Question re The Two-Factor Model of Sports Performance article by Rip

[Amy-in-PHX]

"Distance events like the marathon and the 10,000 meter run are examples of sports in which training and practice are essentially the same. There are no skills involved that training time does not provide practice for."

The sport I am working toward rejoining is backpacking -- which is more like a marathon than any other sport discussed in the article, if the backpacker hikes several hours per day. No special athletic skill other than putting one foot in front of the other, and avoiding falling down (which is just a bit harder with a pack on your back, on uneven ground, than in ordinary walking). So I'm wondering about those 2 sentences -- does "training" there mean barbell training for strength, so he's saying that barbell training = practice for this kind of endurance event?

I think greater strength will be a great help in hiking up mountains with a 45-lb pack, but I've seen it suggested elsewhere that it would be good to place a greater emphasis on specific "endurance" training at least a few months out from the hiking trip. My general idea is to build strength on the SS Novice LP for a couple months, training 3 days/week, and then switch it to 2 days/week to maintain strength, while freeing up time for long hikes with weight on my back. Anybody have ideas re how to structure training for the kind of event I have in mind?

(This is not intended as a criticism of Rip's article -- it's clear his point is not concerned with marathon-type events, and the two sentences quoted are an aside. I just wondered whether an SS coach would have a view on how best to train for an endurance event.)

[Michael Wolf]

I'm not sure I fully understand your question, but I think your basic strategy is sound. Do your LP, then lift twice a week with an eye on maintenance, or slow improvement, with a ramping frequency and difficulty of your more activity-specific stuff. Exactly how you structure it will depend on several factors: competitive or recreational, a season or single event, what is more important to you etc...

[Sean Herbison]

"Distance events like the marathon and the 10,000 meter run are examples of sports in which training and practice are essentially the same. There are no skills involved that training time does not provide practice for."
...
So I'm wondering about those 2 sentences -- does "training" there mean barbell training for strength, so he's saying that barbell training = practice for this kind of endurance event?

No, he's saying that running itself is both the training and the practice for running. There's no additional skill element to practice that is not already covered by your training. This is in contrast to something like football, where your practice would be drills and such, and your training would be lifting and conditioning.