6 Ways to get FASTER- Critique

Looks Perfect!

Add altitude sleeping!

static stretching & icing listed under #1? No.

"at least" 1 hour of easy running every day for #2? No.

Drills are nice, but not sure I'd put them as high as #3

#4, 5, & 6 (out of 6 total) are intervals? Drills in #3 then again in #5? That's a little oveer kill with intervals & drills.

why don't you write this in workout form for us too lazy to figure this out.

LOL at the OP.....you have no clue what you are talking about. Your descriptions on improving VO2 through anaerobic running and LT workouts are all wrong. First off, the term "tempo" means absolutly nothing. You have to assign a pace to it reletive to your physiological state. If you mean what most people mean, "tempo" isnt VO2 max work..its LT pace. VO2 max doesnt improve LT, LT improves LT.

GTFOH.

Not that interested in critique of the priorities or there order. They're all important, imagine them in whatever order you want.

If anything is repeated, like drills, it just means they apply to multiple areas. I wouldn't advocate excessive dynamic drills, just one 10 min circuit before running or something like that.

So I'm gather that I have the Tempo under the wrong category?

It should go under the Lactate threshold catagory?

I'm interested in listing the best ways to improve each system under each priority category.

I'm trying to make general guidelines upon which a training schedule could be based. Thanks for the feedback everyone!

RE: attack of the zombie fetuses,

What issue do you take with running at least one hour per day?

Are you challenging its priority or its quality?

I think running 1 hour per day is a decent general guideline towards improving aerobic capacity. Of course one must consider other factors like injury and building up and increasing milage and whatever. But 60 minutes a day seems like a good standard to shoot for for the moderate runner looking for a standard volume of aerobic work.. IDK maybe that's to vague/general?

good list, my critiques/suggestions: -I see no mention of tempo runs. 20-25 min runs at the pace you could hold for one hour or "comfortably hard" as my college coach described it are ESSENTIAL. we called this "lactate threshold" work, or work at the fastest pace at which your body can efficiently clear out lactate and you don't tighten up and go anaerobic, the goal being to raise this pace throughout the season. I don't understand how your #5 achieves this. (note: i just looked back and your #2 includes negative split runs, that's a good way to get in some LT running)-to #3 i would add weight training and hills - some type of resistance work to make your running muscles stronger. becoming more economical means putting out more force & running a faster pace while consuming the same amount amount of oxygen that you used to consume while running a slightly slower pace (example improvement in economy - going from running a 30s 200m to a 29s 200m while consuming the same amount of O2). strides & running fast regularly will help clean up inefficiencies in your stride and make you more economical, but only to a point. training the running muscles to put out more force should also be part if the equation. -to #6 I would add short, explosive work like short hills, flying 30s & all-out 60s on the track. nothing over 8-10s in duration & taking full recovery so you don't go anaerobic. the focus should be on the mind/muscle connection and max muscle fiber recruitment.running really fast is a skill that you have to practice, all the drills & plyos in the world can't substitute for or give you the quality of training specificity as actually running at a very high speed. also #6 will help improve #3.

Thanks for the feedback Bad as Naomi R-

I do have Tempos in there, but they are probably in the wrong category. I'll move them to the Lactic Threshold Category.

I like your ideas about adding more resistance training. I've always been reluctant in the weight room and prefer body weight stuff, so I like Hill sprints and the 30s and 60s idea. I think I'll add those in.

What do you think about weight room- is it necessary? Or can body weight stuff suffice. Remember this is mainly for 5k to 10k.

Do you think the 6 categories are adequate or am I missing a whole area that is important?

Steady runs, tempos, thresholds, rep work defined by Jack Daniels, and short sprints.

not that hard to read what the OP said...which wasn't "running 1 hour per day", was it? It was running at easy aerobic intensity. So if you have a day of longish intervals planned with a good bit of volume, you're supposed to add in another hour of easy running? No.

There is no such thing as 'going anaerobic' short sprints such as the ones you describe are more anaerobic than long ones, where you go more aerobic.

the creatine phosphate system would supply the energy for the short sprints, so they wouldn't be using anaerobic metabolism. this would also hold true for the first 10 seconds of a longer sprint. but if you take a 10 sec all-out sprint and make it a 20-30s sprint & beyond at the same effort, you are going to run out of oxygen at some point...thus you'll switch from (after CP is used up) using aerobic respiration to anaerobic respiration to get your energy as you start feeling fatigue and tying up, right? CP->aerobic when you have enough O2 for oxidative phosphorylation->to anaerobic when the O2 runs out? what am I missing?

yykes wrote:

There is no such thing as 'going anaerobic' short sprints such as the ones you describe are more anaerobic than long ones, where you go more aerobic.

So to rewrite this with everyone's input considered:

1. Prevent Injury

Increase flexibility and strength.

Be cautious with volume and intensity of training.

Plyos, static stretching, icing, nutrition, hydration, sleep, etc...

2. Improve Aerobic Capacity

At least 1 hour per day running and/or cross training

Run twice a day if possible/necessary

Run a long run up to 25% of weekly volume.

3. Improve Running Economy

Run lots but always with intention.

Perform and practice running economy drills regularly and with intention.

4. Improve Lactic Threshold

Tempo run no greater than 10% of weekly milage.

5. Improve Anaerobic Capacity

Intervals up to 8% or 10 km of weekly volume, 2 - 5 minute work bouts with short rest

Racing races 800m to 10km in length.

6. Improve Neuromuscular coordination

Repetition Intervals totaling 5% of weekly volume, 30sec to 2 min work bouts with complete rest

Dynamic stretches and plyometric drills

To be clear, my questions still are:

Do you think these 6 principles are adequate or excessive? Am I missing a principle or do I have extra ones?

Do you think the actions under the principles are adequate or excessive? Am I missing any actions or do I have extra ones?

Run twice a day? Good luck with that. All the slogging isn't gonna make u faster.

Try crossfit style sprint repeats. I promise big GAINS. And meanwhile, u get RIPPED, too.

Thank me later.

XFit_guy_the_real_one_1 wrote:

Run twice a day? Good luck with that. All the slogging isn't gonna make u faster.

Try crossfit style sprint repeats. I promise big GAINS. And meanwhile, u get RIPPED, too.

Thank me later.

Yo Dude, he didn't say slogging, he said running. It's a different thing, you cross shitters wouldn't understand that. Slogging is what you do when you compete in your faux competitions.

Yeah, not interested in crossfit...

I'm interested in intelligent critiques of these training principles, even if only to say that they're correct.

There are plenty of physiology people on this board I'd love to hear some educated ideas.

thanks!

XFit_guy_the_real_one_1 wrote:

Run twice a day? Good luck with that. All the slogging isn't gonna make u faster.

Try crossfit style sprint repeats. I promise big GAINS. And meanwhile, u get RIPPED, too.

Thank me later.

Obligatory xfit reponse:

Here are the 5k times of the top finishers in this year's Crossfit games (among those who have a recorded 5k).

Matt Chan: 23:43

Kyle Kasperbauer: 19:11

Jason Khalipa: 23:20

The fact is that Crossfit is a decent workout but a terrible way to train. You are better off with (1) Periodized Strength Training, and (2) Steady State Cardio.

20 miles per week, half easy, with a long run on the weekend, and 3 strength training workouts will make you faster, fitter, and stronger than Crossfit.

Keyword for future reference: obglitatory_xfit_post

Justin91 wrote:

The fact is that Crossfit is a decent workout

That's what I say.

You are better off with [..] Steady State Cardio.

That's where we disagree, bro. Steady State cardio is a waste of time, nothing else. Try crossfit style sprint repeats instead.