Last time you did an interval workout, did you have a specific number of reps decided before the workout? Nearly all coaches prescribe and nearly all runners perform a specific number of reps for interval workouts, with that number decided before the workout begins. However, the number of reps is not all that important, and …
In a review of the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, scientists at Stanford University’s School of Medicine compared obesity, physical activity, and caloric intake in U.S. adults from 1988 to 2010. They found a significant association between the level of physical activity in the population—but not daily caloric intake—and the increases …
One of the key features of training program design is the manipulation of stimulating and maintenance workouts. The general pattern I typically use is to introduce one new workout per week (A), habituate to that stress, then, in a subsequent mesocycle, add a second workout of similar stress per week (2As). After habituating to that …
Reverse linear periodization is a method of training that gradually and progressively increases the volume and decreases the intensity over time. It is the opposite of the traditional linear periodization. Historically, linear periodization was designed to improve strength, speed, and power, with training progressing from general conditioning (volume) to specific skills (intensity), with the highest …
It had been a week since Laura and I had spoken. I could tell she had been thinking about what we talked about. We were sitting in the bleachers at the track. She had just finished her workout, and the late day sun was casting an orange glow on the bleacher steps. “You …
Periodization is a blueprint of sequential periods of focused training that guides the coach and runner in the acquisition of specific characteristics of fitness. Training periods are divided into macrocycles, mesocycles, and microcycles. Several ways to periodize your training: 1) Linear Periodization Progressing from high volume/low intensity to low volume/high intensity. 2) Reverse Linear …
On your first day at altitude, you go for a run, and notice within a few steps that you’re breathing heavier than usual. You wonder why, because the air still contains 20.93% oxygen, whether you’re at the Dead Sea in Israel (1,385 feet below sea level) or on top of Mount Everest in Nepal (29,029 …
Your maximum speed for a given duration can be determined using your maximum aerobic speed (your VO₂max pace) and your maximum anaerobic speed (the fastest speed you can run for 8 steps, or about 3 seconds). Max Race Speed = Max Aerobic Speed + (Max Anaerobic Speed – Max Aerobic Speed) Your Max Anaerobic …
Wonder why there are two doses of the COVID vaccine, separated by a few weeks? One shot in the arm would make it a lot easier, right? It’s Hans Selye’s fault. What happens if you give a mouse a toxic dose of a drug? That was the question posed by Hungarian endocrinologist Dr. Hans …
“You look like you’re faster than that.” It was both a compliment and an insult at the same time. It was the summer of 1994, I was 21 years old, and living in Boston for an internship with the Boston Athletic Association—the event management team and host of the Boston Marathon. Every Saturday …