Tempo Running…Intensive Tempo

Tempo Running is NOT Speed Training Part 4

 

In Part 3 of Tempo Running, we discussed the purpose of Extensive Tempo. Extensive Tempo is when runs are between 60-80% and these runs aid in the process of recovery. At times, even in the trained athlete, the formation of lactic acid can occur depending on the intensity of the runs. Extensive Tempo is usually what’s done during the General Prep phase (the first 8-10 weeks of training) to help lay the foundation for more intense tempo runs and higher intensity work.

 

Today we are talking about Intensive Tempo. Intensive Tempo usually follows Extensive Tempo work in that the ground work was laid with Extensive earlier in the training cycle. Now we can get down to some much more intense runs because if you have followed the progressions properly then your athletes should be ready to handle the demands that Intensive Tempo can bring.

 

Intensive Tempo is a fine line between Speed Endurance and Special Endurance in that the speed (intensity), recovery, volume and distance run are major factors in determining which category the runs can go in (Tricky little system right?), but one thing is certain and that is that the Intensive tempo is shared between the anaerobic and aerobic system.

 

Because Intensive Tempo runs are done between 80-90%+, there will be high levels of lactate that will form during the runs. Unlike Extensive Tempo, Intensive focuses on the quality and control of the run which means that the volume is pretty low when dealing with Intensive runs versus Extensive runs and not to mention that lactic acid will form and hinder muscle activity eventually because of the speed and distance of the runs.

 

Now depending on the kind of system that you run, Intensive runs are still done the day after speed work and they can even be done during the General Prep phase at the end of the week to help set the foundation for true Special Endurance and Speed Endurance runs later on in the Early season training. They key is getting creative with the workouts and how they are ordered. Long as you are following the proper progression model of building the base first (Extensive) and moving up to the more intense runs (speed endurance, special endurance, lactate threshold runs) is what’s really important.

 

Now it’s important to remember NOT to start Tempo work off with Intensive runs being that you want a team of athletes around long enough to compete for you during the competition season. I would hate for your athletes to abandon you because you want to show them how tough you are!!!!! Trust me…knowledge is better than toughness!

 

Since Intensive Tempo is done during the Early season after the General Prep phase here is a sample week of how I would set it up:

 

Mon: Speed/Acceleration/Plyo’s

Tue: Tempo (Intensive)/Circuit drills

Wed: General Strength/Grass strides

Thur: Speed/Speed Endurance/Event Specific

Fri: Special Endurance/Tempo (Intensive – depending on where you are in the training plan)

Sat: Rest

Sun: Rest

 

Now that we have the format, let’s look at some Intensive Tempo workouts:

 

The most famous Extensive tempo workout is 8-10x200m right? Well, you can carry that workout on into the Early season, but be creative and breakup the runs into sets, give the athletes more rest (since they are, afterall, running a lot faster…right!!!?) so they can run faster!

 

-2x3x200m. Speed: B-27-28 sec, G-31-32 sec. Rest: 4-5’ b/w reps, 8-10’ b/w sets

-4x250m. Speed: B-26@200m, G-30@200m. Rest: 5-6’ b/w reps

-2x3x250m. Speed: B-26@200m, G-31@200m. Rest: 5-6’ b/w reps, 10’ b/w sets

-2x3x300m. Speed: B-42-44 sec, G-48-50 sec. Rest: 6’ b/w reps, 10-12’ b/w sets

-2x300m-400m-300m. Speed: determine times based on the level of athlete you have

-2x350m-250m combo’s. Rest: 5-6’ b/w reps, 10’ b/w sets

-3-4x300m-200m combo’s. Rest: 5’ b/w reps, 8-10’ b/w sets

-3x500m. Speed: 80%. Rest: 6-8’ b/w reps

-2-3x600m. Speed: 80%. Rest: 8’ b/w reps

 

As you can see, writing Intensive Tempo workouts aren’t hard. They are just extensions of Extensive tempo with faster runs, less volume, more recovery and faster times…that’s all! Yes, it really is that simple…actually a lot of things are really that simple!!!

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

 

 

Charone

 

Tempo Training is NOT Speed Training Part 3

Tempo Running…Extensive Tempo

 

Tempo Running is NOT Speed Training Part 3

 

In Part 2 of Tempo Running, we discussed how Continuous Tempo running consists of steady-state running from anywhere between 20-50 minutes. Another way to do steady-state running for a length of time and to change the stimulus is through Fartlek runs where the pace changes from past to slow, run to jog, run to walk for a length of time. These runs are done between 40-60% of aerobic capacity and don’t involve a lot of lactate formation in the blood stream although all energy systems are always at work.

