Training Quantity vs. Training Quality
I rarely encounter athletes who do not judge their training plan by volume. In our world of “more is better,” athletes are eager for a consistent increase in weekly mileage. Not because they just love to run, all day, every day (well, maybe a few), but because they believe intense training will transform them into a stronger, faster, better runner.
Ultimately, this reasoning is fueled by the emotional and physical drive to self-validate and give a stamp of approval to your training plan. It’s more important to consider if you can recover from your training load. If not, pushing past your ability to recover is an unwise use of your physical and emotional resources.
Identifying Accumulated Fatigue
Cultivating self-awareness of your recovery state and level of fatigue is absolutely critical to your success. A smart athlete can train right up to the red line, then intuitively know when to pull back, rest and recuperate before pushing onward.
Let’s unpack the signs and symptoms of excessive fatigue to identify the kinks in your training approach. Our goal is to maximize the quality of your training load to create positive physical adaptation and fitness.