Ryan's Training Tip Tuesday--Supercompensation

Supercompensation!

This is the first installment of the RUNegades Training Tip Tuesday, and a great place to start is with the training effect and the principle of supercompensation.

What is supercompensation ?

(a) a really big paycheck

(b) those fake you-know-whats hanging under some oversize pickup trucks

(c) the body's response to training stress and recovery, and the reason we improve as we train

Check out the fancy curves. For most structured training plans, the goal of a workout is to achieve the green curve and to start your next workout as close to the peak of that curve as possible. This means improved performance accumulated over time. Unicorns, rainbows and PRs. Our happy place.

Easy to say, hard to do. Train too hard, and the red curve results, which can also mean injury. Train too easy or rest too long and the yellow curve results, in which a small amount of supercompensation happens or none at all.

So this week's tip is: take the long view, and keep this picture in mind as the weeks and months pass. With each workout, ask questions like:

How long did it take me to fully recover from my last workout?

Am I really ready for my next workout? Should I take extra rest or lower the intensity to allow recovery to happen?

Was my last workout too hard? Am I injured and pushing through pain, and not allowing recovery?

Am I feeling good at the start of each workout, ready to take it on ?

How am I doing in the long view? Am I improving over time?