Lots of options here as well.
As this is most likely a L-to-S program, you can:
1: Use Mon and Thurs as a logical spread.
2: Use Mon and Fri for Speed and SE with Wed creating stimulus as a weights or Med ball day (in conjunction with very limited M and F sessions as well to spread out the demand).
3: Use three sessions BUT concentrate on SE on Wed with very short start type sessions on Mon and Fri with weights spread over the three days in very limited doses. Perhaps ironically, this may be the easiest on the nervous system (and the one we started with) because there’s really only ONE major stimulus in the week with two supporting stimulea.
Thoughts??
After experimenting and learning from other coaches on this forum, its best to go two high intensity days esp. if the athletes don’t have regular excess to therapy etc. Also when you are working with athletes who are post university athletes who have full time jobs it’s hard having 3 high intensity days. Typical week:
GPP: 3 high int days.
SPP:
Mon: speed
Tue: tempo
Wed: rest
Thur: SE spilt runs
Fri: tempo
- Also we may at times perform a upper body strength session on the tempo days and lower on speed days.
Charlie what’s your thoughts on squatting once a week in SPP and performing a spilt squat etc the other day?
Option 2: Speed on Monday, SE on Fri, with a primary weight session on Wednesday and easier ones on Monday and Friday???
With option 3 how can this be applied to your spp graphs which have speed work three times weekly.
The third set-up seems great, but where and when does speed come into play?
If this is SPP1, you should be okay overall since you’re racing over 60m and will have 30-40m in place, but at some point you would need to get some top end work to be ready to maximize capabilities. Maybe the SE (I imagine we’re talking split rep 60s) would turn into a speed session with full speed and recovery 60s and/or flies and the like? Maybe FEF drills on the two support days?
Do you really think its necssary for a lower level athlete to have three high days?
I don’t think it is absolutely necessary, but I think it can work and many programs end up being like that anyway.
Example, in GPP I have two days of accel and one day of int. tempo/SE.
I imagine if it was distributed a little differently, it could work into SPP. I think you’d have to really watch the volumes and everything, but it could work. While there are definitely people who can’t handle 3x a week hard, if you do it the way Charlie is describing here (essentially 2 days starts to 30m or so and 1 day of SE), you could probably be fine.
I also think more frequent is objectively better IF you can tolerate it. That is a big IF, but all of the motor learning research and the like indicate more frequent is consistently better, across activities and skill class. The more important part though would finding a workload you can easily tolerate and recover from, though.
I agree, in GPP the overall intensity is lower so the athlete can handle almost anything. If you follow the layout CF outline, I think the athlete would be OK but with the SPP graphs then you may be asking for trouble. I have used three high intensity days with some athletes:
Mon: Speed
Wed: 10-30m starts/weights
Fri: SE
So even if you are lifting at equal intensity, say 3 reps at your 4 rep max, the incline press is less CNS demanding because the overall weight is lower. Wouldn’t this also apply to half-squats vs ATG squats, or half-squats to cleans? And if the reverse is true and you’re looking for the greatest CNS stimilus, would you then prefer half-squats over ATG squats or cleans?
Yeah but it’s not just load that is involved (and load is probably one of smaller factors, IMO). If it was, you would just use partial deadlifts or something like that. It also involves the MUs recruited and many other factors that people don’t really seem to look at.
Load and rate being equal the lesser movement amplitudes will equate to lesser intensities due to the lesser sum total of muscle work; however, the lesser movement amplitude provides for higher rates and more favorable leverages for moving greater loads so the weight must be specified before one is in a position to define training intensity.
Making sure you see this CF.
2: Why not? Easy means easy- a few lifts for stimulation- and a reduction in what has to be done in the rest of the week.
3: Nothing has to be applied to my graphs. You need to individualize to suit your own purpose. I try to present graphs that show how work is distributed to specific individuals, often at a very high- even world record level, at certain points in their careers. There was a big difference between what we did in 1979 and 1987 or 88. I want you to think things through for yourself, based on my presentations and info from the forum to come to your own solutions for your specific needs.
see my comments on options earlier
I remember you saying somewhere on the forum that Ben did walking lunges, not sure if this was gpp or spp.
Angella did more of the walking lunges but those that were done were included in the warm-up power speed drills- so not a big load by any means.
Before we get into too much of a chicken and egg argument, think first about weights as a stimulus towards the next HI session.
How much do you need? How much room do you have left in your current session to get it?
How do you measure it?
Got it, I know some coaches perfer to squat only once a week in SPP since the speed intensity is higher, they believe lifts such as rev lunge and spilt squats provide activation/mobility benefits.
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although I haven’t seen the downloads the above is what its all about. It appears so simple but it generally leads to a paradigm shift re weights. Even then it is easy to forget at times which is disadvantage to you and/or your athletes.
Here’s a question. What if you are limited by institutional constraints to lifting in the morning? :mad:
In other words that is when your team has been assigned that slot in the weight room, at least for the first 2 month of team training.
In the GPP this can be handled reasonably well by using the weights for general development. I the situation persists, you’ll need to be creative with higher level athletes.
For example, if you can get just one bar that can be loaded at the track, you can do Deads after speed and continue with lighter general development work in the am. Some 3rd world teams (like here in the old days!!) have taken cheap bars and simply loaded buckets with concrete to make up wieghts to keep at the side of the track. At least if they are heavy enough, the grounds keepers can’t haul them away to the dump!