Five More Endurance Sport Training Errors: The Top 10 List

In the previous post, I had listed and described my top 5 endurance sport training errors. It only took a few minutes to realize that there are easily a “second five” errors that are begging to be included. How could I deny them the opportunity of fame?

In my experience clinically and as a coach, I am convinced that these 10 factors either increase the risk of injury or prevent the athlete from attaining his/her performance goals. Address these factors, and you can effectively optimize your workouts while removing the vast majority of limiters in your endurance sport training.

So without further adieu, here are five more endurance sport training errors to consider, followed by the complete top 10 list.

6. Not doing interval work throughout the season. The primary task of a training program is simply to build the overall capacity to perform the sport. Interval work builds your overall capacity and power output, regardless of the sport. And it doesn’t matter if you are a “slow” runner or a “fast” runner – interval work is integral for all athletes. If you are not doing this type of training through the season, you will begin to de-train.

7. Avoiding strength training. There is a belief amongst endurance sport athletes that they don’t need to do strength training, or if they do, they need to do so for “endurance”. Most would rather be on the trails or the road than in the gym anyways. As mentioned in #6, the goal of training is to increase sports performance capacity. Strength training, given the correct parameters, will do so and will foster the recovery process. Most of the injured runners I have seen over the years have not had strength training as part of their training plan.

8. Heart rate monitors. Let’s keep this one simple. Endurance sport athletes – and coaches – love heart rate monitors. They give you data, which then allows you to produce very “specific” training plans.

The problem is that heart rate is just one data point for one bodily system. If you are using heart rate zones, you are working with percentages of a maximum heart rate that is always projected, so there is a rather large factor of error. If you are dehydrated or live and train in a warm climate, your heart rate data will be skewed, thereby reducing its relevance and accuracy.

If you are inactive, it may serve a useful purpose for the first 3 months or so to help you understand relative levels of workload. But after this, it really isn’t that good a measure to use for program progression and monitoring.

9. No training of the brain. The central nervous system – and the brain – controls everything we do. Endurance sport athletes think nothing of doing the hard physical training, and lots of it. But the brain is often lost in the conversation. Many involved with endurance sports simply aren’t training their brain. It is a vital component in the process of recovery.

10. Arbitrary plans and progressions. What this amounts to is simple - not having a plan at all, or doing so “off the cuff”. Many athletes adjust their programs on the fly and on a whim, mixing and matching while utilizing arbitrary progressions (like the 10% rule). A training plan should have a methodical progression built into it, and each workout should have a specific intent. Just going out and “riding 20 miles” is pretty non-specific. The results are, well, pretty non-specific as well. The goal of the training plan is control-ability of performance.

To summarize:

1. Misuse of the concept of periodization.

2. Training cycles that are too long.

3. The importance of recovery is forgotten.

4. Too much, too soon.

5. More is better.

6. Not doing interval work throughout the season.

7. Avoiding strength training.

8. Heart rate monitors.

9. No training of the brain.

10. Arbitrary plans and progressions.

How many of these training errors exist in your current training plan?

Though there are 10 primary errors, there are just 5 simple solutions. Part 3 of this series will present the solutions to these training maladies – to optimize your performance and to decrease your risk of training injury.

Photo credits: Michael Lokner