes training.
Rest -
The third and
perhaps the most important cornerstone of training for young athletes is
rest. But actually must get enough rest. This may be the training role
east followed by young athletes. A simple rule of training: when in doubt, get
more rest. Athletes feeling tired are weak shouldn’t run to have our training
sessions. Instead, they should have a very light training session or simply
skipped practice altogether. Athletes must be aware of how much sleep there
getting. Athletes and training need more rest and sleep the night at the
leads.
Athletes need more rest
because the extra work creates extra physical stress, which calls for more
recovery time. Second, the body adapts to stress of training when it is at
rest rather than during the stress. This is part of the overload aspect of
training. If the body does not get enough rest, it cannot recover an adapter
fully to the stress of training.
Although the amount varies
from person to person with younger athletes usually needing more rest than
older athletes, generally speaking most athletes need at least eight to ten
hours of sleep each night. It is during this downtime or “rest period” that
the body repairs itself and adapts to the stress of the previous training
period. Athletes must learn to be in tune to his or her body; it tells you it
needs more rest and when it’s had enough. The body runs on rest, just as it
runs on fuel. If it has to either rest, it begins to run poorly.
These three cornerstones -
moderation, consistency, and rest are critical to any training plan that coach
or an athlete may use. If an athlete trains consistently and at moderate
levels while getting enough rest, his or her performance should continue to
improve for years.
As an athlete you want to make
sure that your training regime is effective and taking you to a point where
you are realizing your full potential in your sport of choice. A training
regime that takes into account your limitations as an athlete with goals that
are realistic for you without relying on performance enhancing substances that
may have long term effects on your health and well-being. As you develop your
personal training plan be sure to include the 3 cornerstones of training –
moderation, consistency and rest.
Other
Articles of Interest:
Coaching Tips and Tools