Diet and hormonal profiles can affect lactate levels and so you may get athletes who seem to be producing alot of energy from gylcolysis (high blood lactate levels) but maybe due to other factors.
What suggestions would you have for the diet of an elite 400m runner?
All the training performed, from weights to pure speed, has an aerobic component to it and the longer the sessions the greater. My question on the aerobic front is, how high do you need to elevate the aerobic threshold before it impacts positively on race times? At what point then do you start to say, well, it is actually the extent to which the aerobic-anaerobic threshold is raised which is actually the significant factor, rather than for instance the ability to jog slowly (aerobically) for an hour or so.
If we had the answer to this, then perhaps the next thing is the scientists should pop along to the track to measure the factors involved in the training of highly successful and highly unsuccessful 400 runners (for example) and analyse the discrepancies in those programs to come up with some kind of sensible basis for advising coaches about the type of work that … works.
By the way, I heard Flojo used to do 10km runs in training, don’t know how often, how early in the training phase though.
A diet that relies heavily on carbohyrates can in some people lead to high levels of lactate accumalation in high intensity exercise. I could not even begin to advice on diet for a 400m elite, I would sit on the fence and say a “balanced” diet (whatever that may mean). If a subject eats a high carb diet prior to a blood lactate test it can influence the test results. Just as if they have a diet which has a high carb content.
Interesting. I think intuitively for a sprinter, its important to do repetitive sprints and in that way develop aerobic fitness, but…its a similar thing for 400m runners – how much aerobic work to do? When do you cross the line and become a middle distance trainer?
Wariner apparantly does a high volume of work, and also does these “longer distance” runs. Can anyone verify this?
I can tell you first hand what at least one (former) great sprinter used to “diet” on: mackas. In the early 1980s (Jamaica’s 1976 Olympic 200 champion) Don Quarrie used to still race quite successfully on the European circuit and when we all stayed at the ricketty old (and haunted!) Queens Hotel at Crystal Palace, he’d bloody live on little else other than Mackas. And then beat everyone at the London GP. What a laugh it all was. 
What the heck is a Macka? Is that like a Big Mac?
LOL, yeah what are Mackas? I have heard that Micheal Johnson in his prime could eat pretty much anything he wanted… Mortals beware.
Mennea used did a 10km race. Porbably Flo Jo did them in the winter I’m assuming. Tabata a Japanese physiologists found that if high intensity work is done with very very short recovery, anaerobic and aerobic capactiy improve dramatically here is an explanation and why it works I hope it adds to the debate…
Tabata and his team used nine undergraduate sportsmen as their subjects. The exercise was performed on a a static bike, which enabled the exercise intensity, in Watts, to be easily controlled. First, they established the subject’s relationship between exercise intensity and oxygen demands between 35% and 87% of the subject’s VO2max. This was done so they could predict the theoretical oxygen demands at intensities above VO2max. Then the subject’s VO2max and anaerobic capacities were measured as reference points. The mean VO2max of the group was 57 ml/kg/min. The anaerobic capacity was obtained from the accumulated oxygen deficit during a high-intensity 2-3 minute exhaustive exercise bout. The accumulated oxygen deficit in one bout is the difference between the predicted oxygen demand in ml of O2 per kg and the actual ml of O2 per kg used. The researchers found that the mean anaerobic capacity of the group was 69 ml/kg.
Now to the intervals
On a different day the subjects performed two different kinds of interval workout. The first session (I1) comprised bouts of 20 seconds with 10 seconds rest at an intensity equivalent to 170% of their VO2max. The subjects performed six or seven bouts each until reaching exhaustion, ie, they could no longer continue at the prescribed intensity. The second session (I2) comprised bouts of 30 seconds with two minutes rest at an intensity of 200% of their VO2max. The subjects managed four or five of these bouts. The oxygen used was measured directly as usual to give the aerobic demands of the interval sessions. The anaerobic demands were calculated as the accumulated oxygen deficit. The accumulated oxygen deficit for bouts with rest intervals is the difference between the theoretical oxygen demand of the bouts and the actual oxygen used during both the bouts and the rest periods.
Tabata et al found that the anaerobic demands of I1 were significantly higher than I2, with the accumulated oxygen deficit being 69 ml/kg compared to 46 ml/kg. This means that on the I1 workout the subjects had reached their anaerobic capacity. In other words, the session was equivalent to a maximal anaerobic effort. On the other session, I2, the anaerobic demand was below the subjects’ capacity.
Tabata et al do not report the overall oxygen consumption for the two interval sessions but they do report that the peak VO2 for I1 is 55 ml/kg/min and for I2 is 47 ml/kg/min. This suggests that the I1 workout places greater aerobic demands on the subjects than I2, with peak VO2 reaching the subjects’ VO2max values.
The conclusion from these findings seems to be that the I1 workout, the 20-second bouts with 10 secs recovery at 170% VO2max, is a better training stimulus for aerobic and anaerobic systems than the I2 workout of 30-second bouts with two mins recovery at 200% VO2max. In support of this, Tabata et al found that a six-week regime of I1 resulted in a 13 per cent improvement in VO2max.
Although I2 does not stress the anaerobic or aerobic systems as much as I1, the actual total amount of anaerobic work done during the I2 workout was greater than that for I1. This is because during I2 the subjects performed 4-5 x 30 sec bouts at 200% of Vo2max, an average of 126 seconds at 200% VO2max. In contrast, on I1 the subjects performed 6-7 x 20 sec bouts at 170% VO2max, an average of 126 seconds at 170% VO2max. Therefore on I2 subjects performed more anaerobic work in total.
