For a sprinter that isn’t sure of his current best 300 or 400 meter time would it be better to look at the reps in terms of duration(in seconds) and recovery intervals rather than distance? ie: 40 seconds effort/3 minutes rest What sort of rep/set scheme would be good starting off?
Could this work be applied to hill training as well?
Finally what would be the best means of flushing this acid out at the end of the session? Mini-tempo work at the end and ext tempo the next day? How many days a week should a session like this be attempted?
I am looking to start running again in the next two weeks and will likely incorporate a short speed/accel workout and a long lactic style workout like this on top of my regular weight workouts throughout the week.
Target times are 23.xx in the 200 and 11.5-11.7X in the 100meter.
My reasons for not doing speed work above 95% effort, is not to do with compatibility with lactate, but with effectiveness of the programme as a whole. Don’t get me wrong, I do think that some speed is necessary in all training training phases except GPP, however it is a matter of how fast and what other work is done. Max speed work is great for polishing up the speed, but I think other methods of development earlier on will enable max speed work later on to be more effective.
The 3x3x100m was just an example of lactate or oxygen debt work, not meant to replace speed as such.
I think you should lead into this type of work carefully. It relys very much on a gradual introduction to the work, otherwise you will hit a ceiling very quickly. The example I gave of MJ was what he was doing at the pinnacle of his career in 1995 on. Before '95 the 350m work was done with 5minute recoveries (and longer in Autumn and Winter), with roughly the same times. And even in the post 95 off season he’d be running 5 of them but at 50 seconds, so there was a rather steady progression throughout the season. The key is to be on empty at the end of the last rep - but not before.
So for a short sprinter in your position I’d consider running 300’s at approx 45seconds with 5 minute recoveries, attempting to run the second 150 as fast as the first. As it becomes easier and the last rep becomes faster bring the target times down slightly. The 3x3x100m (probably with 1 min r/r between reps and 4 min between sets) could be done in the same week without any problems, however it is imperative that they don’t entirely replace tempo. This work will eat you alive if you don’t have sufficient aerobic fittness.
You’re right on the mark with the warm down, a light tempo session with perhaps a light jog afterwards would be perfect. If you’re absolutely shattered a light pool session or swim can suffice. All you really need to ensure is that your CV system is working for roughly 8 min and you’re using the muscles you were running with (this will help the lactic acid to be converted back into glycogen by the liver and muscle mitochondria) An ice bath for 8-10 minutes can also help if you’re still feeling messed up.
I will likely only have time for 2 intense track workouts a week and probably 2 weight sessions a week (weight sessions will include tempo on the bike/pool)
I was thinking short accel work once a week and lactate work the other workout.
I am severely time constrained so I need to cover all areas I need to within those 2 track sessions and two weight sessions.
Strength levels in the weightroom are pretty good, dynamic strength is getting pretty good. I have a decent aerobic base (lots of cycling) but no real running for a couple of months.
I also start soccer in June. I will probably treat game days as tempo sessions depending on if I am a starter on the team or not. (I probably will be a starter though)
I am thinking of the following for the four sessions before soccer starts:
short speed/weights (mostly focus on lower body)
tempo/core
REST
lactic work/light tempo
weights/core/light tempo (focus on upper body weights)
REST
REST
Thanks again man, this really helps me out. My strength levels are getting pretty good and my ham is at ~95-98%.
335 buried oly style backsquat and 265 bench at 198 pounds BW.
Chris,
At the level you are at right now why not do your short accel before your lactate work but cut the volume and the other day do some sort of neuromuscular speed end. work such as 3x3x60-80 with 2 mins after reps and 6-8 after sets. In everything you have said i think in your condition you may benefit more from that type of work. You can maybee even do some short accel work before the speed end.
Chris, I think Quick’s hit the nail on the head with the starts being performed before lactic. They won’t interfere with the lactic session at all and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised that despite how hard the sessions are recovery between sessions is surprisingly quick and could open up another day for speed or speed end. development.
Ath400,
I do weights around 4-5 hours before lactic, if the weights leave you too flat for track then you’re probably doing too much. I think lifting after lactate could be a risky, particularly if the athlete is doing complex lifts such as cleans.
