Aerobic Hill Sprints

Yesterday, my wife and I headed outside to a local hill to complete our first (of many) hill sprint sessions for the Spring/Summer. There is a perfect hill near our place that is very steep and will literally own you unless you are giving full effort up the entire hill. (Note: If you're wondering what the 3 primary constituents of hill sprints are that make them so awesome - and why you'd be a fool not to do them - then read THIS POST by Chris Romanow.)

Given that it was our first time sprinting (outside) since 2011, we were definitely tempted to run until our legs and hearts couldn't take it any longer, as there's something incredibly freeing and "human" about sprinting full speed outside. However, we managed to hold ourselves accountable, ensuring not to overdo it, as steep hill sprints can wreak havoc on the achilles/calves if you go too much+too soon and don't warm-up properly beforehand.

Anyway, this got me thinking: when the majority of us go out for a conditioning session, there is really no rhyme or reason to what we do. We hear that circuit training is good, so we perform a Spartan, "300-esk" circuit until we shoot our spleen out the back of our pants as we writhe around on the floor. Or, we hear that running 400m repeats will help our marathon time, so we run them until our our glutes bleed and our hamstrings no longer recognize friend from foe.

Now, let me be clear: For the average person who simply enjoys the feeling of their lungs burning and the sensation of pushing the limits of their mental+physical faculties, this is fine. I am all for having fun and sometimes we get too complex with things simply for the sake of complexity.

However, for the competing athlete, haphazardly running through conditioning drills can be the difference between a big W and getting crushed by your opponent.

It is beyond the scope of this post to go into all the different means and methods of conditioning (and which methods are best for each sport), but I'd like to touch briefly on the concept of aerobic hill sprints.

What?? How can you be aerobic if your SPRINTING? Doesn't "aerobic" imply long, slow running reserved for weaklings?

No, sir.

Aerobic Hill Sprints

With aerobic hill sprints, as long as you monitor your heart rate accordingly, you can accomplish a very "neat" training effect: you can improve the aerobic abilities of the fast twitch fibers. In essence, this will train your body to produce high levels of power over a longer period of time.

And who doesn't want that??

The aerobic system has gotten a bad rep in the industry over the past ten years or so (I'll admit, I used to shun it), when the reality is the aerobic system is probably the most important of all of them.

How to Do Them

Strength coach Joel Jamieson refers to this method as High Resistance Intervals. The work duration is short, and the resistance is high. In the case of hill sprints, our "resistance" equals the grade of the hill (hint: you want a REALLY steep one). Here's the protocol:

• Each "rep" (or run up the hill) should last 10-12 seconds. No more, no less.
• Every rep is MAXIMAL intensity. I'm not kidding, drive those knees up and elbows back as if your life depended upon it.For me personally, I pretended I was Wolverine right after adamantium was shot into my skeleton and, filled with rage, was breaking out of my container to exact revenge on those responsible for murdering Kayla.

  

• Rest to a heart rate of 130-140 beats per minute. This is critical to ensure you're actually able to give a true maximal effort on each sprint and not deplete yourself too quickly. Most importantly, this will ensure the intended adaptations of the session are actually taking place.
• Heart rate should be below anaerobic threshold. Again, this is critical. This is not the time for a vomit fest and it's key that you don't go glycolytic on these. (Yes, I have read the Tabata study, and yes, it is one of the most misunderstood and ill-applied studies in performance training history I believe).
• If you haven't sprinted in a while, start with 7-10 reps. Once you get in the swing of things, 15-20 reps should comprise an average "high resistance interval" workout.

Football and rugby athletes are an obvious group I would have do this (heck, pretty much all field athletes), on top of those in the fighting arts and military. Not to mention, aerobic hill sprints would be a staple to place in the preliminary phases of training for a triathlon or long-distance race.

And last, but not least, these are a fantastic option for those that simply love training and want to ensure they're being the most efficient with their time when they go out for conditioning. The hills are a perfect place to start, too, due to the minimal joint stress received, on top of the fact that poor running form (something I'm still working on) won't have as much as a negative impact as it would on a 5-mile run.

