8 replies to this topic

[Don Juan]

This is a preliminary study cited in the New York Times about rats and swimming, and probably applies to runners.

New york times article

I've chatted to a few people who don't do speed work, but nevertheless want to improve their race times.

I was also chasing Horrie around the park on the weekend. He's finally come across to the Dark-side, speed work, and if he goes back to ultras, then it will be like going back to Black & White television.

[Bellthorpe]

Yep, nothing like a bit of animal torture to come up with dubious conclusions.

[DontStop]

Call me crazy, but if I wanted to study the effectiveness of interval training on humans, I'd probably be putting people on the treadmill and in the pool, instead of rats.

Or is interval training now considered too inhumane to inflict on humans? Or maybe the point was to see how fit you can make a rat? The Ratlympics? The Rodent Games? Of course (dad joke comin' on up... feel free to look away now) you'd want to make sure the marathon course was Ratified.

That is all.

[jasegroom]

Ah, but the lifespan of the average rat is about 1/30th of that of a human, so 6 rat minutes is really about 180 human minutes. I guess if I did three hours worth of intense intervals per week, I'd expect to get pretty fit too...

[Rico]

Don't you have to double it again to account for the different number of legs?

[swaggerer]

I can't resist. We GoodRats love torture -especially if it involves swimming in a barrel of Guinness.



Follow this link (below) if you're an impressionable idiot who thinks binge drinking is cool.

http://www2.guinness...esponsible.aspx

Yeah, it applies to runners(the article on interval training- some would say the responsible drinking link does too). However, runners need a lot of base work so they can handle the interval training and a gradual introduction to specific speed work so their head doesn't pop off or their legs get really, really, really hurty.
Cheers,
Swaggger.

[moby]

DontStop, on Jun 29 2009, 11:17 AM, said:

Call me crazy, but if I wanted to study the effectiveness of interval training on humans, I'd probably be putting people on the treadmill and in the pool, instead of rats.

Or is interval training now considered too inhumane to inflict on humans? Or maybe the point was to see how fit you can make a rat? The Ratlympics? The Rodent Games? Of course (dad joke comin' on up... feel free to look away now) you'd want to make sure the marathon course was Ratified.

That is all.

So that would be a ratrace?


But seriously....

Here's some info on a human study.

[swaggerer]

Cheers Moby. Here is some more that has already been posted for those that missed it.

http://www.runningpl...actic-acid.html

http://www.runningplanet.com/training/MCT1...ng-fatigue.html

Cheers,
Swagger

Edited by swaggerer, 29 June 2009 - 04:51 PM.

[Ewen]

Don Juan, on Jun 29 2009, 10:43 AM, said:

I was also chasing Horrie around the park on the weekend. He's finally come across to the Dark-side, speed work, and if he goes back to ultras, then it will be like going back to Black & White television.

Thanks Don Juan - good to hear Horrie has finally seen the light.

The study by Martin Gibala on cyclists is interesting:
2.5 hours per week for the interval-only group verses 10.5 hours per week for the endurance-only group. 90% less by volume for the interval-only group. Both groups performed similarly over a 30k cycling time-trial.

One thing though, the fast bits of the intervals had to be at maximal intensity... and a 30k time trial takes less than an hour. So, yes, efficient, but maybe not the best method for races longer than an hour, or if you don't like maximal effort only training.