People seem to think the ‘more is more’ philosophy is specific to training volume. Couldn’t it also relate to recovery and rest at certain points during the training cycle?
I’m pretty sure Paulo (isn’t he the originator of More is More?) said the term refers to training load (volume x intensity).
The article also suggests that Hamish had days off on a regular basis. I’ve also read somewhere else that he had 3 main/key sessions a week, that he made sure he never missed, therefore suggesting that he did miss sessions from time to time.
The article is in vo2max, a nz mag. I don’t think it is available online.
When I posted above re no recovery days, I probably meant something more along the lines of ‘no rest days’.
In terms of training volume per week, the article doesn’t state how much he was doing. But still, the point is that he seems to have had a fair amount of rest and recovery within each week and as such was probably able to nail his key workouts.
i m not sure you understand more is more… Yes there is a limit to what you can absorbe… Hamish wasnt taking day off… he was taking recovery days… that dosnt mean he was doing nothing… he was still putting a 1h run and 90 spin or a littel low hr swim workout…
he was doing as much as his body could take and absorbe… if he could absore more…he would do more… he was already doing a lot and it wasnt a vacation training program…
more is a combination of volume and intensity and the point will never change. the more you can do and absorbe…the faster you will be. IF you do less than what your body is able to tolerate…you are missing on some gain… and will be slower… it s about doing just the right amount and no pass the overtraining state…
so a 1h Z3 run is MORE than a 1h15 Z2… even if it s not as much time…!!!
see above. he does take rest days from what i can gather.
I do understand more is more. I also understand that ‘always’ ‘wanting’ or ‘needing’ to do more can be pretty damned stressful for the average age grouper with a job and maybe a family to look after. I gather the rest and recovery days allowed him to absorb more from his hard training days.
Also some of your comments seem to have not taken the following quotes into account:
“I think knowing when to push, and when not to train was a crucial factor for me as an athlete”
“It wasn’t so much the training that I did that made me fast, it was the training I didn’t do”.
Interestingly (to me), Brad Kearns mentions in his book that he took 2 (TWO!!!) days off per week just to lounge around, stretch, and watch videos. He also wasn’t a fan of the “well structured” program, in the sense I think you mean it (build up to a consistent volume daily volume).
When looking at what any top athlete does its important to take their whole training and racing history into account. When looking at Hamish’s training in that last year (or few months) prior to Athens you need to consider everything else he did as a pro from '93 up until that point (11 years). I was at the race in Aussie in '93 where Hamish won his first pro race. He was pretty damn good already by then. Since that time he did a lot of training and a ton of racing. He had a vey long pro career. What he did prior to Athens should be considered the fine tuning and taper of a decade at the top. Without taking into account the prevous 10 years of hard racing and training and the solid years as a rower before that its impossible to put those few months of training into perspective.
On a side note - I was able to hang out with Hamish and the rest of the NZ’ers in my role as team coach for the Cancun World Champs one year and at the 2-week training camp prior to the race. Observing all of the athletes was a great learning experience.
Hamish bombed that year after being nearly drowned in the swim, and nearly retired afterwards. Having spent some time training and travelling with him I’d say his ability to have fun and really enjoy his training, his training partners and travels probably contributed as much as anything to his success.
And if you look at some of his results years earlier you might find he was actually better at various points of his career back then. He probably had quite a few race performances that compare favorably with his performance in Athens, but the events weren’t quite so prestigious.
Cheers, Scott
Thanks, Scott.
As is typical here and elswhere people are quick to lump training into short silos of time and mistakenly link what an athlete did over the last six days, six weeks and six months to a specific event performance. People should really be looking back over 6 years or more of time, but no one seems to have the patience for that 
I’d say his ability to have fun and really enjoy his training, his training partners and travels probably contributed as much as anything to his success.
I think that’s a lesson we all could take. I’ve already got a job, I don’t want to turn triathlon into another one.
miles did 9-11hrs a week… yeh whatever. maybe when he was 18 years old and for a short period.
knowing what Col’s squad do, Miles wasn’t training that little. In fact during the late 90s early 2000 it basically beacame that the sutton squad and the col stewart squad were hearing what the other squad was doing and trying to do more.
I can’t speak to what happened in AUstralia years later. I’m just telling you that for a couple years, that is how Miles trained, and his father was all about speed and power. I have no doubt that they evolved into doing more later on, but Miles was a great athlete early on with that type of training. I’m not saying it is good or bad, just what it was, I was there…
The key is determining what works for YOU. Perhaps it is More is More, but it could be more is less…CRAZY
Did that guy you are talking about have a huge base or is the short stuff really all about speed and intensity?
Suprisingly enough, no he didn’t. He started training this way as a young teenager
There’s your answer: if all his training time was spent in Z4-Z5, and he had been doing this since he was a teenager, then by his mid-20s he did indeed have a huge base. As others have already reminded everyone, “more is more” does not refer just to volume, but to volume and intensity combined: his 10 weekly hours at L4-L5 could very well be equivalent to your 25 at L2.
John
I cannot believe this is still being debated. Triathlon is not some wildly unique activity. The path to success, just like in every single other hobby or profession in the entire world (save possibly meditation), is simple: you work as hard as you possibly can. You want to be the best model train person in the world? The best bond trader? The best lawyer? The best swimmer? The best poker player? You better be prepared to work absolutely as hard as you possibly can for a long, long time.
It is absurdly reductive to equate “working as hard as you can” with merely thrashing yourself every day. Think of it this way: if you want to be the best bond trader in the world, you are going to have to work a lot of long hard hours (hmm, sound like any sport we are familiar with?). But you are NOT going to achieve your highest work load by simply pulling as many consecutive all-nighters as possible. You’re going to BALANCE your work and rest as best you can in a way that allows you to achieve the highest total output. You may eventually settle on a schedule that has you occasionally pulling an all-nighter. This is analogous to utterly thrashing yourself in a workout; you are going to need to recover from it.
The particular way that you go about working as hard as you can is something that will probably always be subject to debate. But the way you get better at anything is by working as hard as you can. It is a bit foolish to even call this into question.
Thank You…
Hopefull people will now understand !
Cheers,
Fred.
My son trains with Col Stewart. This off season under Cols direction he is concentrating on improving his strength - Fast XC runner and above average cyclist.
He is allowed to train with the “elites” part time, as with any young person he believes he is invincible and Col has asked the question of him. “if you train 20 hours a week now - how much do you think you will have to do when your are in your 20’s?”.
At 13yo he is one of the youngest ever to be coached by Col and has been made aware he has a number of years to go before he graduates to the elites (If he ever does)
So I dont think much has changed over the years - The youngsters are protected from themselves whilst encouraged/trained for strength and speed and the elites have a more vigorous training schedule.
http://www.colstewart-tricoach.com/index.html
Ian