 

In the last post I also advised against allowing sprinters to do this type of Tempo work although I left the door open for 300/400 hurdlers and long sprinters (400m sprinters) as the Aerobic System is definitely part of their race and should be part of their training regimen as well. I advised that if long sprinters and hurdlers are allowed to do Continuous Tempo runs then they should be done once a week to help aid in recovery, mostly on recovery days to help the body to prepare for the remainder of the training week or adjust and get ready for the next training week.

 

In this post Extensive Tempo is the name of the game and this is the type of Tempo runs that nearly all runners do to build a solid foundation on which all other tempo runs will be based. Now, each type of tempo run has the capacity to build upon the other. The problem with Continuous Tempo runs for sprinters is the length of the run and the intensity. Too many tempo runs at 40% seems to disrupt the adaptation to speed in sprinters, plus when dealing with events that has very little aerobic components, then doing long steady-state runs seems to not apply to the event. Specificity is always key!

 

With Extensive Tempo, the runs are between 60-80%, although I can assure that many don’t go below 70-75%! At first, even in trained athletes, lactic formation will occur and that’s because of the intensity of the run coupled with the volume. The volume of Extensive tempo runs can range from 1000m to over 3000m. With this high of volume, as you can imagine, the intensity must be kept low and manageable for the athlete to be able to finish the workout. Now, they won’t always finish in a ‘comfortable’ manner but they should nonetheless finish! This is relaxed and smooth repetitious running at 60-80% to help in recovery. So making the athletes vomit isn’t helping you or them at all…TRUST ME!

 

Extensive Tempo runs are usually done in the preseason/early season phases of training because of the large quantity of volume of runs and the slower tempos. These runs are another great way to build an aerobic base without going for long steady-state runs and extensive tempo runs keep the athletes more active at a pace that’s more measurable and more closely related to their event areas and demands.

 

So here’s how examples of Extensive Tempo would look through the General Prep phase:

 

Monday: Acceleration/Speed Training/Plyo’s

Tuesday: Strength/Endurance Training (Extensive Tempo)

Wednesday: Active Recovery

Thursday: Acceleration/Speed/Plyo’s

Friday: Special Endurance (Maybe another Tempo day depending on the system of training)

Saturday – Sunday: Off

 

Now here are some examples of Extensive Tempo workouts:

 

-10x100m. Speed: B-16 sec, G-18 sec. Rest: 30 sec

-2x10x100m. Speed: B-15-16 sec, G-17-18 sec. Rest 30 sec b/w reps; 5 min b/w sets

-6x200m. Speed: B-30-32 sec, G-34-36 sec. Rest: 2 min

-8x200m. Speed: B-30-32 sec, G-34-36 sec. Rest: 2 min

-4-5x250m. Speed: B-30@200m, G-32@200m. Rest: 3-4 min

-3-4xBroken 400m. (300m/100m – 200m/200m – 200m/200m – 300m/100m). Rest: 6-8 min b/w sets

-3xBroken 500m. (300m/200m – 400m/100m – 250m/250m – or any combination you can think of, be creative). Rest: 8-10 min b/w sets

 

Now, if you notice, these sets, reps, rest times and intensity start from a very simplistic base and continue to get more creative and intense. Don’t just pull workouts out of a hat! Start with something simple and work your way towards more complex, yet still simple, workouts as the athlete continues to improve their fitness levels.

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

 

 

Charone

Tempo Running…Continuous Tempo

Tempo Running is NOT Speed Training Part 2

 

In Part One of the Tempo Running series we talked about and distinguished the difference between what speed training is and what tempo running consists of. Speed is defined as the ability to make body parts move through a given range of motion in the least amount of time. Speed is part of the Anaerobic (without oxygen) Energy System and is fueled by ATP-CP and has the ability to last anywhere from 4-7 seconds and are performed at high intensities from 90% and up. Tempo running is part of the Aerobic (with oxygen) Energy System and, just like speed, has various components to it in different categories. The Aerobic Energy System is fueled by an abundant energy source, oxygen, at low intensities from 40% to 85-90% and can last anywhere from 1 minute and 30 seconds to and through 2 hours long. Still with me so far? No! Falling asleep…

 

Hey, hey…wake up (scratches nails on a chalkboard)!

 

Now that I have your attention…

 

The low intensity type of tempo run is the Continuous Tempo run. It’s in the category of general endurance which means that it has no specificity to it and consists mainly of long steady state running in duration of 25-40 minutes. The intensity is low enough that the athletes should be running at what’s called ‘talk pace’ in that they should be able to talk to their training partners while running and if they can’t they the pace is too fast and too hard.

 

There aren’t many different types of ways to do Continuous tempo: 25-30 minutes of steady running, 30-40 minutes of steady running and of course fartlek running. Fartlek running will more than likely give you the most variation since that consists of run-jog combo’s. There is no right or wrong way to do fartlek runs. Just mix up running with slow jogging at varying paces at varying times and there you have it. For example, you can do 1 minute jog followed by 30 seconds of running, followed by 30 seconds of jogging followed by 20 seconds of running and on and on for 20-30 minutes straight.

