World-Class Endurance Coaches Perspective
A recent study of world-class endurance coaches published in the Human Kinetics Journals Perspectives of World-Class Endurance Coaches on the Evolution of Athlete Training and Performance explored, from a coach’s perspective, advancement to elite athletes training and performance.
Key Drivers of Performance Improvement
The coaches identified 8 areas driving the improvement to elite endurance athlete training and performance.
- Individualized and sport-specific training strategies. Training has increasingly focused to individual athlete needs, capacities, and sport-specific demands.
- Precision in training execution. Use of monitoring tools and data analytics to align training suggestions to performance on the field.
- Load-management procedures. Internal and external load metrics improve training stress management – balancing stress and recovery.
- Strategic use of environmental stressors. Targeted use of heat and altitude training to allow the athlete to adapt to these conditions.
- Optimized nutrition. Knowledge and understanding carbohydrate consumption and absorption has increased significantly, allowing athletes to train longer, harder and more frequently lowering the risk of “hitting the wall”. Fueling strategies focus on long term adaptation. See Natural Food Sources of Vitamins. See also Natural Food Sources of Minerals. See also Raw Milk – Most Effective Sports Training and Recovery Drink!.
- Holistic recovery practices. Recovery has advanced by appreciating the importance of (i) maintaining a regular sleep schedule, (ii) naps and resting, and (iii) emotional well-being. See Sleep, Rest and Recovery: Tips to Natural Good Sleep. Also see 8 Natural Ways to Boost Melatonin for Better Sleep
- Health and injury prevention. A more proactive approach to strength training, with an increased focus on lifting heavier weights, as a strategy to prevent injury.
- Equipment and technology-driven innovation. Improvements in shoe foam for runners and use of physiology technologies such as heart rate monitoring have enabled athletes to manage harder training. See Resting Heart Rate as a Measure of Health, Fitness and Lifespan, The researchers concluded advancements in new equipment and technology ” is transforming training practices and contributing to improved endurance performance”.
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