I train a lot but I don’t improve anymore (II)

In the previous chapter I tried to explain the importance of not basing our training on just volume work. In the present, I dedicate it to intensity.

Intensity is trained by performing changes of pace or high-intensity intervals interspersed with recovery spaces. The benefit of doing this work is the accumulation of high quality training time at the end of a session in a way that it would be totally impossible to do if you wanted to accumulate it continuously.

The effects of intensive work affect on two levels:

1. General or central, by improving the athlete’s performance capacity due to optimization of metabolic processes and oxygen consumption that allow increasing the amount and speed of chemical reactions in the body to transform them into mechanical energy or movement.
2. Local, peripheral or neuromuscular, by increasing strength due to the stimulation and recruitment of “fast” muscle fibers thanks to high-intensity exercise that involves reconversion of these fibers for use in lower-intensity exercises.

People associate changes of rhythm, series and intervals with a high degree of physical and psychological demand, fatigue and unpleasant sensations, but if applied correctly and progressively sports results can be achieved in short periods of time (2-4 weeks) and the reward is greater than the effort involved. In addition, by fragmenting the training into smaller periods of time and keeping an eye on the heart rate monitor, the training time flies by and the pleasure obtained at the end of the session is greater than with continuous training at low rates.

Intensive jobs are defined by the following variables:

• Number, duration and intensity of the series or rhythm changes.
• Recovery time, intensity level, and activity between sets or pace changes.

At a quantitative level, it has been scientifically proven that the most effective intensity work variables are the following:

• Series lasting between 3 and 5 minutes. If the duration is shorter, they do not generate as many benefits at the central level, but they do at the peripheral level.
• If short series with short recoveries are programmed and grouping the series by blocks with times between longer recovery blocks, benefits are achieved in both systems.
• The intensity should be as close as possible to Maximum Speed (in short series of 30-45”) or close to Maximum Oxygen Consumption (in long series). At the level of subjective perception of effort, it generates unpleasant sensations since they involve hard or very hard work.
• As for the number of series, it has to be open and based on the subjective perception of effort. In this sense, the penultimate series should be classified as hard and the penultimate and last one as very hard, coming to the end of the block due to functional failure, that is, due to the impossibility of continuing to maintain the level of intensity. Finishing early means not taking advantage of the potential.
• The recovery time between 2 and 3′. Increasing this time does not lead to performance improvements.
• The recovery activity is better if it is active at a gentle jog in the case of running on the level or walking gently if the series is done uphill.
• Over-intensity work more easily leads to over-training. In general, you should not exceed 3 high intensity sessions per week.

However, the fact that scientifically it has been shown that the previous configuration is the most efficient and therefore the one that technically leads to the optimization of sports performance, does not mean that it does not abide by pedagogical criteria of load variation to achieve performance. more varied jobs that are similar to the one referred to above.

In the next installment we will end the article talking about density in training, a little-known concept that must be fully exploited to obtain high levels of performance.