that is the basis of CF philosophy. Speed work is the precedent and weights are general and should be adapted to each days situation.
Its easy to overdo weights after speed, so just make sure you know the effects of the volume you are performing. I tend to go 3-4 sets of 3-5 reps for squats, and rarely get through all sets, yet my strength has continually progressed. Doesnt take that much more to hit those additional MU’s and have the equivalent work performed.
If you do go with the bodybuilding style weights, its a lot easier to get away with more without compromising the CNS, but I believe the benefits are not quite as good.
You can do it. The quantity and quality will vary due to CNS fatigue from speed work. Better to do less.
Be smart, have a coach or training partner who you listen too so when you drop off technically in lifts to stop or move to something else.
last year i always did lower weights after speed workouts. i was always fine unless i was tired from any longer runs (<60m).
gives you more recovery time since your legs can get a total rest when you do all strenuous leg work in one session
Hey what do you guys think about my scenario:
Im VERY weak. Like a 220 pound squatter if Im not lifting (at a bodyweight of 200-210). I have 10 months before test day. I plan on doing speed work 1x or less from last month until May… focusing primarily on strength. Get my squat up to 400… then get into my speed work during may june july august.
Is it a good idea to do more speed work during the winter and less focus on strength? Last spring and summer i did very little to no strength work- just speed. I made very little progress. Thoughts?
Whats your goal? What are you training for? What kind of volume have you typically been doing in a week that you consider to be “little to no strength work”?
Just being consistent is important, even when doing very little strength work. I’ve made the mistake in the past of letting the weights go in favor of greater speed sessions. Taking the time to do some maintenance sets can go a long way.
An almost 200lb increase in squat in 10 month would be quite the accomplishment. It also depends on your current speed level. A slower person could probably get away with more strength work with speed sessions due to the muscular/CNS capacities.
my current max isn’t 220. Probably around 270 because I’ve been lifting for a month or so now… and I will be up to where I was a year ago (315) pretty quick (by the end of the year).
I play football, so I need mainly to focus on acceleration (40 yards) with an emphasis on conditioning. Although the conditioning won’t start until next summer.
When I said I was doing little to no strength work- it varied… kind of just when I felt like it- then once last summer started i stopped cold turkey to just do speed work (as recommended by a few people on here).
I’ve been my fastest when Im at my strongest. So an increase in strength- IMO- will do wonders for me.
So my question: Need I do speed work now? During the winter and early spring- or should I just hold off and totally focus on building lean muscle strength by boosting up my squat and dead lift?
Im leaning toward either NO speed work or 1x week sled pulls … like 6x30-40 yards. To be done ON lower body strength days.
?
Why does it have to be all running/no lifting or all lifting/no running? You should be able to do a brief acceleration session twice a week and still be able to do some quality lifting and bring strength levels up.
quality of the strength training will be negatively affected
Charlie’s way was to lift after speed. That way, you maximize the recovery time before then next major CNS hit, and you know how tired you are after the speed session, and can adjust your weight workout accordingly.
If you lift first, you MUST hold back on the weight routine. If you lift hard, and THEN have a hard track session, your CNS can be cooked for days (this is the negative side of the HSI approach that you don’t get until you’ve been there, done that).
The other way, which I actually did last year and this following Bolt, is to have a part in the offseason where you emphasize weights specifically. Then, as you phase in the track intensity, you phase down (not out) the weight load. This wasn’t the CF way, but keep in mind that at least those big bench numbers for Ben that you read about around here (something like 2X10X365) actually came when Ben was injured.
I would try and keep some sort of accel volume in year round. It wont take much to include 1 accel/week and have it not impact your strength training. This is the basis for vertical integration somewhat.
If you play football keep in mind how many accels you perform in a game. Although the intensity is probably lower. This counts too.
You could count accels and some dynamic work as a dynamic effort day, which can be included to help increase strength.
will do. 1x week acceleration. Thanks for the replies.
I just want to make sure Im going to be as strong as possible by the end of next august. Strength = Great potential/base work for some serious acceleration speed. …Just ask ben.
I agree that strength to weight ratio is a really big part of acceleration. Equally important is maintaining the proprioceptive, technical/mobility and recruitment aspects of acceleration instead of letting it de-train and trying to build back up from a lower level just like your strength.
Set up your perioridization schedule for strength when YOU want it, which in your case would not be following a schedule built around indoors. Some programs (including HSI) set it up with BB type weights now, and the weight load goes up to 90% (but the volume goes down to 2 or 3 reps) as part of tapering.
Build up some mass (hypertrophy) now and turn that mass to strength later when that strength will do you the most good. As others have stated, many sprinters stay with BB/hypertrophy type weights most of the time because it leaves more CNS for the track.
what has worked best for me in the past: 2x week lower body strength, 1-2x upper. But Im kind of tweaking that toward kelly baggets’ recommendation: U-L-U, L-U-L … 3 day per week split.
work up to 5 rep max on squat. Deadlift every other wednesday. Heavy barbell bench on day 1 and then the following bench press day: no barbell work, just dumbbells and core stuff.
I’ll probably do (5)x5 squat until my progress stalls, then switch it up. Will do sled pulls every other leg workout.
just personally i did 5x5 squats and it would leave me sore for days, i could only do 5x5 once a week
How much accessory work do you guys do? During GPP I’ve done 2x per week heavy squats and once per week deadlifts. Anything else has been some easy hamstring work + lunges here and there…
Can you elaborate more on what you did regarding the weights?
“you emphasize weights specifically”, do you mean actual specific weights e.g simulating a sprint stride with added resistance or are you referring to a period where you just emphasize the weights in a general fashion?
What do you know of the Glen Mills camp with regards to this?
Thanks.
This is how it would play out:
Over the months of october-april:
speed + strength = squat max of 335
strength only = squat max of 400
which would help my acceleration the most? (Assuming bodyweight remains steady.)
-Getting as strong as possible or
-Balance of strength work and speed work
Hemann, I think you can get the best of both worlds. I would eliminate neither strength or speed. You just have to find the balance. If your speed is for football, the way I have my athletes do it a little different. Because football is neither all strength or all speed, you need to train accordingly. Training strictly like a track guy will mess you up. Because I have very short off seasons with my players. I tend toward to a conjugate method of periodization. I would likely use block if I had more time, but that isn’t the case. When the season is over, I let my kids have a few weeks of “ME” time. When we start to work, its kind of a recuperative period. When we get the kinks worked out, I do a bastardization of Wendlers 5/3/1. We do short accel work 2 days per week. Maybe 200 yds of 10’s and 20’s. With weights, its the same format as 5/3/1 with more balanced work as opposed to triceps specialization work. We do Upper 2 days and Lower 1 day in mid week. Lots of rest and chilling out on off days. Kid’s have made tremendous gains. I have seen kid put on 20 lbs lean and improve their 40 times. They routinely go to school and test out at the very top. When we have occasional blips in schedule, I will stack weights and accel. I back the volume off, but not intensity. No recovery issues whatsoever. Hope it helps.