One of my favorite quotes by Jim Wendler is "My training plan is simple. It's three things per training session, usually done 3-4 times/week.

• Stretch
• Lift
• Sprint

That's it, and that's all you need. If you stretch hard, lift heavy, and run fast, everything else seems to take care of itself."

Couldn't have said it better myself. Now go get after it.

The Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test

Whether you call it the Beep, Bleep, or Yo-Yo Test all the names are all essentially synonymous. Jens Bangsbo, a Danish soccer physiologist, developed the beep test in the early 90’s. It is wildly popular with soccer teams worldwide, but has applications for all sports of intermittent nature.

Who the Beep Test is for:

Well in this case I am referring to one specific variation of the beep test: the Yo-Yo Intermittent Recovery Test (Yo-Yo IR1 or 2). This assessment is fantastic for team sports of an intermittent nature (meaning there’s a lot of stop-and-go). I use it with my basketball, lacrosse, and soccer teams. It would also be appropriate for rugby.

***Disclaimer: This is a MAXIMAL effort test and should only be conducted with competitive athletes, not recreational athletes. There is a high level of fitness needed to successfully complete testing.

Why this test is so great:

1. It is SUPER easy to implement in a team environment! You don’t need any special equipment; just some cones, measuring tape, whistle, and an app that plays the test version you want (the one I use cost about $3).
2. It allows a coach to know an athlete’s VO2max for comparison and progress tracking purposes without having to use any fancy-schmancy equipment.
3. The Intermittent Beep Test is a fairly sport-specific test for the team sports I listed above. It accounts for the frequent sprints, cuts, and walking associated with such sports and allows us coaches to apply a structure for analysis. This test goes light-years beyond simply running the mile in terms of the relevance of information that can be extracted.

Setup & Protocol:

1. Create lanes for each athlete to run within – a lane is comprised of 3 cones. From where you place cone 1, measure out 5 meters and drop the second cone, from cone 2, measure out 20 meters and drop the third cone. Repeat this process for the number of lanes you need.
2. Be certain to go over the rules of the Beep Test thoroughly with the athletes ahead of time. The speed increases as the test progresses and sometimes that’s hard for them to grasp. I usually let the group do a few passes as practice to remember what the test feels and sounds like.
3. Start the test! If you are using this with a large team, you’ll want to divide the group in half and run it in two flights. This way, the athletes can partner up and the non-running athlete can count the total number of sprints for the runner.
4. Two “misses” end the test. Record the total number of sprints.

***The purpose of reviewing test structure is simply to give you an idea of how the Beep Test is conducted. Consult formal instructions that come with the recording/app for more detailed information.

Interpretation:

Once you’ve recorded the results, now you want to know what it means! Simply plug your results into one of these two formulas to get the VO2max estimation:

Yo-Yo IR1 test:VO2max (mL/min/kg) = IR1 distance (m) × 0.0084 + 36.4

Yo-Yo IR2 test: VO2max (mL/min/kg) = IR2 distance (m) × 0.0136 + 45.3

Now that you know where your athletes' VO2max scores fall, you can begin to track and compare across other sporting platforms and look vertically within your sport at different levels to see where your athletes fall.

As a side note, I think this is the first post I've gotten up on-time in about a month (10am is the soft-deadline). I've already patted myself on the back.

30 Things I Want to Share

I started this post back in September when I noticed that I was exactly 30 years and 30 weeks old, thus, the 30 points I want to share. I hope you enjoy this one... going back and rereading what I had written, I realized this post was better than I originally gave it credit for. Lots of things I've learned about training, coaching, and life throughout!

• I’ve discovered that with every moment older I get, the less and less interested in material objects I become. I guess this is how real adults are able to buy things like vacation homes and afford retirement.
• Weight training does not make women gain weight, unless they are eating like they want to gain weight.

