Athletes from all sports and activities have likely come across the terms endurance, stamina, and work capacity. But what do each of these really mean? Is there even a difference between them or are we using different words to classify the same things? The purpose of this article is to create a conversation among coaches from varying disciplines. What do these terms mean to different athlete populations, and how can you go about including them in your own training? When I really sit and think about it, I feel that at some point along the way I started to create…
Author: Drew
One of the most important points to consider when designing a strength program is the overall load volume the athlete will experience. Load volume, for the uninitiated, is a simple calculation of the amount of weight on the bar multiplied by the amount of times the weight is lifted. For example, if an athlete squats 200 pounds for a single set of 10 reps, the load volume for that set is 2,000 pounds. If the athlete uses that same weight for three total sets of 10 reps, the load volume becomes 6,000 pounds (200 x 10 x 3). As you…
It seems that in the past few years, the term “active recovery” has become a catchall for any sort of training session in which you deviate from whatever plan you’re currently following to focus on slowing things down and refreshing the body. While on the surface that approach seems all well and good, the issue I see time and again is that true active recovery becomes misconstrued through the use of high-intensity conditioning sessions, heavier lifting days, long runs, or any combination of the above and is simply given the title of “active recovery” to appease the athlete’s mental state.…