URGENT NEED OF HELP - 8 weeks to improve my cooper test results.

Google up the article called something like, How to Improve Your 2 mile Time by 2 minutes in 2 Months, by Dan Brown.

Losing 5kg will make a big difference. You'd be surprised.

I wouldn't ditch the tempo. You already have a good race pace workout. Tempos will be key for fitness. But you'll want to make it more tempo-like. I would change to something like 2x2k or 2x2.5k @ 20-30 seconds /mile slower than current race pace. So you're looking at ~4:40-45 per k now and a goal of 4:15-20 per k for your tempo intervals. Add intervals if this starts to feel easy, should always feel "comfortably hard." If it feels ALL OUT right now, you're weak in this area.

The 8x400m is good. Rather than going fast, I would just add reps as you improve. Try to get to 12.

How is your footspeed velocity? Considering adding some 50-150m strides on your easy day.

So instead of decreasing rest time in intervals i should ADD laps?

And instead of 3k at 0500 i should try 2x2k at 04.45ish tempo ? :)

Btw i dont use or understand miles i do min/km

Simplify your training to only what specific tests you need to pass, adding only walking or jogging for weight loss and overall foundation. Speed work is the easiest way to get injured, cross training yields the fewest running results.

Losing 5kg should buy you about 50% of the gains you are looking for.

I would ditch the swimming workouts for the next 2 months unless there is a swim component of selection process that you need to train for.

You need to be running 7 days a weeks. Keep the 4 workouts that you are doing and add 3 easy runs of 30-45 mins. Make these slow runs that have low risk of injury. You are trying to build up your aerobic engine so you can run 12 minutes hard.

Next, I would extend your Tempo runs to 4km @ 5min/km or about 20 mins. Gradually increase the pace until you can run 4km at 4:30/km pace. That will increase your lactate threshold.

Lastly, by mid-May you need to be able to do your interval workout, 8x400m, at 1:35 pace.

Good Luck.

okay so there is a broad consensus that swapping my tempo runs for some 1200m intervals is a bad idea, so i will keep my tempo runs. I will try to do 4km and stay around 0500 and then gradually week by week go 10 sec down in the pace or maybe as earlier suggested do 2x 2km at a bit faster pace i guess.

As for my intervals, i can do 8x400m at 1.35 right now, with 1.20ish walking break between. And i will add some more slow 30min runs in the days i currently have off i guess then :)

I know i should probably be able to conclude what my best way of training should be after reading this, but i dont really. Maybe im just dumb.

Micker wrote:

I know i should probably be able to conclude what my best way of training should be after reading this, but i dont really. Maybe im just dumb.

I don't think there is one right way to train. The basics of it are run lots of kilometers at an easy pace to build endurance.

Throw in a tempo, interval and long run once per week.

For the tempo run, you can do 4km @ 5min/km or 2x2km @ 4:40/km. You might substitute a 4x1200m @ 5:35 (4:45/km) with 3 min rest. You can switch them up if you get bored with straight up tempo runs.

For the intervals, 8x400m is a good workout. When you feel that you can handle that, start adding an extra reps instead of going faster. The idea is not to turn you into a 400m runner but to improve your distance in the cooper test.

In generel do you think my goal of gaining 2-300m in 8 weeks with 5kg weightloss is posible at this fitness lvl? or do you think its too little time?

I mean, 2900 cooper is not that high of an achievment so thats why i believe it might be posible and pushing for it.

I think you have time to hit your goal.

I think you of time, but depends how trained you are right now.

There are many many ways to train! My suggestions were just based on the idea that you are probably a little underdevelopment aerobically and would benefit from true tempo training. I have found it easy to break up longer tempo sessions with 1 min breaks a la Jack Daniels than to try to grind out 30 min tempos when you're not in great shape. The key with tempo is to try to get to that 30 min mark with it all being "comfortably hard."

People seem to agree that 1) lengthening the tempo sessions 2) adding 400s to your VO2Max days instead of running them faster will be most beneficial.

If you needed to pass this test, why the f*%$ did you puss out training for it and wait til the last min?

Deployment and sergent school.

Also, would shorter "sprint" intervals not fit well into my program seeing that i have limited time?

Generally you see the fastest improvement from training areas where you are weakest. I don't know you/your race times so it's hard to say where youre weakest. MOST untrained people are weak in the tempo/threshold zone and can really see fast improvement there. Adding speed, running more, etc. can't hurt as long as you don't get. I'm just trying to give some idea for where I think you could improve fastest.

So current status is

monday i did 9x400m intervals at 1.30-1.35 with 1.25 break, was really tough at the end.

Tuesday was a recovery 6km run

today i did 1km warmup and 4km tempo at 4:40 - 4.45 - 4.41 - 4.45

gonna do recovery run tomorrov and long run saturday

the last km was really tough. bodyweight around 86.5.. Hoping i get there in time

My math says that's 2540m in 12 min for a (maybe too) hard tempo. I think you're getting there. Keep it up.

Vancomycin wrote:

Generally you see the fastest improvement from training areas where you are weakest. I don't know you/your race times so it's hard to say where youre weakest. MOST untrained people are weak in the tempo/threshold zone and can really see fast improvement there. Adding speed, running more, etc. can't hurt as long as you don't get. I'm just trying to give some idea for where I think you could improve fastest.

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If the first 3k felt controlled, I think you're in good shape too. Consistency is KEY. Jam some caffeine before the race and you might already be there ;)

Harambe wrote:

My math says that's 2540m in 12 min for a (maybe too) hard tempo. I think you're getting there. Keep it up.