You’re welcome Speedup. The foam roll duration, same as all of the other durations, illustrate the total time for that segment of the session.
James, do you think there is any need to achieve a minimum level of turnover in running tempo ? I am not suggesting doing it too fast since that negates the whole purpose of it being low intensity. Nevertheless is there a risk of going too slowly and getting what I have heard described as trainer feet.
I wonder if this can be achieved by doing relatively short efforts, concentrating on good technique - representing slow sprinting. Say 10x100 rather than 5x200 if you get my drift.
With slightly longer efforts for the 400m athletes needing greater aerobic development.
Yes I do Oldbloke, and in my view, all is sorted out by way of using percentage guidelines. In this way, running too fast is managed and, while we know that anything under the 75th percentile qualifies, we also know that there is indeed such a thing as too slow to qualify as tempo.
Thus, the question must be is tempo, of the running variety, a viable option for that day. If not, if for instance the sprinter isn’t inclined to do much more than a brisk jog, and if they are not agreeable to modified power speed routines (over longer distances) it would be my suggestion to alter the mode of tempo to bike or pool such that the stimulus for muscle work/blood flow/aerobic machinery is more robust.
By agreeing that there is a lower threshold of ‘too slow’ to qualify we must also agree that the mode of how the work is accomplished should be adjusted to allow for respectable intensity- that does qualify (such as what you indicated by reducing the distance). Otherwise the day should be considered for passive recovery only.
2/3 tempo
woke up feeling fried; my hamstrings were REALLY feeling it today especially while I went up stairs or even while walking. Lately these speed sessions have been zapping my energy fast. Who would’ve thought 4x60 could kill?!
today I had a full day of classes, so I could only manage 1 set of 10 of the bike tempo. Kept the rpm at 130 consistently and had to go before the gym closed. Also ended up doing a short circuit consisting of 50 push-ups, 50 sit-ups, 20 light tuck jumps, 50 push-ups, 50 V-ups, 10 squats, 50 V-ups and capping off with 50 push-ups again. Felt a little better after I finished, hopefully the soreness wears out.
Something doesn’t seem to be right with you. All this fatigue is not normal. If your sleep and nutrition is in order you should have yourself checked out. Could be something like mononucleosis.
my sleep has been really off the past couple of days, I’ve been averaging maybe 5 on a good night. May have skipped lunch a few times over the past couple of days, missed my multivitamins…I’ve been on break from school for a while and going to sleep late so my body hasn’t quite adjusted… On top of that I’m running better than I ever have before so that’s taking a toll too. Just a bunch of things… But I think I can start with getting more sleep and eating consistent meals to start and see how I feel tomorrow. Thank you Robin1 !
do you think there is any need to achieve a minimum level of turnover in running tempo ?
AT times we did bum kicks for tempo.
Sometimes we did bum or butt kicks to 100 meters and shook back. ( Shaking is between jogging and walking with the arms down to the side and shoulders completely down and relaxed.
At times we might also do shaking down 100 meters and back 100 meters of shaking. We might have combined this with stretching or something ultra easy.
If there is too much stiffness for the load of speed work and tempo is more difficult and a pool might not be available then some of these alternatives are a first step to getting loose.
Get rid of the idea of tempo needing to be a certain way exactly. This is where I think some are trying to understand what does tempo look like. Its’ fine to have a percentage of a max but you are not supposed to try to achieve that speed in tempo. That speed is supposed to happen as a result of the fitness. If the fitness is not in place exactly there are ways to build up the fitness.
As for the bike tempo there is also a general rule I have mentioned before.
You can start at 120 but for some believe it or not people are not able to do 1 set of 10 x 45 seconds on the bike at a consistent tempo so to speak on the bike. So what.
See what a person gravitates to and watch their response and use your heart rate tools if need be but what you see is valid. If someone is straining to repeat reps of a speed you feel is easy ask yourself WHY is that happening. There might be no reason or there could be 100 reasons.
By the way I do think running tempo on the grass is first and best and preferred if and when possible.
The bike is a back up.
The bike is great for a sub in for tempo.
The bike is not as good as the tempo.
The bike is a tool that can be used in case of injury or non athletes but athletes, especially track athletes need to be able to do tempo with proficiency as part of their fitness as it’s very different than doing tempo on the bike.
