In a recent study described in The New York Times , researchers evaluated exercise frequency and type in people working out two, four, and six times per week.  It was concluded that there were “almost no differences in fitness gains among the groups.“ This article has been making the rounds in the endurance world and conclusions are being drawn that working out less frequently may be beneficial to the endurance athlete. Although this may be a valid conclusion for some athletes, we do not believe that the results of this particular study are valid for the competitive endurance SUP athlete.

This study looked at 72, older, sedentary women, ages 60-74. It is unknown if the results of this study extrapolate to younger, fit, SUP racers. In our experience coaching hundreds of athletes over the years, we have found that athletes are able to  adapt to their training as they upregulate the physiological systems necessary to recover from their workouts. What may apply to sedentary individuals, and endurance athletes early in their racing careers,  may not apply to seasoned endurance athletes.  In our experience, training more than 4 times per week is necessary for athletes to reach their potential as an SUP racer. In fact, some Riding Bumps training programs recommend 6+ workouts (including cross training) per week for some athletes, training for certain races, at some points in the training year.

Older athletes have different training requirements than younger athletes. Many older athletes need more time to recover from workouts as they age.  We question whether conclusions drawn from the cohort of individuals evaluated in this study apply to younger SUP endurance athletes.

As a general comment, endurance athletes should carefully evaluate all studies looking at health, wellness, diet , and overall fitness  they read in newspapers and online to determine if these studies are valid relative to  their SUP training goals. To be competitive as an SUP racer, your training and lifestyle are geared to a goal of getting faster as an SUP racer. Although you will look better and feel better, the endpoints of speed and looking and feeling better may not correlate with overall improvements in your health or longevity. A growing body of research indicates that doing what it takes to be a competitive endurance athlete  may not necessarily be “healthy” and may not add years to your life.

Bottom line: be careful when extrapolating information reported in studies looking at health, wellness, diet, and overall fitness to your training as an endurance athlete.  The health and wellness goals of the general public may differ from your goals as a competitive SUP race athlete.   Our experience is that  training  more than 4 times per week will be necessary for you to reach your potential as an SUP racer.