Which is the better training theory...Igoli or Lydiard?

just let them run baby wrote:

There is no "Igloi system". Igloi was on the track personally coaching his athletes 3 hours every day. Are you willing to do that?

Valid points. Igloi training is quite intricate, which can be mentally taxing, especially if there is no dedicated coach to do the numbers. But interesting concepts for sure! Also read up on what Magness has to say about Igloi on his blog.

What do you think a high school coach does?

I tried to keep them away from the track during CC season but we did have some long practices. As far as the time, it would not be hard to put in a few hours coaching!!!

I did mention that since I never did the Igoli system it would be hard to teach it at first. I'll stand by that argument.

There was most certainly a system to what Igoli was trying to teach.

1. Run different speeds.

2. Use different stride lengths and cadences to work muscle groups in every

way they might have to use them in a race.

3. Learn how to run fast when tired.

4. To prepare the athletes for every situation they might face in a race.

Bob Schul said that they could run lots of distance faster than anyone else during practices and not feel too wiped out after doing it. Igoli would stop them and call it a day if they were overdoing it.

Jed Clampett, 30 year teacher-coach, now writer about the greatest sport of all!

Jed Clampett wrote:

Unfortunately the Hungarian Revolution cut short Igoli's career as an influential coach. Lydiard is often misquoted because was around so long and written about frequently.

Is there nothing new under the sun when it comes to training distance runners?

I think a balanced approach is best, some aspects from each. My coach used the Igloi method, as he was one of Igloi's runners when Igloi was coaching in LA in the 1960's. I can personally vouch for its effectiveness, however it was quite taxing on the connective tissue. We also typically had at least one really long, slow run on the weekend.

Runs 800 wrote:

Lydiard base, Coe for track season

Elite runners do some form of workout all year round

Percy Cerutty

ABCXYZ wrote:

Percy Cerutty

"Seek suffering, as I do"

Jed,

I agree!

I am a 30 year plus student of same. In my opinion, I would structure the 12 month cycle into 1. Base, 2. Transition and 3. Competition phases of training.

BASE: During Base phase, I would suggest Lydiard, Ron Clarke and Mark Nenow were great examples of the right type of training to build a fantastic base. A pyramid is only as big as its base! I would also suggest incorporating 2 x per week of 120m (80% VO2 max) hill repeats with walk recovery to modify the basic Lydiard method. They all did hill work.

TRANSITION: Progressively drop duration of Lydiard method and increase Hill repeats to 3 x sessions per week. Also introduce 1 x Igloi track session per week of repeat 100s at 800m pace. Build up to high number of repeats. Keep as a minimum 2 x long duration aerobic sessions.

COMPETITION: Utilise primarily Igoli 100s and 150s with 2 x long Aerobic sessions (120min) at Zone 2 and 1 X 60min track workout that incorporates a 22min Lactate threshold workout. 1 x Hill repeat session with explosive BOOM! sprints on the fly would greatly assist an athlete. (eg. 120m broken into 60m @ 60% max and 60m @ 100% max with full recovery to 120bpm - repeat)

In reference to who was best - Lydiard or Igoli? - I think they both provided key ingredients for the ideal training program. An individuals DNA and ability needs to be factored into specific workouts. Its very hard to go past the dominance of Snell at his peak! - He had the strength and stamina to race heats and finals. Snell's training with say 2 x sessions per week of Igoli included??

Igoli's methods were an intensification of Stampfl. Lydiard and Cerutty supersede them. Both produced better athletes - Snell and Elliott. Lydiard produced 4 world record holders, 2 Olympic champions and a medallist - all that he directly coached, at the same time, from the same city and, unbelievably, all from the same small running club, in a country of only 3 million. His key finding was that an aerobic base was crucial for all distances from the 800 to the marathon, and especially benefited championship runners, enabling them to perform over successive rounds, and enabling athletes without outstanding basic speed to match and beat faster athletes over distance. Of Igoli's protégés only one - Schul - was an Olympic gold medallist. No middle or long-distance runner can succeed today by by-passing what Lydiard understood. To be the best, you've got to be better than for one race.