I have been following your methods for the last five years and have had great results both with improved technicque and maintenance of performance.However I have not included tempo work in my schedule in order to limit the the amount of foot strikes in a session as I find stiffness and associated recovery my biggest problem.
Should I bite the bullet and fit tempo in or continue as with my current routine ?
These are my stats and my program.
Age 65
Height 173 cm
Weight 78kg
Body Fat 17
Current pbs 60m 8.00 elec
100 13.00 hh
Squat 90 deg 400lb 1rm
Bench 210 1rm
Training
Short to long thru the year
Mon accelleration and starts and max velocity.
Tues weights
Wed rest
Thurs speed end
Frid Weights
Sat and Sun rest unless there are comps and drop Frid also if there are comps.
Weights Progam.
Squats
Bench
Rev leg press [I’m stuffed they have just removed the universal machine station.
Hip flexor machine
Stand bb curl
Tricep push down
Crunches and twists
Lat pulldowns
You could do your low intensity workouts in the pool (running on the spot, chest deep in water, with the pace between 110 and 120 steps per 45sec segment with 15 sec rest) There is an Example of this type of workout on the Jane Project DVD - that segment’s not hard to watch.
You can add tempo/pool with the weights, though eventually, you may want to move the weights to the speed days. (when there are meets, flip the speed end to the beginning of the week)
While trying to stay appropriate and on the subject the DVD isn’t hard to watch. I’m still studying the Jane Project DVD but am looking forward to going over the forum information with you. Anyone who hasn’t picked up the Jane Project DVD, you are missing out. It’s rare to see a project put together where you actually get to see improvement rather than just preaching about superior methods.
“Acute changes in leg stiffness occur predominantly as a result of changes in ankle stiffness. thus, as the surface becomes softer (tempo on grass perhaps), ankle stiffness increases and knee bend is reduced on landing. How changes in leg stiffness are brought about is not known, but it is not simply the result of increased muscle activation/recruitment, since this is reduced when running on harder surfaces”
comments? could this be another advantage (i.e., improved mucle elasticity/recoil) of running on softer surfaces (e.g., grass)?
Tough my A$$!!! I would kill to be a full time athlete instead of sitting in a damn cubicle all day like a schmuck. Well uhhh I’d still be a schmuck but at least I would be doing something I love.
Paid attention to the pool workout on the Jane DVD. I followed Angela’s recomendation of 45 sec/10 reps/2 sets. The only twist I added was a metronome and set it at 150 bpm and I did them in place with my feet makking contact with the bottom of the pool. Does having my feet make contact with the pool defeat the purpose of doing the pool work out?
Getting back to your main question…if you have been improving and don’t see signs of slowing down, then I would probably stick with it as is (falls under the “if it ain’t broke” category!)
On the other hand, I think tempo for masters can be very beneficial in terms of helping to manage body weight (don’t know if this is a problem for you) and in terms of recovery from the high intensity elements. However, I wouldn’t get injured trying to get those benefits. Pool work is probably safest. Also, I’m not sure what others think about this but it seems that tempo on a gentle hill might help since “the ground comes up to meet you.”
as you can see, at the end of the post there is a question mark, so I am not sure…
However, by “stiffness”, i suppose, the ankle becomes stronger and less energy is wasted as a result, not necessarily that the ankle will lose flexibility -if that’s what you are wondering about
