(OK so I want you to concentrate on getting a wide base of support and developing a hard acceleration position)
Sometimes I observe speed and agility training sessions and I'm half expecting Richard Hammond and Amanda Byram to pop up and commentate on the hilarity of the drill because the drill that I'm watching has so many gadgets and toys on the pitch that it looks like the qualifier course from Total Wipeout!
If I think back to how I coached speed and agility 10 years ago I cringe. My sessions were pretty poor and the reason for this was my lack of understanding on how to really bring about improvements in speed and agility. Now I'm probably being pretty harsh on myself because I wasn't terrible, I didn't just roll out a "speed ladder" and get my athletes to 'tip toe through the tulips', I just didn't push myself to develop a deeper understanding.
I managed to justify my approach to myself, ignoring that I really didn't fully understand what to do. I had some decent drills (lets face it, I had every book available – Acme 1001 Speed and Agility Drills for Sport etc) and I was good at saying "do it faster"…what more did I need? After all, I'm not a track coach – I'm an S&C coach.
(you put the left foot in, left foot out, in out in out you shake it all about…!!!…oh, and watch out for the ball…oh, sorry you can't see it because you're too busy looking at your feet!)
The light bulb went on when I listened to a presentation by Duncan French on the development of speed and agility. He's a fairly bright fella and spoke about things I just hadn't really worked on. He discussed Kinetics and Kinematics and how in the UK (and I reckon the rest of the world) S&C coaches are really poor at actually coaching speed and agility. We just roll out a drill and crack open the pom poms and shout inane words of encouragement.
"Give me a F, give me an A, give me a S, give me a T, give me a E, give me a R…what have you got….go………..FASTER……whoooooo"
I was on reflection a pretty crappy coach of speed and agility. I was cheerleader, sure I paid lip service to some of the lessons I had picked up along the way. I talked about posture, I mentioned arm action but I didn't really get it and I certainly didn't know how to coach it and actually improve performance. I stood on the side, observed and made a bit of noise. I didn't really change a whole lot.
(to be fair, I'd run a bit faster if she was my coach!)
Fast forward to today and I reckon I've got a much better handle on things. I'm not suggesting I'm some sort of speed and agility guru, but I think I do a far better job at actually coaching the damn thing than I did 5-10 years ago.
Today I spent an hour with one of my basketball players working on one drill…yes….we just ran one drill. The drill was simple – run in a straight line toward the cone and then make a 'power-step' through the gap. We stood around for a bunch of time discussing key movement patterns, we walked through the drill, ran it at 50%, then 75%, we went full out, then dragged it back down to 50% to get the technique right. I used two cones! There were no ladders, hurdles, hula hoops, bungee cords etc. Just me, the player, two cones and a whole lot of coaching. It didn't look very "sexy", there wasn't a whole load of 'noise", We just went about our work and got the job done. It was probably one of the best sessions I've coached in a long time.
Too often coaches hide behind drills and tricks because the bottom line is they just don't know what they are doing. If we look busy then the players and coaches will be happy. That was me 10 years ago, I hid behind fancy looking drills and a kit bag full of ladders, cones, hurdles, reaction balls and bungee cords! Now, there may be times when I get a ladder out, but it's not when I'm trying to improve SPEED….but then if you know anything about SPEED and it's relation to FORCE production you'll understand stand why 'icky shuffles' are not making anyone FASTER….anyway….that's probably a whole other blog post.
I'll challenge everyone reading this post to go away and really think about what you are doing with your athletes. Are you really taking care of business when it comes to speed and agility development?I've taken a number of slides that Duncan and I use on our Performance Training Mentorship programme to give you an idea of the sorts of things you need to be aware of as a coach.
If this stuff is all new to you then I suggest you take stock and find a way to improve your coaching.
We need to know what makes us move in a certain way if we are going to try and improve it. Why is this a good acceleration position? If you understand the Kinematics you'll be able to answer the question.
What do we need to do in terms of force production etc to make sure we get some serious 'hang time'? If we need to produce force we need to be strong – no wonder my young tennis players didn't improve for 12-months when all I did was speed and agility. They were weak – we got them stronger and guess what they got quicker because we took care of the KINETICS.
