Sub maximal Training
Einstein’s definition of insanity ‘was doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.’
I wonder how he felt about watching other people doing the same things over and again and expecting different results. Can watching it happen drive you mad?
If that’s the case I’m cracked. I’ve seen so many people work out as HARD as possible, burn out, get injured, go back to the drawing board, regroup and come back out working TOO HARD again.
Sub maximal training is where the results are. The science says as much.
Do the best you can with what you got!
MY SUPERBOWL
I’m a track FAN. The Olympic 1500 meter race was my Super Bowl. There were intense rivalries, American runner’s with the medal potential, and my favorite runner (Jakob Ingebritsen) gunning for his second gold medal in the race.
Jakob has been trained from an early age for this stage. He broke 4 in the mile at age 16. His father, Gjert (in the parenting style perfected by Joe Jackson and Emmanuel Agassi), pushed his sons to train at an elite level from an early age. The Ingebritsens became running super stars which led to the family filming a reality show in their native Norway. Everyone wanted to know what their training secrets were.
How much did they run?
How fast?
Why were the pricking their fingers?
The Norwegian Model
Your working out too hard makes me insane; and Jakob’s training illustrates the effectiveness of sub maximal training. The Norwegian Method is built around the principle that a runner’s primary goal in training should be to maximize the amount of time they run at or just under their lactate threshold.
Lactate threshold is is that specific level of effort or pace when fatigue begins. The lactate is being produced as fastvas it can be flushed. It’s the goldilocks zone of pace: just right.
Hopefully I can break this down intelligibly. Their idea: Runner’s aiming for peak performance should run slowly- a lot. When they do run hard they monitor the hard running’s effect on their body via lactate threshold tests (prick your finger or ear and read the level of lactate in the blood). This confirms that they are training in the goldilocks zone. This allows you to train at a high volume without over taxing your body. You leave workouts feeling invigorated- not destroyed.
If you exceed the range and build up too much lactic acid You’re done. Workout’s over. Your body is too stressed and you’re better off recovering.
This method of training didn’t lead to a 2nd 1500 meter gold medal for Jakob; American Cole Hocker’s amazing race saw to that; but it has produced a 2 mile world record, a #4 fastest all time 1500 m race, and a gold in the Olympic 5k last week. I expect he’ll seriously challenge the world record in the 1500 meter and the 5k over the next year or two. I can’t wait.
The Norwegian Method teaches us that training intelligently, and following a science/research based plan leads to the best results.
Not going as hard as you can for as long as you can.
What's this have to do with us? Well- I used to just lift as hard as I could every single time I hit the gym. I plateaued. Quickly. Then I read the book 5-3-1 by Jim Wendler (Norwegian Method for Meatheads), lifted sub-maximally for 4 to 6 weeks and started cranking out personal bests I never thought possible.
And if you train sub maximally- smartly, with a program in mind, you will shock yourself as well.
Your body is an amazing thing. You are faster, stronger and more flexible than you know. With the right program, the right attention to detail you will do things you never thought possible. Want to unlock that potential? Go all out in your planning.
Relax in your workouts.