Right.
Fogelson, I should also note that having been wrapped up in explaining the methodological theory behind this subject matter as well as the tempo parameters in my skill guys training, that I’ve forgotten to include one very important point…the 16sec limit is what I require my guys to make; when in fact, most of them cross the line between 12 and 14 by their own volition
Thank you for the clarification–that makes much more sense.
On the subject of keeping tempo lactate free… what about the medball/circuits/abs that follow? It seems harder to keep the musculature lactate free during these activities… the 1000’s of abs reps CF prescribes, for example. And James, what about the lifts you have prescribed on tempo days?
Hold on. Am I correct in reading that you are getting noticeable lactic production after about 1200m of tempo, namely 100m repeats in 19 seconds? If that is the case, how long are your rests, and if not, can you give me the specifics?
In trying to get myself into some sort of less horrendously poor fitness level, I have been running tempo: 3x10x100m in 17seconds, with 40seconds between reps, and 8minutes total between sets in which I do some push-ups, pull-ups (on the handy soccer goals), and ab work, with about 3min rest at the end of it before the next set of 100m runs. I could probably manage 100m in a blistering 12.8 or so (don’t laugh).
I get very tired and my heart rate gets to about 185 (max is about 225) towards the end of each set, but I don’t feel signs of lactic acid production. Could that just me not noticing it?
I wouldn’t be telling an athlete to go above 75% of best time but I might ask them to step it up if they’re going like molasses rolling uphill.
Let’s stick with personal experience here. Just worry about the pace and stay with what works and you’ll be fine.
The scientists can tell us all why things worked for us 20 years from now and we can wax nostalgic if or when we read it.
Which goes back to the issue regarding the Peaking video!
In my female soccer players, we start out doing 110yds in 18 seconds for faster players (about 20 seconds for slower players. After about 3 weeks, these become very easy to do, and we move up 1 second for these reps. Because they will hit 4000m+ of tempo 3x a week (12,000m total), the 17 second zone is fine. For males, I usually ask them to run it in 15-16 seconds. Early off-season I may ask them to run them in 17 and decrease time as they get more fit.
Re: tempo and lactic acid…the point of tmepo is to aid in recovery, not to work on lactic type conditioning. This goes back to the Vancouver download of team sports.
How many sports really need lactic type workouts?
It’s all a factor of managing work intensity and duration as well as duration of recoveries.
Additionally, it’s important to specify the context of the intended training effect.
The tempo runs, at least in my program, are performed in order to develop all that Charlie has spoke of over the years as well as to simply heighten the musculo-tendonous-skeletal durability specific to terrestrial movement (aka field based sport movements)
From a bionergetic standpoint, for us, the tempo activities (because it’s not just linear running for my guys) must be aerobic.
The other auxiliary exercises, however, are not restricted to alactic/aerobic parameters. Although all the abdominal reps we perform are typically accomplished in an alactic/aerobic environment simply because we generally don’t perform in excess of 20 repetitions per set at a moderate rate and this is followed by a 45-60sec rest and then another run or positional movement.
I said SOMETIMES and UPTO 19s, so in the later reps, when I’m slowing (another no-no!), that’s when I feel lactic in the last 10m. And I use a TIMED 30s rest and a 60s rest with 15 press-ups between sets. It has a lot to do with the way I feel that day… if the day before was a real high intensity then the tempo usually suffers beleive it or not.
But I havn’t been able to build the tempo this year…
2000m is tough. Just try it.
In the final days of a taper, are tempo volumes at 300-600m? or would going 1000-1200 be fine as well.
I either drop it late season or 6-8x100.
I’ve measured my heart rate at 200 during a tempo workout (after a 200m run and a total of 2400m of runs). It was a tough workout, but I didn’t feel any muscular fatigue. The workout was 5x(run 100m, walk 50m, run 100, walk 50, run 200 walk 100, run 100 walk 100). The 100s were in done 15.5.16s and the 200s in about 32-33s. I’m a 11.01/22.4 sprinter. Has anyone else measured their heart rate during tempo workouts? Was mine unusually (too) high?
Well as far as aerobic and or restorative work goes 200 is WAY too high.
At that heart rate intensity your training anaerobic development.
Maybe I’m abnormal then. 
The workout was definitely not anaerobic, as their was no lactic acid buildup and the intensity was just like Charlie describes it (around 70% of max speed, last rep as fast as first, no muscular fatigue, etc.). BTW: My heart rate was already at 189 after the first 200m, i.e. after the third run in the first set.
What type of heart rates have other members observed during tempo workouts?
What you felt is the most important thing (i.e., a pure tempo session). In any case, without knowing your maximum HR, there is no point classifying the 200 b.min-1 one…
I agree with that; however, 200 strikes a chord even in the abstract
I agree with Fogelson, what’s the point of doing 2000m three times per week of tempo if the main goal is to loosen/recovery - seems too much esp for athletes who aren’t getting therapy etc? I think a more productive way is to perform 1000-1500m of tempo and add mb circuit/gs circuits as icing on top of the cake. Also on tempo days the warmup and cooldown could play a role in work capacity development.
I have broken it up like that, but I gave myself 15min not 20-30. Yes, I was able to get more work done but the whole point of tempo is to be a recovery day. If anything, I say, push up the medball work, I have, and I have seen much better results, my shoulders and neck have grown and my abs have become more definded.
Yea, I’m doing that right now… I have a situation with one of my cars so I’m jogging to the park and to the gym because it’s close to me and to be honest it’s a great way to break up doing laps at the track. I just count my steps or guage my time it takes to jog 100m as I’m going through a parking lot or a trail as I make my way to the park.