You don't need to become a biomechanics boffin to become a better coach – just take a look at slide above that Duncan produced. If your job is to improve speed and agility then there are aspects that we can 'train' and there are things we can 'coach'. Work out which is which and you'll be able to give your athletes 'gas'.
This isn't supposed to provide all the answers – I just wanted to throw it out there and hopefully offer up a thought provoking blog post that may just make you stop and rethink how you coach speed and agility.
(If you want your athletes to compete at Crufts then crack on!)
Hopefully you are all asking yourself the question "Am I really coaching or do I need to get you some hot-pants with a fluffy pom pom on each hand?"
(ohhh, Joey lad, I'm gonna be boss on Saturday when we play that Bendy Stick FC – look at my mad crazy skills)
Let me know what you think – am I right or do you think I'm way off on this one?
For most endurance athletes the benefits of strength training are outweighed by the fear of gaining too much bulk, loss of flexibility and diminished "feel" of their sport.
Let’s get one thing clear right now, strength training for endurance athletes is not about developing a ‘beach body’ or turning you into a muscle bound hulk. I can promise you that getting down to the gym to strength train for two or three times a week will make you stronger in your event (running, cycling, swimming, adventure racing). I’ve worked with enough endurance athletes to know that a good strength training programme will not only make you stronger and faster but will help you to remain injury free.
Still not convinced? Here’s the top 5 training benefits that can be yours in exchange for just two to three short strength training sessions each week.
1. Increased power output – the fastest person wins the race, right. To be fast you need to be powerful. To be powerful you need to be able to generate force. So it doesn't matter if you are splashing around in a pool or running the streets, you need to be able to put down more power which will translate to higher speeds on the tarmac or in the pool.
2. Power up those hills – if you are a runner you will know that there’s no such thing as a fast flat course and if you want to see how a race can be won or lost on the hills watch a clip of Fraser Cartmell destroying Stephen Bayliss on the final hill in an Ironman 70.3 event.
3. Increase the strength of your swim stroke – maybe running and cycling isn't your thing but by simply developing increased strength levels you'll be able to grab hold of the water and pull yourself through and watch how your stroke count drops.
4. Improved endurance – we don’t all have lungs like dustbin liners and hearts to match so there will be genetic limitations as to how much you can improve your aerobic capacity. Strength training will improve your muscular strength and endurance helping you become more efficient, which means you will be able to work at a higher percentage of your aerobic capacity for longer. Become efficient at what you do.
5. Banish those aches and pains – strength training will improve your gross athleticism making you a more robust athlete, allowing you to withstand the training demands placed on your body and helping you steer clear of injuries. I ran a clinic recently for runners and every single runner had been injured or had an injury….actually that's not correct, one lady wasn't injured but she had only taken running up 2-weeks before the clinic (only a matter of time then!). Same goes for cyclists with knackered knees and backs and swimmers with shoulders that are constantly pulsating with pain.
I'm really looking forward to this workshop, it's not often that I only have to travel 1.5 mile up the road to deliver a workshop. This will be a great workshop and I'm really pleased to have linked up with the team at Up and Running in Gosforth. Get yourself along to find out how to become 'bullet proof' and get a new season PB. Learn how you can train hard without falling apart.
Duncan French shows of his nifty footwork in this clip. Not only is it a great drill for football players, it’s a must for anyone that needs to work on developing fast feet (it may come in handy when you are burning the dance floor up at your local nightclub!).
At the end of 2010, I went through my blog archives and picked out my favorite posts from 2010. I think this was the best year for my blog. Lots of good content, lots of useful tips. More blogging and writing to come in 2011. Which of these posts is your favorite? Did I miss one that you enjoyed?
1. Are you assessing or guessing? – It’s a bit daft really – you wouldn’t programme your sat nav to get you to a destination 100 miles away without first inputing your starting point (how will you know which route is the most effective to take?). So why would you try to develop a programme to achieve an outcome without knowing where you are starting from?
2. Practice until you get it right! – This one makes even more sense now that I’m reading The Talent Code. Technical competency should be the cornerstone of all good strength and conditioning and atheltic development programmes.