 

However, these types of runs are optimal for oxygen rich blood which results in great cardiovascular and cardiorespiratory health in athletes and people in general. These types of runs are great at helping athletes recover and builds the base upon which specific and anaerobic work can be built…HOWEVER…these are not the type of runs I would recommend for sprinters.

 

Now, when I say sprinters, I’m referring to the 100-200-Sprint Hurdler-Horizontal and Vertical Jumpers. Notice I didn’t put in 400 or Long Sprint Hurdler!!! Now are they considered sprinters? Of course they are. The difference is the grey area they operate in when it comes to the Aerobic System and their event areas. Everyone agrees that the long sprint and long sprint hurdles have to develop some aerobic capacity for their respective events, the problem is how much and that’s a long standing question that isn’t answered easily.

 

For the long sprinters and hurdlers I, personally, would recommend at least once a week of Continuous Tempo runs of anywhere from 15-30 minutes depending on their level of experience. I don’t have my athletes go over 20 minutes honestly, but I guess this would depend on how your training system is set up and what you believe in as far as getting athletes to lay a solid foundation for the long sprint and hurdle events. Since Continuous Tempo is great in aiding recovery then they should be done on a Recovery day and in my case that would be a Wednesday (Wednesdays are usually Active Recovery days in my training program) and after General Strength Circuits the long sprint athletes would for a 15-20 minute run.

 

For example: Preseason

Monday – Speed/Acceleration training/plyos

Tuesday – Circuit drills/Figure Eights (on grass)

Wednesday – General strength circuit/Continuous Tempo (15-20 minutes)

Thursday – Short Speed/Acceleration training/plyos

Friday – Extensive Tempo/Special Endurance

Saturday (if you’re into 6 days a week training) – Tempo (Continuous – 15-20 minutes)

Sunday – Complete Rest

 

Now the catch with that is the athletes have to try and cover or at least get as close to 2.5 miles as they can. These aren’t Cross Country runners so I can’t tell female sprinters to cover 3 miles or a 5k in 20 minutes! That’s just unrealistic! But if they can, hey, great for them and their aerobic capacity and the Specific work will be great, but for the sprinter that doesn’t love those long runs, it’s going to be a long…and I mean long…20 minutes! And if you practice 6 days a week then another day would be a Saturday for a long run or even Sunday before the week begins. This will continue to aid in recovery and help build their aerobic capacity for the long sprint events and the lactate work wont be as bad!

 

Now Lactate work…HAHAHA…that’s a whole nother (yes I said whole nother! Lol) topic…

 

Stay tuned!

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone  

Tempo Running is NOT Speed Training!

I’m sure I’m going to ruffle some feathers with this series but here goes nothing:

Have you ever seen this workout or any of these workouts and seen it called ‘speed training’:

 

5-6x200m @goal pace. Rest: 45 seconds

4x400m @2-3 seconds faster than race pace. Rest: 2-3 minutes

4x400m @goal pace. Rest: 15-20 seconds

4-5x800m @5 seconds faster than race pace. Rest: 6 minutes

 

If you have seen these workouts then you know exactly how tough they are and how taxing they can be on the body and mind if you don’t make the goal pace times. But I have also seen these workouts labeled as ‘speed training’! Sorry to burst anyone’s bubble here, but that is NOT speed training! Just because you run really really super duper fast and faster than normal doesn’t mean that it has anything to do with speed.

 

Speed is defined as the ability to make body parts move through a given range of motion in the least amount of time. Speed is part of the ATP system which is called “free” energy and that free energy only last 4-7 seconds (maybe 8 if you’re lucky) and it includes a high intense effort for those 4-7 seconds that is not hindered by fatigue and bad technique. Speed is also part of the Anaerobic Alactic Energy System; meaning without oxygen for fuel for the muscles and without lactate. So the Anaerobic Alactic Energy System doesn’t use oxygen to fuel muscular activities and does it without the buildup of lactate but instead uses the free energy, ATP+CP, adenosine triphosphate+creatine phosphate, and is restored just by resting for long periods of time. Simple enough? Of course it’s not, it’s science! Still with me so far? Of course you’re not, it’s science!

