most of the top guys and pretty much all the best guys do tempo work at some stage. but isnt the idea (dont necassarily agree with it) to add a bit of aerobic capacity to enhance recovery between REPS of high intensity sets, and also to allow a progressive build up to sessions close to maximum speed.
the original question i asked was why tempo would be used in a sprint program?
the top guys use it, and there training works, but the sessions described by pierrejean are 8x300 and 500m tempo runs…these would only be used early in the athletes training… want to know whether all the athletes sub 9.9 runners use tempo later in there training???
To balance things out! Just as our organisms are designed to strive for balance…
Meant to be only an answer to provide a starting point for new discussion.
Here are a few lines from a discussion on the Supertraining Forum:
“The benefits of low intensity exercise were
discussed sometime ago on the ST list; however, I don’t think members reached a clear consensus. Henk Kraaijenhof commented that the low intensity work might balance out the high sympathetic activation with the parasympathetic activation.
Charlie Francis commented that the low intensity work seems to enhance capillary density, which facilitates nutrient transfer, removal of waste products and the generation of greater heat around the motor neuron.”
First let me say that I am an advocate of tempo and I thank Duxx for making reference to various articles to strengthen his points. However in fairness to DJones and zap I still havent heard a complete answer why tempo or if tempo should be used year around, I think its fair to say that at least DJones if not zap as well understands that there is benefit to tempo, they are just inquirying about timing and placement of it in all cycles of the workout plan.
Also the sub 9.9 arguement of pierrejean doesnt really build the tempo arguement, is it that you must use tempo to run sub 9.9 or is it that if you are that capable of a runner that you will eventually be coached by a top notch coach such as charlie or pierre who chances are has tempo incorporated into their program.
what i am saying is that the top athletes go to the top coaches, coaches like charlie and pierre are well studied and understand sprinting concepts far better than i ever hope i can and will undoubtably be able to turn a 10.2 or 10.1 guy into a 9.9 guy if given the proper opportunity. maybe it is because the coaches who dont use tempo turn the 10.2 guys into 10.5 guys, but maybe it is because all the 10.2 guys are going to programs with tempo already built in.
either way that was a bit of an aside and i would just like a more direct answer about whether tempo is a year around at least 2 time a week staple of a program or if it can have its time and place in the yearly scheme.
I’m no computor whiz- I can barely turn it on, but if you can sort through the archives here, you’ll find a number of discussions about general vs specific training approaches. some of this material is packaged in the forum reviews, available for download from the site store.
Tempo has a number of roles- including the unexpected benefit of improving speed via the mechanism of increased cappillary density generating more heat around the motor neurons than would have been possible before the vascular enrichment, which, in turn lowers electrical resistance, increasing efficiency.
I learned of this effect from the World’s leading authority on EMS, Dr Cywinski at the Harvard Med Center in 1981 as the explanation of why EMS contractions increase in strength dramatically after 3 or 4 reps even though the electrical input remains constant.
By a more immediate method, you can check this for yourself. Suplementation with ATP about 20min prior to speed work can improve performance slightly. The first question that comes to mind is how can putting more fuel into a car’s tank create better engine performance? The answer is that the ATP affects the function of smooth muscle first and it’s effects on the circulatory system create more heat around the MMNs, generating lower electrical resistance.
Tempo has a number of roles- including the unexpected benefit of improving speed via the mechanism of increased cappillary density generating more heat around the motor neurons than would have been possible before the vascular enrichment, which, in turn lowers electrical resistance, increasing efficiency.
i stated those things in the very first post, but acording to zap and Djones those benifits do not overcome the drawbacks of tempo.
ps no offence, im not being disrespectfull just updating the conversation
My point isn’t : if the sub9.9 guys do it, they you should do it. You have to understand why they do it. The reasons are explained on the above post by Charlie and archives are plenty of chats on it. There are different kind of tempo workouts, and their prescription, according to the current internal and external conditions, is an art, not a science. In my country, low intensity runs are seen to have only one role : enhance VO2 and it is not really popular. Thus i was suspicious to say the least when i first heard about tempo concepts. I’ve tried it myself, i use it with my sprinters, it works great, if scientific proof happen, then it will just confirm what has been found empirically, and will just be an other intellectual read before going to bed.
I don’t think that DJones and Zap are advocates of eliminating tempo as they use some themselves. The question is how to set up the weekly schedule and what the days should include. How to spread the work out as far as possible- but without the effects of the sessions overlapping to the point of interferance.
Intensity x volume determines how much CNS load is applied and therefore how much recovery time is allowed. This will vary throughout the season, by demand of the componants themselves, AND BY THE INDIVIDUAL ATHLETE. There is a great deal of misinformation being accepted as fact (Ben dropped tempo in 1984!!!) This idea is to present a plan and justify the arrangement by intensity and volume and how you intend to maintain results through the season. This is what everyone here can do to help each other.
There are no drawbacks in tempo atleast not i know of. If you do a tempo session and wake up the next day for a speed session, you will see the pluses in it.
Charlie what sorts of recovery means did you replace on Ben instead of tempo? Just wondering and as a big fan of tempo, it will be good to know there are other roads…
the Pfaff approach uses more Bw circuits, long warm up , med ball and easy bounding on low int days, whereas on saturnday i s for tempo…starting with low extensisive, progressing to intensive during the season.