• Considering the cost of gas consumption when purchasing a car is one of the greatest financial lessons my parents ever taught me. It is also the reason why we own a Prius.
• Imposing a strict tempo is probably the most important change I’ve made in my programming over the last 4 years. Prior to that I really had very little appreciation for how powerful training the eccentric and isometric portions of every movement can be.
• Knowing you can provide well for you children is hugely satisfying.

• I frequently feel that only a handful of trainers/coaches in the world actually know how to teach a squat correctly.
• A professor I had in undergrad once told me "a Bachelor’s degree simply shows you have the ability to commit to something and finish it over a long period of time. The people at your first job will still have to teach you what you really need to know." It’s all about experience.
• Certifications mean very little. It’s, again, all about experience.
• Everyone who lives in and around DC should check out the National Arboretum. It’s a beautiful and relaxing place to unwind.
• I recently read a running book that did a much greater job explaining the importance of working at your current pacing level (i.e. % of 1RM for weights) than any weight-training book I’ve ever read. The book is Daniel’s Running Formula.
• Every trained female should be able to perform at least 3 pull-ups. I used to make excuses for myself about why I would never be able to do them… then I smartened up and figured out a great pull-up progression (see #9). After a bit of time, I found myself doing sets of 10 dead-hang pull-ups.
• Mel Siff’s Supertraining is still the most comprehensive book about anything ever written. My mind is blown every time I crack that book open. How someone produces a work like that is beyond my understanding.
• You can tell a great deal about how parents raise their children by how their kids act in the face of a challenge.
• “If you want to be fast, you have to move fast.” This is referring to bar speed in the weight room.
• “You will pass out before you die.” Another great weight room quote from a mentor of mine.
• If you’re unsure about set/rep schemes as they relate to percentage of 1RM. You MUST read Tim Kontos’ article on Prilepin’s Chart. I continue to reference this when I need solid guidance on final decisions in volume and intensity.
• Working to become less egocentric is an important endeavor to improve overall satisfaction with your life. For example, women who avoid the free weight area of a gym because “all the guys stare at me.” No they don’t. Get over yourself.
• Coaches (strength or sport) who become frustrated at athletes easily are not well equipped to be teaching in the first place. We’re teaching more than how to set a screen or do a pushup, we’re teaching life skills.

• Not having spent any time around babies before having one, I never really knew what the big-deal was… I get it now!
• Everyone should consider wearing shoes that have a zero drop or a very low drop. I don’t like the term “barefoot” shoes because you’re not barefoot. You still have shoes on they just don’t have any elevation change from heel to toe.
• You will be better off if you make an effort to go to sleep and wake up at around the same time every day (yes, weekend days are still days, so they count towards this).
• You don’t have to yell at athletes and put on a big show to get them motivated to perform. Just treat them calmly and with respect. Get excited when appropriate.

• Television is such a massive waste of time.
• Work on soft-tissue quality regularly.

• I fully believe in the idea and pursuit of the American Dream.

Teaching Triple Extension

Want to work on improving everything from linear sprint speed, power, change of direction, force production, vertical jump, and deceleration strength? I know, who doesn’t, right? These qualities should be included in the very definition of athletic success.

The triple extension is a huge key aspect to unlocking all of these qualities in concert. It is also the component that is common through virtually all the movements that come to mind when thinking about the ideal strong, fast, and powerful athlete. Some good examples are a wrestler shooting, a sprinter coming off the blocks, throwers at the point of release, the vertical jump in a volleyball attack, etc.

What is Triple Extension?

Triple extension is the simultaneous extension of three joints: ankle, knee, and hip. Getting all of these areas to extend powerfully at the perfect moment is a beautiful and natural occurrence. Mess it up and, well, it looks really bad…

Why should Triple Extension be taught, developed, and progressed?

Again, if you’re looking to unlock and develop the athletic potential in yourself or an athlete under your guidance, then triple extension work is a must. Perfection of this movement during training will result in a faster, more powerful athlete on the court, field, or mat. And if you’re faster and more powerful, you WILL be more successful and less injury prone.