[b]James,
Who said this was a fantastic recovery session of Charlie?[/b]
- Abdominal work x 5min
- 2 contrast showers/baths in a row (24min) ending on the hot interval to prepare for stim
- Pulsing muscle stim x 20min
- Foam roll x 5min
- Easy stretches with long holds x 10min
- Contrast shower/bath (12min) ending on cold
Thanks to James and Angie for their feedback and suggestions. My problem is greater muscular stiffness due to recent new sessions to mobilise/strengthen hips. Naturally this reaction will reduce as the new protocol matures. I can see that hi rev bike, butt kicks, shaking etc will all act as a flushing and recovery method without the stress of running related tempo. I dont have a problem with achieving running volumes normally so just will use the above in the interim.
2/4 tempo
felt better when I woke up. Had 7 hrs of sleep. Went to class and then did tempo.
I did half of the big circuit and then did 11x100 with 3 mins in between sets. Kept my 100s at 16 pace and my 200s at 32-33 pace. Took 1:30 between 100s
afterwards, I rolled out for a bit and stretched and my legs feel a lot better. Rolling out my groin and my hamstrings hurt, and my calves were especially tight but everything loosened up. feeling good.
Hello Angela, I copied that down verbatim from either a post of Charlie’s years ago or perhaps from one of the publications. In any regard, I assure you that it came directly from Charlie as I am adamant about crediting work from authors that I use in any of my own work.
thank you Angela, I almost made the mistake of doing bike tempo 3x over running tempo on the grass!
Consider a logical progression working from the extended power speed that I referenced and move towards the running. For example, when starting from zero: Marching advances to A skips advances to Running A advances to Extensive Tempo advances to Intensive Tempo and onward.
Im not saying doing 3 sets of bike tempo should not ever happen but you have to know how to do tempo if you are running. The bike can be very hard on the psoas or so I have been told.
The way to do the bike progressions is to sneak the speed up every so progressively over time and or within the session.
- 100
- 105
- 110
- 110
- 115
- 115
- 120
- 120
- 120
10.125
3 minutes rest
repeat exact progression above for second set.
Next bike workout repeat same workout
Next bike workout repeat same
Next week change upper half maybe but coach and or athlete may be able to tell if he or she is ready.
If you are putting exercises in-between the sets these speeds seem slow but you still need to adapt.
With diligence the bike tempo speed can go up quickly because you don’t have the pounding. This is why it’s such good way to improve fitness gently. And same with the pool but people don’t apply progression and they think it’s a cake walk and so it’s not executed as it’s intended to be.
The key goal is proper tempo. ON grass, with the appropriate volumes ( not less hopefully) because if you notice few ever shorten their speed work. Well if that is true you need a certain volume of flushing is needed.
So the next question is how to do that? How do you get the proper flush to accommodate the stress of the “good stuff” i.e. speed work and then move on and forward and get faster?
It’s always a balance and a game and it always changes.
If you are responding to the speed work with great intensity that’s fantastic.
There is no better feeling than to be finished with an excellent tempo session. But the faster you go the harder that can be sometimes. Not always.
I laugh at the story in my head about doing tempo with Ben and Angella in 1988 when I first met Charlie and all of the athletes. I was in okay shape but not nearly what happened subsequently. I actually thought I was doing really well because I could do the work with them. At that time their speed day volumes were the highest in their entire career. Some days the tempo was very slow but they also had days were the tempo looked like speed for some people.
If the effort to accomplish the tempo becomes too great the type of work you are hoping to accomplish goes from easy recovery runs of tempo to trying so hard it becomes effort and stressful for the body and therefor counterproductive. Judgement is involved. but don’t out judge yourself into doing too little. I find the judgement part tough to teach. People tend to do too much the wrong way or too little due to excuses. Get the work done somehow. THEre are a lot of options.
5 minutes of sit ups would actually be 30 seconds of varied sit ups and 30 seconds of rest which is very different than 5 minutes of sit ups.
I would not start anyone with 30 seconds of sit up circuit as it’s too much and too intense unless you have built yourself into and up to that.
I don’t know enough about you Speed up to say that circuit is a good idea but I would not be doing sets of 50 sit-ups right now either. Break it up and down and spread it out and vary it. When in doubt keeps the numbers and volumes of exercises low and small especially for tempo and or low and off days.
And I don’t ever remember once doing back to back hot and colds like that and then doing another one at the end.
I think you might have taken this information out of context and it’s just now how charlie would have written it or expected someone to perform it as you have written it.
We rarely foam rolled and when we did it was not for long as they were replaced with Travel Roller and by then we still never used it much as we had other means to stay loose.
Agree 50 sit ups is a bit excessive. Prefer blocks of 20-30 varying the type of sit up.
General point on circuits is I like to have a particular focus in a circuit. Cardio/flushing, localised strength/mobility or plyo.
Some types can be mixed others less so. So in a tempo session i would do 20xbodyweight squats ahead of situps. Etc.