Anyone know of a good website or book with some solid sprint/pyramid interval drills? The winter has taken its toll and I need to get my endurance back.
I am pretty sure this topic has come up before, but could not find the prior thread. Thanks.
Submitted by zebignu on Mon, 03/01/2010 - 8:50am
Do a search on your preferred search engine for high intensity interval training and you'll find tons of ideas on how to set them up and how to do them.
If you're looking for something on this site try this (for Google at least):
your search terms site:ocpaddler.com#1 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 9:19am
http://www.canoeicf.com/default.asp?MenuID=Publications/1016/0,The_Barto...
Barton Mold
#2 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 9:42am
The links below contain the suggest physical training regime for those contemplating entering the Navy SEALS. It's obviously not specific to paddling, but has quite a bit of swimming (as expected). Anyway, it consists of two 9-week workout routines that start off pretty easy and work their way to extremely difficult. Nothing fancy in there, but it provides structure with a discreet set of goals and milestones that some might find motivating. All the links provide the same information regarding the workout, just formatted differently. Also some interesting reading on the specifics of BUDS.
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/conditioning/a/012204.htm
http://www.thesealteams.com/SEAL_workouts/
http://www.navysealteams.com/warning.htm
#3 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 12:57pm
Build endurance = Long Slow Distance = 1,5 or 2 hours BELOW 80% of Max HR, at least 3 times a week.
#4 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:47pm
How to drink beer and lose weight http://www.military.com/military-fitness/workouts/beer-and-fitness-can-i...
Rambo
#5 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:47pm
Yeah ! Thanks for the link Rambo... I need to show it to my lady or she won't believe I'm telling the truth !
#6 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 3:51pm
Hiro C. said
Not really. Plenty of studies show high intensity intervals are as effective or more effective than long slow distance at building aerobic endurance. I think one of the first studies was by Tabata (link here) which has given rise to the popular Tabata format (20 seconds at max effort, 10 seconds rest, repeat so total intervals is usually something like 8 or 16).
Intervals suck but are better for you than long slow distance.
#7 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 4:54pm
IMHO I agree with Hiro, but instead of long slow distance, i would rather say long steady distance is key to endurance. Should log tons of miles at steady aerobic pace in your base-building/re-building phase if you can. Most people (including myself) don't have the time nor the patience to do that. HIITs are awesome for short-term gains...but faster your gain, the faster you'll lose that gain. Six weeks time interval mentioned in the article seem like a pretty standard sharpening phase prior to a major/goal race. That said, you should do little interval-type workout during base-building phase so you don't lose touch with your anaerobic side, but focus should be on logging your miles at a steady aerobic pace. Also, i've ready somewhere (i'll post the citation if/when i find it) that you do long enough workout at steady aerobic pace, you'll end up stimulating your anaerobic system some as well. Same thing with the sharpening phase, there are probably tons of intervals with some steady aerobic pace and recovery runs thrown in there.
LSD and intervals work well together in a long-term phase-based training approach - you can't do LSD all year round, you'll die of boredom, lose your job and probably be divorced (which some argue would give you more time to work on your endurance) - you can't do all intervals all year round either...you'll probably end up getting perpetually hurt.
#8 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 10:13pm
Even after showing her, she doesn't believe I can drink beer and be fit...
#9 Mon, 03/01/2010 - 11:35pm
Prove it to her ....hehehe
Rambo
#10 Tue, 03/02/2010 - 11:21am
Another study (you can find a lot more doing some searches at scholar.google.com):
http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/2007/04000/Aerobic_High_Inten...
There's a good summary that should be viewable by anyone. Basic conclussion: interval training is more efficient at improving aerobic capacity than long steady distance.
Anyway, you all do your LSD, I'll do some intervals and we'll both find time to do Rambo's beer training which is probably the most enjoyable aspect of all of this.
#11 Tue, 03/02/2010 - 11:52am
Hey, thanks so much anowara, toa moana, kdkoors & Hiro C!!! Some great advice.
Rambo, I've been doing an aggressive beer drinking workout these past few months and it has definitely increased my endurance...for drinking beer.
#12 Tue, 03/02/2010 - 3:33pm
zebignu, could it be we share the same coach ?
#13 Tue, 03/02/2010 - 5:05pm
Zebignu, the problem is that all of the above are partially correct; endurance comes from many places...
However, it depends on what your looking for too. Most of my information comes from cycling, because of the sheer amount of research done on cycling fitness and its availability to the public. Bottom line, the upper threshold of your fitness is related not in a small part to the amount of base fitness accumulated first. Base fitness starts with workouts restricted to lower zones, but isn't exactly LSD; it's progressive, but also requires discipline to build base before moving to higher aerobic/anaerobic zones. The better base you build first, the higher you can reach later, and conversely. I wish there was better data out there for paddlesports, but haven't found it so I steal from the cycling club now ('cause of course I cycle too...gotta do something to keep the legs fit). Yes, there are methods that are different and I'm not here to bash any, but I've used base-building in Winter seasons before moving to other types of workouts later and have noticed significant differences than before. If interested, swing by local cycle shop or bookstore and browse a book by the name of "Base Building for Cycling" by Thomas Chapple. He's done his homework and that stuff really works. Even if your turned off by some of the lengths of base before speed workouts, you can just shorten it this season and perhaps start earlier next. It's relatively easy to transfer cycling workouts to paddling workouts. Very similar types of activities. Unfortunately, it's difficult to calculate power (watts) on an OC. Therefore you're limited to HR, Speed, Stroke-rate, and perceived exertion for measurable data, but enough to build good workouts from.
So yes, if you go out now and do interval training, your VO2 max will increase sooner than if you started by building some base first. However, towards the middle of the season, if you used intervals at the beginning, you will reach threshold/ceiling sooner than if you built some base before doing those intervals, because that ceiling is lower (ie: weaker/slower) than if you started with some base.. It comes down to how high the fitness ceiling is you want to reach this season.
Hope this helps, I'm just another dude on a lifelong road of experimenting with fitness too.
#14 Wed, 03/03/2010 - 10:39am
GonePaddlin –thanks for the advice. Base building sounds interesting and definitely worth looking into. I agree that there are a number of similarities between cycling and paddling. I’ve always thought that road biking = surfski/kayak and mountain biking = outrigger, but that has more to do with my take on the personalities in the sports than the actual physical activities.
Hiro C –I think that they are one and the same. His methods are unorthodox and his results are questionable, but man does he know how to make you pack on the pounds!
#15 Wed, 03/03/2010 - 12:53pm
Your body will be able to work most efficiently with a structured combination of both long, low-intensity paddles, and shorter duration, high-effort intervals.
Yes, intervals work very quickly, and distance is incredibly boring, but if you train only one way, and without the other, then your body will not be able reach it's full potential.
Also remember that efficiency doesn't necessarily equal speed. So you better get some technique hours in there too.
And that really IS a scientific fact.
#16 Thu, 03/04/2010 - 4:27pm