 

Okay, now, go back and look at those workouts and I want you to tell me which of those workouts will last between 4-7 seconds at high intense (all out) effort with full recovery meaning recoveries of 8 minutes at least? Oh don’t worry, I’ll wait…… (cue the Jeopardy music)

 

Let me guess…the answer is…E! None of the above right! You got it! Now even though those workouts aren’t considered speed training they are considered something right? Of course they are. When you see a set pace for a number of reps for a length of distance then start to think about Tempo. Tempo is part of the Aerobic Energy System; meaning oxygen fuels the muscles and can do so for a very long time so long as the runs are at a low intensity. The workouts above are a different category such as race modeling and even touching on Special Endurance 1 or 2 but the rest times don’t line up with what’s needed to achieve quality runs so those workouts look like they just make athletes vomit honestly and they look like they do a great job of doing that!!!

 

Tempo running is a great way to build a solid foundation on which all specific intense work can be built. Tempo is broken up into 3 categories: Continuous Tempo (general endurance), Extensive Tempo and Intensive Tempo. Continuous is just that; continuous with a steady state of running at a low intensity for a long period of time such as 25-40 minutes of steady running or 30 minutes of fartlek work (run, jog combo’s).

 

Extensive Tempo is between 60-80% intensity and is usually used to help the muscles recover and help assist the muscles in the removal of lactic acid. These runs are done at the beginning of the training periods during the training week with high volumes of runs, over 100-200-300 even 400 meters in length with short recovery at a moderate pace.

 

Intensive Tempo is borderline Speed Endurance in that the intensity is 85% and up. The quality of the run is the focus of this tempo and the reps are kept low, usually 6-12 reps, and the volume isn’t very high, anywhere from 600-800m total.

 

Later I will give more examples of each Tempo so that you can see which is which and where to use each Tempo and what it does for you.

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone

 

 

The Missing Link between Speed and Strength…

Strength training has long been a vital part of training for sports and for a very long time it was thought that speed was something that was inherited from good genes. But not until recently did we discover that speed is a skill and it can be taught. Now we are dealing with how to teach speed and learning the correlation between speed and strength and the results have been phenomenal with many records falling in all sports from track and field to basketball, football and home run records being shattered in baseball.

 

At this point in the world of training methods it’s no secret that a good and well designed weight lifting program has a direct impact on an athletes performance, but what is still absent is the importance of a good special strength program otherwise known as Plyometrics.

 

Personally, I’m a big fan of plyometrics because they are, or at least can be, specific to the sport you doing. In my case, track and field and sprinting, is the sport of choice so I always need my plyometrics to be as specific to sprinting, jumping and hurdling as close as possible. This is where the gap is closed between speed training and weight lifting. Plyo’s are that direct correlation between sprinting and lifting by providing a specific movement that the athlete can execute and it can be directly applied to the movement that is also executed in the sport. So with the inclusion of all three factors into a training program you now have sport training-specific skills dedicated to a specific sport, plyometrics-power development and special strength related to the specific movements of the specific sport and strength training-maximum strength (absolute, power, etc) dedicated to the overall strength gains of the individual in athletics.

 

Plyometrics can break down and isolate particular movements so that the athlete understands what is required for certain moves. Just because an athlete can lift heavy weights doesn’t always mean that they can, let’s say, get out of the blocks with extreme amounts of force and power or that they will accelerate properly although having a good weight program can help with those applications, there are plyometric exercises that really isolate the movement and pattern of starting and accelerating and this is how plyometrics bridges the gap between speed and strength; by isolating movements specific to a particular skill set.

 

So how can a program like this be set up to get someone faster? It first depends on what part of the training year you are working in but for fun let’s just say that you are starting from the beginning and working with novice athletes (because I doubt many of us are working with high profile elite athletes, but if you are…hey…great!). The first thing we want to remember is that they are novice athletes! The base foundation that needs to be laid is one of short jumps that develop power speed. This can be done with multi jumps that teach the body to fire and teaches force application.

 

Sample Week for Plyometrics:

Day 1 (plyo’s are done on the same days as sprinting/central nervous system training)

-Tuck jumps (jumping in the air, bringing the knees to the chest, landing and repeating fast)

-Split jumps (in the lunge position jump in the air, switching legs in mid air)

-Squat jumps (squat to parallel and explode up, repeating fast)

-Standing Long Jump (both feet together, jump forward as far as you can)

-Single Leg Standing Long Jump (starting with one foot and landing on both feet, same as SLJ)

 

No more than 3-5 repetitions of each exercise with only 2-3 sets.

 

Day 2 (Acceleration development)

-Repeated hopping exercises

-Bunny hops

-Frog Hops

-Single Leg Hops (bring the heel to the butt and cycle over)

-Short Bounds

-Straight Leg Bound (short and fast)

-Straight Leg Bound (long)

 

No more than 2-3 sets of these and these can go over a distance, so between 20-30 meters in length and these are for strength endurance.

 

Now if you do these exercises for 3-4 weeks, you allow the athlete to become adapted to them and you allow the exercises to help hip extension and flexion and ankle stiffness thus resulting in enhancing leg power and stride length. This will result in the athlete having better power levels when it comes to sprinting and you will see more fluid rhythms and more explosiveness when the athlete practices.

