Middle Distance Weights and Speed

Expert Discussion Strength Training
1

Hey guys,

I was wondering if I could get some thoughts on a mid distance program. I have been asked to write a weights program for middle distance runners(800m) of male qualification 1.47 and female 2.04.

Currently, some generic personal trainer has programed their weights and the program looks like this:

Cleans for sets of 12
front squats for sets of 24
wabble board squats
kettlebell swings
lateral jumps for time
jump squats for sets of 12

And more of that sort of high rep power and strength endurance type of activity.

I have also been approached by the male athlete to tell me he wants me to address speed training with the current coach, because the coach is now favoring cross country and long distance training in a linear way. He is worried because he knows his 400m is not fast enough to get his 800m down.

The weight training makes me sick a little bit, and the trainer has no idea what he’s doing. He has prescribed this for 3x/ per week on off days!

What I have prescribed is a 2x/week weight training schedule which hinges on the current training sessions. The weight training is to be carried out post speed session, or post some sort of track session. My whole reasoning behind weight training for middle distance runners is the same as for sprinters, to complement speed and speed reserves.

I am the only one that thinks power and strength endurance activities should be track specific for mid distance runners? I’d like to hear arguments for or against this.

Sun/Wed

6x50m endurance bounding
8xvertical medball throws
3x5 squats

Fri- upper body day

My plan is to also suggest to the coach to include speed year round in their training, even if it is in low volumes and 1x/week. This coach in particular has begun to go very linear in terms of cross country, broken special endurance, special endurance, speed+special+speed endurance. Does anyone have any experience coaching middle distance athletes?

My suggested split is:

sun: accel+speed
Mon: aerobic run
Tue:Special end/lactic runs (150-450m)
Wed: aerobic run
Thurs: anaerobic fartlek
Fri: Specific endurance (450-1000m)
Sat: Off

Any thoughts on any of this would be great.

2

I edited two fantastic, in my view, publications of the late Dr. Verkhoshansky (The Block Training System in Endurance Running and The Training System in Middle Distance Running) in which he goes into great depth regarding the training of 800m, and up, athletes.

The information is comprehensive and is a must, in my view, for those who coach athletes who participate in those disciplines.

3

Overall, you seem to have the right idea. But whatever you decide to do be very progressive with the execution of new elements and think of factors such as timing, surface, even attitude towards certain elements, besides volume etc. Search here for Paula Ratcliffe and Lance Armstrong…

4

Great, I was eyeing that book on Dr. Verkoshansky’s site. I will check it out for sure.

I think the most important consideration is as you say Nikoluski, is timing, volume, progressions, ect…

I had a quick conversation with the coach and her opinion seems to be in line with what I have been saying. She admitted that the trainer has run a muck with the weight program. Doing too much in terms of stress and not allowing enough of a drop in-season. She also agreed that the rep scheme should be strength oriented.

5

[i]I believe decent 800m requires a decent aerobic base.
Much has been said about doing tempo - tempo from a strictly Mid-long distance perspective Raises ones Vo2Max. Great for Aerobic work.
You also need a pure Aerobic base also, that means Long Slow efforts. Teaches the Heart to Beat continually. This is why any Great Mid distance runner also does Off season x-country or Road races.
If done correctly, a long slow run actually facilitates recovery.
Coming off Road/x-country requires a transition from that to Track - this is where a good GPP will come in hand.
The off season - Road n x-country require Long slow and Vo2 max tempo.
Gpp introduces SE at the end of that off-season running.
Depending on the natural speed of the athlete, will depend on whether Max speed work also needs to be undertaken.
If your goal is say Sub 1:50 - that’s 55sec 400’s or 27;50 200’s.
Just by playing with the distance and recovery’s in reps and sets can make some very interesting sessions.
Naturally you need some overspeed in there also.
Coming off road/x-country - 400’s for this level athelete will be too fast due to lack of SE.
Instead of doing the classic 3 x 400’s at speed. A good idea is split 200’s. So
200m in 26, 1min rec 200m in Hopefully 26 also.
Rest 10min
Repeat
If you could that 2-3 times per wk. Maybe 2 x wk for 3 wks, then 3 x week for the next 3 wks.
Then add in a 3rd set

So, a week might involve
Mon - SE and weights
Tue - Tempo and 15min slow jog
Wed - SE or Max Speed (if your slow)
Thur - as Tue
Fri - As Mon
Sat - easy tempo / slow jog - maybe 10km easy
sun off

The idea is slowly work up your SE capabilities so that basically you end up almost running an 800m.
Imagine running 4 x 200’s with only 30sec recovery in 26sec…
Or a 400m in 52sec, 30s recovery then 200m in 25sec!
Sure, the 25sec 200m is not FAST - but it sure is after a 52sec 400m. It sounds Intensive tempo at that speed - until you perform it after that 400m - its pure SE.
SEB coe trained his sets similiar. The difference between Seb coe training and CF style is purely the Hi/Low set up arrangement - and CF is not a fan of road runs or x-country.
When i cut my road runs out - i just got slower then following season… That last 200m was simply too hard. Sure you can get to 600m fast - but in a fast 800m, that’s where the race Begins, not ends.
I have hit 600m before, fast, and felt fine, like i could keep going, but, within 20m - out of no-where, im knee deep in mud. A lack of Aerobic base (long runs, not tempo) is the cause. Thats an off season training - you wont be with the field at 600m if you’re still doing 20km runs every sunday come competition time.[/i]

From Boldwarrior in http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showthread.php?t=7669

6

Remember also - x-country training still involves doing Hill runs, V02 Max work, La+ work etc.
Look at the posts KK has been showing in the Haile retiring thread. 10km with the last 200m in 25 and 26sec… Crazy. You can’t run those times if all your doing is 5km, 10km runs.

7

Do the slow long runs need to be isolated pre season? Or can it be incorporated into the program, replacing tempo?

Because I have heard from athletes that too much aerobic base running will dull their speed. Would training these two qualities concurrently conflict?

The particular athlete I have in mind runs as follows:

Personal Bests:

100m: 11.0s
200m: 22.3s
400: 48.9s
800: 1:47
1000m: 2:24
1500m: 3:49