I’ll show up to the track with an 8lb medicine ball. I’ll do a few laps on the inside on the artificial turf. Then…
Abs
-Crunches
-Knee lifts
-Med ball situps(situps while holding ball in various positions e.g. overhead)
-Core stabilization(on elbows in push-up position and hold)
-Med ball swings(stand up, bend over, swing ball front/back and side/side)
-Balance/core work(stand on one leg, throw yourself off balance, keep core tight)
Total time spent on abs is 5 - 10 minutes
Running
-All done on the soccer field
-100 yard runs(91 meters)… I think that’s how long a soccer field is?
-3 sets of 6 in 16 seconds
-22 secs between reps, 60 secs between sets
Abs
-same as before running
Then… I’ll yell “I’m the king of the WORLD!!” and walk off the track.
I just show up and take a two lap warm-up. Then I do some As and Bs, just to work on my form and coordination a little. Then depending on how I’m feeling I’ll either do my tempo runs one of two ways.
Option A: Run 120ydsx12 with walk back recovery.
Option B: Run 120ydsx12 and do some type of ab work in between runs instead of walking back for recovery.
Blinky, which event are you training for? Are you in GPP, SPP, Pre-Comp or Comp-period? There are a lot of examples re Tempo on the Forum - my favourite … 100, 100, 100; 100, 100, 200, 100, etc … from CF as you will imagine!
I play lacrosse. I’ve seen the typical tempo examples, I just wanted to have a look at what everybody else does for tempo. I’ve noticed that quite a few people do total volumes of well under 2000m… why is that? Is the recommended volume of 2000-2200m not necessary?
From a coach’s viewpoint: I think it depends on what you are preparing for. If my 100m-athletes will be running a meet over the weekend, I’ll do Tempo-work e.g. in total 1350m … 9 x 150m.
Tempo is suppose to be a recovery-session (CF), and the above-mentioned will be enough volume for a 100m sprinter to recover.
I understand that a tempo workout is meant to recover an athlete from CNS intensive work, but what kind of difficulty should the tempo be? Should an athlete have to push at all during a workout to maintain the desired 60-70% speed? Also after a tempo workout, should the athlete simply be winded? or maybe a bit tired? Certainly not exhausted or beat, or swimming in lactates right?
Yeah P, its not a walk in the park, but its not cns speed work either.
As CF has said the tempo mode accomplishes recovery due to the decrease in intensity from speed work. It also flushes the capilaries and improves the blood flow system. It is the combined benefits that make tempo so necessary. CF has said more about it. Clyde Hart says this for the 400 runner:
"Tempo Endurance This aerobic workout will pay great dividends for 400 meter runners. Not only will it help them to increase their oxygen uptake, which will help to shorten their recovery time, but also it will aid them in being able to accomplish more and longer workouts. This workout, since the runs are done at a slower pace, will help the runners learn rhythm; and as the workout suggests, tempo. Another vital byproduct of this workout is that it will also help to train the body to increase production of phosphate, which is a primary energy source. The emphasis in the workout should be on quantity and not on quality as is true in the aforementioned speed endurance workouts. The rest factor is generally kept short-usually 2 to 3 minutes.
Examples of Tempo Endurance Workouts
a) 8 x 200 2 minutes rest
b) 6 x 300 2 minutes rest
c) 50-100-150-200-300-350 Walk same distance for rest. "
I understand that a tempo workout is meant to recover an athlete from CNS intensive work, but what kind of difficulty should the tempo be? Should an athlete have to push at all during a workout to maintain the desired 60-70% speed? Also after a tempo workout, should the athlete simply be winded? or maybe a bit tired? Certainly not exhausted or beat, or swimming in lactates right?
To recover, the tempo workout cannot be too strenuous. Immediately after a tempo training session, I take pulse rate - and I believe if it is more than 120 per min, the session was too hard OR the athletes pushed too much.
When you work out 60 - 70% of your PB’s NOW and NOT on PB’s from long ago, the workout WILL BE a recovery session.
120 sounds way to low. Mine easily goes up to 160-180 during extensive tempo, even if I’m barely hurting at all. Pulse is a poor indicator in my opinion.
I think this is key. Personally, I scream, “I just saved a bundle on my car insurance!” and then I scamper off the track on all fours, grunting and snorting.