 

There’s plenty more to talk about, particularly about long bounding, hurdle hops, resistance runs and much more so stay tuned.

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone 

How to Get Faster…The Whole Plan!

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How to Get Faster…The Whole Plan!

 

Speed is a must have commodity in today’s world. Internet providers compete with the fastest speeds, restaurants compete with who can deliver the best quality of food the fastest while still offering great customer service and hospitals now have billboards that show how fast a patient can be seen by an emergency room doctor! It’s no longer acceptable just to be good at what you do, you have to be fast while maintaining your quality whether it’s service or sports training.

 

In the industry that I represent, speed is not only a must have commodity, speed kills! As long as you are fast you can be trained in quality and how to become even faster. Speed is a skill and that’s represented everywhere even in the internet business. The speeds get faster with the internet connections because the engineers continue to design them that way, to become faster, to handle loads of information and downloads while maintaining the speed that it’s designed and advertised to maintain. In the sports industry it’s the same concept. Speed is definitely a skill that is taught and it is taught often and with each athlete we want them to be as fast as their genetics, training, skill level and technique will allow them to be.

 

What I’ve realized on the internet is that you will find PLENTY of articles and blog post (including mine!) about how to get faster and within those posts and articles you will find workouts, but what many don’t realize is that most of those so-called ‘workouts’ aren’t really up to date information or they really are just drills which rarely apply to getting people to run faster! Don’t get me wrong, the drills have their place in teaching the skill, but many coaches, such as myself, don’t consider them in actually getting the athlete faster.

 

So how do we get faster? Simple answer: by running fast! However, we all know the process is not as simple as it sounds and since it will take me pages on pages and articles on top of articles to explain how to go through this process of max speed, sub max speed, general strength training, special strength, tempo runs, how to set the tempo pace and endurance and how to incorporate all of these into making you faster!!!! That would take at least 65 articles and 100 blog post (I’m exaggerating of course but you get the point, then again, it might actually take that to explain everything!).

 

So how do we simplify this process? Well, what if I told you there already is a program out there that simplified the process and put everything together in a 23 week program that is ready to go and all you have to do is implement it, adjust it based on your needs and the needs of your athletes or just plug and play? You probably wouldn’t believe me would you? Don’t worry, I wouldn’t believe me either. Well, I’m here to tell you that such a program DOES exist! It’s called ‘5 Rings, 2 Program: A Guide to Championship Performance and Success’. This Ebook explains and goes through the training that lead my athletes to win 5 Team State championships with 2 different programs in a 7 year span! It has everything that I described in it:

 

• 23 weeks of workouts already designed and ready to implement
• General strength circuits
• Speed workouts and how to implement them
• Speed endurance workouts
• Tempo runs and what pace to go at in each part of training
• Rest and recovery methods
• How to use special strength to bridge the gap between speed and strength
• How and when speed/power athletes use endurance to get faster
• Direct access to me and how to reach me to answer any of your questions
• Much more…!

 

 

This is an Ebook that’s delivered within minutes to your email and only you have access to it and you have it immediately! No boring drills, just plain workouts and how to implement them with explanations on each training phase and what should be done each week.

 

Now how much would something like this cost? A book with this kind of information can go for $49.95-$39.95, but that’s not how much this one cost. The typical Ebook usually cost $37 right? Not this one! Most discounted Ebooks will go for $20…but I’m practically giving this book away for $10!!!!

 

No, that is not a misprint or a coupon price…it’s real…just $10 and this Ebook with all this information on secrets to getting athletes faster, whether it’s track and field, baseball, football, basketball, soccer, etc, can be yours within 2-3 minutes of ordering.

 

Just go to this link and go to the Store!

 

http://athleticspeed13.wix.com/totalathleticspeed

 

 

Remember, it’s just $10 and it holds the secrets to getting faster, the how and the why!!!

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

 

Charone

The Preparation Season Part 2

The Preparation Season Pt. 2

 

Last time we ended Part 1 talking about preparing by setting up a plan and making sure that we can adjust to changes as time moves along. The one who can change quickly is usually the one who is the most successful. Having an overall plan for anything is important and what’s equally important is what goes into that plan.

 

Since we are still dealing with the preparation season, we will now dive into the training plan to get the athletes ready to train or what is more commonly known as pre-season or conditioning. During this time of year, as far as track and field training is concerned, we have a variety of focus. Knowing full well that most athletes didn’t do much of anything during the summer, we have to approach the conditioning period with caution. We can’t do too much too fast or else the athletes will always either be injured or unable to complete any workouts and the last thing we want is for athletes doubting their abilities! Mental preparation is just as, if not more, important as physical preparation. The reason being is that the mind will give way and set the precedent for how the body will perform and react to certain situations. So, while we are preparing workouts for our athletes, let’s remember that patience is a virtue and being able to finish a workout can and will do wonders for our athletes confidence level.

