Specificity of training and its relation to the performance of distance runners
| dc.contributor.author | Hewson, David | en |
| dc.contributor.author | Hopkins, William G. | en |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2019-09-17T11:50:29Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2019-09-17T11:50:29Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 1996-04-30 | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Hewson DJ, Hopkins WG (1996) 'Specificity of training and its relation to the performance of distance runners', International Journal of Sports Medicine, 17 (3), pp.199-204. | en |
| dc.identifier.issn | 0172-4622 | |
| dc.identifier.pmid | 8739574 | |
| dc.identifier.doi | 10.1055/s-2007-972832 | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10547/623469 | |
| dc.description.abstract | Validated six-month retrospective questionnaires were completed by 119 female and 234 male coached distance runners (59% compliance) for a descriptive study of relationships between specificity of training and best performance in a summer season. Runners were aged 26 +/- 10 y (mean +/- SD), specialising in distances from 800 m to the marathon, with seasonal best paces of 82 +/- 7% of sex- and age-group world records. They reported typical weekly durations of interval and strength training, and typical weekly durations and paces of moderate and hard continuous running, for build-up, precompetition, competition, and postcompetition phases of the season. The training programs showed some evidence of specificity, especially for runners preparing for longer events. A potentially beneficial effect of specificity was evident in a significant (p < 0.01) correlation between performance and seasonal mean weekly duration of moderate continuous running for runners specialising in longer distances (r = 0.29). The only other significant correlates of performance were seasonal mean relative training paces of moderate (r = -0.18) and hard (r = -0.42) continuous running, which exemplified detrimental effects of specificity for most runners. Thus, the training of better runners is not characterised strongly by greater specificity. | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en |
| dc.publisher | Thieme | en |
| dc.relation.url | https://www.thieme-connect.com/products/ejournals/abstract/10.1055/s-2007-972832 | en |
| dc.rights | Blue - can archive post-print (ie final draft post-refereeing) or publisher's version/PDF | |
| dc.subject | running | en |
| dc.title | Specificity of training and its relation to the performance of distance runners | en |
| dc.type | Article | en |
| dc.contributor.department | University of Otago | en |
| dc.identifier.journal | International Journal of Sports Medicine | en |
| dc.date.updated | 2019-09-17T10:46:54Z | |
| html.description.abstract | Validated six-month retrospective questionnaires were completed by 119 female and 234 male coached distance runners (59% compliance) for a descriptive study of relationships between specificity of training and best performance in a summer season. Runners were aged 26 +/- 10 y (mean +/- SD), specialising in distances from 800 m to the marathon, with seasonal best paces of 82 +/- 7% of sex- and age-group world records. They reported typical weekly durations of interval and strength training, and typical weekly durations and paces of moderate and hard continuous running, for build-up, precompetition, competition, and postcompetition phases of the season. The training programs showed some evidence of specificity, especially for runners preparing for longer events. A potentially beneficial effect of specificity was evident in a significant (p < 0.01) correlation between performance and seasonal mean weekly duration of moderate continuous running for runners specialising in longer distances (r = 0.29). The only other significant correlates of performance were seasonal mean relative training paces of moderate (r = -0.18) and hard (r = -0.42) continuous running, which exemplified detrimental effects of specificity for most runners. Thus, the training of better runners is not characterised strongly by greater specificity. |