Total Speed Conditioning
With so many articles on Speed Training, you would assume
that there is plenty of great information available. The problem is that the topic of speed is not being totally
covered. There are categories of
training that are just not being discussed.
This three part series will take you through the major
components of training speed and becoming a faster overall athlete. A total
program needs to be in place to put your body in position to reach your full
athletic potential. Modalities like
agility training, tempo (low intensity work), general strength, power,
acceleration, maximum velocity, speed endurance, and flexibility work all need
to be apart of your structured speed training program. Part 1 of this series
will start off with the least talked about aspect of speed training: low
intensity work.
There are so many athletes specializing at a young age, and
we are seeing a drop in overall work capacity.
This is due to low levels of general strength and conditioning. Everyone wants to be doing pure speed work
all the time and nobody seems to be building the proper base needed for your body
to be able to handle that force and power.
The better your work capacity is the easier it is to recover from your
speed workouts so the more speed work that you will be able to handle. Basically,
you need to add conditioning and recovery days (tempo days) to become a faster,
more powerful athlete.
Tempo Training
Tempo work is low intensity training (60-75% intensity) that
has many great benefits for speed/power athletes. This type of training is used
as recovery, general strength and conditioning work. Tempo work can help
maintain healthy joint and soft tissue strength, provide some aerobic capacity
work, is a good recovery workout, is core strengthening, helps with
balance/coordination/proprioception and enhances gross motor performance.
Another positive advantage of tempo work is the increased
blood flow and capillary density adaptation provided. As you know, increased blood flow (from your increased heart
rate) provides heat to the muscles and helps to stimulate hormones to aid in
recovery and also to flush out debris in the muscles. The importance of the
improved capillary density is that you can maintain that heat to your muscles
for a longer period of time. This will
help speed/power athletes because they need longer rest periods in between
their intervals on intense days of training (speed work, plyos, weight
training, etc) due to the stress each rep places on the central nervous system.
Remember, you dont get faster from the actual speed work, you get faster from
the recovery of the speed work.
Tempo training, as mentioned before, will improve
development of your aerobic (work) capacity.
As a speed/power athlete, I'm sure you do not want to spend your time
out on the road running useless mileage that is placing unneeded stress on your
joints. As a speed athlete, you should not be running mileage.
Sample Tempo Running
Workout:
(On the grass of a football field)
Run 100 yards (all 100 yards performed at 65%)
Walk along the goal line across the field
Run back 100 yards
Walk along the goal line across the field
Repeat 3 more times
Rest for 3 minutes. Active rest, keep moving and do not sit
down.
Run 100 yards
Walk along the goal line across the field
Run back100 yards
Walk along the goal line across the field
Repeat 3 more times
Like all of your workouts, you want to be as efficient as
possible and get the most bang for your buck. General strength circuits do just
that. Most young athletes lack the general strength it takes to produce the
proper force and lack basic work capacity, so we get both of these great
benefits from GS work.
General Strength Circuits
General strength circuits are usually bodyweight exercises
that involve little or no external loading. The day after a speed/power workout
is the ideal time to add a general strength day. A speed/power day places extreme stress to your CNS (central
nervous system) and it takes 24-48 hours to recover from it. This is why you can't perform speed/power
workouts day after day (well you can, but you would be asking for an injury!).
So the GS circuit is used as a recovery workout to help your body recoup and
get ready for another speed/power workout the following day. The circuits will increase your heart rate,
but are low in intensity enough to have such positive effects on your body
restoration abilities.
Sample General
Strength Circuit:
(Great for group/team training sessions)
Split squats 10 each leg
Jog 50 yards
Rotational push-ups 8 each way
Jog 50 yards
Bicycles 1x30
Jog 50 yards
Burpees 1x10
Jog 50 yards
Military push-ups 1x10
Jog 50 yards
Russian twists 1x25
Jog 50 yards
Backwards lunges 10-each leg
Jog 50 yards
Lateral lunges 10 each leg
Jog 50 yards
Reverse crunches 1x20
Jog 50 yards
1 Leg squats 10 each leg
Rest 3 minutes and repeat circuit.
In under 45 minutes, you just improved your strength,
balance, aerobic conditioning, core conditioning, help prevent injuries and
worked on mental focus during fatigue all while recovering your body from
yesterdays speed workout!
Speed training needs to focus on being efficient in each
energy system and modality. Having an incomplete training program is asking for
injury or guaranteeing that you will not reach your full speed potential.
Remember, you not only want to train harder but work smarter to stay A Step
Ahead of your competition.
For more information on Total Speed Conditioning go to: http://www.completespeedtraining.com/cmd.php?af=295904
