Hey guys. I was reading the CFTS, and I saw the part where Charlie mentions how after a tempo session the CNS energy pool is left largely intact and you could really pump up the weights, but after a very taxing sprint workout, you may be much weaker. I believe he used the Tempo Run example using Ben Johnson, and the Speed Endurance example with Anjelina or some female sprinter.
So my question is, are there times when you work out after a tempo session? I thought you were supposed to keep lifting on the same days as sprinting?
My understanding is that tempo is used as active recovery. It preserves and perhaps helps restore the CNS. So generally the template is CNS workout (sprints, plyos and lifting) followed by a non-CNS workout (tempo).
There may be times when it would be appropriate to do tempo and lifting on the same day, but this would not be the norm.
Gotcha. So most of the time I should keep the lifting and sprints together. Do you think I should generally do tempo only on off days, and not bother doing any tempo the same day after my CNS workouts?
Correct, generally you want to be alternating high intensity days with low intensity days. Because it’s not possible to have two high intensity days in a row, that’s where tempo comes in. When Charlie says it leaves the CNS pool intact, he doesnt mean this gives you the liberty to lift weights again on that tempo day. Rather, he means that it wont greatly affect your CNS pool so that you will be able to workout without draining your energy so you’ll be fresh for your sprint work the next day.
Although this seems to be contradicted in Training For Speed (CFTS) where Charlie is asked why Ben comes in after training and lifts heavy, while Angela doesn’t do much and the answer given by Charlie is that Ben did a tempo workout and was therefore fresh and could lift heavy …
I thought the example (tempo followed by heavy weights) was used primarily to illustrate how demanding speed work can be, and weights would be the first to be dropped after such sessions.
Yeah, bodybuilding circuits can be done on tempo days in between high intensity days, but I thought that was mostly used during GPP and maybe early SPP, because as the intensity of your CNS days increases, then you must compensate by lowering the intensity of the days in between, which would mean removing the bodybuilding circuits.