3. Ice Ice Baby – An update on all things linked to recovery and regeneration.
4. CHAOS Training makes more sense – I’m changing this title to CHAOS Training makes even more sense now that I’m reading The Talent Code!!! (can you guess what book I’m totally into at the moment?). I lift the lid on the brainchild of Coach Robert Dos Remedios’ training methods.
5. Do you want to see my brazillian? – This is one of the best drills I’ve picked up all year. If we are talking movement preparation for the shoulder complex then this needs to be in the session.
8.WTF is overtraining syndrome?- If I had a penny for every time I heard a coach say their athlete was overtrained – what a load of horse s*%t! Find out what is really going on.
10. The best treadmill workout ever – I’m currently greeted by the site of the Janaury jogeers pounding out mile after mile on the treadmill at the gym in an attempt to get in shape. If you are going to use the treadmill for a workout then this is the only session you should be doing!
I was recently approached to see if I could help a local reporter get fit for the Great North Run. I was more than happy to help.
The mistake that most runners make when they enter this type of event is that they try to prepare by running. They don’t realise that some time spent in the gym getting strong will not only improve their running performance but will also help ward off niggly injuries that have a habit of preventing many fun runners even making it to the starting line.
I first wrote this article for Peak Performance earlier this year and I thought I would share it with all the readers of www.nickgrantham.com. Back in 2005 I spent several days with Robert Dos Remedios at is facility at the College Of The Canyons.
It was at this time that Coach Dos was working on ‘CHAOS’ training as a means of developing athletes that not only had great ‘game speed’ but who could also withstand the demands of collegiate sport (his injury record speaks for itself). We kept in touch over the years and in 2009 I brought Coach Dos over to the UK for a 2 day functional training summit and the CHAOS training session was easily the most popular. I think it’s popularity is due to it’s effectiveness – sure we can all get players to run pretty patterns through ladders and over hurdles using closed drills but can traditional training methods get them to perform when they need to?
I know you will enjoy this article, it challenges conventional thinking, but I believe it has a real value for anyone working with athletes that need to peform when it counts – during a game.
If you want to learn more about this training method then I would encourage you to pick up a copy of the CHAOS Sport Speed Training DVD…and Coach Dos has a fancy new website and I’ve noticed he has a great offer which means you can pick up the CHAOS DVD and his SLEDS and Ladders DVD in one package.
In the world of sport, the ability to effectively accelerate, decelerate and change direction is crucial and in many sports, the most successful athletes are typically the most explosive and efficient movers.
At A Glance
This article:
●Discusses the requirements for developing speed in sport;
●Explains the limitations of using programmed ‘closed’ drills;
●Explores the CHAOS theory and gives a number of practical examples of its use to develop sports speed.
Speed is defined as the distance travelled per unit of time while multidimensional speed can be defined as a series of complex movements in the shortest time possible. More particularly, it’s the ability to change direction or orientation of the body based on internal an external information without significant loss of speed(1).
To some extent, it can be argued that an individual’s ability to develop speed is largely predetermined. The dominant influences on speed include inherited traits, childhood movement experiences and exposure to training. However, it is possible to optimise an athlete’s multidimensional speed and agility with a well-structured training programme(1).
A to B
As we can see from figure 1, trying to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible calls upon a number of qualities including explosive strength, acceleration, development and maintenance of maximum movement speed, and resistance to fatigue(2).
Figure 1: Factors determining speed of movement
(the picture is a little faded but if you want to see the original then pick up a copy of Supertraining by Mel Siff)
Traditionally, multidimensional speed development for sport has relied heavily on highly programmed (closed) speed and agility drills. Some coaches even go down the route of using track-orientated drills and workouts to improve speed for athletes competing in multidimensional sports. However, there’s a fundamental flaw with this highly structured approach to training. Sport is CHAOTIC – it’s not programmed! The last time I watched a football match I didn’t see any ladders on the pitch or lots of cones to determine the direction a player ran. What I saw was CHAOS (albeit it controlled CHAOS).
We can see in figure 1 that factors such as quickness, reactive ability, and motor coordination can all be improved during a closed drill. These are all important components and training must adequately address each area. The problem is that many coaches and athletes only use this form of speed and agility training, resulting in athletes who can perform ‘drills’ but can’t transfer that into the sports arena. Athletes quickly master the drill and whilst they will appear to be improving their multidimensional speed and agility, the ‘trainability’ of these types of drills does not adequately address the processing that needs to occur (very quickly!) in unforeseen situations(3). What’s needed are drills that present a stimulus, allow for a decision to be made and then produce the appropriate movement. We don’t need ladders, hurdles and cones…we need CHAOS!
CHAOS Training
American collegiate strength and conditioning coach Robert Dos Remedios has developed the CHAOS Sport Speed Training system that targets the development of ‘real life’ sports speed. Dos has set out a simple framework that shows coaches how to progress from basic ‘closed’ drills to more open and challenging drills. By using ‘open’ drills he provides outside stimulus for athletes to recognise, process, and react to and makes sure that training is as close to the actual speed demands of sport as possible.
One of the key aspects of CHAOS training is developing the decision making/reaction time process in a chaotic environment to ensure that the trainable patterns that often come with traditional ‘closed’ agility drills are broken. During the early stages of CHAOS training, the fundamental skills contributing to speed (figure 1) are developed. In the later stages however, the drills become more complex in nature, developing the all important detection, reaction and decision making skills.
What is CHAOS Training.
CHAOS training is a progressive system – not just a set of drills (see figure 2). You can’t just throw athletes in at the deep end and demand that they process and react to chaotic patterns with lightning fast speed. You need to progress your athlete through the system.
Figure 2: CHAOS sport speed training system
C
Conscious to subconscious – teaching progression should be constantly ‘coached’ (stopping, body position, optimal angles, plant foot, etc.) and the athlete should be aware of the learning process.
H
Have unpredictability – the key to developing true sport-speed is the variable of unpredictability.
A
Active to reactive – progression should start with set agility patterns and slowly progress to reactive movements.
O
Open drills – players are put ‘on the spot’ and forced to not only move fast but also to factor in reaction time due the processing of visual or auditory cues.
S
Slow to fast – start with more simple open drills and keep increasing the difficulty based on your athlete’s progress. You must walk before you can run!
Progress to CHAOS
It’s beyond the scope of this article to list the huge range of drills and progressions that can be used to develop multidimensional speed and agility but once you understand the progressions the only limit you have is your imagination.
Stage 1 – strength training
One of the fundamental components of speed development is establishing a good strength base to get maximal gains. You can’t be fast unless you are strong! It’s important that you develop strength through a wide range of movements (bilateral, unilateral, multiplanar). Traditional exercises such as squats, lunges, split squats and stiff leg deadlifts are all great for establishing a solid strength base. To complement the strength drills, it’s also worth incorporate some simple ‘jump and stick’ or ‘hop and stop’ drills, which are fantastic for developing movement specific strength. These involve jumping (or hopping) from a static position and then upon landing, sticking and holding the landing position, ensuring the ankle, knee and hip joints are all flexed and the position is held constant for a count of two. Both the jumps and hops can be performed forwards, sideways and backwards. You can even add a rotational component by adding a turn before landing (90 degree or 180 degree).
Stage 2 – closed drills
Closed drills are not bad per se and closed drills actually have an important role to play in speed development using the CHAOS system. The problem can be that the use of closed drills in training is where multidimensional speed and agility training stops when it should only be the second stage! If you look again at figure 1, you can see how simple closed drills can provide a great training stimulus for the key components influencing speed of movement. When using closed drills, work on movement in a familiar pattern first, using standard cone drills (box drills, zigzags, shuttle runs etc).
Out and back drill – this is a regular in my speed and agility training sessions and I’ve used it with athletes competing in a range of sports, from rugby and football to Taekwondo and tennis. It’s a great drill for establishing short acceleration bursts (the first 3-5 steps). It also develops, deceleration and change of direction.
The drill is as simple as it sounds. The athlete simply accelerates forward for three steps, slams on the brakes and then backpedals for 3 steps. What I love about this drill is you don’t need any equipment (your athletes just need the ability to count!) and you can have a whole squad training in a very small space. Complexity can be added to the drill by changing the start and finish position to a sport specific movement, and altering the number and pattern of the changes in direction.
Stage 3 – basic reaction training
This is the first real step toward CHAOS where the goal is to develop the ability of the athlete to detect and react to a stimulus. Using basic movement patterns, the key is to work on first step quickness and covering ground as quickly as possible from a range of start positions (lying on floor, kneeling etc). You can use a range of cues (visual/auditory or physical) depending on the nature of the sport and the skill that you want to develop.
An example of basic reaction training is ‘ball drops. The coach stands 5-10 metres away from the athlete with a ball in hand (I like tennis balls but basically, if it bounces you can use it). The coach drops the ball so that the athlete has to react and sprint out and pick the ball up. If you want to really make life tricky, you can use specially designed ‘agility-balls’ that bounce off all over the place and add some unpredictability into the drill. You can also increase the difficulty by controlling the number of bounces allowed before the player can pick the ball up.
Stage 4 – verbal/visual/physical simple patterns
The closed drills that you used at stages 2 and 3 can still be used as the basis for the drills in stage 4. This stage uses multiple level, multiple cue drills using simple movement patterns such as a box drill. The main change is that there is an increase in complexity provided by verbal/visual and physical cues to change direction. The athlete is familiar with the pattern but not how they will be expected to execute it.
Box drill – Level 1: You can easily train a large group of athletes using this drill; I’ve used this drill at tennis summer camps with a large grid and 20 players all facing me. This adds an element of competition to the mix, which is another important consideration for CHAOS training drills.
Create a box between 5-8 metres on each side (the exact distance will vary according to the demands of your sport). Have your player stand in the middle and then set to work on their speed and agility! There’s a huge amount of complexity that can be added to this drill but I like to start things off with a simple verbal cue. Give each corner of the box a number or letter and then call out the letter/number that you want the player to run towards. You can control how they get there (sprint, side shuffle etc) and if you want them to return back to the centre spot to complete the drill.
This stage uses multiple level, multiple cue drills using simple movement patters such as a box drill. Life starts to get pretty interesting at stage 5 and the complexity of the drill starts to increase as multiple cues can be used during any one drill. The athlete not only has to complete the drill, he or she also has to process a wide range of information (verbal/visual/physical), react and then move. This is not just a physical workout, the brain gets a pounding as well!
Box Drill – Level Two To take the box drill up a level, you can work on opposites. Using the same configuration as above, make the player run to the opposite number (if you call 1, they run to 3, if you call 3 they run to 1 etc). You can move it on another step by working on diagonals (ie if you call 2 they run to 3; if you call 1 they run to 4). This all sounds very simple but trust me when I tell you that just getting athletes to make these simple decisions with a bit of pressure dramatically increases the difficulty of a very basic drill. Don’t be surprised when they appear to be rooted to the spot as they try to process the information they are receiving!
Stage 6 – visual/physical/rabbit drills
The final progression is where we really start to work on CHAOS. Rabbit drills can be used to take pretty much any closed drill and turn it into a demanding CHAOS drill full of multiple level cues. Once your players start training at stage six they will really be training in a manner that will have maximum transfer to their chosen sport.
Box Drill –Level Three In the final stage we increase the difficulty by introducing ‘rabbit’ drills. Let’s take the same box used above and add an extra cone (if you have access to poles this works really well as your athletes have to physically get round the pole and therefore can’t cheat – an alternative is to use a 5th athlete as a marker). In this drill athlete ‘A’ sets the pace and is the ‘rabbit’. Athlete ‘B’ has to get after ‘A’ and chase them down. Athlete ‘B’ has to follow the exact path that athlete ‘A’ takes, even down to the way they turn. This drill is great, it’s unpredictable and it also has the benefit of added competition.
Conclusion
To effectively train multidimensional speed and agility, effective drills need to develop balance and spatial awareness, must develop the reaction to signals and response to a variety of cues, and utilise movements appropriate to the task. Many coaches have been good at producing athletes and players who are great at performing running ‘patterns’ and ‘drills’ but who can’t actually detect and react to a stimulus and then effectively replicate speed of movement in a chaotic environment – ie sport! What we need is to practice CHAOS.
Practical implications
●Strength underpins a good speed and agility programme but is often overlooked. You can’t be fast unless you are strong.
●Traditional ‘closed’ drills and linear speed drills should only form the first stages of a multidimensional speed and agility programme.
●Use drills that progress from closed, programmed movements to open, random patterns that include various stimulus that allow for decision making.
References
Gambetta, V “Athletic Development: The Art and Science of Functional Sports Conditioning” Human Kinetics Europe Ltd (2007)
Siff, M “Supertraining”; Supertraining Institute; 6th ed (2003)
The principles of periodisation based on Eastern European principles are the foundation of many athletic training programmes. Surprisingly little is supported by research despite the fact that it is widely used and widely written about, despite the numerous presentations on this topic, and despite the fact that it apparently works based on practical observation (2).
Tradition dictates that to be successful in endurance based sports you need to complete high volumes of training. The traditional approach is to move from high volume/low intensity to low volume/high intensity work. Basic periodisation also moves from general to more specific work as the competition approaches (5). This is a popular method and is heavily featured in the classic book on periodisation by Tudor Bompa, Periodisation: The Theory and Methodology of Training. Volume, early on in the training cycle is better, but what if intensity and not volume is really the key for unlocking your athletic potential?
An Alternative Approach
Albert Einstein’s definition of stupidity is “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
I’m sure when you read Albert’s quote you thought to yourself, well that is obvious; of course you can’t expect to get a different result by simply doing the same thing over and over again.
Well, whilst I agree with you that it seems obvious, what I am constantly amazed at is that even now, how often I see people doing exactly that. What would your reaction be if I suggested you try the exact opposite of everything you believe to be true about developing endurance? Would you be prepared to give it a shot?
Now I’m not suggesting that classical approaches should be scrapped altogether, but in events where local muscular endurance is required, as for swimmers, runners, cyclists, rowers and triathletes, reverse periodisation may be the better option (5). The same can also hold true for athletes competing in team and combat sports.
Changing Paradigms
When I graduated from University more than a decade ago the books and research papers that I had been studying all told me that there was just one way to improve your endurance capacity. I’m pretty sure that paradigm still remains as the cornerstone of many a sports science manual.
As I started to work with athletes from various sports I found myself reciting the now well entrenched mantra of those traditional models for endurance training “you must first develop an aerobic base…volume is the key”. Whilst I was outwardly recommending the development of an aerobic base, my gut instinct and own training experience nagged away at me, is this the only way?
Just a couple of years out from university, around 1999 I discovered an alternative approach that was being offered up by Ian King, an Australian strength and conditioning coach. In his book, Foundations of Physical Exercise, Ian presented an alternative to the traditional model (Fig 2) for the periodisation of endurance, ‘Reverse Periodisation’.
The Light Bulb Moment
As I read Ian Kings book I had one of those ‘light bulb’ moments and I’m going to share with you an extract from his book.
“(page 80)…The ‘reverse’ approach is based on maintaining intensity closer to that at the competition demands, recognising that initially the athlete’s capacity to perform this will be low. Then to increase the volume progressively, without sacrificing the intensity. In summary, the goal is for the athlete to learn how to run fast over a distance that they are capable of running fast over, then increasing that distance.
The difference in approaches of these two models is essentially this – the traditional model commences with capacity (volume) and shifts towards power (intensity). The alternative model, as the name suggests, reverses this approach – commences with power and shifts toward capacity.”
What I liked about this ‘revised’ model was that it made intuitive sense. Whilst there was, and continues to be a distinct dearth of research to back the training methodology, this alternative approach made, and continues to make sense to me.
Despite a lack of scientific research, people that made a living from coaching athletes such as Charles Poliquin and Istvan Bayli continued to contribute to its design and use. Here was a training method that could be applied across a wide range of sports, from endurance events such as swimming and running to team and combat sports.
His model for reverse periodisation (Figure 3) can be traced back to eastern block sprinters. Infamous track coach, Charlie Francis understood the importance of training intensity and in his book, Speed Trap discussed how East German sprinters began their training at top speed over short distances, before increasing the distance as the season progressed. This training methodology was not reserved purely for sprinters and was also used by their swimmers who completed tough workouts in an endless pool (3). King’s argument was that what worked with speed and power athletes could also be of benefit to any sportsperson taking part in events that required an element of endurance. Key to his rationale is the concept that speed endurance must be developed at the appropriate pace.
A Traditional model for the periodisation of endurance.
1. Development of an ‘aerobic base’.
2. Develop foundations of specific endurance (threshold work).
3. Specific endurance work and speed and power training.
4. Taper.
The revised method pretty much flipped the more traditional approach on its head. Athletes using this method by pass the ‘aerobic base’ work and start by training specific endurance and speed/power training before moving onto threshold work and then tapering. At no point are they moving slowly for long durations.
1. Development of a ‘speed and power base’.
2. Develop foundations of specific endurance.
3. Combination training (variety of duration/specificity).
4. Taper.
One aspect of the more traditional approach that I often struggled with was that whilst developing an ‘aerobic base’ much of the training focused on central adaptations of the cardiovascular system (heart and lungs), paying scant regard for the muscles used to actually move the body! As Ian King pointed out in his book Foundations of Physical Preparation, “…endurance is more complex than this…specific conditioning for specific sports…is a special blend of the various physical qualities. Conditioning is not just endurance, and certainly not just about the heart and lungs.”
The demands placed upon the musculoskeletal system at slow speeds are totally different to the demands place upon it when working at higher intensities. It just didn’t make sense to me that you could expect an athlete to spend months plodding around building an aerobic base and then expect them to crank up the speed and start working at higher intensities as the competition season approached.
Essentially you are asking the musculoskeletal system to re-programme itself to cope with the increase in training intensity. If you want your athlete to compete at a certain intensity why not start at the intensity and build the volume on, not only will you get central adaptations that will go a long way to developing a lungs like dustbin liners but you will also develop the inter- and intra-muscular coordination that will help the athlete compete at the appropriate intensity. The development of endurance goes hand in hand with the functional specialisation of the skeletal muscles (6)
Take Home Message
I believe that reverse periodisation of endurance offers an effective alternative to more traditional training methods. As I mentioned at the start of this article, I’m not suggesting that we completely scrap the more classical approaches, simply that, if you have fallen into the trap of repeating yourself year after year, now may be a good time to try something new. This may be the first time you have ever heard of, let alone considered using reverse periodisation.
If you still need some convincing take some time to consider some practical points.
1.Why do you start each year like you’ve never trained before? Low intensity, steady state efforts are in my opinion a waste of precious training time if you already have a good training history. I would question if there is any need to do lots of long, low intensity work at all, as this will just lead to specific muscular adaptations – unless of course you want to compete at a slow pace for a very long time! Doesn’t it just make more sense to train the body to work at race intensity and then increase the volumes and therefore your endurance?
2.If cycling or running is your thing and you live in the northern hemisphere, you know that during the winter months, the nights draw in quickly and you will find that it can become too dark/dangerous to ride on the road or run out on the streets in the evenings. This often means you will have to slope off to the garage for a session on your indoor trainer during the week or pop to the gym and jump on a treadmill, and many people can only sustain about 45 minutes before boredom sets in! So with a reduced work time available it makes sense to train more intensely during the winter and to increase the longer rides and runs as the evenings draw out. Reverse periodisation is the perfect training method.
Fellow athletes may try to fill your head with misinformation about how all you need to do is develop a sound aerobic base and then build your speed work. But remember, if you are not happy with your current performances, simply doing the same thing over and over again is not going to help.
Albert Einstein knew a thing or two, maybe it’s time to stop following the crowd and try something new. What do you have to loose?
References
1. Bompa, T Periodization. Theory and Methodology of Training.
2. Cissik J, Hedrick A, Barnes M. NSCA J: 2008: 30 (1): 45–51.
3.Francis, C. Speed Trap: Inside the Biggest Scandal in Olympic History.
