As the summer winds down and the fall season approaches, athletes often shift their focus from off-season training to in-season competition. While it might seem tempting to reduce or even pause structured training as sports schedules get busier, it's crucial to understand the long-term consequences of doing so. This is where Vladimir Issurin's model of residual training effects provides critical insights.
Issurin's research emphasizes the importance of maintaining key physical qualities to ensure peak performance throughout the year. According to his model, various physical qualities and energy systems begin to deteriorate after specific periods without training, leading to a decline in athletic performance.
The Residual Training Effects
Speed:
Loss after 5 days: Speed is one of the quickest qualities to diminish when training stops. Within just five days of no speed-specific training, an athlete's speed can begin to decline. Speed training requires maximal intensity efforts, which are rarely achieved during regular sports practice. To maintain and improve speed, it’s essential to continue training at high intensities, even during the competitive season.
Repeat-Power:
Loss after 15 days: Repeat-power refers to the ability to perform repeated high-intensity efforts with minimal drop-off in performance. This quality starts to degrade after about 15 days without targeted training. While some sports may challenge repeat-power, they often don't provide the necessary intensity or recovery periods required for optimal development. Continued, focused training on repeat-power will ensure athletes can sustain high performance throughout games and matches.
ATP/CR-P System:
Loss after 5 days: The ATP-Creatine Phosphate (ATP/CR-P) system is the body’s primary energy source for short, explosive movements. Like speed, this system begins to decline after just five days of inactivity. Without regular high-intensity training, athletes will experience a decrease in their ability to perform explosive actions like sprints, jumps, and powerful movements—crucial elements in nearly every sport.
Glycolytic System:
Loss after 18 days: The glycolytic system fuels moderate-to-high intensity activities lasting from 30 seconds to about 2 minutes. It starts to diminish after approximately 18 days of no training. While many sports engage this system, it’s essential to continue specific training to optimize performance, particularly for the latter stages of competitions when fatigue sets in.
The Pyramid of Performance: Training Maximally to Elevate Sub-Maximal Performance
Imagine athletic performance as a pyramid. The top of the pyramid represents maximal strength, speed, and power, while the middle and lower sections represent sub-maximal and general fitness qualities. To raise the overall pyramid—your athletic potential—you must train the top with maximal intensity.
Strength and Speed: During the competitive season, athletes often focus on sport-specific skills, which usually involve sub-maximal efforts. However, to truly develop and maintain peak speed and strength, maximal training is essential. Without it, the top of the pyramid (maximal strength and speed) begins to lower, which in turn causes the middle (sub-maximal abilities) to decline as well.
The Role of Structured Training: Regular sport participation alone is not enough to maintain or improve these qualities. True maximal strength and speed training require the right amount of rest and intensity—something that sport-specific practices rarely provide. At FAST Athletics, we design programs that ensure athletes continue to train these critical systems, even during their competitive seasons.
The Path Forward: Consistent Training for Sustained Success
Understanding Issurin's model underlines the importance of continued, structured training throughout the year. While athletes may feel that their sport practice is enough, the reality is that without specific, high-intensity training, key qualities like speed, strength, and power will decline, leading to sub-optimal performance.
At FAST Athletics, our goal is to help athletes maintain and elevate their performance year-round. As we transition from summer into fall and winter, it’s crucial to keep training these systems to ensure that athletes remain fast, strong, and powerful when it matters most.
Don’t let the progress you’ve made this summer slip away. Continue your training with us, and together, we’ll keep pushing the limits of your performance.
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