I know this is always something that needs to be taken with a thought process that allows you a learning curve that is outside an obvious physical exertion but the relationship between the thought and the action is very conected
Speed training
I listen in on material that Latif Thomas puts out over at
http://www.athletesacceleration.com
I think the material is very good, he debunks a few myths of training lore that I agree need to be challenged. He puts out a course called complete speed training designed to get the mechanics and strength component of an athlete correct so that they can preform better I agree entirely.
The program does not cover Triathlon or multi sport disciplines which is a shame. I have attempted to get a response on how the theory goes with endurance based sports. I have not seen any response from them but I do believe to be able to go fast you have got to train ,to go fast, that means, mechanical efficiency, strength and technique.
The following ten points are from his 10 top Training myths
1. Static stretching prepares you to compete/practice
Static stretching actually reduces power output. Athletes should prepare for practice by doing a dynamic warm up that moves from basic, low intensity movements to faster, more explosive movements as the muscles loosen up. You want to simulate movements that athletes will go through in practice or a game. What happens when you try and stretch a cold rubber band? In a way, you can think about your muscles the same way.
2. Strength training makes females too bulky
This is a popular mindset with many female athletes that we have worked with. Simply look at some elite female athletes like Mia Hamm, Lisa Leslie, etc. These athletes certainly train with weights and no one would accuse them of having manly physiques. Strength training will improve performance and reduce injury if done correctly.
3. You can’t train speed
For some reason it is a popular belief that you are born with a certain amount of ‘speed’ and you can’t improve it. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Most young athletes are so physically weak and mechanically out of tune that significant improvements in speed can be made often just by working on technique and form. Athletes at any age and any level can improve speed when implementing a complete speed training program designed to improve and develop the entire athlete.
4. Training slow makes you fast
I don’t think coaches directly think this way, but their training implies otherwise. This is especially true in sports that involve a higher aerobic element such as soccer, field hockey, lacrosse, etc. I see kids out running mileage and doing long slow intervals of several minutes of continuous running. And this will get them in shape. But in games I see kids jogging, jogging and then sprinting at full speed for 20-30 yards, run, jog, sprint for 20-30 yards. If you want kids to improve their acceleration and top speed so they can get to the ball faster or get back on defense, then you have to train by running at full speed in practice.
5. You can train hard every day
The workout itself is only a piece of the training puzzle. It is the time between intense workouts, the recovery, where athletes make their improvements. And generally it takes 36-48 hours to recover from high intensity training. If athletes are doing too much, too often they become over trained. Coaches can expect to see an increase in injuries, kids complaining that they are sore more often, decreased performance, higher levels of fatigue earlier in games. It’s always better to under train an athlete than over train. Err on the side of caution to get maximal results.
6. Strength training will stunt a young athlete’s growth
This is another myth held over from a different time. On a daily basis, kids as young as 7 years old are playing organized sports year round, tackling, getting tackled, sliding, falling etc.. These loads on the body can have a much greater physical impact than a well designed strength training program. Though we don’t usually begin training with weights with pre pubescent athletes, they can benefit from body weight exercises such as push ups, lunges, sit ups, etc. This will increase muscular efficiency, speed up recovery, improve coordination and overall speed.
7. The harder the workout, the better the result
Some athletes (and coaches) have this mentality that if a workout doesn’t reduce them to complete exhaustion and/or make them vomit, that it wasn’t an effective workout. I can tell you that those who have this mentality probably see a lot of injuries and frustrating performances. The purpose of a workout is to stimulate an adaptation by the body. If the body is forced to do too much work in a given time period, it will break down. The skill in coaching is to stimulate the adaptation in the body, without reaching a point of diminishing returns.
8. Interval training is the same as speed training
Running repeat 100s, 200s, etc will not improve top speeds. Even running repeat 40s with short recovery will not improve acceleration and top speeds. Speed work is defined at 2-8 seconds of maximal intensity running with full recovery. That means at least 2 minutes of light dynamic movement between each effort. This goes against the experience of some coaches, but simply put, is the only way to improve speed. An athlete must be able to focus on proper form and maintain intensity in order to get faster. If they do not recover properly from each interval, they will not be able to replicate proper mechanics with consistency and they can not improve.
9. Flexibility won’t help you get faster
Both coaches and athletes spend so much time on the skills of their sport, speed training and conditioning that they often forget a fundamental component of success: flexibility. After practice or a game, the muscles are warm and loose. Now is the time to work on increasing flexibility. So many athletes suffer injuries or compete below their capacity because poor flexibility inhibits their range of motion and speed. We see this often in the hips and hip flexors where athletes’ stride length appears conspicuously short. Most often we see this in male athletes who will lift weights, train hard and then skip out on their cool down and flexibility work.
10. Lift your knees
I hear so many parents and coaches yelling to their kids when they want them to run faster or when they are beginning to fatigue, “Lift your knees, Get your knees up”. This is one of the most backwards cues we can give to athletes. The way to run faster is to apply more force to the ground. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, so the more force you apply to the ground, the more the ground will give back. So when we cue athletes to lift their knees we’re doing two things incorrectly. One, we’re telling them to use their hip flexors to lift instead of their glutes and hamstrings to drive down. Just think about the size of your hip flexor versus the size of the glutes and hamstrings. Now which muscles do you think can create more force and therefore more speed?