Ben never stopped doing tempo- that’s what I meant by misinformation!
Along with tempo, Ben did massage, EMS, hot and cold showers, etc. Low intensity Circuit work can be done as part of tempo, such as the push-up sit-up sessions with 100m tempo runs between.
A study on marathoners (i’ll edit in when home) who ran a 25k was split in two, half engaged in no activity and half performed what was described as relaxed running for a week afterwards.
After the seven days neither group had regained pre-race strength, but the running group had “significantly” less.
I don’t see how that relates to sprinters. Someone in Lore of Running, it may have been Noakes himself but I’m not sure, suggested that runners should take 3 weeks off from any running at all following a marathon.
You can find an article on www.powerrunning.com regarding the issue seanjos brought up (which is by the way out of topic).
Running marathon induces mechanical/structural injuries in muscle fibers, and doing “recovery runs” after marathon can only increase the time to recovery…
Seek for the articles “REcovery runs” or something simmilars on powerrunning
I will repeat the suggestion of pakewi regarding making this discussion more comprehensive and qualitative:
What is fatigue? How it is measured? Is it a physiological impairment or protective mechanism?
What is CNS fatigue? How it is induced and how it progress over time (peak, recovery)? Are you reffering to protective mechanism of CNS (reducing its output to periphery) or the inability of CNS to fire (neurotransmitters lack or something), when it time course? Where is the line between peripheral (high freq, low freq), central (spinal, supraspinal) fatigues?
What means should be used to creatre more favorable conditions for CNS fatigue recovery and what is the purpose of tempo in CNS recoveries.
Is there any reasearch showing (by research I mean doing “twitch superimposition test” - see Enoka or Gandevia, before and after (emediatelly, couple of hours later) sprint performance.
Two factor adaptation theory and CNS fatigue?
OmegaWave experiences with CNS fatigue and fatigue in general! Is there a time lag between the peak of CNS fatigue?
I belive that we answered the purpose of tempo in sprint training, altought I will repeat it:
Tempo is a GPP mean for sprinter intended to support new levels of SPP (speed).
GPP means should provide multidevelopment, introduction to training, variety, support to SPP development, maintenance of sport form, breaking the sport form, active rest, recovery and other stuff
Acutelly tempo facilitates recovery by increasing blood flushing (altought its connection to CNS fatigue remains unsolved)
Chronically tempo facilitates speed sessions by allowing faster recovery between HI speed reps and sets.
Chronically tempo develops muscle capilarization which in turn can (a) decrease the electric resistance of neuron and muscle sarcolema and (b) maintain body heat during rest pauses between heats in comp and sets in trainig which can prevent from injury.
The ratios and interconnections between GPP and SPP must be considered as a whole not as a parts!!!
Altought we could replace tempo with some long distance running as a GPP mean, this would be detrimental because it could transform FT fibers in ST and it will not allow to speed up recovery between sprints because long distance running have no intermitent nature, and thus it is not specific. Note that tempo is more “specific” as a GPP mean to sprint practice (not just one rep, but to practice: multiple reps and set or its intermitent nature) tnan the long distance running.
Altought sprint and weight work increase RMR (rest metabolic rate) via increased EPOC (excessive post-exercises oxygen consuption), tempo additionaly increase EPOC but also increase energy consuption, thus it keeps sprinters slim. Altought simmilar effects could be created with continuous runs, using them we will create unforable conditions already outlined, plus we would spend more glycogen, induce more joint stress (larger volume in km) and avoid increase in EPOC which is most important in “fat burning” (afterburn) and maintenance of fat-free mass (and its increase). Long distance continuous runs would also decrease testosterone leveles and increase cortisol, which is bad.
Because Charlie uses concurent periodization (altought this is another discussion) he uses tempo all year long! The reason for this is because tempo does not affect speed sessions and actually facilitates them (as stated before). Becasue Cahrlie starts doing short sprints on day one, tempo are used too. More on this can be found in CFTS e-book. Spend some money in books, save mine spending on the interent
It is not important to look at “direct” connection of tempo to speed, but rather to “indirect” consequences of tempo as a general mean which supports and facilitates new achivements in SPP (read speed), but indirectly!!!.
I can only speculate how tempo affects CNS fatigue but I dont believe “blood flushing” have some effects, because during exercise brains maintain CONSTANT blood flow (not in precentage but in ml/min)… Maybe variety and active rest (whatever their phisiological mechanism be) may speed up recovery, but maybe the CNS recovery happens naturally without tempo sessions (DO NOT read this that the day off is better than tempo, because you will loose all the benefits of tempo outlined before). Maybe contrast showers along with peripheral blood flushing may stimulate growth hormone production (shock of contrast) which can help in speeding up of recovery from CNS fatigue… just my thoughts!
I hope I cleared the issues of tempo purposes in speed training :rolleyes: !!!
Anyway, he have letf unresovled other issues (b & c)… so I hope after this short overview we can direct this discussion in another, more important discussions!
Great summary duxx
In my racing days, we did all speed work and no tempo and I was never able to get the Special Endurance times down any where near what my own athletes could run, relative to my racing times. So my final results were limited, especially in the 200m IMO.
just my thoughts!