Teaching Progressions:

1. Basic Bodyweight Strength Exercises – pushups, pull-ups, body weight squats, body weight lunges, etc. should all be considered foundational portions of any athletic development program and should NEVER be skipped. Trust me, no one is “too advanced” for this type of work. These movements have their place in any program whether they appear in the warm-up or the body of the training session.
2. Medicine Ball Overhead Throw – this particular exercise allows triple extension to occur. However, I like using other MB variations to teach a powerful hip extension like a Scoop Throw. I suggest 2-3 sets of 4-6 repetitions for beginners and 3 sets of 2-5 repetitions for more advanced athletes.
3. Broad Jump and Vertical Jump Variations – these are fantastic because you can add subtle variations almost endlessly to increase or decrease intensity/difficulty for every athlete’s needs. Plus, this is a great opportunity to teach takeoff and landing technique to avoid the dreaded and dangerous knee collapse. Common variations I use regularly include: broad jump, burpee to broad jump, single leg broad jump, vertical jump, hot ground to vertical jump, vertical jump to single leg landing, etc, etc, etc… Sets and reps are the same as med balls at 2-3 sets of 4-6 repetitions for beginners and 3 sets of 2-5 repetitions for more advanced athletes.
4. Sprint Variations – Numbers 1-3 are progressed over the course of at least 12-weeks for beginners (less for more advanced athletes), sprinting variations can be added to encourage exceptional high quality triple extension repetitions. Generally for this application of sprints the distance should be kept quite short. I find 5-20 yards hits the right spot. At this point we should be dealing with an athlete that can, minimally, be considered “intermediate” in level and with that qualification I suggest 6-20 sets of 1-3 repetitions at a distance of 5-20 yards. The higher the number of sets, the shorter the distance and the lower the number of reps should be. Oh, and be sure to allow for full recovery for achieving power and speed development.
5. Speed Squats – Hands down my favorite style of lower body exercise. This movement type teaches athletes how to produce force by pushing hard into the ground and accelerating up as fast as possible. These variations include the traditional Speed Squat, Wave Squat, and Jump Squat. Speed squat variations should ONLY be used with ADVANCED athletes. I suggest 6-10 sets of 2-3 reps with about 45-seconds rest between sets. Weight should be kept at 55-65% of the athlete’s 1RM squat.
6. Olympic Lifting Variations – Please take note that this is the absolute last suggestion of my list of progressions for teaching the Triple Extension, but it is the variation that inexperienced (and in my opinion misguided) coaches frequently jump to first. Olympic lift variations have their place with highly advanced and elite level athletes. However, I rarely use them. Why? Because through my experience I have found that one can elicit faster and greater gains via cycling through numbers 1-5. However, I do use them sparingly with some athletes. I have to admit the athleticism required for Oly lifts can make executing them a lot of fun, but there is a requirement of athleticism!! It makes me sick to my stomach how many coaches are on some kind of auto-inclusion of each and every Olympic variation for each and every athlete. What a mistake! Including these in a program too soon leads to poor form and execution which means you’re not getting that much bang-for your-buck with the movements (i.e., wasting time) and would be better off regressing to something more straightforward. Anyway, some great variations include the jump shrug, high pull, hang clean, etc. Keep the sets moderate and reps LOW.

You really can’t make a mistake if you cool your jets and follow this progression slowly. Remember, untrained athletes will get stronger and faster with very little stimulus. So take your time and learn to enjoy and respect the process!

Peanut Butter and Accountability

Accountability. I can think of very few action steps that are more effective than this when it comes to inducing positive behavior change. Using myself as an example, I remember experiencing this first-hand back in 2008. I, believe it or not, took a trip over to the "dark side" and decided to compete in triathlon. I thought it would be a good challenge (I don't think I had ever run over 3 miles in my life at this point) and also give me a greater appreciation for the weekly stressors endurance athletes face in training. After all, it's difficult to really understand what it feels like to be in someone else's shoes unless you, well, step into their shoes.

