Hi Reader,
If you caught this week's podcast you'll know Beth and I were answering the pushback from last week's recovery centred training episode.
One objection came up more than any other. If volume doesn't matter, why do the pros train 30 hours a week?
It's a fair challenge and I want to address it directly, because I think it gets to the heart of what most athletes misunderstand about training.
The pros don't train 30 hours a week and then recover. They recover well enough to allow them to train 30 hours a week. The recovery comes first. The volume follows from it. Take away the sleep coaches, the nutritionists, the physiotherapists, the altitude camps, the life built entirely around training and recovery - and the volume drops. Dramatically.
Most age group athletes are trying to do the volume without the infrastructure. And then wondering why it isn't working the way it should.
Here's a better way to think about it. I have an athlete - he lives in Sweden, trains around a full life - who went sub-10 hours at Ironman and qualified for Kona two or three times. In five years of working together I don't think he ever managed more than 10 hours a week. But he barely missed a session. Week after week, month after month, year after year.
No hero weeks. No panic blocks. Just consistent, absorbable training that compounded over time into something genuinely impressive.
The hare trains 15 hours, gets injured, misses six weeks, trains 15 hours again, gets ill. The tortoise trains 10 hours, every week, for five years. You already know how that story ends.
Now here's the part that surprises most athletes. Following a recovery centred approach actually takes more discipline than following a rigid plan, not less.
Opening TrainingPeaks and doing what it says regardless of how you slept, how stressed you are, or what your body is telling you - that isn't discipline. That's blind optimism. Real discipline is making an honest call every single day about whether today's session is going to give you a return, or just add more fatigue. And then having the fortitude to act on that answer even when your ego is pushing you towards the session.
That's the harder skill. And it's the one that keeps athletes in this sport for the long haul.
Train smart,
Wardy
P.S. This kind of honest, consistent approach - built around what you can actually absorb rather than what a generic plan prescribes - is exactly what SWAT is designed to support. The new page is live. Find out more here: https://www.simonward.co.uk/swat-inner-circle
P.P.S. This week's podcast covers the most common objections to recovery centred training in detail - including why it takes more discipline, not less. Worth a listen if last week's episode made you think.
Listen here: Recovery centred training: Your questions answered
Read the full article here: Yes, the pro’s training 30 hours/week. Here’s why that’s irrelevant to you
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I really appreciate you being a part of my tribe.
Thanks for reading and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Simon Ward
Health, Wellness & Performance Coach
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