Welcome to the last section of this installment in “Just Fly Basics”. Here you will learn about how the human body tends to work towards efficiency rather than proficiency and what you can do to fight it. Also covered is the extremely important aspect of the training environment and how it can make or break your training success!
Proficiency vs. Efficiency:
The above section leads us into learning about proficiency in the human body vs. efficiency. This is a simple but effective principle of training. Proficiency in training refers to the ability to perform movements as powerfully and explosively as possible without regard to endurance based capacity, or the ability to repeat a movement over and over again. Efficiency is the ability of the body to make movements efficient and repeatable over time, such as is the goal in sports such as cross country or marathon racing. The bottom line of this training principle is that the natural tendency of the body is to move towards an “efficient” form of training rather than a “proficient”state. When working for power, training must eventually be geared towards the primary sporting skill being done, and doing that movement as explosively as possible.
This training philosophy also has implications towards yearly training programs. A common mistake that is made by many coaches is excessive time spent in the “General Physical Preparation” phase (A phase characterized by overall fitness and conditioning training) before moving to more specific means and methods. Excessive conditioning can lead the body to become geared towards efficiency rather than proficiency, as well as take time away from training weeks that can be devoted to increasing speed and power.
In the design of the whole year, when considering general vs. special physical preparation (special physical preparation is the time of year when athletes spend working on the specific qualities that will improve their event), coaches must decide how much of which type of training is to be used, and when to use it. After the end of a competitive season, athletes will typically take around a month of active recovery, where few real training methods are being used. This active recovery is very important for the long term development of the athlete, as short, active rest periods are needed to allow the body to prepare itself for another year of intense training. After this period, a general period characterized by exercises designed to improve the muscular endurance and efficiency of the body are implemented. As stated before, this period of training should not be very long, especially in experienced athletes.
For younger and less experienced athletes, a longer GPP is OK. Following the GPP, the period of Special Physical Preparation (SPP) is in effect. The SPP tends to focus on those exercises that enhance the proficiency and maximal CNS output of the body. One cannot simply train in SPP style year round, however, or this will guarantee certain burnout for the athlete after a given period of time. Coaches need to have plenty of deloading blocks built within the SPP training period, as well as have short transition periods after the end of the competitive season to allow the body to recover properly from intense training.
If an athlete is not training in a setup requiring any sort of peak performance (such as a high school or collegiate competitive season), and are just looking for general, year round athletic development, then one really just needs to be aware of the balance which needs to exist between working for proficiency vs. efficiency in training. Instead of breaking the year up into one large cycle when an athlete doesn’t have a competitive season, they can break their year up into “miniature cycles” characterized by a few weeks of GPP style work, followed by a month or two of SPP oriented work. This will allow the athlete to work towards proficiency on a year round basis while still taking short breaks from intense training to allow the body to make a recovery from intense training periods.
Training Environment:
Perhaps the most neglected, but many times, the most important factor of training is the environment in which one trains in. Consider two athletes who follow the exact same training program, of which the primary focus is developing maximal sprint speed. One athlete trains by him or herself with no training partners, while the other athlete is constantly racing teammates in practice, trying to best them with each sprint. Of these two athletes, which will end up being faster in the long run? Or take the example of a powerlifter who trains by him or herself vs. a powerlifter who trains in a gym full of beastly lifters who can move giant weights. In each situation the second athlete, who has an environment where they are pushed by others, will gain greater results from their training. Research has shown that having a crowd present can increase maximal strength by 12.5%. When training your CNS for maximal motor recruitment, a motivating environment is vital to have a energetic training environment! This is part of the excellent effect that your surroundings can have on your own body.
If it is your goal to maximize your training gains, than it is very important that at the very least you find a training partner or an energetic location to train at. This aspect of training is the most important when it comes to the primary goal/movement that an athlete is trying to improve in their sporting abilities. If you really want to jump higher in basketball, then go to a busy park and work on your dunking ability with people watching. If you want to lift more weight in powerlifting, find a gym with a lot of heavy lifters rather than the neighborhood YMCA or Anytime Fitness where the rush hour is on Friday night around 8pm before the clubs open up (arms day!).
Good training partners are not just good for increased motivation, but they are also great for keeping things fun. Training can take a psychological toll and it is important to find a training environment that is fun and enjoyable to reduce monotony in training. If you have a difficult time finding training partners or a good environment, find something that will help fire you up during your practice sessions such as music. Do your best to approach your specific power sessions with maximal intensity. This is even more important when it comes to dynamic movement, such as sprinting or jumping than supporting structures such as weightlifting. No matter what your goal, finding an environment where you are pushed will help you to realize your ultimate potential.
Summary
- The body tends to lean towards the efficiency side of things when training so always include power work in your training to some degree and don’t spend too much of your early season on conditioning work.
- Longer time spent on conditioning is OK with younger athletes, but older and more mature athletes will want to spend less time “getting in shape to train” and work on directly improving their speed and power.
- Athletes trying to improve their performance who don’t have a yearly competitive season just need to remember to put deloading weeks and short GPP and transition periods in place in their training.
- Training environment is a vital ingredient in a complete training program. Athletes who train in a energetic and positive environment will reap better training results than those who train by themselves, especially in speed related activities.
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