 

Now that we know the conditioning workouts don’t have a need to be too hard since we are only preparing the athletes to train, we can begin to write workouts based on the strengths and weaknesses of the athletes. From what I’ve seen over the past years as a coach is that many athletes come back to school from having an entire summer of sitting on the couch, laying in the bed or working at a summer job with very little time for fun or training, so the weakness spectrum covers all biomotor abilities. They lack everything from speed, strength all the way to coordination and flexibility and all of these need to be addressed all the time. The key is learning how to design workouts that address all of these components at the same time.

 

Now, how do we write these workouts that challenge the athlete while making it manageable enough for them to finish the workout? Well that’s where years of experience comes in along with some mentors who can guide you and make sure that you aren’t just making your athletes vomit everyday and getting nothing out of them at the same time.

 

I want to address everything in a week from speed/acceleration, special strength, aerobic capacity, strength, power development and endurance along with flexibility and coordination. So here’s how I would set up the first week of training:

 

Monday: Warm up (the warm up should address all biomotor abilities)

-Standing Long Jump, Standing Triple Jump 2/3×5 (Power Development/Starting strength)

-6x30m Accelerations – Crouch start. Rest: 3’ b/w reps (30 Abs b/w reps)

-4×6 Hurdle Hops, Frog Hops, Low intense bounds

-Cool down

 

Tuesday: Warm up

-Hurdle Mobility (walkovers, right leg lead/left leg lead, 2 up-1 back, Under-Unders) 2x8H

-General Strength Circuit

-2x10x100m. B-16 sec, G-18 sec. Rest: 30 sec b/w reps; 3 min b/w sets

–OR you can do 10x100m and use the general strength circuit part of the cool down

-Cool down (ice bath for 15 min)

 

Wednesday: Warm up

-General strength (more than likely a circuit that doesn’t involve any running)

-Cool down

 

Thursday: Warm up

-Hurdle Mobility (same as Tuesday) 2x8H (every drill twice over 8 hurdles)

-Standing Long Jump, Standing Triple Jump 2/3×5

-2x4x30m (or 8x30m) Accelerations – Crouch start. Rest: 3’ b/w reps (30 Abs b/w reps)

-4×6 Hurdle Hops, Frog Hops, Low intense bounds (straight leg, bent leg)

-Cool down (ice bath for 15 min)

 

Friday: Warm up

-3/4x20m Accelerations (working technique – can be part of the warm up)

-6-8x200m. B-30-32 sec, G-34-36 sec. Rest: 2-3’ b/w reps

(of course these speeds depend on the level of athlete you coach!)

-Cool down

 

Saturday and Sunday: Complete Rest

 

I would do this for 3 more week while raising the volume to accommodate the growing adaptation of the athletes and to make sure that they are being challenged each week.

 

Training design isn’t hard and neither is preparing, it’s just knowing what goes where, how and why. Once you figure those out and the more workouts you have in your arsenal, then it just becomes a matter of which route to take to get the athletes (and yourself) better.

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone

The Preparation Season

The Preparation Season

Everyone has a plan! The old saying is that if you fail to plan then you’re planning to fail. This holds true for any and all athletic plans as well as life plans. Having a plan set in place, well thought out and with some previous proven success can and will definitely set you up for long term success in whatever area you plan for it in.

 

During this time of year, we are preparing our athletes for this upcoming seasons Competition which usually start in December/January. We plan to start training in August/September since the early bird gets the worm! It seems this is a time of year when everyone starts preparing for the upcoming year, so it takes that much more effort and makes it that much more important to come up with a great training plan for your athletes. Now of course, some will have athletes that are phenomenal no matter what they do, no matter how bad the plan and no matter how bad the coaching is…and trust me…there are plenty out there like this!

 

However, it’s our job not to focus on how good other athletes are, but to get our athletes to focus on how great they can become. My goal is always aiming for greatness! Nothing else will do, nothing else will satisfy me, nothing else will even come close to describing my life’s purpose…to become great is what I aim for and I encourage my athletes to do the same.

 

Since the overall purpose of the plan is to achieve greatness, we need something that models after great programs and has achieved great results. Since there is no one size fits all type of program out there and there’s more than one way to ‘skin a cat’, part of the plan needs to be putting together workouts that speak to and get the most out of each and every one of your athletes. Knowing which athletes respond to which exercises, recovery methods, strength training methods and special strength exercises is a big part of getting the most out of everyone you supervise. You have to know what motivates them!

