10 replies to this topic

[BigAdam]

Hi All,

I have to focus on my speed as much as I can from now until March to get ready for an AFP Beep Test (provided I get selected). I know that to increase speed I just set a distance and get faster and faster at it. My question is, is there a proper technique or does the technique come to you as your muscle tone increases and you gain strength, ie. do you develop your own technique naturally? Obviously loosing more weight is another way to improve speed.

My current bests are
3km in 14:43
5km in 25:51
6km in 31:51 (over a month ago)
15km in 85min
20km in 1hr59min.

Clearly the shorter runs have the higher average speeds. I can reach over 15km/h but can't hold onto it, on the 3km and 5km runs my average speeds are in the high 11km/h to mid 12km/h range (if that makes sense....) I am thinking of focusing on the 3km runs as they take longer than I need to complete the 8.0 required for the beep test.

Any suggestions from experienced speed demoans of whom I want to aspire to?


BA

[azza]

Just keep doing what you're doing. Keep up the long run every week or two (just made it to 20k, right? congratulations!), and stay consistent. You're spot on with the weight comment - as you get closer to your healthy ideal weight, you will get faster. Also as you said yourself in another thread, staying consistent will do more for your speed than anything else.

Rather then trying all of the interval workouts that I'm sure you've read about, keep it simple. If you're getting bored, the good old fartlek is always fun - just pick a tree in the distance, and run towards it as fast as you can! Then, drop back to your normal pace, recover, then pick another tree! It's a good workout that can be as easy or hard as you like, depending on how you feel.

Good luck!

[PatrickDonnelly]

Re: BigAdam
If you want to increase your VO2 Max (which is what the beep test tries to test), then try Tabata interval work. You pick an exercise, and do your max reps (or distance) in 20 seconds, then rest for 10. Repeat this 7 more times, for a total of 4 minutes. You'll see your reps (or distance) decrease sharply in the first 3-4 rounds, then flatline as you bathe in your lactic acid. It'll help you increase your endurance for repeated sprints and help you recover faster in between beeps during the test.

Obviously, Tabata sprints would be the most applicable to the beep test, but so would air squats or jump squats.

Tabata air squats:
(The arm swing is to keep balance at that speed.)
Tabata jump squats:


Give it a shot, just try not to feel too bad after comparing yourself to the girls in the first video!

[BigAdam]

Awesome, thanks for the tips!!!!!!

[PatrickDonnelly]

Aha, here's the abstract I was looking for...
Tabata Interval Training Abstract

Subjects who trained 60 minutes easy, 5 days a week, for six weeks, had a 5 ml/kg/min increase in VO2 Max. Subjects who trained 4 minutes of intervals, 5 days a week, for six weeks, had a 7 ml/kg/min increase in V02 Max.



Now what to do with those other 28 hours of your life that you saved...

Edited by PatrickDonnelly, 26 December 2007 - 12:19 AM.

[BigAdam]

Thank you, I will try and use it.

cheers

[fitnessfreak]

yeah if your after just getting over the beep test time ull be looking at anaerobic work exacly what patrick said aerobic is more holding a certain speed for an amount of time whereas u stop every 20meters in beep test
i love the beep test did it at school in march when i ran a 10:48 - 3km i got a 13.1 in beep test in 35degree heat and had to stop cause the class dropped out at 9.2 haha yee wellps good luck.

[goldie*]

Thank you so much for the info on Tabata. I'm so excited, going to try the 5 days/week - 6 week trial myself with a mixture of tabata sprints and tabata squats. I think it's just what I need at the moment. Did my first tabata workout today which was fun. But I started it after a 5k run and I really felt it. Didn't get the best out of it. Tomorrow is normally my rest day but I'll try the tabata with a 5min warm up/cool down to see how it compares with today.

Thanks again, it's good to be pointed in the right direction at what seems just the right time.

PS Good luck with your training BigAdam! Have you run a beep test from the web just to try it?

[PatrickDonnelly]

Re: Harvey
If you're going to be doing it 5 days a week, you'll probably want to rotate between a few more movements. Two leg ones (sprinting and squats), while they may be related to running, will probably be too much for you to recover well. Push-ups and kipping pull-ups are good bodyweight ones, and while they may not be running-specific, they will definitely get your heart rate up. Hahah.


Here's a journal one person kept as he did Tabata pull-ups, push-ups, and squats every Wednesday for 12 weeks (he did other workouts in the week, but Wednesday was solely Tabata). The final data posting is in post #46.
http://board.crossfi...ead.php?t=20405

[goldie*]

hmmm - yes, I think I might need to rethink it a little! First day yesterday and boy, am I feeling it today!

I don't think I can do pull-ups or push-ups very successfully but will think of an upper body workout that will fit in.

Thanks for the link. Just finished reading the thread now. I can't believe there seems to be so much supportive evidence of the success of tabata workouts but I'd never heard of it properly before.

I might just have to do my own experiment and log my progress from week to week ...

Cheers

[PatrickDonnelly]

Re: Harvey
Yeah, just be careful walking up and down stairs, okay?
The delayed-onset muscle soreness won't be as bad after you've done it a few more times.

For push-ups, you can begin by placing your hands higher than your feet. Stairs are useful for this, beginning with the 3rd stair or so, and slowly working yourself down to the floor. For pull-ups, try doing them kipping style; note: you'll need a sturdy bar for this, but you can find one at any playground. (It's not cheating. When you jump, you swing your arms, so when you pull-up, why not swing your legs?)

I've also had "fun" with deadlift high pulls (pull a weight from the ground to standing chin height), sit-ups, rowing, jump rope, and box jumps.