Is Your Training Program Hitting the Effectiveness Bullseye?

There are complementary concepts held by strength and conditioning coaches that help us guide the training parameters for our athletes. They factor in the interdependent nature of disparate elements and provide a basis for programming at a higher, more beneficial and more individualized level:

Diminishing Returns and Remaining Opportunity

The first addresses the point at which training for a given mode (strength, endurance, power, etc.) and for the overall conditioning picture begins to tilt in the direction of lowered effectiveness, or even chronic eroded capacity. A simple practical example of diminishing returns for everyone is laying in bed wide awake after waking up refreshed without an alarm. You won’t get much additional recovery benefit from that unless you’re sick or moderately overtrained from the day before. Specifically for training, too ambitious combinations of volume, frequency/duration and/or intensity are common but easily overlooked elements in the chronic overtraining equation. Passionate, disciplined athletes are most likely to edge into, or to get fully immersed in this danger zone.

Remaining opportunity is the flipside of this equation. It takes a constructive view that neutralizes the value association (good/bad) and zeroes in on the inputs and outputs of the program, relative to goals and genetic/age related performance boundaries. Training priority is placed on factors that can drive reasonable and meaningful performance improvements that have a high degree of controllability (choice of training modes and sequences versus hours available for training each week, for instance).

So the holy grail for those who are well trained and have a sound nutrition program (that’s another post on similar factors) but who may be beyond the diminishing returns point and/or missing remaining opportunity, is to evaluate the overall program with expertise and objectivity, and then make appropriate adjustments. It’s very unlikely that the athlete can apply both of those qualities to his/her own program, so accessing the right guide can be critically important in helping them reach their goals.

I teach mature athletes how to eat and train to perform and look their best for the rest of their lives. You can see my profile and join my weekly email list for free. I also offer brief, value-packed guide booklets, video webinars (contact me for details or to purchase), comprehensive digital courses, and a 20-person max VIP interactive six-week coaching program every quarter. If you've purchased the lower-level product at each level, I'll discount the next level product for you by that amount (email me to get the purchase code). And I guarantee satisfaction or your money back - no strings attached (I only ask for your feedback so I can continue to enhance the value I offer).