I have long used 1-3 sessions per week of lactic-acid inducing sessions (weight circuits, intensive tempo runs, speed endurance runs, etc) while concurrently dispelling long-held myths about lactic acid and fatigue, soreness and muscle injury. What’s the reason for this apparent hypocrisy in what I say and what I do? It’s because I use these particular types of training to induce an anabolic effect by inducing an elevation of exogenous growth hormone. You see, one fo the primary triggers for growth hormone release is the accumulation of lactic acid. I tend to place these types of sessions on days that are lower in overall intensity because they are less stressful on the central nervous system and by alternating between heavy-hitter CNS days (sprinting with full recovery, heavy weights, plyos, etc) and lower intensity days with a greater emphasis on metabolic training effects (extensive / intensive tempo, med ball / weight room / and bodyweight strength circuits) you can effectively train hard almost every day of the week but because you’re alternating physiological systems and physical capacities you allow one system or capacity to rest while the other is being taxed. Coaches who eschew all low-intensity work for exclusive use of high-intensity, highly specific work are missing out on an opportunity to improve overall fitness and create fertilize the soil before planting the seeds (with the high intensity, event-specific work).
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