The Training Session - A means to an end

The training session (workout) is a means to end. It is not an end unto itself. Each session must have a context. That context is determined by the theme of the microcycle, and the training block. On an immediate and micro level what you did in the previous session and what is going happen in the next training session determines the context of today’s session. It helps to think of the training sessions as pieces of big jigsaw puzzle with the picture of the completed puzzle always visible. That is the ultimate goal, to assemble a complete athlete fully capable of competing in the competitive arena without any limitations. Mind you we are not training survivors, we want the athletes to thrive on the training, not to be constantly beat down, sore and tired, that is not training. If each training session is an end unto itself then the athletes get tired, the strong survive, and many fall by the wayside. In that scenario it is constant crisis management. Instead have a plan, build a rhythm to the workouts so that there is wave like variation in volume and intensity. Monitor their reaction to the workout and adjust accordingly both intra and inter session. Make sure all the pieces of the puzzle fit with each other and fit into the bigger picture. Train you athlete to compete, to thrive in the competitive arena. Remember one workout cannot make an athlete but one workout can break an athlete.

Bio
Twitter
Facebook
Latest Posts

Vern Gambetta

Director at Gambetta Sports Training Systems

Vern is the Director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems. He has been the a conditioning coach for several MLS teams as well as the conditioning consultant to the US Men's World Cup Soccer team. Vern is the former Director of Conditioning for the Chicago White Sox and New York Mets. He has lectured and conducted clinics in Canada, Japan, Australia and Europe and has authored six books and over one hundred articles related to coaching and sport performance in a variety of sports. He has a BA in teaching with a coaching minor and an MA in Education with an emphasis in physical education from Stanford University.