Principles of Training

There are several principles discussed among personal trainers and coaches in regards to training and exercise.  These common principles are used in order to maximize performance gains.  It is important to apply these training principles to triathlon in order to race faster and more efficiently.  This post includes a short summary of the following principles: overload, progression, specificity, recovery, and reversibility.

Principle of Overload
Overload refers to increasing stress to the systems of the body as a means of increasing fitness.  We add stress by doing activities that we do not do in our normal activities of daily living.  The bench press is not a common activity of daily living and can be considered an overload.  However, without sufficient weight, it would not be overload.  Bench pressing 10-pounds would be no more stressful than pushing open a door.  The added stress must make you work your muscles harder than they are normally used to working.  In triathlon, we do this be swimming, biking, and running harder, faster,  and longer.  In the weight room, we add resistance to add overload to our training program.

Principle of Progression
Progression is the application of overload over time.  For example, increasing the duration of your long ride each week by 10% is using the principle of progression.  Likewise,  increasing the number of 800-meter repeats on the track each week is also an application of progression.  Most personal trainers and coaches would recommend an increase of 10% each week.  Some can increase more, some less, but doing some type of increase weekly is the key to utilizing the principle of progression.

Principle of Specificity
Very simply, to get better at "something" you must practice that "something".  To be a faster swimmer, you must swim.  To be a faster cyclist, you must ride.  To be a faster runner, you must run.  The principle of specificity states that training must be specific to those muscles involved in the activity.  This is the most efficient way to increase strength, skill, or efficiency at a task; practice that task.   Of course we do things that compliment those specific training sessions.  Triathletes will go to the gym to do lat pull downs to increase swim power.  They will do squats to increase cycling power.  But doing biceps curls will not increase running strength.  Biceps are not "specific" to the muscles used in running.  This principle is most important when weight training.  Make sure your workouts can transfer to swimming, biking, and/or running.  If not, then you may need to change things up.

Principle of Recovery
Possibly the most important principle of all.  I say most important, because it is most often neglected by endurance athletes.  The recovery period is the time spent after applying overload to rebuild damaged muscle and connective tissues.  Many triathletes make the mistake of beginning their next workout before they are completed recovered from the previous workout.  This can lead to overtraining, a condition of extreme fatigue caused by inadequate rest/recovery.  It is important to remember that our bodies do not actually get stronger during a workout.  The body gets stronger during the time after the workout, during the recovery period, but only if you take the time to rest and consume the proper nutrients (carbs and protein) to rebuild muscles.

Principle of Reversibility
Regular strength training will lead to hypertrophy, an increase in muscle size.  Discontinuing a strength training program will lead to atrophy, a decrease in muscle size.  This is an example of reversibility.  Utilizing all previous principles will help an athlete become stronger, faster, and more efficient.  Discontinuing the use of those principles will result in that athlete becoming weaker, slower, and less efficient.  This is the principle of reversibility.

Having a knowledge of these principles of exercise and training will help triathletes in creating their training program.  Be sure to take into consideration all principles for efficient use of training time.  Do not neglect or ignore any principle, especially the principle of recovery as this is the time the body gets stronger.