#321 – Mastering High Performance: Secrets of Concurrent Training with Dean Ritchie

Understanding Concurrent Training

Master Concurrent Training Techniques to excel in the combination of endurance and resistance training within the same program. Concurrent training has become a critical element for field-based athletes, especially in sports like AFL. Athletes are required to build both strength and stamina, which can lead to the interference effect—where one type of training hinders progress in another. This challenge highlights the importance of optimizing training strategies to ensure balanced progress, making it essential to master concurrent training techniques for peak performance.

The Impact on Performance

Research shows that the combination of endurance and resistance training on the same day can diminish muscle strength, power, and mass gains. For example, high-speed running at over 15 km/h can significantly affect same-day resistance training performance. Though alternating days of endurance and strength work would produce better results, this isn’t always feasible for elite athletes who need to maintain various aspects of their performance simultaneously.

Combat Sports vs. AFL Training

Unlike AFL, where training can be more structured, combat sports pose unique challenges due to their multi-planar movements. Combat athletes experience much higher weekly training loads, making fatigue management difficult. For AFL players, training can be adjusted to reduce intensity, focusing on specific skills while keeping fatigue in check. However, combat athletes often lack such flexibility, making load management a complex task.

Enhancing Potentiation for Better Results

To maximize performance, athletes can use post-activation potentiation (PAP) techniques. Research suggests that band-based velocity squats enhance plyometric performance, even with short recovery times. This strategy allows athletes to build explosive power in shorter training windows, making it more practical for high-performance sports environments.

Highlights from the episode:

• What is concurrent training and why it’s crucial for AFL athletes
• How to balance between resistance and endurance training for AFL players
• Programming differences between combat sports vs. AFL
• Maximizing post activation potentiation in same day concurrent training
• Systematic models in UFC training

People mentioned:

• • Justin Cordy
  • Darren Burgess
  • Alex Rigby
  • Matthew Inness
  • Ben Parker
  • John Bartlett
  • Gavin Pratt
  • Dean Armasinger