Conditioning for Sprinters

By Latif Thomas

Aerobic and Anaerobic Conditioning is an important aspect of overall training for all track athletes. The aerobic system must be able to supply an adequate amount of oxygen to the muscles. If it cannot, ultimately, lactate accumulates and begins to shut the muscles down. Therefore, training must both increase aerobic capacity and buffer lactate accumulation to allow anaerobic glycolysis to continue.
This article will look at the means of training these systems through three types of Tempo Running: Continuous Tempo, Extensive Tempo and Intensive Tempo.
When using these means of training, I find it valuable to use athletes' heart rates as an indicator of their level of work stress. On the average we can determine maximum heart rate by using: 220 - age. Thus, a 15 year old athlete s maximum heart rate would be about 205 BPM.
When quickly calculating conditioning and recovery during a workout, I will have athletes find their pulse (in the neck since it is closest to the heart) and have them count their heart rate for 6 seconds. We then multiply that by 10 (just add a 0 to the number they counted) to determine their current heart rate. This way, as a coach, I can tell whether they have recovered sufficiently for the next interval, are not working hard enough, or are laboring too hard for the goals of the workout. I then modify athletes workouts accordingly.

CONTINUOUS TEMPO is used for general endurance, helps improve recovery and the athlete s fatiguing mechanisms. This past summer I saw far too many soccer and field hockey players using long slow tempo runs as their primary method of conditioning. These runs are useful, but when done below 60% intensity they will not prepare these athletes for the demands of their event.
Depending on the conditioning of the athlete, blood lactate concentration increases as workload exceeds 60% intensity (HR 120-140). The capability of the body to absorb oxygen is dependant upon the size and strength of the heart, the network of capillary blood vessels, number of mitochondria and the quality (hemoglobin and hematocrit) and volume of the blood. The more hemoglobin in each red blood cell, the more oxygen it can carry from the heart and lungs to working muscles.
Therefore, it is important that athletes develop the aerobic energy system with runs at 60-70% (HR 120-140) intensity continuously.

EXTENSIVE TEMPO:
Extensive tempo consists of runs of 100m - 600m at 70-80% intensity (HR 140-160). With these runs, a conditioned athlete will get some lactate formation, but only at a fraction of the levels experienced when running at 90-100% intensity.
Extensive tempo assists in the removal and turnover of lactate, as well as the body s ability to tolerate greater levels of lactate. With submaximal work levels of 60-80%, lactate will form in large amounts because the oxidative system simply can not meet the demands of the muscle. Oxygen debt occurs, accelerating the demand for anaerobic energy production. Such levels may not occur until deep into the workout or during intensive tempo work. This method of training, again, involves relaxed runs at 70-80% intensity to aid in recovery and enhance oxidative mechanisms.
Remember, it is the ability to buffer lactic acid that allows athletes to stay competitive late into games and competitions when they are constantly in oxygen debt, but must maintain the ability to accelerate, quickly change directions and hold near maximal efforts.
When performing extensive tempo workouts, athletes should be able to finish each repetition within the prescribed (HR 140-160) range. Successive intervals should not occur until athletes heart rates have subsided to this range. These workouts are not what coaches or athletes would consider hard workouts .
Depending on conditioning level, experience and time of year, the volume for these workouts should be between 2000 - 4500 meters total. Rest should be between 30" - 3' between reps and 2 - 3' between sets.

Examples of an Extensive Tempo Workout:
1. 2 x 10 x 100m @ 75% with 30" rest between reps and 2' between sets
2. 2 x 8 x 200m @ 72% with 1'rest between reps and 2' between sets
3. 8 x 400m @ 75% with 2' rest between reps. If athletes struggle, give a halftime rest of 3-4 minutes. 4. 7 x 600m @ 77% with 3' rest between reps.
Remember, athletes should be able to hit their times and, once prescribed rest has been completed, be within their target heart rate. If they aren't, give them more rest between reps, reduce the volume of the workout or shut the workout down.