I’m wondering if somebody can give me some input on my current situation. I’m also wondering what sort of work can be done 2 days before an event/game without having any ill effects. Currently I do work as such
4 days before: Speed at 100%(full volume), low body & total body weights, plyos.
3 days before: Normal tempo session (big circuit) or 8 x 200m
2 days before: 95% speed session(4x 30m), Upperbody weights at lower intensity.
1 day before: Off
0 days before: Game
Abs are performed almost everyday with the exception of game day
My questions are: Can I incorporate upperbody medicine ball throws 2 days before an event since it is primarily upperbody, but also taxing on the CNS? Should plyos be avoided 2 days before? Can I do “maximum” upperbody weights 2 days prior or should 3 days prior be the cut off? currently I do submaximal work 2 days prior.
I know most of these questions are unanswerable, but I’m looking for general guidelines so I can get a better understanding.
Actually, a number of these have been answered (or at least responded to) by Charlie if you do a search.
Weights–I asked CF directly in the thread about Ben’s monster bench if a max bench could be done 3 days before a peak race, and CF said that would be OK. But also keep in mind Charlie’s point that weights need to be cut back to provide for speed endurance. I found that a max bench (only) 3 days before workout works well for indoors, but seems to be too close in outdoors to leave SE for 100m unaffected (for a 10.38 person). I can do MAINT weights 2 days out, but a max effort for me needs to be 4-6 days out for outdoors.
Plyos–this has been discussed as well, with CF warning that plyos require significant recovery and can take CNS resources away from speed. I don’t do plyos within 7 days of an implortant race.
Speed and Tempo. Go back to CFTS and take a look at the 10-day taper. You don’t want to overload CNS going into the race. Charlie has speed being 4X30+80 @95% 4 days out and Tempo of 10X100 (50% normal volume) 3 days out. I would not want to do a LOT more than this for an important race. I cut my tempo down from 7X200 to 4X200 going into a race.
Now something which I think hasn’t been discussed here: back-to-back days to set up a maximum performance. I find that I go faster the second day of a championship meet (with heats), and this works whether or not I hold back in the first heat. So, for meets where there is just one race, I run my own “heat” the day before, which is a minimum warmup, 2X30, then a 60m “race” (i.e., time trial). The warmup for the real race is the same as what it would be on the second day of a championship meet. I schedule more rest (longer taper) going into this kind of race prep, as I would for a championship meet itself. My training volume is higher than most who post here, so I don’t know if this will work for anyone else.
What differences do you make in season where you aren’t trying to peak for an important race, but you’re running races every weekend? What intensities do you run @ during your weekly training? and how do you manipulate tempo to account for the races?