Concurrent Training Plan

Expert Discussion Planning and Periodization
1

With all the talk of concurrent, Im struggling to understand this and what an example might be.

How does the L-S example differ from a concurrent approach?

Let’s take week 5 of L-S

Day 1
4x30
4x30 blocks
1x50
1x60
2x250 R: 20 min
Strength end: 5 x 30

Day 2 (3-4 days later)
4 x 10
4x20 blocks
3 x 30 blocks
2 x 500 R:30 min
Strength End: 1x80, 1x100

As the SE moves down throughout the program and accels get longer, isn’t this concurrent? Obviously there is little to know speed work until week 10 in the L-S. Could speed work be done in low volumes early on and increased while decreasing some of the accel work in later weeks?

2

I have some notes from what KK posted as a ‘typical’ week I’ll find later but as luck would have it a lucky stab at the Lactate Threshold thread on P22 & 23 produced these gems :wink:

I used the general prep to develop virtually everything EXCEPT pure speed. We stayed in touch with high velocity running during the so-called speed-power cycle, but not with the sort of training we did in the nine months which followed the 3-months general prep period.

During GPP I tried to develop the strength to finish the last 80m of the race. We developed the base, then maintained and further developed a thread of that strength at even more race-specific levels during the pre-season and through the in-comp period.

So the so-called strength-and-endurance cycle of 2-1/2wks went like this:

Wk1
Day Session(s)

  1. 2-3 x 4x150m
  2. Long Hills + Weights
  3. Rest (or 1hr Gymnastics)
  4. 5x200 + Weights
  5. Long Hills
  6. Jog (15-30mins) + Weights
  7. Rest

Wk2

  1. Sprints ladder 350, 300, 250, 200, 150, 100, 60, 50, 40, 30 - slow walkback recoveries.
  2. Jog 15-30min + Weights
  3. Rest (or 1hr Gymnastics)
  4. 2 (300+150) + Weights
  5. 5 x 200
  6. 2x5x100 tempo runthroughs, walkback + Weights
  7. Rest

Wk3

  1. Long Hills
  2. 3x3x300m + Weights (Upperbody only)
  3. Rest (or 1hr Gymnastics)
    4 Rest (or Warm-up, warm-down) +NO WTS.
  4. Track fast, relaxed 300+4x60, 250+3x60, 200+2x60, & 150+1x60.
  5. Jog 15-20mins + Weights (Whole body)
  6. Rest

Wk 4 (Repeats for Wk5):

  1. 300+60,50,40,30; 200+60,50,40,30; 150+60,50,40,30 (30sec rest between long rep and first short rep)

  2. Field Circuit (about 6mins) + NO WEIGHTS

  3. Rest (or 1hrs Gymnastics)

  4. 300+150, 150+150, 100+80, 80+60, 60+60 (all 30sec b/reps; full rec between sets) + Weights.

  5. Jog 15-20min

  6. 3-6 (2x60m Skip, 2x80m Sprint Buildups, 2x80m Sled Pull or Equivalent Light Resistance)

  7. Rest

Wk 6
Rest & Test Wk

  1. Rest
  2. Warm-up, Warm-Down
  3. Trials 300m (stand start), and 150m. + Weights (Lowest Reps Possible).
  4. Rest
  5. Trials 80m and 200m + Weights (As Normal, all exercises, for volume at 80-85% of 1rmax)
  6. Rest
  7. Rest

REPEAT 6-WK CYCLE STARTING FROM WK 1.

Now that’s the basical outline. You have to monitor the athlete closely. I don’t want to be prescriptive with times because every athlete will have to vary, depending on training years and ability and commitment. No-one is going to go from being a 50sec runner to 44sec in one year (unless they have previously been close to 44sec).

I make zero demands during the first cycle. But I use that to calculate (also based on PBs and standard 400m models) what MIGHT be appropriate target times for the reps for each individual.

The second time through the cycle, I ask more of the athlete, of course with consideration to all the things posted earlier on this thread.

As I said, “absolute” speed is not really being develop. There is too much volume even in the speed-power cycle to classify the work as 100m develop-type stuff. But as the athletes get fitter, they can deliver some fairly impressive speed through those sessions - especially over the years. The best male 400m runner I had the honour to work with started to run some ridiculously quick times during some GPP sets. Then again his body adapted over the seven years (double periodised) we worked together.
kk

Transition usually lasts four weeks, never less. I monitor every rep, set and session in person to make sure fatigue (for the most part) didn’t wreck the run. If so, I would intervene and go for more rest or change the session or finish it.

Rightly or otherwise I did the same week of training four weeks in a row. That way it was like a little test each week leading into the first relays or low-key races of the new season.

I should add that due to the unacceptable risk of injury, I didn’t allow the (injury-prone) top male to race over 100m and rarely over 200m. All his comps were in 4x400 or 400m off the blocks. All sprints at shorter distances during the domestic season were set-up time trials where we could control all the variables. He would not become vulnerable because the raceday program was brought forward, or delayed or because he needed an extra 20mins to get loose and he only had 18mins (if you understand). I viewed my job as getting him to win medals in international 400m races. Not reach finals at 200m or quarter-finals at 100m or whatever. However you would love to have been at some of those time trials. Phew! So thrilling!
Our job was to enable him to be the last man standing. Therefore any sign of a risk to his health or fitness was eliminated whenever possible. I did whatever I could to control the performance environment. I may have erred on the side of caution, but he - like most of the other athletes I’ve worked beside - enjoyed quite successful seasons/careers largely unhampered by injuries (when training with me).

