Weekly format vs. daily cycles

Expert Discussion Advanced Sprint Training
1

Most people design their training programs by assigning a workout to each day of the week. Example:

Mon- speed/weights
Tue- tempo
Wed- rest
Thurs-speed/weights
fri- tempo
sat- rest
sun- rest

The inherent flaw in this is that you end up taking an extended period of 96 hrs between intense workouts because with 7 days in a week it’s impossible to distribute the workouts evenly… so, wouldn’t it make more sense just to cycle your workouts according to the number of the day? Example:

day 1- speed/weights
day 2- tempo
day 3- rest
(repeat)

2

Why so many days off with the weekly format? That’s 12 days off in a 28 day training cycle. the only schedules I’ve seen like that were programs that had no tempo. IE Speed, Speed Endurance, off, Speed, Speed Endurance, off, off. The other schedule repeated is better, as it shortens the off days to 8, but most programs with tempo would only have 4 days off in this same period.
The principles of “wave loading” and variability of workload would enter into this as well.
What about a traditional weekly approach throughout the prep period and a more even scenario, as you describe, in the taper period?
Thoughts?

3

What do you think about this training approach as this is what I have done and has worked for me?:

Monday - Speed/Weights
Tuesday - Tempo/GS
Wednesday - Speed Endurance or Special Endurance/Weights
Thursday - Tempo/GS
Friday - Speed/weight
Saturday - Tempo or form work

This has worked for me so far as I have seen drastic drops in times while using this with no weights/plyos/med. ball, etc. just running and a good diet. I am, however, open to new ideas.

4

Why not just have

speed
tempo
rest
repeat?

5

I use the same format 400stud uses, but i am still working on that good diet thing:P but with the running i have been doing i have been getiin in pretty good shape. I 'm 5’8 and i variate from 148-150.

would it be smart to have a one week recovery period after for example… 6 weeks of training to get your body fully adjusted?

6

Originally posted by Charlie Francis
Why so many days off with the weekly format? That’s 12 days off in a 28 day training cycle.

Charlie, could you offer some suggestions as to how to plan a weekly format without taking so many days off?

The reason that I designed my program with 3 days off per week was to ensure that I would be completely fresh for the speed days. I thought that the best way to achieve this would be to schedule at least 72 hours between speed workouts, and to take a rest day the day before speedowork. Am I wrong? Please correct me! I’d love to be able to train more often

7

Originally posted by chris30
Why not just have

speed
tempo
rest
repeat?

The reason I don’t like that is that it is only 6 hard days out of 21 days in a loading cycle (3 weeks…then 1 unloading week). I also don’t like sitting and doing nothing or cross-training during the season. I get tight or stay tight if I am already.

My setup helps keep me in shape and stay motivated to do better. With a rest day (especially with the way my season goes) that would have me resting on invites, working on Sundays (my totally off day) and it would be all funky. My setup is easier to work with for myself. I know it can look like much, but with proper progressions, etc. can really work and benefit someone.

8

Originally posted by 400Stud
What do you think about this training approach as this is what I have done and has worked for me?:

Monday - Speed/Weights
Tuesday - Tempo/GS
Wednesday - Speed Endurance or Special Endurance/Weights
Thursday - Tempo/GS
Friday - Speed/weight
Saturday - Tempo or form work

The only problem with this, as I see it, is that you have speed days within 48 hours of hitting the weight room… that might be OK for more mature athletes, but my legs are not fully recovered 48 hours after weights! I think that the fatigue would detract from my speed sessions.

9

[/quote]

The only problem with this, as I see it, is that you have speed days within 48 hours of hitting the weight room… that might be OK for more mature athletes, but my legs are not fully recovered 48 hours after weights! I think that the fatigue would detract from my speed sessions. [/quote]

I only do weights three times a week during the AA/GPP, pre-comp. phase, maintenance phase, and beginning of outdoor. Towards the peak meets (about 4-6 week before I go down to 2 weight days/week and dwindling down to none the week before the meet.

