After concluding the football season on Dec. 3rd (bowl game in Fresno), I will begin my training for the Outdoor track season, beginning official practice on Jan. 17th. I have from Dec 5th until then to train on my own without my coach. After reading through the lactate threshold thread and discussing with another member, we put something together.
Mon: Accel out to 40m (total volume 400m); Hills here for the first few weeks?
Tue: 6x200m w/ 200m jog recovery (jog must be completed in under 2 minutes) Each rep around 25-26 seconds (target come home 200m time for the 400m PR looking to achieve) for each rep.
Wed: Rest
Thu: Long Tempo (something like 8x300m under 50 seconds on grass w/ 100m walk recovery, change to jog recovery later on)
Fri: Split Runs 2x300+150 or 2x200+200 (run the first run at a fast pace - but not full out - as a depletion effort(either the 300 or 200), then rest 30 seconds, then attack the second run (either the 150 or 200) at 100% effort with a flying start. 30 - 45 minutes between sets.)
Sat: Tempo (total volume here? 1000-1200m?)
Sun: Off
So this is my plan from Dec. 5th-Jan. 16th. 6 weeks to train before real practice. Weights will be on Monday (Upper/Lower) and Friday (Upper/Lower) after the track sessions. Any comments, suggestions, additions, removals, etc are welcome. I have set some tough but defenitley attainable goals if I stick to this. Look forward to hearing from everyone.
I like it - a lot. The quality session is there, the endurance (most important in the basic phase) is also there. Specificity is there, without risk of burnout.
You’re touching all the performance threads, giving yourself every chance to succeed. The rest days and the tempo should helkp insure you against injury or frying your CNS.
Will you hit the weights a bit in there too? Just don’t go too heavy on the legs too soon. If you are able, try to fit in a yoga or elementary gymnastics class to unwind on rest or tempo days.
kk
Pretty good We have used a plan that is pretty close to that. Only difference is we started with more hill work on friday and as the season progressed we would phase out the long hills in favor of the stuff that you are proposing, things like split runs, I guess the important question is how will things change once you get with your coach? Or will you just continue with what you are doing.One more thig we flipped tues and fridays training, but that is a minor point. It doesnt really matter.
Thanks for the reply… Good to hear I’ve got most everything covered. I will be doing weights, most likely twice a week, maybe 3? I was thinking Monday and Friday with total body schemes being the main focus. Bodyweight circuits most likley when Im not lifting. How should the leg lifts be performed as far as intensity? Lower reps, heavier weight? What about plyometrics?
Things will be a bit different when I get with my coach. He is more in favor of doing fast 300s and 200s in a session with flying starts. I will try and use some of my stuff but its a bit hard to tell the coach you dont want to do what he does, even though it isnt always best. I will try and discuss it with him though. Thanks for your input.
Whatever you introduce, do it carefully. You can finish off your squats routine with some vertical jumps. That’s simple but safe and effective. Even 1 x 10 vertical standing jumps will power your legs up. No more than 3x10 rep.
But I’m very conservative in my thinking about plyos.
Most important thing is you lay a good all-round base and stay free of injuries and stress reactions in time to start a more specific routine with your coach.
Sounds good… As far as training the legs, would once be effective enough? Example leg routine I might use would be back squats, RDL’s, low pulley cable hip extensions; followed by 1-2x10 of some VJ’s. I will really focus on recovery and pay attention to little things as to stay injury free. Injuries ruined my season last year, and I dont want that to happen again.
I’d have thought one legs session per week would be like making a comeback every week: too hard. But maybe if you did one or preferably two more sessions just touching on the legs. At a minimum that might mean just adding power-cleans first up in your general routine. You might want to be doing that anyway, so at least in the PC you are using your legs like in a front-squat. If you were running hills that could also potentially count as a leg-strength session in lieu of classic gym weights. But you could even do some free-standing squats with arms folded, that’s also useful. I would just hesitate about doing only one weight session on the legs per week and no other formalised loading. You can keep the reps very low and the load light to medium until you get comfortable, but keep the massage or spa and/or flexibility going and you should stay well clear of injury.
Thanks again… I was planning on doing more than one leg session per week anyways, since I think they should be the priority in my weight routine for now. Just was curious in to what you thought was accpetable. At least twice, if not 3 will be done. Probably two.
You’ve got your answers form KitKat, of course and I agree with you on the 2-a-week weight sessions.
Just curious though, where would you place the third weight session in the week? I know you probably won’t, but I am just asking…
Thanks!
With are leg lifting we lift heavier on Monday, because our sprinting although it is pretty close to max speed is fairly low in volume. later in the week we do another leg session but the poundages are kept down. We also add in Oly lifts. If your new to lifting go slow try not to add to much weight until you have mastered technique.
I was just toying with the idea, since I have usually always done 3x a week. But I think twice does the job just fine, especially with the way I have it all set up.
Thats what I was thinking of doing as well (the heavier poundages on Monday right after the sprint session) and doing a lighter weight leg session later in the week. I will be including hang cleans probably on Mondays, possibly the second weights day as well. I am not a novice to lifting, but I know I can still improve!
Just some stats:
225x6 reps- Bench Pres
315x9 reps- Back Squat
185x7 reps- Hang Clean
Thanks for all your help, it’s greatly appreciated.
Another question; best time during the week to include a hurdle mobility session? I know this can improve and it is much needed… Before or after a session? Off day? Tempo day?
Cortese, what changes will you be making week to week to modify the program? Or will you be using this weekly workout template through till January?
KitKat:
I like it - a lot. The quality session is there, the endurance (most important in the basic phase) is also there. Specificity is there, without risk of burnout.
By quality session I assume you are refering to the 6 x 200? What do you define as endurance - speed endurance or specific 400m endurance? If you are talking about specific 400m endurance, what differentiates this from your 6 x 200 session?
Most likley the template will remain fairly the same throughout the whole time til January. I might make some minor adjustments in volume (Saturday’s tempo day), decrease in times (as in the accelaration day), and of course decreased rest time (jog instead of walk)… If you have any points or advice on how to modify it week to week I would gladly appreciate the feedback. Oh, and on the day I do split runs, I will not always use 200+200; will use 300+150, or 250+150, etc…
My only thought was that weekly use of the 6x200 session may lead to stagnation and/or burn out since the workout is so heavy on lactic fatigue.
From memory KitKat discusses this in the “Lactate Threshold Training” thread, but I would rather he clarify this than me potentially misinterpreting his words.
I am assuming that over time your acceleration out to 40m will evolve into longer speed runs, following a CF style short-to-long approach?
Yes I was also going to extend the 40m sprints out further as the weeks progress…
Now that you mention the 6x200 and burnout, I am wondering about suggestions to do something different as to not lead to burn out if I am to use the same template for around 5-6 weeks…
If you are referring specifically to this single session, I don’t think it can lead to a burn out on its own, if (1) the rest of the programme is carefully planned and (2) there is some kind of smooth progression in the session it self.
In fact, I would favour a relatively constant stimulus for this period of time for proper adaptations to be realised.
KitKat, care to share your opinion on this, please?
Thanks!
