This is a killer if you do it with out rest between the sets, yet this is realistic for all collegiate distance runners...even the 5k/10k athletes. This is a basically Vern Gambetta's leg circuit, but we do front lunge with twist and I uped the reps on the step ups, yet he wants athletes to go through 5 times (!!!) with no rest before they ever step into a weight room.
I have to admit, I like this week's Tip more than most. Why? Because
this circuit is Simple - it can be done anywhere! - but this circuit is
not Easy. And this is not to say the other Tuesday Tips aren't useful,
but this one can be done anywhere, any time; last week someone wrote in
saying, "Great routine, but our sand pit is covered in a foot of snow"
and I have to admit that I hadn't thought of that. But this once can
be done today by anyone, anywhere.
This circuit is a tweaked version of Vern Gambetta's leg circuit, which he discusses in detail in his latest book (and I highly recommend you read his blog - great insights and
definitely a holistic coaching philosophy). Vern's circuit has fewer
reps, yet he wants athletes to go through it 5 times (5 times!) without
a break before they step foot into a weight room. The tweaks I've made
are as follows:
- Front Lunge w/Twist (rather than front lunge) to get the runner working in the transverse plane.
-
40 Step ups, but with "5k or 10k" knee angle...basically the more than
135º knee angle (he has just 20, but to a bigger step). The reason we
want to go to a lower step is that this is the first step in a long
line of exercises and routines that develop power, yet we want to keep
things very easy at this point. Even if you're a 800m or 1,500m
runner, you should start with a low step that gives you a "5k/10k" knee
angle...you can move to a higher step later in the season.
Final thoughts. The number of trips through the circuit is not as
important as the rest the first 3-4 times you do this. So going
through twice with no rest is much harder than 3 times with 3 minutes
between the sets. Also, it is my belief that this should come after
hard days, following the "hard days hard, easy days easy" motto of
training. The video you're watching came after a fairly hard track
workout, roughly 8-10 weeks away from the primary indoor meet.
I look forward to everyone's comments today and thanks for tuning in to Tuesday Tips.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Jay Johnson
*Weekly RunningDVD giveaway! We know that people are watching these Tuesday Tips and that's great,
yet we'll all be better served if you and others will write
questions/comments/observations in the comments area. I'll respond,
then you may decide to respond to that response and pretty soon we'll
have a much richer resource for us both. To that end, RunningDVDs.com will be giving away 4 DVDs each week to the first 4 people that comment on the newest "Tuesday Tips" video and become a fan of the RunningDVDs.com site. Simply post your comment below, become a fan and shoot me an email at [email protected] with your name and mailing address. I'll send you a free copy of Vol.1
or Vol.2 of Building a Better Runner, just specify which DVD you'd
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dialogue that helps us all.
Post here with any questions regarding the givaway.
Jay Johnson