Transition:

Day 1:

Warm-Up,
Ins and Outs: 2 x 2 x ins-and-outs (buildup to around 40m, 100% effort for 12m-and eventually out to 20m, then fast-turnover but best relaxation to maintan velocity through a 20m exit zone. So the I&O looks like 40-20-20.

There should be good recoveries, maybe 8 to 10mins between reps. Then there should be 10-15mins between the two sets. Then full-ish recovery of say 15-20mins before the second element of the session, which is a sequence of Stand-Crouch, Fly runs from 30 to 60m.

(In Sequence: Standing, Crouching, Flying)
3 x 30m, 3 x 40m, 3 x 60m.; WarmDown.

…
Day2:

Warm-Up, (No ins-and-outs)
5 x 100m buildups on a bend.

4 x 150 (in this sequence: Tempo 1st 150m, diagonal jogback to start, Fast 2nd 150m, diagonal walkback to start, Tempo 3rd 150m, diagonal jogback to start, Fast 4th 150m. Ends session.

Weights

…

Day 3:
Active Rest : Sometimes Gymnastics 1hr of mostly propricoceptive routines, such as tumbles emerging into a vertical jump with 360 rotation around the vertical axis and land facing the same direction as you emerged from the tumble. There were many of these combinations, including horizontal rolls (performed with arms and legs outstretched, no use of arms permitted in initiating or maintaining movement).

Fullbody Deep-tissue MASSAGE permanent booking for this day.

…

Day 4:
Warmup,
2x2x Ins and Outs (As Day 1),

Then all flying:
300m, 250m, 180m, 150m, 120m. (Sometimes it was 260m, 180m, 160, 140, 120).
These were usually with partner(s), usually with about a 10-12mins recovery, but more if desired. The athletes at this stage of their season were told not to fight for something (speed) that isn’t there yet. Equally, giving them 10mins or 30min rest between reps didn’t really improve the speed of their reps, but the longer rest did pose a risk of the athlete getting cold or tight.

The sprints were about rhythm and position (triple extension).

Weights

…

Day 5:
Warm-up,
(no ins-and-outs)

Race Modelling: 4 x 100 (wherever most needed, but at this stage of the year it is usually down the backstraight and into the turn through the 200m start area, finishing at the waterjump).

2 x 200m + 200m

1st set:
1st 200m at intended 400m race split (mid-21sec for elite male, high 23 to low 24sec for elite female).

Two minutes recovery.

2nd 200m at 100% of whatever was left.

FULL RECOVERY b/sets (often up to 45 minutes)

2nd set:
1st 200m tempo in about 23sec elite male/ 26sec elite female;

Two minutes recovery.

2nd 200m at 100%, aim to negative split (ie: run the second 200m faster than the first 200m of this set).

…

Day 6:
Warm-Up,
Warm-Down

Weights (Usually upperbody and torso work only)

CHIROPRACTOR appointment: to check alignments and adjust if needed.

…

Day 7:

Race (4x400m relay usually, certainly nothing shorter and no individual races until week 4 of the transition block has been completed.

kk

3

Is the transition phase leading into the comp period designed for peaking?

For example, a high school season near me is 12-14 weeks long. If you did a 6-week cycle with 4 week transition, that would put you into the bigger meets that count.

Correct?

4

I prefer concurrent development for the following reasons:
It takes a very long time to develop elite qualities for special speed endurance, and also for the endurance involved in running the last 100m of a 400m in under 12sec for a male, under 14sec for a female when running off competitive opening 300m times of m32/f36 sec.

The sooner the athlete starts to develop the qualities needed to finish the 400m at such a level the better. Anything less than these levels will not enable a 400m sprinter to consider Olympic finals.

Of course if that is the championship target, then preparation for multiple rounds places an even greater need to start early.

Practical experience suggests it requires something like 10 months to develop the tolerance to run the final 100m off 300m in the split times referred to above.

With regards the short-to-long or vice-versa: The concurrent model requires a fairly high revolution (call it Variety) of work types to avoid dynamic stereotyping and to “use it so you don’t lose it”.

You could easily start with the “speed & power” micro cycle and then go into the “strength & endurance” micro-cycle. But after only about 17 days you’ll be back doing the other micro-cycle again. It’s the chicken and the egg I guess. Which came first? Does it really matter with regards to the 400m in this type of program model?

Program Structure:

I prefer concurrent development basically from Day 1.

I have found best results following a weekly pattern of two days training, one day rest, three days training, one day rest.

The general prep cycle is basically two x six-weeks of training.

But my experience indicates a dynamic stereotype is established firmly after as little as three weeks.

Therefore to avoid this problem, I loosely divide the six-week cycle as follows: first two-and-a-half weeks can be described as strength & endurance. The second two-and-a-half weeks can be described as speed & power. The sixth week is what I term a “rest and test” week, involving time and gym-strength tests on two weeks separated by at least 48 hours.

This enables me to keep a close eye on technical development (or deviations) and allows me to stop any dynamic stereotype or fatigue-related issues before they become a threat to the yearly goals.

Anyway, in the program structure I have used it is possible to work on all elements concurrently.

A Sample Week:

Day 1 (Rest Day);
Day 2 (Speed, maybe 3x block, stand, fly, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60m);
Day 3 (Specific 400m endurance, such as 6x200m in sub-24sec with 2mins jog-around recovery);
Day 4 (Rest Day);
Day 5 (Special Speed Endurance, such as 300m, 250m, 180m all max with 15min> recoveries);
Day 6 (Endurance, maybe long hills with jog recoveries);
Day 7 (Maybe temp, such as 2x5x100 for form, rhythm & relaxation, or pool session);
then the cycle of rest-train continues, hence Day 8 would be a Rest day again.

Weight lifting would follow the track/speed sessions (on the above model, that would come in the PM on Days 2, 5 & 7).