At Riding Bumps we talk with loads of SUP and prone paddlers who are either designing their own paddle training program, questioning us about our 16-week training programs , or asking about our personal coaching service .

The biggest issue we see among paddlers who contact us is that they want to train too hard too often. Anyone reading our book or reading our posts knows that we preach the gospel of “less is more” and “go slow to get fast.” Much of what we preach is based on old research and our experience working with endurance athletes over the years. From time to time, however, new research comes to light that reinforces what we know and fills in the gaps in previous research.

The New York Times recently reviewed two studies in an article titled How to get fit in a few minutes each week . These studies were designed to evaluate aspects of high intensity interval training. In one of these studies, researchers sought to determine how frequently high intensity interval training sessions should be performed for maximal gain.

In this study, scientists asked volunteers to perform a total of 24 standard HIIT [high intensity interval training sessions] over either three or eight weeks. Volunteers exercised either three times per week or almost every day and sometimes twice on the same day.

The researchers found that at the end of the study

• Athletes who did three interval sessions per week improved their endurance capacity by almost 11%
• Athletes who performed intervals daily displayed no immediate improvements in endurance capacity. These athletes did, however, show a 6% improvement in endurance capacity but only after 12 days of rest. Rest was defined as zero aerobic exercise.

Researchers theorized that the fatigue associated with the high frequency training regimen limited cardiopulmonary function while the moderate frequency training allowed for progressive adaptation and improved endurance.

This study essentially confirms was endurance coaches have known for some time now – less is more when it comes to high intensity training.

Although this study looked at volunteers riding a stationary bike, the results likely apply to stand up paddlers and prone paddlers. In the book, Rowing Faster by Volker Nolte, the authors include a table stating the relationship between training load and how long it takes athletes to recover from these workouts. The following is an excerpt from the book.

1.     Aerobic endurance (CAT V, slightly above aerobic threshold): complete recovery by 12 hours

2.     Aerobic endurance (CAT IV at or below anaerobic threshold: complete recovery by 24-36 hours

3.     Mixed aerobic-anaerobic (CAT II + III 90-100% v02max): complete recovery by 24-36 hours

4.     Anaerobic lactic: complete recovery 72-84 hours.

As you can see, if you are going all out in your workouts, it could take up to 72-84 hours to recover from these strenuous workouts.  Considering the new research discussed previously, doing this too often will likely have negative consequences on your fitness and/or you will need to take several days off to recovery from your high intensity training.

Putting this information to use

It is clear from these studies and other studies that going hard every day is not a recipe for getting faster on your SUP or prone paddleboard. The question, we always get is “how often should I do intervals and go hard?” The problem is that the answer to that question is not at all simple.

The first problem with answering this question is that everyone is different. The ability to recover from a workout may be what separates the champions from the rest of us. Moreover, your ability to recover from a workout improves over time and it will take years of endurance training to maximize your recovery potential. Some athletes can handle 3-4 intense interval workouts per week while I have had other athletes over the years that do best with only a single high intensity session per week.

The second problem is that if your goal is to push your fitness you will need to progressively overload your system. Waiting until you are fully recovered from your previous workout won’t do the trick because you will be undertraining. Rather, you need to progressively overload your system then back off and rest. During these overload and rest cycles you need to push your limits but you also need to be careful that you do not fatigue yourself so much that your body does not respond to the training. What we are essentially saying is that your overload/rest cycle should allow you to approach a state of overtraining but not go over the edge into overtraining syndrome. For many athletes the difference between overtraining and pushing themselves is not great. It is a very fine line between overtraining and progressive development.  For most endurance athletes, it takes years to learn how to walk that edge between pushing their fitness and overtraining.  You need to learn your limits.

All we can tell you is that edge between overtraining and positive overload will lie somewhere between complete recovery from your previous workout and going hard every day. When in doubt do less high intensity training but keep your training consistent. Over time this approach will result in the greatest improvements in your fitness. Rember:  undertraining by 10% is better than overtraining by 1% any day.

Bottom line: Knowing how often to go hard in your training is a question without an easy answer. This is where careful observation of your response to training and/or personal coaching comes in to play.

If you do not have a coach you are going to have to listen to your body. If you are cranky, slow, and do not feel like paddling, you are probably exhibiting symptoms of overtraining and you need to re-assess your program. Remember, with high intensity training, less is more.

If you do not know where to start, you might consider one of our 16-week training programs . These programs are based on years of experience and, in our experience, are a great starting point for the vast majority of endurance athletes with normal lives outside of paddling.