Speed work and Endurance Part 1

Speed work and Endurance Part 1

How speed work can help in therapeutic settings and in the gym

  

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I believe a very hard part of being an endurance athlete is learning how to train for high bouts of speed and intense work and then being able to recover but keep at a time trial speed.  For example, being on the bike and pedaling as HARD as you can, but after the 30 seconds is over, being able to continue at a very good steady state.  Training your body to excel at these high speeds is important if you plan on doing well in competition. 

Ok, so we have 2 types of muscle fibers, fast twitch and slow twitch.  No, these aren’t the muscles that make you twitch when you see your mother’s dance moves on a Saturday night, or really AGGRESSIVE PDA that you can’t get away from.  These muscle fibers help during long-term exercise and fast movements.  If we never practice in the gym how to recruit these fibers, then we will lose the ability to recruit them in competition or in common life situations. 

I work with someone who has Parkinson’s, and in order to prevent falls I have started some speed with him on an agility ladder. First, it’s different from anything he has ever done and not typical of therapy so he loves it.  Second, if he is on a curb on the side of the road and trips, he will be able to move his leg quickly out to the side to prevent the fall from practicing different directions on the ladder. 

NOW, FOR THE TRAINING!

1.)  Dry Land Training, Hurricane Training!

Using the Speed ladder for quick movements in multiple directions is great.  What I love about it is that it uses ankle mobility and prepares them for stress in multiple angles which is important for the run section of the triathlon.  Here is how I like to use the ladder. 

All performed 1 after the other with no rest, then 45 seconds of rest after the first complete set.

3 sets of 45 seconds on the ladder in multiple positions

3 sets of 12-15 Pull Ups

3 sets of 12-15 Kettle Bell squat overhead press

            This same technique can be used with sprinting.  Sprinting for 30 seconds up and down a track or sprinting in place with resistance using a large band are some other options. 

All performed 1 after the other with no rest, then 45 seconds of rest after the first complete set.

3 sets of sprinting for 30 seconds with resistance band in place
3 sets of 12-15 deadlifts
3 sets of 30 seconds of rotational movements for abdominals

My other favorite explosive movements are side jumps with a resisted band around the hips and the other end fixed to a solid point, since we don’t want any accidents.  In studies, vertical leap was tested in athletes who performed box jumps and forward movements versus athletes who mixed this together with lateral movements.  The results showed that lateral movements provided more progress in vertical leap rather than the group that exercised in one plane.