Also, weights might be hard, but they are not so hard as to detract from the next speed session. They are only supplementary, so, they are done in a manner to help and not hurt.

10

but my legs are not fully recovered 48 hours after weights! I think that the fatigue would detract from my speed sessions.

Alternatively you could reduce the volume of speed and/or weights, while performing them more often, and then build up the volume as recovery speed improves.

11

you could try something like this too:

Speed1/weights
Tempo
Weights OR Circuit
Tempo
Speed2/weights
Tempo
Day off

Day 1 - Speed/plyos/weights
Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, pushups, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
Speed:
2 x 10 meter flying (with 40 meter runup)
2 x 60 meter lying start sprints
2 x 30 meter lying start sprints
3 sets of jump squats or tuck jumps (sets of 10)
Weights
3 sets powercleans
3 sets backsquats
3 sets good mornings/Stiffleg deadlifts

Day 2 - Tempo/Core
Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
12x100meter broken into 3x4 with situps between reps

Day 3 - Weights (Total 18 sets) OR Triples Circuit:
10 minutes on bike for warmup followed by stretching
3 sets flat bench
3 sets bent over row
3 sets standing shoulder press
3 sets chins
3 sets dips
3 sets bicep curls

OR Circuit:

Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, pushups, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
Circuit:
3 supersets. Each superset comprises 3 sets with 3 exercises in each set repeated 3 times.
Total of 27 sets in about 13 minutes)
Triple 1: (burpees, pushups, situps) x 3 with no rest between exercises.
2 minutes rest
Triple 2: (step ups, chinups, alt knee situps) x 3 with no rest between exercises.
2-3 minutes rest
Triple 3: ( floppy fish, dips, lunge walks) x 3 with no rest between exercises.

Day 4 - Tempo/Core
Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
12x100meter broken into 3x4 with situps between reps

Day 5 - Special Endurance/weights (90-95%)
Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, pushups, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
Speed:
6x150 or 4x200 meters with 8-12 minutes rest between reps
2 sets running A’s for 15-20 seconds each (eventually working up to 30 seconds)
Weights:
3 sets powersnatch
3 sets snatch grip deadlifts
2 sets rev leg press/hip extensor

Day 6 - Tempo/Core
Warmup:
800 meter jog, dynamic stretching, pushups, drills, 3 x 30 meter accels
12x100meter broken into 3x4 with situps between reps

Day 7 - REST DAY

12

That still leaves me doing tempo on an invitational day and lifting during a dual/tri/quad meet. No, the Wed. meet is not important, but the chances of me getting to workout are slim. The way you have it scheduled is not running, basically, on Wed., the 3rd day, which is a day I will be running. Tell me how you would tailor that to having a meet on Wed./Fri. one week and then on Wed./Sat. the next week.

13

Originally posted by JimboUKdec

[quote]but my legs are not fully recovered 48 hours after weights! I think that the fatigue would detract from my speed sessions.

Alternatively you could reduce the volume of speed and/or weights, while performing them more often, and then build up the volume as recovery speed improves. [/quote]

You could do it like that and that would actaully be the smart thing to do.

14

Originally posted by Charlie Francis
Why so many days off with the weekly format? That’s 12 days off in a 28 day training cycle. the only schedules I’ve seen like that were programs that had no tempo. IE Speed, Speed Endurance, off, Speed, Speed Endurance, off, off. The other schedule repeated is better, as it shortens the off days to 8, but most programs with tempo would only have 4 days off in this same period.
The principles of “wave loading” and variability of workload would enter into this as well.
What about a traditional weekly approach throughout the prep period and a more even scenario, as you describe, in the taper period?
Thoughts?

i like this idea for those that can’t train as often as weld like (life and work always getting in the way)
at what percent would would the SE run be performed at? and how would the distances in the speed and SE be in realtion to each other?