Myth of the Aerobic Base

“It is not necessary to build an aerobic base, you need to build a work capacity base, not an aerobic base. Taking a group of sprinters and running then for 30 or 40 minutes continuously will have no positive effect on their development. In fact everything about that is negative: 1) The kids get turned off, they are in the sprints because they are faster and explosive – fast, explosive people do not tolerate running slow 2) Irrefutable empirical and scientific evidence tells us that continuous slow aerobic work significantly compromises explosiveness. Very simply said, you are what you train to be – if you train slow, you will be slow! To get fast you must train fast.”

Building an Aerobic Base

Optimum training for fast-twitch muscle --

Do a Sport specific warm-up

Practice mental preparation: maximum fast-twitch muscle recruitment results from specific mental preparation before and during competition.

Lifting weights equal to or greater than 75% 1RM

Performing physical activites flat-out: e.g., sprinting, swimming, rowing or cycling as fast as possible: The minimum speed needed to contribute towards absolute speed development is 75% of maximum.

Training muscles eccentrically

Plyometric training : Plyo-Pushups Clap-pushups – might start with just one clap... Depth Pushups another version of Depth Pushups Medicine Ball Pushups Medicine Ball Chest pass

Complex training: for example; 1 set of 10 squats at 75% 1RM , 2-minute recovery, then 10 jump tucks, repeated 3 times.

Over-speed training: includes, for example, downhill sprinting and using lighter equipment for hitting or throwing sports .

Good recovery: 24-48 hours of recovery should be taken between very intense training and speed work sessions. A further 24-36 hours recovery results in an opportunity for a peak performance.