The thing was, I hated the swim portion of training. I was in college at the time, and in order to have any hope of getting my own lane in the pool I had to be there at 7:00AM sharp when the pool opened. Given that, during college, I was less-than-responsible with getting to bed at a decent hour (curse you roommates!), and the fact I was a lousy swimmer to begin with (I think I've seen rocks swim better than I do), I was FAR from motivated to arrive for an hour of "controlled drowning" each morning.

swimtransition

Fortunately, I had a few friends who came right along my side and told me that they would meet me at 7:00AM sharp each morning for a swim. And I better show up, because they sacrificed sleep in order to meet me there. Needless to say, this allowed me to consistently complete my scheduled swim sessions each week, and avoid looking like a complete idiot during the open water swim on race day.

Ok, so what does this have to do with peanut butter? Well, I recently received an email from a good friend of mine that reminded me just how powerful accountability can really be.

You see, my friend (for sake of anonymity we'll call him Sam) has been fighting a pretty intense battle with food for the past few years. After dealing with a number of severe injuries, he began face these irresistible urges to feast. No matter how irrational he knew it was, he'd wake up in the middle of the night and be so hungry that he'd (nearly unconsciously) devour boxes of cereal or even an entire jar of peanut butter.

smuckers_natural_pb

Keep in mind: Sam is a very accomplished runner (holding a 6:39 mile split during a competition marathon...my legs/lungs hurt just thinking about that), so he's no stranger to perseverance, positive self talk, and working hard. However, upon sustaining injuries to the lower extremity - rendering him unable to run - it became near impossible for him to receive his "fix" each week through running. This is when the seemingly-impossible food battles began to really pick up and he gained roughly 30lbs. For an athlete and self-motivated individual, this was obviously devastating.

I did my best to support him, offer him strategies, give him recipes, have him over for dinner, etc. in order to help him through this tough time. I suggested he avoid buying ANY food that created an irresistible temptation, as I've found this strategy has worked for me personally as well as people I've coached.

After all, if it's not in your home, you can't eat it, right?

Here's where Sam actually became quite innovative. He took my advice and stopped buying cereal, peanut butter, and the other "problem foods." However, when he'd awake in the middle of the night, he would steal his roommates peanut butter and eat that! He'd then proceed to go out to the store the following morning and replace his roommate's jar. (Haha, even he laughs at this, so I know it's o.k. to share).

Making a long story short, nothing seemed to be working. Finally, and I have to give credit to Sam for this, he told me that he was going to email and text me every week to tell me what he ate, thus holding himself accountable. In fact, he would text me on Sunday, telling me that he would truthfully be able to write me "success" on Thursday, and this would push him throughout the week. This has been going on for a while now, and this is a recent email I received from him:

Again, the one day goal of texting you a success story worked again. I don't know what it is but even in my tired stupor I think "I have to tell Stevo that I did it because I told him I would and hes counting on me." I had only a cup of cottage cheese and some egg whites last night. (I am aware that a kitten dies every time a yolk is dumped in the sink, but had already had 6 whole eggs throughout the day). For the next week I'm going to allow myself the cottage cheese and an egg for compliance purposes. I did wake up at 4 and had a little bit of rice chex, but quickly stopped myself and had some pistachios before going back to bed.

I can't thank you enough. This is the furthest I've come since I can remember with my eating battles. I know that just one bite of peanut butter is a dangerous slippery slope. As good as it tastes (same with sugar) it's nowhere near worth how I have felt and the changes I've been able to see since I stopped it. I can think clearer, I feel more confident, and I don't feel a slave to food. Last time this happened I relapsed after about a week. I am now over 2 weeks without peanut butter and going for a month, and then on.

When I got this email, it literally made my day. I mean, it had been each and every day throughout a couple years that Sam had been battling this, and just making that step of accountability made all the difference. At this point in time, he has lost 25-30lbs (weighing the least he has in 2ish years, and near his ideal body weight) and is only continuing to improve.