 

Am I advocating putting different plans together for each and every one of your students? Absolutely not! Working in the setting we work in that would be very difficult to achieve and implement. Putting the athlete in the right training group, with the right partner, with the right coach could be all they truly need to execute the plan to its fullest extent, but that’s all part of what the plan is and knowing your athletes.

 

Most coaches plan for their athletes to run fast, jump far, jump high, score more points, kick more field goals, make more kills, make more saves, swim farther and faster, etc, etc, etc. That’s a great plan, but HOW are you going to achieve that? What’s the method behind the madness? How is the mad scientist going to lay out his/her plan? What does the plan consist of? And most importantly, what is the adjustment to the plan once reality slaps us in the face? Many never get to the HOW and WHY of things. ‘Why’ do we want the athlete to be and do better and ‘How’ are we going to help them achieve that are the two questions we must answer, in my opinion, to achieve the greatness we all seek after day in and day out.

 

My plan is simple: We are aiming for greatness, legendary status, having our names echoed throughout the ages of time! How are we going to do this? Simple: We are going to defeat the one person who always stands in our way everyday…the person in the mirror!

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone  

How to Properly Design a Dynamic Warm up…

Seems like I’ve been gone for a minute, but I’m back now…had to pack up and move to Georgia (more on that later), but for now let’s get to it with this warm up…

 

With the advancement in training methodologies over the past 20 years, it is in the best interest of coaches, athletes and parents to stay up to date on the latest and most recent methods and theories of training especially for sports that are deeply rooted in speed, strength and power. These sports have to stay up to date on the scientific as well as the actual training practices which consist of having a working knowledge of chemistry, physics, anatomy and physiology and biomechanics (Remember, I didn’t say you needed a four year degree to understand or know these, I just said all you need is the desire to educate yourself and having a working knowledge of these in the sport you desire to be an expert in). Neglecting to study these areas can result in many athletes not being able to reach their full potential in the sport they desire.

 

Since we are talking about training methodologies we have to start somewhere and there’s no better or simpler place to start than the warm up. As we research the years of how warm ups were structured and executed we find that the warm ups of the past are no longer valid in helping the athlete reach a state of maximum readiness especially for speed and power athletes. The old warm up, commonly referred to as a “static warm up”, consisted of jogging anywhere from 2 to 4 laps, static stretching and a few drills! That’s about it for that warm up and the athletes was expected to be ready to go after that!

 

However, once we learned how the chemistry of muscles worked we started to move towards a “movement” warm up that became known as the “dynamic” warm up. This warm up involves everything from muscles, ligaments, tendons and joints and puts everything through its full range of motion thus preparing the athlete for speed and power workouts.

 

The design of a dynamic warm up isn’t really hard, but it should be well thought out and supervised. The coach and athlete must know what is being accomplished with this warm up and why. Being armed with this knowledge the coach can then design an appropriate warm up for speed and power days.

 

 The simplest way to design a dynamic warm up is to remember to go from low intensity movements to high intensity movements (Yes! It really is as simple as that). A sample dynamic warm up that I have designed for my sprinters on our speed days goes as follows:

 

SPRINTERS WARM UP

 

PART 1: IN FLATS

 

3X100M TURNAROUNDS AT TALK PACE

 

1. 2X400M (2 LAPS) OF BUILD UP 50M FOLLOWED BY 50M WALK.  DURING THE WALK, DO 10 DYNAMIC WARM UP JUMPS (BOUNDS, CARIOCA, ANKLE HOPES, FRONT LUNGES, C-SKIPS, SIDE LUNGES, BACKWARD RUNS, STAR JUMPS, SLIDE SHUFFLE, MOGUL JUMPS).

 

1. HIP MOBILITY (LEG SWINGS, EXTENSORS, PEDASTALS, 10X EACH LEG)

 

3X100M, 50% EFFORT FOCUSING ON STAYING TALL, TIGHT ABS

 

1. SPEED DRILLS EVERY 10M FOR 100M (A SKIP, B SKIP, SIDE SKIP W/ARM SWINGS TURNING AROUND EVERY 10M, C SKIP, ANKLING, STRAIGHT LEG BOUND)

 

3X100M, 75%, FOCUSING ON STAYING TALL, STEPPING OVER THE OPPOSITE KNEE

 

1. 2-3X30M SPRINT EXERCISES (FAST LEG A RUN, FAST LEG B RUN, C             

SKIPS, A HOLD/R/L/BOTH LEGS)

 

PART 2:  IN SPIKES

 

1. MODEL RUNNING, 2X30M EACH (L-3 STEP FAST A, R-3 STEP FAST A, 2 STEP FAST A, L/R SINGLE LEG FAST A FOR 20M)

 

3 X FALLING STARTS IN SPIKES FOR 20M (POWER OFF THE LINE, PUNCHING THE KNEES FORWARD)

2-3 X 3 POINT STARTS OR BLOCKS X 30-40M

 

