AN INTRODUCTION TO LOADING

An exerpt from the ALTIS Foundation Course

 WHAT IS

‘LOAD’?

Load refers to the combined interplay of Volume x Intensity x Density in medium to long-
term planning strategies, whereby:

Volume (V) is the amount of work done.

Intensity (I) is the percentage of maximum effort the work is performed at.
Density (D) is how often the load is applied.

When considering acute (short-term) loads in a session by session basis, load is defined by
Volume x Intensity.

VOLUME
X INTENSITY
LOAD

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 HOW DOES ONE

OPTIMALLY LOAD?

Elite sports performers have more refined sensitive nervous systems; akin to an F1 car versus a run-about car.

This is a critically important question to consider. Loading correctly is a delicate blend of art and
science, which should be given significant thought in the context of training methodology and
programming. Too many coaches do not pay adequate attention to loading; yet over-prescription of
training loads (alongside poor mechanics) are primary reasons for athlete injuries. On the flip side,
inadequate loading also accounts for a great proportion of sub-par performances, especially during
competition phases.

One of the most common mistakes made with loading decisions is to blindly adopt loading schemes
from other programs/systems, and implement those same schemes without deliberation or question.
Adopting such methods often results in the aforementioned sub-par performance and/or injury.
The choosing of daily and weekly loads is arguably

PRO TIP
the single most important decision a coach
makes. Many high performance coaches are now
questioning traditional thinking as to how much
loading is required to bring an athlete into form Coach Pfaff answers the question: “How
(peak condition). do you define ‘optimal loading’ within
your own programming parameters?”
This becomes more critical the higher the level
of the athlete, as elite performers have more
refined, responsive systems compared their lower
performing counterparts; akin to an F1 car versus
a run-about car. Likewise, older elite athletes with
high numbers of training years behind them tend
to be highly sensitive to acute changes in load –
more so than younger, developing athletes. This
goes against the intuition many coaches have.

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 LOADING STRATEGIES FOR
SPEED & POWER EVENTS
To make appropriate decisions on loading, key
questions need to be considered:
What are the ranges of loading appropriate for
the athlete?
The more successful coaches are constantly
questioning their strategies as how to bring an
athlete into form; asking how much do I need,
how often, and when? As we’ve just discussed,
this will vary according to the age and level of
development of the athlete.
What are the ranges in which specific work
(high intensity technical work) is effective for an
athlete, event, or sport?
When does sprinting for the purpose of maximal
speed development not transfer, for example?
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This could occur through a drop in intensity levels
– through over-prescription of volume in a session,
or simply acute fatigue.
What are the ranges in which “complementary”
workloads that train specific muscle groups and
systems add to the value of training?
We accept too much too often that more weight room
work, for example, will improve performance. The
real question however, should be how much and
when should these loads be applied in order to
make them complement the specific workloads of
the competitive event? That is their purpose: To
make the athlete better in the competitive event,
not detract and interfere with the development
of specific workloads. Always question if the
complementary loads you are using are enhancing
rather than detracting from specific work.
 VOLUME, INTENSITY, & DENSITY
LOADING CONSIDERATIONS
The three components of V, I & D are critical
considerations for medium & long term planning
strategies. Many modern training systems are
now challenging commonly held assumptions
about the prescription of these three variables
in training. Coaches are beginning to recognize
that there are finite amounts of V & I that can
be effectively employed in a given session,
beyond which recovery is needed. Density is
also now increasingly becoming recognized as
an important tool, which can be manipulated to
better control adaptation effects.
To produce athletes performing at a high level,
using ethical means, these are the three variables
that need to be most critically considered in
modern programming.
In order to achieve transfer there is only so much
volume that can be applied, beyond which the
quality of the work performed decreases.
In order to achieve transfer and allow quality
work to be performed in a training session,
there is only so much volume that can be applied
beyond which the quality of the work performed
decreases. ‘The more you do the better you get’
is not true; there is in fact a very finite amount
of specific work that can be done with positive
effect. This is a critical point that we will continue
to reinforce throughout this module! For
example, in Eastern block throwing events, it was
thought for years that athletes should be doing
upwards of 80 throws per session to generate
improvements. In the 1980s this was realized
not to be the case, as the same results began to
be achieved with a quarter of the volume. When
Coaches started to realize this, they discovered
that more sessions could be completed at a higher
quality by reducing volumes, rather than using
fewer sessions with huge loads applied at once.
This allowed a longer term training effect; it was
this realization that influenced the idea of the
manipulation of density as an important loading
strategy.
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 FURTHER CONSIDERATION:

INTENSITY

In any discussion regarding loading (the interplay of V, I & D) it is important to understand the range of
intensity considerations available to the coach:

Specific work is defined by a clearly defined level (or bandwidth) of intensity. If an athlete drops below this
bandwidth, the work is no longer specific, and transfer of the quality in question (e.g. maximum speed, or
strength) will be lost. This range of intensity is reasonably finite with high quality workloads.
High intensity work can successfully be performed in combination with low intensity work. However, one
must be cautious when combining medium intensity workloads with high intensity training. You can’t just
include all variants of intensity in the session and expect positive transfer, or indeed, positive adaptation.
You have to consider the intensification zones you’re using within a given session, or microcycle because
there is a finite envelope of resources that every athlete has at their disposal. It is the coach’s job to determine
where the athlete’s resources are best spent. (This concept is referred to as the polarization of intensity – and
is something we will explore further in later sections).
Key point: Specificity & transfer

Do not confuse specificity with transfer. While it is generally true that a higher degree of specificity leads to
more direct transfer, when dealing with accomplished athletes who have many training years behind them
this is not always the case – high acute transfer may not always come from specific means.

This can confuse inexperienced coaches, as this concept is very nuanced in its application. Although most
performers achieve greatest transfer of training to the competitive exercise from specific training means,
non specific means which create indirect transfer do have individual application at times.

With elite performers, some coaches use lower intensity workloads for a specific reason, understanding that
certain qualities will not transfer. In a sprint workout, for example, lower intensity workloads may be used
to slow the movement down for premeditated purposes – such as to aid in teaching or skill acquisition, or for
rehabilitation purposes. Do not confuse this refined rationale with the general concepts we are discussing.

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SUMMARY AND

NEXT STEPS
SUMMARY
In medium to long-term planning strategies, load refers to the combined interplay of
Volume x Intensity x Density.

When considering acute (short-term) loads in a session-by-session basis, load is defined by

Volume x Intensity.

Elite and older athletes will usually require less loading than athletes of a lower caliber, or
of a less advanced development level. This goes against the intuition many coaches have.

Modern training systems are challenging commonly held assumptions about the
prescription of V, I & D in training.

Specific work is defined by a specific level (or bandwidth) of intensity.

KEY TERMS
• Volume
• Intensity
• Density
• Bandwidth

NEXT STEPS
Gain access to information like this and so much more by checking out the ALTIS
Foundation Course. This Course is designed by experienced Coaches to help inspire and
grow the Coaching Community.

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