Power Bias 2 article

[Chris Forbis]

Just read the Power Bias 2 article. Good stuff. It reinforced thoughts I have had relating to sprinting.

I had been doing tabata sprints weekly in my training. Tabata sprinting is brutal, with my 4th-8th rounds conducted at greatly reduced speed (relative to my absolute maximum speed). I recently abandoned these tabata sprints for 100m sprints followed by 2 minutes of rest (spent walking back to the start line). I do this for 6-10 sets. Following this plan, I see minimal increase in my overall time from my first to last set (and thus little reduction in power output).

My rationale for following this protocol was that both the tabatas and what I recently adopted leave me as a wreck, heaving for breath and semi-naseous. I opted to stick with the one where I'm peforming the work at a higher power output.

Now we'll see how I do on a 5k in 4 weeks on this minimal amount of running training.

[Greg Everett]

Do you ever combine those punctuated sprinting bouts with other exercises?

[Steve Shafley]

What are you training for, Chris?

[Yael Grauer]

That article made intuitive sense to me (I ignored all the science ) because I used to do intervals back when I was running five days a week (before Crossfit). I'd either do short sprints and jog back or I'd do 15 seconds of full power holding onto the handlebar "running" followed by slow-motion "walking" on the elliptical. Which incidentally got me just as many strange looks as CF does. Anyways, doing this for twenty minutes definitely sucked more than my short sprint or slow long distance days, even though I was only full-out running for 5 minutes. I took my brother to the gym when he was visiting me last winter, and he said it sucked more than anything, which surprised him as he'd just finished running a half marathon. And we were on the wimpy little elliptical! (I'm far too uncoordinated to put my feet on the sides of the treadmill without falling over and didn't want to keep fumbling with the settings, hence the elliptical.) So it had to be the intervals.

I always wondered why the CF intervals didn't suck as bad, but I thought it was because there were other exercises interspersed which used other muscles (etc.) and never considered the rest factor.

So if one wanted to do today's WOD with that stellar research in mind, would you just do 21 deadlifts, take a 2 minute break, and then do the HSPU's and take another 2 minute break?

[Ben Kaminski]

I think you've got it right, Yael. Normally one would power through, breaking sets when tired and/or resting briefly between exercises. To incorporate this idea, I think that one would do the deadlifts, rest, do the HSPUS, rest, etc. until complete. Also, all of the sets would ideally be unbroken.

I think this WOD is tougher to break out than one such as Helen.

[Chris Forbis]

Greg-

Right now, I'm not adding in any other exercises. I'm just focusing on the running for the upcoming 5K. After that, I will almost assuredly throw in other stuff. Maybe: sprint 200m, rest 2min, near max clapping pushups (leave 1-2 in tank), rest 2min, near max kipping pullups (leave 1-2 in tank), rest 2min, repeat two more rounds.

Steve-

I'm recovering from a back strain from losing lordosis due to poor flexibility in my extensors. So I'm just training in small amounts to keep my sanity as I rehab. I have a very limited pool of exercises that don't aggravate the injury (upper body BW stuff, running, most jumping). I'm kind of focused on the 5K in four weeks, thus the recent emphasis on sprinting. I'd like to see if I could break 20 minutes with a minimal training program. After that, it will be upper body BW strength work until my back is healthy enough for me to start lifting heavy things again.