Test Levels and sprint training

You have all heard this argument before:

"The body ^ production of testosterone when you exercise. The first 20 minutes production builds up to a peak for another 20 minutes and falls off for the last 20 minutes.

Sessions should finish in less than an hour (outside warm-up)."

Sprint sessions can often take take far in excess of 1 hour, throw in a weights session and it can be 3 hours+. See post by Charlie on Ben and 8 hour training day.

Is the above not relevant to sprinters??

Where is the thread/psot about Ben’s 8 hour training day? I’d like to see it. thanks.

[QUOTE=athlete_400m]…Sessions should finish in less than an hour (outside warm-up)…QUOTE]

And what of split sessions? Say 1-hour warmup/medball @ 10:00 a.m. Followed up with 1-hour plyo/alactic bouts @ 3:00 p.m. Also allowing for proper nourishment and/or recovery nutrition between the sessions.

I’ve been very curious about this myself, my only guess is that testosterone isn’t as important for a sprinter as it is for a bodybuilder.

I’d venture as far to say that it is not as important to the bodybuilder either, in the “transient” sense of its fluctuations during a workout. Look at all the transient “legal” test boosters on the market (prohormones) and the limited and relative “success” they have.

I thought shorter sessions were primarily due to avoid emptying of liver glycogen and the catabolic state. During longer sessions, replenishment of liver glycogen with a product such as GPush wards off low blood sugar.

Much of Ben’s 8 hours was split up and focused on regeneration:

http://www.charliefrancis.com/community/showpost.php?p=53835&postcount=11

What happens to T during the course of a workout (1/24th of the day) is probably not that important for either a sprinter or a bodybuilder. The lowered blood glucose, increased use of protein for energy, and increased cortisol that typically occurs when a workout exceeds the :45- 1 hour mark is of far more consequence then a temporary drop in testosterone.

Agreed. That’s why we supplemented with 1 tsp leucine, isoleucine, and valene at the 1 hr mark, and 1 tsp each 1/2 hr thereafter on high intensity days. Perhaps glutamine would work just as well.

ahhh now I understand the protocol, I see the light!

How long did the work outs last on the low intensity days?

Warm-ups stayed pretty consistant across the board (up to the point of spikes) so about 50 to 60 min. The tempo sessions could last anywhere from 20 to 30min plus the warm-down. BTW, we used to get our supplements from Musashi and they had a series of pre and post workout products for speed and tempo sessions. They have a website, so you might get some info there.

I can’t reccomend their products highly enough - and no ph’s at all - so no worries

www.musashi.ie

So if a workout goes to 1:15 or 1:30, are you going backwards when trying to gain size and strength? What about DB’s workouts which look like they take 2+ hours sometimes? Any way to prevent catabolism from kicking in (P+C drink, etc.)?

See my reply above re LIV or Glutamine.

Do you think it’d have to be isolated AA’s, or would a scoop of whey suffice? Any high GI carbs necessary? I thought carbs and protein worked better together.

I have found that ICE worked for us…we let the post workout be post workout…some of my football guys did the pre/during/post for a month during in a "hulking phase but NEVER during plyos, speed, max strength days… Flooding a skinny Basketball player with insulin can be done for a few weeks to break through but again long training should be done with BCAAs.

Great!

Thats one possible duriing w/o nutrition protocol.

Thanks for the info.

Now back to the post-w/o connundrum! :wink:

I’m guessing the hulking phase was more structural lifts…but why NEVER during max strength? If one was taking more of a WSB approach, the maxS and hypertrophy stuff gets mixed.

I guess this is basic knowledge, but does protein alone help maintain blood glucose? I thought blood SUGAR…i.e. carbs.
Cortisol & insulin…too confusing

i hate to be wasting it but IMO supps had/have a minor role in here…

You have a point . (Not surprising from such a handsome guy!)

Handsome? I guess being frozen can really mess up your judgement. :smiley: