[[email protected]]

[email protected] on March 6, 2012 at 11:11 am #18215

For mid distance runners, how many times per week should you squat? Right now we are doing 3×5 twice per week @ 85% of max effort. These are ATG squats. Would 1 time per week be sufficient? Are lifting days are Sunday and Wednesday.

[Eric Broadbent]

Eric Broadbent on March 7, 2012 at 1:13 pm #115178

I would guess once per week would be enough especially during competition phase. You could add a unilateral exercise in for the other day and be good to go. Right now you should be looking to just maintain strength and once a week would easily do that. Does 85% of max effort mean 85% of a max? If so I think that is a little high for mid distance maybe. Are there warmup sets prior to this building up to 85?

[Matt Norquist]

Matt Norquist on March 7, 2012 at 2:33 pm #115183

His max will be low, though.

I think 3-4×5 with a ramp up to 85% is a good set up for in season.

[codeman9]

codeman9 on March 7, 2012 at 4:24 pm #115184

I have my kids lift 3x per week for most of the season. We train through the first meets as if they were just a hard practice. Then, as the meets that matter come up (really the last 3-4 weeks of the season), I reduce to 2x per week and then no lifting about 1.5 to 2 weeks before the state meet for boys and 1 week for girls. During the season, we definitely follow a very simple progression starting with 5×[email protected]% for 2 weeks, then max strength focus for 4 weeks, then power focus until the end of the season.

[[email protected]]

[email protected] on March 8, 2012 at 6:10 am #115196

Cody can you send me an example of the lifts and sets you do?

[codeman9]

codeman9 on March 8, 2012 at 8:22 am #115198

A typical track season for me is planned as follows for the high school boys that will last through the state meet (13 weeks or so) and assuming they did zero lifting in the off season:

1)First 2 weeks: 5×5 @ ~75% (this is approximate because I really don’t know %s until we max); these two weeks are used to improve form with lower weight and to just get back in the swing of things. At the end of the two weeks we will do a maxing session.

2) Next 3 weeks, MaxS focus: 6×4 @ 80-85%, 7×[email protected]%, 7×[email protected]% (depending on how they are looking with their form)
3) 1 week recovery: less volume, (M)5×[email protected]%, (W)3×[email protected]%, (Fr)max
4) 4 weeks of Power focus: 6×[email protected]%, 6×[email protected]%, 5×[email protected]% with Fridays being a maintenance day: 4×[email protected]%
5) 2 weeks with power focus on Monday only, off on wed and fri
6) 1 week completely off

We do the above progression with Squat, Bench, and Power Clean.

Things change for different athletes depending on whether or not my assumptions are incorrect for that particular person. For example, I may focus on power earlier for some, or put in a hypertrophy block at some point for others.

[[email protected]]

[email protected] on March 8, 2012 at 11:35 am #115204

Thanks. How many times are you squatting per week? Would DB Lunges be a good alternative to squats on the second workout per week?

[codeman9]

codeman9 on March 8, 2012 at 12:44 pm #115206

We squat 3 days a week. I keep it simple for my athletes. If they have to think about what to do which day, they end up doing the wrong things. Why are you looking for an alternative to squats?

[[email protected]]

[email protected] on March 8, 2012 at 1:02 pm #115207

I am concerned with leg fatigue squatting to close to meets. Lifting days for us are sunday and wednesday with meets on friday.

[codeman9]

codeman9 on March 8, 2012 at 3:17 pm #115215

I would think that having thursday as a no lift and easy workout would leave you fine for a meet on Friday.