Elitetrack: Sport Training & Conditioning

Understanding dark energy and determining the universe's ultimate fate will require further observations. Hubble and future space telescopes capable of looking more than halfway across the universe will be needed to achieve the necessary precision. The determination of the properties of dark energy has become the key goal of astronomy and physics today.

Central Nervous System (CNS) Fatigue is similar to the Dark Energy theory as we can't put CNS fatigue in a microscope and look at it. Still, we can't see gravity but we can feel and see the effects of it through observation and record keeping. Without the aid of the omegawave machine you can see based on the numbers how athletes response to supramaximal loading schemes. Perhaps the most entertaining work of fiction I have listened to was one seminar that a few experts shared their opinion on the phenomenon. They used the analogy of the bank account (clearly they were thinking with their wallets again here) and how you must not draw on their savings or you will "fry your CNS". Finally I was asked for my opinion and I responded with the story of the lemon tree. When life gives you lemons you grow lemon trees. Doing less is less as the capacity to handle supramaximal loading schemes will result in a expansion if you challenge it. In We want to do more high quality work in the future and the body will adapt. The body will adapt as it is designed to adapt. How is beyond a post but don't buy into some of the gurus periodization beliefs as their training models are based on their business models and interest in three day weekends.

Gait analysis? We have gurus that claim they know but look at their youtube videos of their athletes walking around like Frankenstein and the zombies from the thriller video. Looking at gait doesn't require an extensive training background (it helps a lot) but a program that incorporates the appropriate time to do this. If you are doing Mobility warm-ups you are not walking. Walking is a daily screen. It's slow enough to allow neophyte gait eyes to see compensations but natural and transferable to realize that a compromise is present. From the Level III school I asked about screening warm ups and Dan Pfaff hinted of what to look for. We do drills and runs with a walk back to observe gait. I am not saying that my eyes are able to conjure the injury they had in middle school while playing a basketball pick-up game but observe. In fact Aprender a Observar is a great starting book for this for those that can read a little spanish. A good eye is trainable but your program must be able to allow it to be pushed. For example watching sprinting allows me to see plyometrics better, and plyometrics allow me to see the olympic lifts better, and the olympic lifts allow me to see the static lifts better. Reset the clock speed to your eyes and observe.

Whole Body Vibration Training? Don't believe the hype. Some of my peers use it judiciously so I am not saying that it does nothing but frankly let's get real. We have some proponents that must be using the vibraflex as a pillow at night because they are saying outlandish statements. Based on the peer reviewed research vibration training is washed out of a complete program. When Jordan dunked in Mutumbo's face in the playoffs he didn't get activated by the machine. Bolt? No powerplate used! How much does vibration training help a 40y dash? Any evidence. NO! The truth is that it helps a little as it's a modality that is an option. Instead of having people surf on machines teach them to lift, move, or restore their bodies. Again their is no evidence that the results of WBV training will shift a complete program to be better. No evidence on a complete program. For example one study shows that WBV helps power in a 6 week sprinting protocol. What the gurus don't share is that the "athletes" were not training seriously for any sport and the controls did absolutely nothing. The results would have been washed out by some basic lifts but that doesn't sound progressive. Save your money.

"This is a difficult question to answer in this format for what folks mean by intensive, extensive and low intensity work varies. I have seen very consistent results from programs that do intensive and extensive work as classically described. I do things that I consider to hit both realms albeit not purely classical in design. For example, we do a lot of 100m "up-backs" in the early training phases whereby we run a 100m section on grass, make a quick U turn and run another back to the starting point....we take 1-2' recoveries and do 6-8 trips in this session....we time each 100m segment and total time for the two runs and U turn. Later in the year we do this over 70m segments....I have found this format to be more interesting for my athletes and they maintain mechanics at a higher level with this format...For many the total of the 2 x 100m segments would far exceed their 200m run quality under similar rest constraints. We do "combination tempo" runs in the autumn and early winter also....

One area of research that I would like to see would be a radiology scan of tissues and support structures after extensive tempo runs. Perhaps the vibrations that occur in these structures at that speed and with that degree of relaxation create some interesting recovery situations.

We do hit some of the biochemical markers highlighted in the research obtained by tempo work in other ways. I think you can create acceleration sessions, speed sessions, off track exercises, and so on to address items that one feels is being dealt with in these sessions. We have a section of work that we do that involves general strength circuits, med ball circuits, hurdle mobility and special walking exercises that takes about 40 minutes to complete. We use very short rest in this battery and heart rate monitors show HR well above 140 beats the entire session....so in my mind aerobic factors have been challenged. Recent research on short burst activities and how mitochondrial enzymatic markers are affected gives one pause as how to best address the oxygen supply and reserve end of things for power speed athletes. Some might class this as low intensity work but my athletes would not agree with that classification nor would the lactate analyzer. I have a difficult time deciphering training schemes from coaches whereby they call the work they do tempo so I never claim to be of great knowledge in this realm. I think that certain types of work needs to be done at very exact speeds and intensities. I also think work needs to be done mechanically correct.

The biggest complaint I have when watching folks do tempo work is the degradation of mechanics throughout the workout. I am not willing to sacrifice dynamic stereotypes, joint/tissue health and mechanics to address biochemistry factors that may be addressed in alternative methods."

I will stop at this for I fear that I am rambling now....I hope this answered to some degree a question that I find perplexing... - Dan Pfaff

As for my views on Tempo running I am a centralist. Tempo volumes and % running is based on budget and program design. I find that 400m runners need to do more grass and lower intensity running as their maximum work is less and the need for biochemistry changes is higher. My observations and historical understanding is that no pure speed 400m runner ever was ever created from speed only methods so you go to put the work in. My other observations is that many guys didn't need nearly any tempo to be in the 9.8 range. The athletes from Jamaica seem to do a lot of grass running but how much do other factor come into play will be debated. What I do know is the coach is responsible to finding the correct dose and I like running on the grass and feel that combining both works the best. How much running is enough and how much is left for "alternate means". Pool running is a not a replacement but a compliment, and I don't do much pool running but more aquatic work. Several athletes on this message board have done my workouts in the pool and they are truly total body work without the overload on the hip flexors. Medball circuits, German Par Course like station work, GS bodybuilding style circuits, slideboard and indoor methods have worked for me to keep the volumes of running to a minimum as I find that people breakdown doing too much running. So long as the speed work improvements are as fast and or faster (improvement curve vs other program models) the tempo programming stays the same. I shut it down when the lower extremity issues (from the knee down) become 1-3 on the pain scale unless they are a 200/400m athlete and that becomes pain management and "mid-air" mechanical work with therapists. Shin splints, achilles issues, ankle mechanics of footstrike, all must monitored.

Make sure you tailor your workout to suit your intentions. Yes pun intended. You can manipulate the following: Rest periods :30-45 seconds. Surfaces- Grass (various lengths), track surfaces, and even soft gymnastics flooring. Exercises: None between (passive rest) to a core exercise, to a lower body motions Integrate a drill - such as speed skips or other locomotive action Footwear- various shoes and spikes Use creativity but with purpose.