Specificity and Variety

Two contradictory terms, but two terms that should be linked when one is training for any individual sport that requires strength, endurance and speed. I want to put up a quick post explaining what each of these terms mean and how they go together when designing a successful training plan.

Specificity means that to be successful, you have to do your sport. If you are a golfer, you have to golf. If you are a cyclist, you have to ride your bike. Runners run, swimmers swim. “All other forms of training are substitutes that to varying degrees fall short “ (1) Simple enough. Variety is the opposite, it means that an athletes training should be varied, the athlete should do different things; such as runners lifting weights, cyclists running in sand dunes, and golfers doing yoga. The secret is weaving these two ideas together.

The general rule that I try to follow depends on what time of year it is. Early season, I try to emphasize variety. Studies have shown that sand running, as supposed to regular track intervals, improves the aerobic fitness and muscle structure of young untrained runners; however there is no difference for more experienced runners. (2) I try to apply this by having newer runners, earlier in the summer or earlier in the winter, partake in a variety of running styles. (Through deep snow, up sandy hills, Red Rocks) In fact, I think that early in the season, it is a good idea for all runners, regardless of experience, to participate in these “cross-training” activities. Cross training has been shown to produce certain psychological benefits as well. (3) It is a long season, we all know that. To expect a runner to stay focused with intervals and track work for that long of a time is futile. That is why I stress variety early in the season.

However, as the season progresses, specificity starts to take over. We stop doing Spenst Hill, we stop going to Red Rocks, and we start doing more track work. We phase out of the weight room, and we work more on hand-offs and waterfall starts. As the season gets closer to the final championship races, we need to be very specific and focused on what we do. Now, some schools of thought say in order “to run fast, you must touch on speed every day.” (4), but that can easily lead to injury. I believe that in order to run fast, you must do something that relates to racing, and do this more and more as the season gets closer and closer to the end. Of course you will do more intervals, but you will also do more specific techniques that help you in your racing (slingshots). We will still do hills, but in combination with turnover intervals, to stress our muscles more. The ultimate in specificity is to race your event every day. That would lead to burn-out and injury of course. But you can be specific, in different ways, which lead to success on the track.

To wrap everything up, it is not one simple rule. It is a complex blending of both of these ideas that breeds success. Endurance athletes, especially middle and long distance runners relay on very multifaceted training programs. To think that a single factor relates to performance would only take away from that athlete’s experience. (5)

(1) Morton, J. (1992) Don’t Look Back

(2) Yigit, S. S., & Tuncel, F. (1998) Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, 12(2), 79-81.

(3) Foster, C., Hector, L. L., Welsh, R., Schrager, M., Green, M. A., & Snyder, A. C. (1995) European Journal of Applied Physiology, 70, 367-372.

(4) Coe, P. (1997) Better Training for Distance Runners

(5) Hewson, D. J., & Hopkins, W. G. (1996). International Journal of Sports Medicine, 17, 199-204.

EDIT: It has been brought to my attention that this post could be interpreted as an attack of some sort. I want to clarify that is is most certainly not an attack. It is just an explanation of training methods, similar to the posts about hills and long slow distance running I have rambled on about in the past.