The rise of Eastern Bloc athletes from the 1950s has been attributed, in some areas, largely to the implementation of periodisation. In practice, this was a method of splitting the training year into phases with a different emphasis on each phase each building on the last in a linear fashion. A typical example of a training year would include: general preparation phase specific preparation phase pre competition phase competition phase recovery/transition phase. The success of the Lydiard method during the 1960s was based on similar principles. Runners would spend as many weeks as possible running high mileages at aerobic paces. They would then spend 4 weeks with an emphasis on hillwork before spending 4 weeks with an … [Read more...]
Law 9 – Incorporate Base Training and Sharpening
This rule implies that peak racing performance only occurs when a period of high-intensity, low volume training (peaking or sharpening) follows a prolonged build up period consisting of low intensity, high volume training. The godfather of this approach to training has got to be Arthur Lydiard. Greatest of all the runners coached by Lydiard was the double Olympic champion and multiple world record holder Peter Snell. Although Snell was predominantly an 800m runner, during his base period, he would regularly run 100miles per week. The Lydiard approach would then have the runner adopt a period of hill training before a brief sharpening phase to prepare for the main competitive races of the season. Following this style of training … [Read more...]