Are there any GIMMICKS that actually WORK in training?

The hug break in the middle of that epic montage is underrated as a training tool.

Moving to Siberia brb

Yeah. For me it's the "Drago!" scream when's he's lifting the horse carriage.

- True hill sprints (not distance runner fast-jogging; SPRINTING up for 5-8 seconds with full recovery (5 minutes or more)

- True/Kenyan fartlek (not just continuous intervals with easy jogging between the way most of you fartlek. Going from FAST to FASTER. (Alternating MP and HMP is fartlek. Running HMP with easy jogs in between is not.)

I love doing this, so I wish it had training benefits but I’m quite sure it doesn’t

Most well conditioned distance runners will be fully recovered only a minute in a half after an 8 second sprint. Most of us are stuck in a slower gear sprinting even though we will feel like we're flying.

I suppose bicarb is a gimmick that actually works.

if I've learned anything from commercials, the answer is BATTLE ROPES.

Cresting hills during workouts is a small tactic that can make a big difference.

our coaches taught us, when sprinting up hills, to run even faster at the top and continue the surge for one minute.

this “gimmick” helps with massive improvements with aerobic ability and equally as important, mentally. During a race, we experimented with that strategy and all of our competitors would sprint up the hills just like us but then let off the gas at the top of the hill.

crazy small gimmick I know, but it improved our speed training + mental toughness because it prepares us for stressful racing situations.

This absolutely has a aerobic benefit. Maintaining pounds per square inch but not having the impact force of running. Excellent cross-training.

The whole point of this workout is to teach distance runners to sprint full gas. No human being can be fully recovered from a 8 seconds full sprint in 1.5 mins.

IMO, doing hill sprints like this (6 seconds full gas with 3+ min rest) will get you 99% of the benefits of lifting.

It's about as anabolic a workout as you can get and if done right will improve muscle fatigue late in races and improve form.

BTW, I didn't think any of the stuff we did was "gimmicky." It was a good time of year to work on strength, ROM, explosiveness. We were far enough of way from competing where if we as distance runners sacrificed a few day of easy base mileage to get this stuff in, it was ok.

Breaking up the same ol same ol routine was always a real treat too.

So no not a gimmick, very valid for that point of the year.

yes, you say speed work to distance guys and we think 200's.

The one gimmick that is rarely used that is effective is using lots of different gimmicks. Distance runners get way too caught up in metrics and end up doing the same training/workouts over and over just so they can build confidence based on improvement in splits, how much they are lifting, etc. But this just ends up in runners adapting too well to the workouts and not getting and sort of stimulus. This goes for everything from interval sessions to weight training to stretching routines. If you do the same thing over and over, it becomes stale and progress is stunted.

There are some here who maintain ped's are just a gimmick - a placebo at best. But apparently they work.

I disagree. Plenty of coaches and athletes have found great success from sticking to a small set of workouts, done regularly. From what I've seen over the years, it is the runners who jump around doing every sort of this and that who don't make progress.

The recovery isn't for your lungs, it's for your legs. Muscles used at max force production need long rest to be able to apply maximally again. The point of all out sprints is to improve your top end speed which you will not do effectively if you go into your next rep with less than the prescribed amount of rest.

“Gimmicks” that work:

Running high mileage

Short hill sprints

Running easy days easy

Tempo and threshold running at the appropriate effort

Sleep

Eating well and enough

Strength training and plyometrics

Not overdoing it

Explosive diarrhea power. It's the best thing ever.