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Training Considerations
(by John Davies - Olympic medalist)
1. You need to be at a peak for the day. It is not necessarily
the best athlete who wins, it is the best prepared
2. Choose the event that best suits you internationally. Basic speed is the governing
factor.
3. The aim is to develop sufficient endurance to maintain the necessary speed over
the race distance to be successful.
4. In middle distance and distance events, a high aerobic threshold is necessary.
5. Stamina can be continually developed.
6. Aerobic development is a limited factor.
7. Once anaerobic training is started, it must be continued, otherwise development
is lost.
8. Once conditioning is finished, the performance level is determined.
9. Conditioning requires many kilometers in training. It can only be accomplished
aerobically
10.It is a mistake to use anaerobic training during the conditioning phase.
11. Anaerobic development only takes 10 to 12 weeks to achieve maximum levels.
12. Anaerobic training should be done in relation to reactions, not by using hypothetical
figures such as number of repetitions, etc. The athlete should decide how many
reps is enough.
13. Evaluate everyday's training and train by daily reactions, using the schedule
for guidance.
14. Balance in training must be maintained between aerobic / anaerobic and speed
development.
15. It is a fallacy that anaerobic training develops speed. It in fact counteracts
speed.
16. Training can be done too fast or too slow, too much or too little, at right or
wrong times.
17. Understand the how and what of training as well as why each day's training is
important physiologically and mechanically.
18. Co-ordination of training is important.
19. all middle distance and distance athletes require; (a) A high aerobic theshold,
(b) Anaerobic development, (c) Speed, and (d) Co-ordination. One development follows
another. Training needs to be systematic.
20. No one can determine exactly what an athlete should do in anaerobic training.
The athlete should determine that in each session and not train to hypothetical figures.
21.Anaerobic development requires volume training, i.e. longer repetitions, not short
sharp ones or short intervals. After three weeks of heavy overload anaerobic training,
the athlete needs to decide whether to back off during the fourth week and start
the shorter sharper workouts. This is to maintain the anaerobic development achieved
but not sacrifise good condition at the same time.
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