One thing that I can’t stress enough is that these sessions are designed to be performed at a medium speed, pushing the recoveries out to try to get faster times will blow the recovery time right out and can have lasting effects. Even close to competition performing lactate sessions be as good an idicator of performance as a special end. time trial (For a 200m/400m sprinter), a session I’ve found effective for the 400 is 4x200m with 100m/150m/150m walk back recoveries between reps at a little slower than first 200m pace, trying to maintain pace over the course and focussing on race strategy.
Thanks Dazed for the reply. Weights before Lactic…?
Could you give me an example of such a weights session. Are the weights similar to CFTS weights set-up (Accumulation, Max.Strength, Maintenance) or would it have be be completely different?
Say:
a.m Weights Squat Bench RDL
3 x 5 @ 80%
p.m. 2 x 3 x 300 or similar
Thanks.
I always just assumed that when you bring in lactic sessions weights would have to be done the day after. This is new info and appreciate the clarification.
Ok, I’m gonna throw the cat amongst the pigeons here but I’m not certain that the strength work that is often gone over in the Strength and Conditioning Forum is the ideal strength work for sprinters (particularly 2&4 sprinters) and is designed for power or olympic lifters with totally different needs. Most elite sprinters don’t spend alot of time lifting at the lower reps and much of charlies stuff seems to be in the 6-10 rep range. Ultimately you have to consider what the purpose of weight training is, personally I feel it goes a long way beyond pure power development.
An example of what I have done in the past:
AM:
Cleans: 3x6x90kg w/ 90seconds r/r
Single Legged free Squat: 3x10x120kg (alternate leg box jumps between sets) 90 seconds r/r.
Bench: 3x8x90kg 90 seconds r/r
Chin ups: 3x12 90 seconds r/r
Hip flexions 2x12
Abdominal work.
PM:
Warm Up
2x500m 9 min r/r or 4x350 5 min r/r etc.
3xgoalpost runs
stretch.
Charlie, could you clarify what you believe the rep range should be for the major lifts(squat, bench, olympic lifts…) for sprinters? Do you believe they should use higher reps all year or perhaps lower reps during the off-season and early season(max-strength phase…) then switching to higher reps as the season progresses? Is there a place for lower reps in a sprinter’s routine and if so would it only be for short sprinters? I know in your books you mention that in 88 Ben did 2x6x600 for squat, but I assumed the higher reps were because of his injury. Any clarification would be greatly appreciated.
Good thought provoking thread man. I think the debate is how specific should work in the gym be?
Some of my thoughts are; CTFS philosophy is to use strength training to build maximum strength and power with any crossover occuring in sprint training, which makes up the majority of the work. But looking at the case of longer sprinters should we tailor the weight training to work in the same sort of energy pathways used in the longer sprints, i.e. anaerobic lactate, i think short recoveries between sets is the way to go.
Following reading a lot of DB’s stuff i’m inclined to think that there shouldn’t be such a divide between ‘track work’ and ‘strength work’ and more that the strength work should compliment the track work you are doing. CT has backed up the idea that working in one neuro type/bracket in a training stimulus (1 day of training followed by supercomp.) with findings with his athletes so my current level of understanding has lead me to organise sessions as: (not necissarily in the order shown)
Max speed day:
Track; flyin 20-30m, accl’s etc… (classified as rate-magnitude and in the 3-10s bracket)
Strength; low rep, long recovery lifts (this would be magnitude and in a similar energy bracket)
Special Endurance day: (lactate power)
Track; special end. runs 150-300m etc… (rate-magnitude in the 15-40s anaerobic latic energy bracket)
Strength; low-moderate reps, short rec. (short rec. utilises the same energy pathway)
Endurance day: (lactate capacity)
Track; Int. tempo (self explanitry)
Strength; moderate-high reps, short rec. - depletion push up, long dist A-B skips.
I think one other issuse regarding higher reps etc… is that hypertrophy is increased, but my question is; is the hypertrophy all bad, it occurs as an adpation to the demands placed on the body so will it aid your event, for example larger cross sectional muscles would be more tolerant to high levels of acidosis, it is these levels of acidosis created by short recoveries that have in part created the adaption in the first place?
Yep - great thread and nice to get a different perspective.
In respect to the above weights session Dazed:
Is this, as stated by ACooper, a case of matching track with gym session? Would variables change in the same week if the track session to be performed was a speed session? Again, a sample session (track & weights) would be great to see the adjustment.
Must say I had only previously viewed weights for (limit) strength purposes.