4. King, I. Foundations of Physical Preparation.
5. Marshall, J. Peak Performance: 2004: 198 (June)
A new triathlon magazine hits the shelves this month. Triathlete’s World ran 3 trial issues last year and is now publishing monthly. Aimed at newbie triathlete’s like me this is, in my opinion a welcome addition to some of the more ‘hardcore’ tri mags currently out there.In this months edition you can pick up some top tips on bike handling “triathletes who train on their mountain bike in the winter gain a huge advantage over those who simply stick to the roads” – I’m sure anyone that attended the TRI Winter training camps at Whinlatter will agree! There’s a good round up of the latest turbo trainers to hit the market with a comprehensive review of each model. I’ve also got a 3 page piece explaining just how strength training can make you stronger and faster. If that wets your appetite for more information then check out the Smart Fitness and TRI seminar series. The first seminar takes place next week, looking at how strength training can boost performance and you will have an opportunity to find out exactly which moves you need to perform and then have a chance to try them out in our ‘hands on’ session. We still have a couple of space left so check out the events section.
Smart Fitness are teaming up with Total Racing International Coaching to bring you a seminar series that will offer the unique opportunity to learn how strength and conditioning can improve improve your triathlon performance.
The dates for the seminars are Feb 14th, March 14th, April 18th and May 9th. Each seminar will take place on a Saturday morning and will be based in Newcastle. The sessions will last for approximately 2 hours combining a classroom session followed by a practical hands on session with an optional ride afterwards.
The Seminars will cost just £25 each or if you book all 4 get one for free (ie £25 discount)
Spaces are restricted to 15 people to ensure we can create a good learning environment and the sessions are open to anyone interested in improving their personal best (from novice through to pro). Make sure you book early to avoid dissapointment!
To Book contact phil@totalracinginc.com or nick@smartfitness.org.uk
Dates and Topics:
February 14th Strength Training for Triathletes – £3k bike – 50pence Legs!
For most triathletes the benefits of strength training are outweighed by the fear of gaining too much bulk, loss of flexibility and diminished “feel” of their sport. Discover how a well designed strength and conditioning programme will help you unlock your potential. Nick will show you how you can start to run and swim more efficiently whilst producing and maintaining higher power outputs on the bike, all of which will ultimately help you perform better and steer clear of injuries.
March 14th Flexibility Training for Triathletes – Unravelling the Knots
Possibly the most forgotten aspect of training. Hours spent running, cycling and swimming will play havoc with your muscles and result in your sub optimal functioning, poor performance and an increased risk of injury. This session will explain the importance of developing your flexibility and then take you through some of the best techniques for improving your flexibility levels.
April 18th Recovery and Regeneration – The 24hour Triathlete
You don’t get fitter from training – you get fitter by recovering from training. Find out how using the Recovery Pyramid will help you unlock your potential so that you can train hard without falling apart. In this session Nick will show you that it is not the 2 hours you spend training that are important, but what you do in the other 22 hours!
May 9th Injury Prevention – Bullet Proof Triathletes
If you suffer from injuries then this is the session for you. Nick has a regular column in sports Injury Bulletin and in this session he will share with you the most effective injury prevention strategies that will help to keep you training. Nick will look at common injuries caused by each discipline and he will then show you how you can avoid them in the first place! If you have ever suffered from a painful Achilles, sore feet, swimmers shoulder, or knee pain then this is one session that you don’t want to miss.
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A new triathlon magazine hits the shelves this month. Triathlete’s World ran 3 trial issues last year and is now publishing monthly. Aimed at newbie triathlete’s like me this is, in my opinion a welcome addition to some of the more ‘hardcore’ tri mags currently out there.In this months edition you can pick up some top tips on bike handling “triathletes who train on their mountain bike in the winter gain a huge advantage over those who simply stick to the roads” – I’m sure anyone that attended the TRI Winter training camps at Whinlatter will agree! There’s a good round up of the latest turbo trainers to hit the market with a comprehensive review of each model. I’ve also got a 3 page piece explaining just how strength training can make you stronger and faster. If that wets your appetite for more information then check out the Smart Fitness and TRI seminar series. The first seminar takes place next week, looking at how strength training can boost performance and you will have an opportunity to find out exactly which moves you need to perform and then have a chance to try them out in our ‘hands on’ session. We still have a couple of space left so check out the events section.
