Amel Tuka Training/ Training of 800m runners in Italy

Tuka's 2015 program. He added more mileage in the year after this (2016-18) but went back to this type of program in 2019. This program is similar to what Gianni Ghidini (his coach) was giving for the Kenyans he was coaching in the early 2000's including 2008 Olympic Champ
Wilfred Bungei,

An Italian athlete was first under 1:44

His training will be useful to know as well.

Longo - I'll just post exactly what he has emailed me in the past (so excuse the formatting and spelling errors).

My basic schedule was +- like this:
Oct: vacation: 5 training sessions: bike/ jogging/ swimming/
bodyweigth ecc
NOV / DIC: basic : 12 session per week: 4 times a week long
run MAX 50' at the beginning very easy 3.50/4 x KM alternating fartlek( 1-2-3-4
mn fast rec 1' jog)
in the forrest/ 2 per week accelerations ( from 4 to 3 per km) + twice a week
strength training in the gym+ twice a week specific drills
for ex. 4 x 90 skip ( 30 m slow 30m fast skipping 30 running fast) rec 3' at
the end of set X 4 times. So lets say 4 different drills repeated 4x 90 m
each!
4 x (4x 90m) . hope is clear :-) then in the afternoon 40 ' from easy to 2.50
last km. with this training you work on strength ( naturally) speed and
endurance at same time

JAN/ FEB: still keeping normal endurance session of 40/50
( in the forrest or hills) but more and more from long to short: 2 times per
week track session starting for example 5x1000 rec 2/3 from 3 to 2.45 and
arriving end of febbr 1000/600/400 r 4/5 2.30/ 1.18/49
( in case I ll explain better the progression ) on the other hand starting with
10x 400 r 1 in 60 next week 8x400 r 2 58 arriving in 8 weeks to be able to run
3 x400 in 50 rec 6/8. As i didnt like running a lot of 1000 as i told every 2
week endurance soecific training was this kind of interval training (
which was hold up to may with specific modifications ( more recovery and faster
): 4x ( 8x150) r 4 between sets and 30". I was able to to run this session
with time around 20 21 "/150 with 10/12 mmol in the blood so basically
with was still an aerobic training. Then every week uphill sprint( one week
long next shorts)

END of FEB indoors competitions
MIDDLE march/middle june : specific period: 8 10
session: 2 session in the track( one longer arond 4000m from
treshold to 1500 pace) one more lactic around 2000m at 800 pace( can be 150 200
300 x 3 or 3 x 3x 300 or 500 300 200x 2) one / two session in the gym( very
fast movements lets say 3x3 half squat 120 body weigth ec...)one session every
10 days of sprinting( 4 x 60 3 x 80 2 x 100 ). Again techincal drills/
hurdle/ running betwen cones ecc... main goal of this period is arriving
beggining of june being able to run a 2x1000 r 5in 2.25-2.30 -
3 x400 in 49/48-
500 300 200 r 5 6 in 63/34/22- at least one 80 in 8.80 and one 100 10.7.

Dear JRinaldi

I apologize for my late response thank you so much for your response and in detail response and for sharing Amel Tuka's and Andrea Longo's training with me I really appreciate it. I wish you all the best for your endeavors.

Kind regards

Timon Nieuwstadt