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The Science of Performance |
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Running Physiology – The State of the Art Part 6 – Improving Performance By Richard Gibbens In this series I’ve built the case that the current theory of VO2max is flawed and that training programs based on this theory are also equally flawed. I have advanced the alternate theory that your muscles are the limiting factor in endurance performance. In a future series I will develop in more detail the concept of muscular limitations to endurance performance, but for now let’s discuss methods to improve your performance. First, let me ask an odd question for a series on endurance performance. Why is weight lifting better than calisthenics? In terms of producing strength I don’t believe there is any argument that weight training is far superior to calisthenics. Why? The answer is because weight training requires a greater amount of force to be used. Compare the strength gained from push ups and that gained from bench pressing. With push ups you are, for all practical purposes, limited to your body weight. With bench presses you are basically unlimited in the amount of weight you can add to the bar. Push ups require a relatively modest amount of strength to perform while bench presses can require a very high amount of strength to perform. Consequently you are able to gain much more strength from bench presses than push ups. High force production causes increases in strength. Now, let’s ask another question. Why does speed work (intervals, hill workouts, etc.) produce more results in terms of running performance than steady state running? The answer is the same as for weight training; because speed work requires much higher levels of force production. That’s right. The factor that causes your muscles to get stronger in the gym is the same factor that causes you to run faster. High force production causes improvements in running performance. Furthermore, strength, power and endurance are not different physiological entities. They are related. Until now physiologists have suggested that muscle strength and power are controlled by different physical entities than endurance. That is not the case. If you increase your muscular power, you simultaneous increase the pace at which you can run for any distance. For example, the pace at which you race a 5k increases each time your power increases. Conversely, you can run all the low intensity, easy runs you want and see little, if any, improvement in performance. Studies have shown that significant improvements in performance occur due to intense workouts and that steady state running produces negligible gains. This much should be clear by now; if you want to improve your performance, you must conduct some high force production workouts. I have another very important question for you. If muscle really determines your running performance, how frequently should you train your muscles using high levels of force production in order to achieve maximum results without overtraining? In the strength training world, it is generally promoted that 2 days of training per week per muscle group is optimal. Even just three workouts per week for a particular muscle group easily results in overtraining for most trainees. Many will actually perform better on just 1 day per week of training per muscle group. Its amazing how little training is required when the force and intensity are high. Admittedly, weight training and running do not have the exact same effect on your muscles. However, the principle of overload applies equally to any form of exercise. How many days a week do you run? I made the point that the factor that causes improvement in power is also the same factor that causes improvements in running performance. I now make the point that if you have a hard, intense run it can take you about the same amount of time to recover from that run as it would take to recover from a weight lifting session. I’m saying that for most runners if you increase the intensity of your runs, then you can only run 2 - 3 times per week and still expect to recover. I know that everyone says to run better you need to run more, but trust me on this – more is not necessarily better. Harder is better. The real factor in determining the optimal training volume is recovery. If you train before you have recovered, you are slowing the recovery process, impeding improvement, and greatly increasing your chances of injury. Here’s my last point. Have you ever run a “recovery run”? The idea behind the “recovery run” is that an easy run will help you recover faster. Many programs suggest that you run hard 1 – 2 days per week and make the rest of your runs during the week easy or “recovery” runs to speed recovery from the hard runs. That’s an interesting idea, but there is no evidence that easy or recovery runs enable you to recover faster or that they make you more fit. Instead, they may actually hinder recovery and performance. What evidence do I base this on? I base it on the number of injuries experienced by runners. Running injuries dramatically increase as training volume increases. There are various statistics on running related injuries that all point to the same thing. More = injury for the vast majority. At just 4 days a week of running the rate of injury increases exponentially. A running injury is a clear indication that you have placed more stress on your body than it is capable of handling. It’s a sure sign that you are overtraining. Let’s sum it up. First, high force production is the key to improved running performance, so add regular speed work. Second, train infrequently. Limit your running to 2 – 4 quality workouts per week, based on your personal rate of recovery. Third, eliminate easy or recovery runs. Use these guidelines in your training and your running performance will soar. Till next time, keep on running.
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