A few words about MAFFETONE method, as several here seems not at all aware of it.
One has to understand that it is a HOLISTIC method, focusing on recommendations for building healthy athletes or individuals, meaning that it is not only a TRAINING method, but it includes three inseparable aspects:
1) a training method (that is essentially BASE training), relying on his 180 formula ;
2) diet recommendations, which could boils down to "avoid eating junk", where "junk" has a more broader meaning than usual (for MAFFETONE it includes all what is made of refined carbs, including everything based in flour - bread, pasta, etc. -, white rice, etc.) ;
3) a low stress way of life, where "stress" means all dimensions of it (physical, chemical, mental, etc.)
The KEY POINT NUMBER ONE is that all three points are connected, as "unhealthy" training (meaning: too much volume, or too much anaerobic), same as "unhealthy eating" (too much sugar / refined carbs), same as too much of other stressors in life, leads exactly to same physiological consequences: rise in cortisol and/or insuline, that leads to a series of health problem (including poor aerobic development, general fatigue, etc.).
The KEY POINT NUMBER TWO is that all these different types of stressors ADDS one to another. So one has to work on diminishing stressors of the three types to scale them BELOW to the point where it creates health problem, and hinder the aerobic development.
A consequence is that if you only focus of aspect 1) and disregard (or make mistakes) in the two other aspects, usually the progress following his training (point 1)) are slow or inexistant.
Now, coming to his training method.
First, the "180 formula". According to him, and the experience he has accumulated among thousands of individuals (he had a clinic in NYC for many years) of different age, history, and abilities, the "180 formula" works surprising well, providing you are fully honest in the use of the "penalties" (or +5/+10 "bonus") to correct the initial "180–age" value. Note that the target of this formula is to provide a value that is AT or RIGHT BELOW one's aerobic threshold.
So, all his base training is about running close to, but BELOW ones aerobic threshold as most as possible. This base phase may last typically 3-6 months, a bit less for a runner at the beginning of his season that has already built a fantastic base in the past (8 weeks each year for Zach BITTER or ALLEN at his top for instance), and it can last more (1-2 years) for a runner who has a very poor or absolutely no base.
Following this type of training and his dietary recommendations (that are basically to replace all refined carbs by more healthy fats), you'll becomes a better fat burner, meaning you'll be able to burn a higher and higher percentage of fat as fuel at higher and higher intensities. A recent study has shown an astonishing level of fat burning close to his ANAEROBIC threshold for Zach BITTER (who has been following MAFFETONE method for some time now).
For the good responders, the progress are sometimes astonishing. The first year Mark ALLEN started working with MAFFETONE, he had undergone a 1 year base building, starting at 8:30 per mile going down to 5:15/20 per mile after 1 year at the same HR of 155.
According to MAFFETONE's own experience, the "slow" or "non-responders" are always people having "roadblocks" that are some stress of any kind (like poor eating or sleeping habits, etc.), and when removed the aerobic improvement starts or accelerates. Two very common "roadblock" are: i) not having used honestly the "180-age" formula and starting with an OVERESTIMATED MAF HR (above one's aerobic threshold), and: ii) too much weakly volume.
As a general rule, MAFFETONE advocate to replace the celebrated "no pain no gain", by: "less is more"... in every aspect of his holistic method...
For people who have the patience and dedication to fully follow the long base building period, and who remove their personal "roadblocks" thus enabling a continuous aerobic development, the process typically goes into the following phases (each lasting a few weeks to a few months, depending on the individual):
i) at first most have to run painfully slow to remain below your MAF HR. Despite that, many are a bit sore after MAF training, and will have to vary runs at MAF and recovery runs.
ii) the paces improves and become pleasant ("easy"), no more soreness so you can run more often at MAF
iii) the paces becomes again faster, and now the RPE associated to your MAF runs are now longer totally "easy", you have to work harder at this HR (!), so that you come back alternating runs at MAF and recovery runs
iv) after the muscular adaptations took place, you are no back to an "easy" RPE rating for your MAF runs while running still faster.
When stage iv) is reached, a "normal plateau" takes places and the runner no longer improves, so this is then time to introduces anaerobic training, still keeping 80-85% of one's running time below aerobic threshold. The anaerobic training depends on the runners' taste and target race distances, but MAFFETONE has preferences for track intervals at critical velocity (a pace slightly above anaerobic threshold, that you could sustain for ~30-45' in competition), or fartlek.
Last, a few specific points.
It is not correct to say that there is no "neuromuscular" training, and that it is only very slow running. Since the very start, MAFFETONE advocated to do some downhill training, that allows to run faster while staying at (or right below) one's MAF HR. Second, after a few months of progress, one can add some very shorts strides (of 7'' with full recovery in order to stay fully aerobic), weight training (again he has specific recommendations to do heavy weights while staying fully aerobic). That is plenty enough neuromuscular stimulus for improvements.
As the difference between MAFFETONE and HADD. It is very different. One has to understand that MAFFETONE has a very personal, and I think very relevant, definition of "aerobic" : for him aerobic means an effort / action that can be taken / sustained without creating a significant amont of stress hormones (mainly cortisol and insuline). In terms of running, you achieve it only by running below the AEROBIC threshold, or, if you run faster, by not sustaining these faster paces more than 7-8'' (strides typically). Also, typical weight training, even when not raising significantly the HR, are very often aerobic under such definition.
So, while with MAFFETONE base training you stay always below the same MAF HR, with HADD base training you start there, and then increase step by step the working HR for the 1-2 weakly steady run, and that leads you between the aerobic and anaerobic threshold, a zone that MAFFETONE considers as anaerobic training.
About famous runners using MAF training without knowing it. Paula RADCLIFFE used to run most of her "easy" runs steady, between 16 and 18 km/h (at her best), while JONE's study shows that her aerobic threshold is around 18 km/h => Paula did most of running time as MAFFETONE would have recommend her (right below her aerobic threshold).
Eliud KIPCHOGE, when transitioning from track to marathon in 2012, has undergone a ~8-9 months period that look very much like a MAFFETONE type of base training (with the same focus of building the ability to better burn fat as fuel), quoting CANOVA:
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About Eliud, he had a very long career on track, at top level. He won WCh in 2003, every year was able running under 7'30" in 3000m, and had an engine working with fuel "super", using essentially glycogen (also at Marathon speed). After running 27'11" only in Kenyan Trials in Eugene 2011, he decided to move to Marathon, and Patrick told him he needed a long period of translation, for CHANGING THE SYSTEM OF FUELING. Eliud started to run high volume of kms, NEVER SLOW, BUT NEVER VERY FAST, and after 3 and half months ran his first HM in 59'25". Only after the full winter 2011/2012 he ran his first Marathon, in Hamburg, immediately in 2:05'.
Read more:
http://www.letsrun.com/forum/flat_read.php?thread=6058683#ixzz4B0VVlzc1
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More info about MAFFETONE holistic method on his web site and books.