Interview with Tudor Bompa

Pmoax19 · June 7, 2009, 9:42am

What about using an overspeed competition after the main competition (final peak of the year) is over with? If you use it early in the year, the achievable speed may be something that the athlete would be capable of later on anyway since their speed isn’t fully developed for the year yet. You wouldn’t have to involve the risk and the overspeed may not provide a fast enough speed to provide a new neural imprint. For example, Asafa’s 10.1 with the 1.3 tailwind; if we add another 2-3m/s onto that tailwind it probably would not be enough to push him below his 9.72 PB and provide a new neural imprint - his speed just isn’t there yet.

However, if you look at Tyson Gay: just as he was beginning to peak last year, and with a large volume of speed work behind him for the year, he runs an “overspeed” 100m in 9.69. He goes on to pull his hamstring, but then this year runs a PB in the 200m relatively early in the year.

What if you used an overspeed method such as tailwind and altitude AFTER the main, final competition of the year, but before the peak had fallen away. The speed and capability would already be there, plus the additional component of overspeed. Once the season is mainly over, the recovery process, if necessary, can occur, and a new season will eventually begin with a new neural imprint.

Does this make sense or am I just rambling?

This makes sense, more so than what I was thinking at least…