The reason subjects didn’t reach their anaerobic capacity on I2, even though they did more work, is due to the differences in the rest periods used. During each bout, phosphocreatine (PCr) is broken down, oxygen stores used up and lactate is produced from anaerobic glycolysis. During a two-minute rest period, as on I2, oxygen stores in the muscles can be replenished and the PCr stores used during each bout will be significantly recovered. Therefore the oxygen store and PCr contribution to each bout in I2 will be high. Because of this, more work can be done until lactate reaches the level whereby the subject cannot continue. In addition, although more TOTAL anaerobic work is done on I2, a two-minute recovery time allows the aerobic system to contribute more. Thus, PROPORTIONATELY less anaerobic work is performed and so the subjects do not reach anaerobic capacity.
n contrast, the rest intervals in I1 are very short. Therefore the PCr and O2 contribution will be insignificant after the first or second bout, as little oxygen and PCr store recovery will occur during 10-second rest intervals. PCr and O2 stores are quickly used up, and so the anaerobic energy must be mainly supplied by anaerobic glycolysis. This results in faster accumulation of lacate and earlier fatigue. Also, with short rest intervals there is proportionately less aerobic contribution and so subjects must reach anaerobic capacity to achieve the workout. Interestingly, even though proportionately less aerobic work is done, the aerobic demand on I1 is higher than on I2.
Doesn’t his support the USE of split runs in training?
are you sure about mennea’s long run in training? I know that he ran crosscountry (3km); he made continous tempo until 20-25 min. but I haven’t read or heard nothing about 10km… I know some guys that trained with him, and nobody told me this thing…
10k for flojo! I did cross country one year I hit a low 19 for 3.1. And a miracle race of 16 for 2.7 (might have been shorter). I was second in the race thats all I know. I did have difficulty making the transition to track that year at first though. But still ended up being ranked #1 for New England Prep Schools for the 100m dash (post grad year). I did however, come almost buck naked last at the New Englands for cross country. I also opened up the first mile at 5:13, but I believe I ran 22 minutes. I have heard Ben Johnson (charlie can verify) sometimes would jog two miles slowly for recovery purposes. I am not sure of the validity of this statement.
I have read parts of flo-jos book. I believe it is called “Running for Dummies.”
I think we also have to realize too that some exercises such as med balls can be both anaerobic and aerobic at the same time. Thats why I feel med balls are such a good selection for training. Or even for instance rowing. Am I wrong here?
In relation to the other thread about my friends comeback to track. My friend insisted on doing cardio before he made his comback after 4 years. Mainly the bike, some treadmill, against my advice. Come to think of it though, he was so overweight and out of shape, it was probably a good thing he did. He ended up going from 220 to 170 (strick diet) and was able to do SE sessions without any problem. I wonder how easy those SE sessions would have been without the General Endurance base.
I am dead cert. I remember looking at the training program and querying it but it does come to mind. It was not a regular occurence if i remember it was jut a one off race…
I am dead cert. I remember looking at the training program and querying it but it does come to mind. It was not a regular occurence if i remember it was just a one off race… NOT a regular training session a one off.
ignorant bastardos, with ketchup! :eek: Yes, Mackas are the same as Mackie-Dees. McDonalds hamburglers is co-rrect.
Yes, but there are other factors - of course - in the appropriate conditioning of an athlete other than those suggested in this report.
Mechanics and rhythm and specific strengthening of the structures used in sprinting all seem to require longer repetition periods - and greater recovery time - for appropriate adapation to take place. This would appear to be especially significant in designing 400 and 200 programs. But I assume that would be obvious.
Very interesting report though Martyn76 (whose “rep power” is at this moment also 76!), thanks for posting it.
I have a copy of Tommie Smith’s training, which starts–during the fall, not during the main season–with a 1 mile run, building to (ahem) 10 miles. Could you imagine Ben running a 10-miler??
I know as a primarily 60/100 guy, after just a single run of 3 miles or more continuous, it seems to take 7-10 days to get the aerobic stuff out of my legs so I can sprint again. Maybe you can survive (the operative word, I think) this during GPP, but the tempo works much better and I think most would be better off with it.
Regarding the Tabata Intervals, we had a thread about that some time ago, and CF was rather opposed. 6X150 all-out with 10 second rests is not low end aerobic, although the results are such that, for distance runners, the gain in aerobic capacity is equivalent to a large amount of mileage. But, for sprinters, perhaps hypertrophy and fiber conversions in exactly the direction that you DON’T want them.
You got that right. Tabata is not for sprinters!
My experience say that aerobic capacity is very important in 100m sprint. But only up to an certain level.
If you get an untrained yet talented sprinter, you set him to do a lot of tempo and he will improve several 1/10’s of a second. He doesn’t get any faster, it’s just his aerobic capacity getting better.
However, after a while he will not improve his times by simply doing tempo.
This suggest that you only need a certain level of aerobic capacity for 100m and it would be pointless to develop it any further as you wont see improvements in the event. However it might help him going on a more intense training program though 
Yes, low intensity aerobic work is of great value to the sprinter but how do you classify Tabata?
Well, if you take the numbers literally for Tabata, maybe only a guy like Juantorena could even do the workout. This was actually done on an exercise cycle, and the intensity is based on aerobic capacity. If you directly translate the numbers to the track, and you take a typical sprinter with a very strong anaerobic capacity but, say, a mile capability of 5:30, and thus a VO2max of roughly 6:00/mile, this person is going to cover 89 meters in 20 seconds. The intensity level of 170% VO2max pace means that the sprinter needs to cover 152 meters in 20 seconds, with 10 second rest. This is equivalent to doing 200’s in 26 with a 13 second rest, which I think might make Wariner cringe a bit.
Some 800 runners have done workouts like 8X200 at goal race with 30 second rest. But 4-6 150’s at 1:44 800 meter pace with 10 second rest? I rather doubt that even Sebastian Coe could do that.