What we can all learn from Sam is that if we're serious about obtaining a goal, we need to tell others about it. In fact, it'd be best if we have those close to us BADGER us about our goals; keeping us on track each and every day no matter what external circumstances appear to be dictating.

Need to lose weight? Hold yourself accountable.

Want to add some lean body mass? Tell your friends/spouse/co-workers how much you're going to put on over the next month. THEN we'll see how often you reach for the muffin instead of the egg omelet for breakfast.

Want to squat 405?  Tell people about it before it happens, and then see how frequently you skip your next lower body session. (Someone I know recently took this step...*coughcoughWayToGoRYANcough*).

Now go tell someone your next goal.

Fall Your Way to Faster Sprint Times: The Falling Start

Who doesn't want to sprint faster? Whether you're a competitive athlete, a weekend warrior, or simply someone who wants to win the next random "tough guy" challenge at a BBQ, the ability to sprint quickly certainly can't be a negative addition to your toolbox.

It's tough to find a better means of true plyometric training than sprinting, and, on top of that, there are few human movements that simply feel more "freeing" than sprinting. There's no denying that it's just plain fun.

However, most of us find ourselves in a devilish conundrum here: Sprinting faster - and safely - isn't just about going out and sprinting. Why, you ask?

1. Most people simply lack the strength to efficiently decelerate (and subsequently accelerate) during each stride. The remedy to this lies in ensuring your involvement in a sound strength training regimen. I discussed the "why" behind the importance of strength for increased speed in the Improving My Son's 60-Yard Dash Q & A I wrote last year (see the third point), so I'm not going to bore you here.
2. The majority of us move like crap. As such, heading out to the track for 100yd repeats for our first "sprint" session is a recipe for pulled adductors, hamstrings, and hip flexors (admittedly, this happened to me in college so I'm allowed to make fun of those that currently do it). Given that most people sit the majority of the day, possess glaring flexibility deficits, and haven't sprinted in a while, going balls-to-the-wall right off the bat is about as intelligent as thinking you can win a cage match against Wolverine.**

This being said, I prefer to ease people into sprinting, utilizing short bouts of 80% intensity to begin with. These will typically be completed at 20-yards OR LESS. This way, the person won't be able to reach full acceleration and reduce the risk of incurring an "ouchie." Not to mention, nearly everyone's sprint times can be lower by working on the first ten yards alone, due to the fact that the start of the sprint is where you lose most of your time.

Here's a drill I like to use to ease into sprinting, on top of helping teach someone how to produce large amounts of force into the ground:

Falling Start

Some of the key points:

• Fall. Seriously, fall forward as far as possible. You want to lean so far that you would literally fall on your face if your feet don't catch up to you. This is critical to creating the momentum we're looking for in acceleration, as well as nearly (but not completely) approximating the body angle required for acceleration one would experience out of the blocks. This is where Matthew (the one demonstrating) is better at this drill than the majority of people I've seen do it, as most tend to think they've leaned further forward than they actually have.
• As you lean forward onto the balls of your feet, be sure to keep the hips forward (i.e. body should be stiff as board, like you're a falling plank...no bending at the waist).
• As you drive out of the fall, maintain that forward lean and be vigorous with your arm action. Drive those elbows "front to back" and keep the palms open/relaxed (again, Matthew does a pretty good job with this).
• Try your best to keep the chin tucked throughout the acceleration, too. The only main critique I have for Matthew's demo is that he looked up - hyperextending his neck - as he drove out of the start.
• Keep your sprint distance to 10-20 yards, especially in the early stages of training. In the video, Matthew only accelerates through the eight yard mark before slowing down.

There you have it. While there are countless drills you can use to "improve that first step," I really like this one for people just starting out with their sprint work, as well as mixing in the programs of those toward the "advanced" side of the spectrum, too.

**unless your name is Magneto.