Second, we’re cueing them to do learn a movement that is in opposition to what generates speed. If an athlete learns at age 7, to lift their knees when they need a burst of speed, that improper cue will be hardwired into their brain. To unlearn that as a teen and try to do the opposite and drive down, that athlete will have a difficult time coordinating an entirely new way of running and will potentially have to take a step or two backwards. That’s why it is critical to learn proper form early and get an advantage over those who still aren’t getting the best instruction. So cue athletes to step over the opposite knee and drive the foot down into the ground, with the foot landing underneath the hip.
Back on the bike and in the water not afraid of shark attacks
I will be commenting on more issues in regards to the place I stayed,but for now I would like to say thanks for those who wondered where I have been and thanks to all those who helped me along the way.
After the experience that I have gone through and understanding that I am not alone with the need to have help deal with depression and its related symptoms I will be coordinating an awareness walk and meet at Caboolture In Southeast Queensland .
It is in conjunction with The Glasshouse Adventure Series of Trail Runs There will be a celebrity meet with On-screen hero, Neighbours heart throb Brett Tucker, who is set to take on one of his most challenging roles – running 30 kilometers through the bush in tropical Queensland. I will be updating more regularly now I have myself back in the place of functionality. I will continue to post comments on my love of my triathlon sport and great feats of people who go through difficulty and come out on the other side using sport as a way to to be able to step up to the start line of life again. see Tracy’s story http://www.watzzupsport.com/2008/01/20/triathlete-beats-depressionand-booze-with-one-leg/
Brett Tucker who plays schoolteacher, and all-round nice guy Daniel Fitzgerald in the long-running soap, has signed on to run in the 2008 Extreme Challenge, which will be held in the stunning Glasshouse Mountains near Brisbane on Sunday, May 18.
The 2008 Extreme Challenge,is an event – organised by Melbourne-based charity One in Five, which raises funds for the Mental Health Research Institute (MHRI) of Victoria
One in Five’s Ryan Wavish said a new Extreme Challenge was held each year to raise money through sponsorship for the MHRI. “Another critical element of the event is that it raises awareness of the positive link between physical activity and mental health,” Mr Wavish said. ““The challenge is physical to highlight the importance of long-term exercise in the fight against mental illness. We want to give people the chance to experience this for themselves by participating in a long-term exercise programme. It is also extreme – so we can gain maximum exposure to raise awareness.
Runners train for up to five months in preparation for the event. Training plans, expert advice and a weekly group running session is provided free of charge by Group Exercise Therapy, a specialist group training organisation headed by director Ryan Wavish who is also a One in Five Committee Member.
Wavish, who will take on the 30km run in the Extreme Challenge, says he is thrilled to support One in Five because his work had allowed him to experience first-hand the benefits that exercise brought to mental health.
“Regular exercise, even if it’s just an evening jog around the park or a 20-minute stretch and aerobic routine, makes a world of difference to our emotional wellbeing; so to be able to raise funds and raise awareness while raising our pulse rates is a perfect fit,” Wavish said.
“It’s great that so many people have already signed on for the run. We hope that this year’s Extreme Challenge will raise over $60,000 through sponsorship.
The first Extreme Challenge was held in 2006, when Wavish and 10 other people trekked the gruelling Kokoda Trail in Papua New Guinea, raising more than $50,000. This, in conjunction with another successful Extreme event and other fundraising effortsbrought the total donations for that year to over $150,000. Actor Bernie Curry (Neighbours, Monster House) participated in the Kokoda Challenge.
The 2007 Challenge saw over 50 people participating in the Great Ocean Road marathon and half marathon. Wavish also provided months of free training for this event, which raised over $75,000.
One in Five holds a number of other events each year, such as its outrageous “Extreme” party and a retro surfing competition.
The money One in Five donates to the MHRI is used to investigate more targeted, and therefore more effective, drug treatment for depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The charity hopes this research will help to prevent suicidal behaviour and ultimately determine the causes of mental illness.
For more information about One in Five, please go to: www.oneinfive.com.au.
One in Five is a group of friends whose lives have been significantly affected by an affliction affecting one in five Australians – mental illness. A not-for-profit organisation, it is staffed by volunteers dedicated to generating greater awareness of mental illness in our society, and raising funds for research on prevention and treatment. Since 2003, One in Five has raised just under $500,000 for the MHRI. Donations to One in Five are tax-deductible.
As for the title of the post, as always I see things that go on in life, played out in the sporting arena. When you have a prang on the bike you get up and get back on, some dude gets a shark bite or as happened here recently, a life was tragically lost due to shark attack you do not stay out of the water you may be more vigilant and that is the learning you have received, but you get back in the water just as life sends a few curve balls you learn what from it, be grateful and get back into life again.
You always can only get the thrill of achieving your goal be it a race, healthy lifestyle, healthy relationship, If you are prepared to step up to the start line and say bring it on I can do this I will leave you with this
Hail Hearty and lustly shout
all is fine in the world
and my heart is keen
to garner all
knowledge passion and experiance,
that my foot prints show
not where I did not go,
but where
I have wonderingly been
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Sometimes when you really do want to get started
BUT
the Motivation is not there try the power of positive therapy to change the way you think CLICK ON THE PICTURE ABOVE
see where it takes you
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