workouts to improve efficiency

Weight training.

Olympic lifts with free weights.

80% of 1RM

3 to 5 sets of 3 to 5 exercises.

6 to 8 week block.

Only Aerobic running during this phase.

Then shift to circuit resistance training and re-introduce speedwork.

Economy boosed because strength is boosted.

ive read that some coaches use faster pace(goal race pace, or a bit faster) shorter repetitions with full recovery, or hill repeats(all varieties), or some sort of sport specific circuit training(ex. one legged squats, etc) with form drill and running mixed in, and plyometrics(from simple as hoping on one leg, to more explosive advanced jumping). but there seems to be a lot of debate about efficiency.

drills

plyos

strides

Aside from form drills, there are two ways to improve efficiency, or the energy cost of running:

Run more (higher volume)

Run faster

The run more part should be self evident--you become more efficient at running if you do more of it. But make sure that you become more efficient at the kind of running that you WANT to become more efficient at. Jtupper did a study in the 1980's in which he tested the energy cost of running of middle distance runners, 5K/10K runners, and marthoners running at marathon pace. The runners most efficient at marathon pace were actually the middle distance runners, because they spent more time runing at that pace. Running a lot of mileage at a slow pace does not necessarily make you more efficient in a 5K.

The run faster part largely amounts to reducing ground contact time (which wastes energy). Hill sprinting increases that rate of muscle contraction, but if this is the only type of speed training done, hill sprinting can actually make the energy cost of runnong worse because the nervous system is being trained to turn over more slowly. What works better is:

(1) light weight training (30-50% or 1RM) done rapidly

(2) 60 meter sprints at 90-100% of top speed

(3) "light" plyometrics--not necessarily depth jumps, but bounding and jumping over hurdles