There are some very popular fitness programs now that will get you very exhausted, such as Crossfit, Insanity, etc. People sometimes get addicted to the feeling of exhaustion after such strenuous workouts.
Likewise, paddlers can get addicted to the feeling of being exhausted after a workout. It feels like it was a good workout if you get really tired at the end of it.
Here is a link to an article about being addicted to exhaustion:
http://jimkielbaso.com/balancing-intensity-with-intelligence/
Hard work is a good thing. And you will often be very tired at the end of a workout. But the purpose of training is not to get exhausted. It's to get better at your sport- whitewater slalom racing.
There are some basic principles of training that have research support. One is that quality work should be done early in a workout. Do your speed work first. Do your technique work before you are too tired.
Do not do your speed work at the end of a workout. Don't start working on technique when you are exhausted. Don't do power work at the end of the workout. Don't do power work for more than short bursts.
It is actually very easy to design workout to make you very tired. Just go fast for long periods with very short rest. Do 10 upstream sprints for 3 minutes with 10 seconds of rest between runs. You will be exhausted at the end.
But we are not aiming to be exhausted. We are aiming to be the best whitewater slalom paddlers we can be. So, instead, focus on doing quality work, such as sprints, power training, and technique work, particularly during the first half of your workouts.
Yes, there is a place for hard work and for endurance training. But generally, they should not be at the beginning of a workout. And quality training such as technique, power and speed should not be done at the end of a workout when you are tired.
And don't feel that you have to be exhausted after every workout. The idea is to have quality runs in your workouts so that you will do likewise in races.
And if you are exhausted during a workout, it is vitally important that you maintain good technique. If you are so tired that you can't have great technique, it's time to stop and come back and train again on another day. Don't continue paddling with poor technique because you will ingrain bad habits.
And don't become addicted to exhaustion. Feel that it's a good workout if you had top quality runs or learned a new skill. Here is the link to the article:
http://jimkielbaso.com/balancing-intensity-with-intelligence/
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