VO2max

The monthly newsletter of RunCoachJason.com

Jason Karp, professional coach, consultant, freelance writer

July, 2005

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In this issue:

Integrating Science with Application—Active vs. Inactive Recovery

The Other Side of Coaching

VO2max and Heart Rate

New Coaching Services

Research From ACSM

In Press

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Integrating Science with Application—Active vs. Inactive Recovery

Ever wonder if you should jog or stand still during the recovery period between intervals?  It all depends on the goal of the workout and which energy system you are trying to train.

 

When running long intervals (3 to 5 minutes) to train VO2max, use active recovery between intervals.  With active recovery, there is a greater removal of lactate from the muscles (and, more importantly, a greater buffering of the associated acidosis).  Also, with active recovery, VO2 will remain elevated between intervals.  Consequently, subsequent intervals will begin at a higher VO2, stressing the aerobic system to a greater extent. 

 

When running shorter, faster intervals (30 seconds to 2 minutes) to train the ability to buffer acidosis (what many coaches call “lactate tolerance” workouts), use active recovery between intervals.  Not only is lactate removed more quickly from the muscles when you use active recovery periods, active recovery also blocks the replenishment of your muscles’ high-energy creatine phosphate and ATP stores, which makes these fuels unavailable as energy sources during subsequent intervals.  Consequently, anaerobic glycolysis will be the principle contributor of energy during subsequent intervals.

 

When running very short intervals (10 to 30 seconds) to improve speed and neuromuscular coordination, use inactive recovery periods.  Inactive recovery allows creatine phosphate and ATP to be replenished in the muscles.  If you keep jogging, ATP will continue to be used to support the activity.  Therefore, this ATP is not available to replenish the creatine phosphate stores or become part of muscles’ small ATP stores.  If the high-energy compounds of ATP and creatine phosphate are not replenished during the recovery period, they will not be available for use during subsequent intervals, and the ATP will have to be supplied by other energy systems.  Consequently, the ability to perform subsequent intervals at the desired intensity will decline.

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The Other Side of Coaching

To be a successful coach, you have to know your athletes.  This takes time.  From a physiological viewpoint, each athlete responds differently to training.  What may work for one athlete may not work for another.  For example, not every distance runner can handle running 100 miles per week.  Some athletes may respond better to high volume and low intensity while some may respond better to low volume and high intensity.  Some need more recovery days than others between hard workouts.  Therefore, it’s important to individualize your athletes’ training.  It’s not always appropriate to prescribe the same workout for everyone training for the same event.  All the 5,000-meter runners on your team shouldn’t be doing the same workouts every day.  Training is much more complex that that.  Human physiology is much more complex than that.  Of course, there are the obvious practical concerns of individualizing training within a large team.  It would be difficult, unless you have a large coaching staff, to monitor what everyone is doing.  However, it’s important to recognize the fact that while some of your athletes may run well, others may not simply because the training is not right for them, not because they are inferior athletes.  I have seen lots of good runners who have the potential to be great if only they did the right training for them.  People tend to do what other successful athletes are doing, even if that may not be the right strategy.    

 

From a psychological viewpoint, you also need to know what motivates your athletes, how they handle pressure, and how they respond to the things you say.  I learned this the hard way.  Some athletes perform at their best when under pressure, while others perform at their best when there is little pressure. 

           

One of the best ways to get to know your athletes is simply to listen to them.  If they complain of fatigue after a difficult week of training, then it may be necessary to back off a little from the hard training.  Conversely, if they say they feel great, then take that as an affirmation to proceed with the training you’ve planned.  You should constantly ask your athletes how they feel and must remember that, even though the training may look good on paper, some athletes will respond well to it while others won’t.

 

You should save all of your training programs, your athletes’ race performances, and your athletes’ injury histories.  These will serve as great resources during your coaching career.  Over time, you will learn what types of training work and what types don’t work and gain insight concerning the relationship between training and injury.

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VO2max and Heart Rate

Since VO2max is a laboratory-determined physiological variable, it’s hard to relate it to real-world running.  For example, how do you know if you’re running at the right percentage of your VO2max to get the most out of your training?  Luckily, physiology has given us some help.  Not only does your VO2 increase linearly with exercise intensity, so does your heart rate.  And they both increase in a predictable manner. So you can use heart rate—which is easy to measure with a heart rate monitor—instead of VO2 to prescribe and monitor training intensity.  While 100% VO2max will occur at or very near 100% max heart rate, there is about a 10-15% difference between the two variables when running at submax intensities.  For example, 50% VO2max is equal to about 60-65% max heart rate.  During certain types of workouts (such as interval training), it is possible to achieve an intensity above 100% VO2max or max heart rate, if only for a few minutes.  It’s also possible to run at 100% max HR and not achieve VO2max, such as when you run very short intervals.  So, when running short intervals (less than 400 meters), focus on your speed (time) rather than on your heart rate.

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New Coaching Services

Are you interested in becoming the athlete you want to be?

Do you want one-on-one attention?

Do you want a training program that will help you meet your goals?

Do you want encouragement and motivation?

RunCoachJason.com offers Premier, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Basic services to meet every runner’s needs.

To get started on becoming a better runner and reaching your goals, e-mail jason@runcoachjason.com for an initial free consultation.

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Research From ACSM

Here’s a sample of the research that was presented at the recent American College of Sports Medicine conference...

 

A study from the University of Saskatchewan found that physical activity reaches a peak in late childhood and early adolescence and then decreases with increasing age.

 

Research on Kenyan distance runners has shown that, while they have similar VO2max values as Caucasian runners, they weigh less, have a smaller leg mass, and are more economical.  Interestingly, the majority of international-level Kenyan runners come from the Rift Valley province, belong to the Kalenjin tribe, and run longer distances to school than do other children.   

 

A study from the University of Alabama found that low-intensity aerobic exercise (25-40% VO2max for 14-20 minutes, 3 x week) is effective in improving the quality of life in breast cancer survivors and may be useful in cancer survivor rehabilitation.

 

A study from East Carolina University found that weight loss has no effect on the ability of skeletal muscle to oxidize fat, but that exercise training significantly increases fatty acid oxidation in lean, obese, and formerly obese individuals. 

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In Press...

Show Me the Bagels: Glycogen as a Metabolic Fuel for Runners, my article that discusses the importance of carbohydrate for long distance runners and gives recommendations for maximizing glycogen synthesis in muscles, appears in the July, 2005 issue of Marathon & Beyond.

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To view past newsletters, go to http://www.runcoachjason.com/newsletter.

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©2005 Jason Karp.  All rights reserved.