Training Load – Not Too Little, Not Too Much But Just Right
By Brent Kirkbride
Training load is simply the amount of work (time or distance) multiplied by the intensity of work (effort level). Rapid rises or excessive amounts of training are primary factors in sport related injuries.
In elite sport there are many systems that stringently monitor training load, with modifications made if increases or volumes of training are found to be too high.
There are many simple principles that can be adopted for those of us who are want to be active, or have set an exercise goal to reduce our injury risk
A rapid rise or spike in exercise load will significantly increase injury risk. If you have a set goal (e.g. 10 km fun run) or, maybe you are attempting to get a little healthier, it is safer if you increase the amount of exercise you do per week by no greater than 15% of the average of the previous 2 weeks.
Consistency is the key to injury resilience, however for many of us the pressures of work or family make this difficult. If a busy life means we miss some sessions, there is no value in trying to make them up in following weeks. The resulting spike in load will increase your injury risk.
Recovery strategies such as stretching, warming down, and self-massage will all improve your readiness for your next session and greatly improves your ability to cope with training loads.
Many people feel because they used to be able to train at a high volume and intensity they still can, however our ability to sustain high training volumes and intensity decreases as we get older. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be active or train hard, but don’t try to do what you did in your youth, especially in your first session back from a break.
Training load is simply the amount of work (time or distance) multiplied by the intensity of work (effort level). Rapid rises or excessive amounts of training are primary factors in sport related injuries.
In elite sport there are many systems that stringently monitor training load, with modifications made if increases or volumes of training are found to be too high.
There are many simple principles that can be adopted for those of us who are want to be active, or have set an exercise goal to reduce our injury risk
Steady as she goes
A rapid rise or spike in exercise load will significantly increase injury risk. If you have a set goal (e.g. 10 km fun run) or, maybe you are attempting to get a little healthier, it is safer if you increase the amount of exercise you do per week by no greater than 15% of the average of the previous 2 weeks.
Avoid Boom and Bust cycles
Consistency is the key to injury resilience, however for many of us the pressures of work or family make this difficult. If a busy life means we miss some sessions, there is no value in trying to make them up in following weeks. The resulting spike in load will increase your injury risk.
Recovery is important
Recovery strategies such as stretching, warming down, and self-massage will all improve your readiness for your next session and greatly improves your ability to cope with training loads.
What you could do at 20 is no indication of what you can do at 40
Many people feel because they used to be able to train at a high volume and intensity they still can, however our ability to sustain high training volumes and intensity decreases as we get older. This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be active or train hard, but don’t try to do what you did in your youth, especially in your first session back from a break.
Training load is simply the amount of work (time or distance) multiplied by the intensity of work (effort level). Rapid rises or excessive amounts of training are primary factors in sport related injuries.
