Hi,
So an example of one of my interval workouts is x3sets of 400mx4, where each set has a recovery time of 3 minutes, and within a set each 400m has a recovery of 1minute.
I usually just stand about or walk during the recoveries.
Will I improve quicker / is it more beneficial to jog the recoveries? (If so by what extent)
Thanks.
BUMP!
I saw a study on this from a while back - it did find an improvement in endurance if you jog the recoveries.
but you know..these things are marginal and usually tested on hobbyjoggers.
I jog the intervals and stand still for recovery. PED's do the rest. Easy as...
See you in Rio, guys!
If I stand during the recovery intervals my gills work more efficiently.
intermittent faster wrote:
I jog the intervals and stand still for recovery. PED's do the rest. Easy as...
See you in Rio, guys!
justanotherdreamer wrote:
x3sets of 400mx4
That has to be the weirdest way I have ever seen a workout written even. Try 3x4x400 next time.
I consider jogging in between intervals to be more of a fartlek workout and resting or walking to be intervals/repeats
You get more rest standing the interval than jogging the interval. Your heart rate will be lower with more rest so it depends on what the intent of your workout is. Maybe start out with standing rest, then as your fitness improves start jogging the intervals.
It's OK to do either, just depends on the goal of the work out. It's Ok to just stand around too IF the goal is complete rest.
justanotherdreamer wrote:
Hi,
So an example of one of my interval workouts is x3sets of 400mx4, where each set has a recovery time of 3 minutes, and within a set each 400m has a recovery of 1minute.
I usually just stand about or walk during the recoveries.
Will I improve quicker / is it more beneficial to jog the recoveries? (If so by what extent)
Thanks.
Jog easy, never saw anyone walk an interval unless it was 2 to 3 repetitive all out efforts, which should be few and far between.
Generally you're going to want to jog the rest between intervals. By jogging in between intervals, you'll help your body clear out lactic acid in your legs as well as providing aerobic stimulation which will contribute to your endurance. The only time I'd suggest a standing recovery would be if you were working on finishing speed with heavy lactic acid build up in your legs like a ladder workout. Standing rest is a good way to mimic that "I'm going to die" feeling you have in the last 100m of a race. Another reason to ditch the jog and just stand would be if you were doing a max power workout such as 8x200 all out w/ 8 minute standing recovery, but even then I usually do a 200 jog back to the start to clear the lactic acid then stand for the remaining rest.
As noted above, if you stand you will get more rest and start the next interval with a lower heart rate. As a result, you will run your intervals faster.
I find it more efficient to jog intervals, but find that I have a hard time hitting 5k race pace when doing so. Plenty of training programs tell you to run intervals at 5k race pace.
Standing intervals are often used in a HS setting, or with larger groups, where you can't trust everyone to jog back to the line at the right time for the start of the next interval. You can still get a great workout in but need to be careful about moderating intensity. A jog interval will force you to run a bit slower on that interval.
What matters is recovery -- does the workout require partial or full recovery.
Partial recoveries improve speed endurance.
Full recoveries allow you to run fast, fresh, without form breaking down.
justanotherdreamer wrote:
Hi,
So an example of one of my interval workouts is x3sets of 400mx4, where each set has a recovery time of 3 minutes, and within a set each 400m has a recovery of 1minute.
I usually just stand about or walk during the recoveries.
Will I improve quicker / is it more beneficial to jog the recoveries? (If so by what extent)
Thanks.
Active recovery makes sure your aerobic stays engaged & has also the advantage of getting rid of the previous lactate.
Passive recovery does not make your next interval easier unless we are talking of several minutes, as it takes over a minute for the aerobic to kick in at the start of an interval, which means not only you still haven't got rid of the previous lactate but also keep producing it over that first minute.
It really depends on what you are trying to achieve, but if you are a 5k guy and up unless the recovery is well under 1' you are always better off doing it active....
every so often i do intervals that are super tough and the rest is designed to be short. For 60 seconds rest interval, i will then walk for 10-15 seconds and then slowly jog until the next set if i'm pretty spent from the rep. For interval workouts workouts i usually try to do the recover jog in 8:00 pace (about 400m) to get some aerobic benefit. occasionally i'll do 3 x 2-mile at 10k pace and jog for 5:00 between reps, but that's a pretty huge effort where there's no sense going to the well just to finish the workout
also dude, x3sets of 400mx4 is NOT the preferred nomenclature
Canova has said before it depends on the purpose of the workout, and that there is a time and place for both.
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=3972180&page=3
Pemdas
Grammer Natzi wrote:
justanotherdreamer wrote:x3sets of 400mx4
That has to be the weirdest way I have ever seen a workout written even. Try 3x4x400 next time.
English is not his first language, genius. Go post on a French speaking message board, and see how you do. Ironically, your first sentence butchers the written word. Perhaps English isn't your native tongue either.
+1 do both.
Rule of thumb: standing/walking for MD workouts, jogging for LD.
If you jog the recoveries, the anaerobic system will be taxed already as you go into the rep. For high-end MD workouts you sometimes want to avoid that.
On the other hand sometimes you want to do an MD style workout even when targeting LD or vice versa. So, again, there is a place for both. They have slightly different effects.
someone said so wrote:
You get more rest standing the interval than jogging the interval. Your heart rate will be lower with more rest so it depends on what the intent of your workout is. Maybe start out with standing rest, then as your fitness improves start jogging the intervals.
This covers it.
I find if recovery is short 60 secs or less some runners prefer to stand whereas longer recoveries say 2 mins+ feels more natural to jog them