PART 3:  FOR HURDLERS ONLY, IN SPIKES AND USING BLOCKS

 

1. 3-4 X 4-5 HURDLES WITH 5 STRIDES, 11.5M – 12M BETWEEN HURDLES FOR WOMEN; 12.5M – 13M FOR MEN

 

1. 3-4 X 2-3 HURDLES WITH 3 STRIDES BETWEEN HURDLES

 

1. 2 X 2 HURDLES USING BLOCKS, 300/400 HURDLERS DO 2 X 2-3 HURDLES FROM BLOCKS ON THE CURVE

 

1. 15-20 MINUTES REST BEFORE RACE

 

Notice how the entire sequence of exercises go from very low intensity to very high intensity, mimicking competition settings and effort. This is important to mimic the intensity of the competition within these exercises as to prepare the athlete for the demands of the sport. This warm up, in particular, was inspired by Loren Seagrave, and a leading expert in the field of biomechanics.   

 

I hope this sample and analysis helps you in your search for knowledge about modern day training theories and gives you a road map on where to begin. Stay tuned as I will continue to post more speed and power analysis and workout strategies.

 

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone

Training for Speed Part 2

Last time in Part 1 we talked about training for speed and I gave the scientific evidence of how the energy systems work, the limits of each energy system that’s involved in speed training and how the set up of the beginning stages of training should be. 

This time we’re getting down to the nitty gritty! Prime grade A examples of how to design a program to help athletes get faster. 

This sample speed training program is over a period of 4 weeks (4 microcycles). This is the kind of program I would use within the general preparation period. If you notice, the athlete would only go up to 30 meters and there is a reason for that; the reason being, the athlete should not move up past a certain level without first mastering the current or previous level as it is with all things. Remember to increase the intensity and volume every week when following the principles of overloading; the athlete will make gains in strength when he/she works at a greater volume and intensity to which they are accustomed to. Speed/Acceleration training should be a year round session in any speed training program to allow for the actualization of speed work or to see the athlete reproduce the desired result 80% or more of the time. Without stabilization (continuing to train speed twice a week year round) actualization cannot occur. Give these workouts a try, vary them according to the athlete, make them fit for your group and watch your athletes improve like never before. 

Week 1; Day 1

Speed Warm up

5x20m. Rest 2-3 min

*focus on explosiveness, low heel recovery, punch the knees forward, push back*

5x30m. Rest 3 min

Total volume: 250 meters

*focus on forceful drive of the arms, everything down*

5-10 minute cool down

 

Week 1; Day 4

Speed Warm up

 *lower the volume from the previous speed day*

4x20m. Rest 2-3 min

4x30m. Rest 3 min

*continue to focus on explosiveness, low heel recovery, pushing back*

Total volume: 200 meters

10 minute cool down

 

Now we are going to increase the volume from the previous week

 

Week 2; Day 1

Speed Warm up

2x5x20m. Rest 2-3 min between reps, 8 min between sets

5x30m. Rest 3 min

*focus on pushing back, staying patient*

Total volume: 300 meters

5-10 minute cool down

 

Week 2; Day 4

Speed Warm up

*lower the volume from the previous speed day*

6x20m. Rest 2-3 min

4x30m. Rest 3 min

*focus on staying patient, push-push-push*

Total volume: 240 meters

10 minute cool down

 

And, again, we will gradually increase the volume to allow for adaptation

 

Week 3; Day 1

Speed Warm up

6x20m. Rest 2-3 min

2x4x30m. Rest 3 min between reps, 8 min between sets

*continue to cue proper technique, toe up, knee up, heel up*

Total volume: 360 meters

10 minute cool down

 

Week 3; Day 4

Speed Warm up

*lower the volume from the previous speed day*

6x20m. Rest 2-3 min

6x30m. Rest 3 min

*continue to cue proper form and technique, pushing off the line, everything down*

Total volume: 300 meters

5-10 minute cool down

 

Continue to increase the volume and intensity

 

Week 4; Day 1

Speed Warm up

6x20m. Rest 2-3 min

2x5x30m. Rest 3 min between reps; 8 min between sets

*focus on being powerful not quick, pushing down, everything down*

Total volume: 420 meters

10 minute cool down

 

Week 4; Day 2

Speed Warm up

*lower the volume from the previous speed day*

2x5x20m. Rest 2-3 min between reps; 8 min between sets

5x30m. Rest 3 min

*everything down, low heel recovery for at least 4 steps, powerful is key, not quickness*

Total volume: 350 meters

5-10 minute cool down

There it is and remember this is only 4 weeks! Imagine what the other weeks look like!!! Hmmm……..! Lol. We’ll get into that next time!

Continue in knowledge my friends!

 

Charone